IGCSE Geography 2016 - 2017 (Battle For Biosphere)
IGCSE Geography 2016 - 2017 (Battle For Biosphere)
IGCSE Geography 2016 - 2017 (Battle For Biosphere)
TASK 1: INTRODUCTION
Biosphere – the part of Earth’s surface inhabited by living things.
Agriculture – the growing of crops and raising livestock such as cattle for food.
Basically, farming.
Keystone Species – a species of animal that plays a unique and critical role in
its ecosystem. They have particularly large effects on other living organisms. If
removed from its habitat, the ecosystem will be affected and may drastically
change.
Ex. Bees – they pollinate plants. Plants act as shelters for some insects, which
are then eaten by other species such as birds.
Beavers – they build dams. Dams help maintain stream and river flow and
they also create ponds, which host other creatures.
TASK 2: DIRECT AND INDIRECT THREATS TO THE
BIOSPHERE
Deforestation
- Removing trees result in severe flooding and also there is less cover to
hold heavy rains. The heavy rain water may trigger mudslides, like the
one in China’s Zhejiang Province, on November 13 2015.
- The excess rain water also becomes runoff and instead of seeping down
into the soil, it goes into the ocean, bringing along sediments with it.
This will affect the marine animals
- Loss of trees also results in soil degradation. Without tree roots to hold
the soil, the rain will leach the nutrients, which might lead to
desertification.
- Valuable plants are destroyed
- Habitats are destroyed and species go extinct or become endangered
Ex. In the Amazon, Brazil many birds, which are dispersers of large seeds are
near extinction. This will reduce the reproduction of some tree species.
Mining
- Deforestation needs to take place before mining can be put into action.
Wildlife habitats will be affected.
- Toxic amounts of minerals and heavy metals are released into the soil
and water, contaminating them. This may affect plant growth and those
who drink the water.
- Mountains are blasted apart to reach the coal. Permanent scars are left
on the landscape.
Ex. Because of the Ok Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea, up to 30,000 people
living to the south of the mining site have been seriously affected. Fish stocks
have also been declining. This is because up to 30 million tones of fine sand are
released into local rivers annually.
Overfishing
- Overfishing results in a lack of fish/food for other species
- This affects the food web and may lead to some species dying out
Ex. In the 1970s in the Northern Benguela ecosystem off the coast of Namibia,
stocks of anchovy and sardines depleted due to overfishing. This lead to an
increase of jellyfish and the bearded goby. Also, animals that thrived off
sardines and anchovy such as penguins were struggling to survive.
- Deserts will get hotter and may not be able to host a variety of life
- Rainforests can face droughts more frequently and species will struggle
to survive
- People who depend on the rain to fill up rivers and lakes will have no
water supply
Ex. India will receive stronger cyclones which will lead to more floods
Melting Glaciers
- Sea levels will rise. This will affect those who live on very low-lying areas
as well as threaten wildlife population. For example, the citizens of
Venice will face difficulties when their city is flooded and turtle nests on
beaches will be swept away. Many turtle species are already
endangered, so they cannot afford to lose any of their off springs.
- The melting fresh water from glaciers pushes down the heavier salt
water, changing the Thermohaline Circulation of the ocean.
Termohaline refers to the flow of ocean water caused by changes in
density. This will not only affect the immediate area, but nearby regions
as well.
- The habitat space for creatures such as Polar bears will decrease
- Floods will be more frequent
- Climate patterns will alter, because the sun’s rays are reflected off the
glaciers’ white surfaces, helping to keep our current climate just right.
Ex. In the Arctic the population size of polar bears are decreasing. This is
because due to melting ice, there are fewer hunting opportunities which result
in an increased scarcity of food. Also, some polar bears may drown as sea ice
platforms move farther apart, making swimming conditions more dangerous.
TASK 3: THREATS CASE STUDIES
Threats faced by
Kalimantan,
Borneo
Invasive Alien
Species Temperature
Rise
Illegal Wildlife
Trade
Urbanization
- Roads and railway tracks, like the Trans-Kalimantan Highway, cut through
forests
- They have been constructed to improve accessibility to previously remote
areas
- They have also, however, made it easier to destroy larger parts of the
rainforest
Industrial Development
Forest Fires
Industrial Development
- Most forest fires are set deliberately by plantation owners, to clear land
for their plantations. They use this method because it is cheap and easy.
- The Indonesian Government said that about 80% of the fires were started
by plantation owners, industrial estates and transmigration land-clearing
projects.
Beliefs
Ex. Pangolin scales are used as a treatment for a range of ailments from
rheumatism and arthritis, to reducing swelling and discharging pus.
- Some also believe that the animals will bring luck, wealth and prosperity,
something along those lines. Or they believe that they posses
supernatural powers. In Japan, the Super Red Arowana can be sold for
prices ranging between $2,000-$200,000
Food
Temperature Rise
- This happens due to global warming and climate change
Impacts:
Deforestation
Loss in Biomass
- Biomass means combined weight of all organisms, measured in
kilocalories of stored energy
- Kalimantan forms a significant proportion of Earth’s biomass, so
deforestation in Kalimantan will reduce Earth’s biomass and its ability to
support life as biomass represents the total amount of food available on
Earth.
- The reduction of biomass means that Kalimantan’s ability to support
various wildlife is decreased and the food chain, as well as the amount of
nutrients in the forest ecosystem is affected.
- If the nutrient cycle is affects, vegetation growth is limited
Loss in Biodiversity
- If there are fewer trees, less transpiration is able to take place. This leads
to a reduction in cloud formation, thus reducing the amount of rainfall,
causing droughts.
Ex. Samarinda and Balikpapan are cities in East Kalimantan and are
located near a forest reserve, Taman Natsional Kutai. In 2001, they faced a
severe flood due to the logging activities taking place in Taman Nasional
Kutai. The floods destroyed many home and farms, leaving people
without enough food and water to survive.
- An increase in sediment
level in rivers turns the
water acidic. Aquatic life
will be affected by the
change in pH and the freshwater will no longer be safe for consumption.
- If the number of aquatic animals in the rivers decrease, people will have
less food and some of them might starve.
Air Pollution
Forest Fires
Ecological Impacts
Economic Impacts
- Indonesia’s forest fires could cost South East Asia $5-6 billion in short-
term-health-care, according to the Director of the Economy and
Environment Program for South East Asia.
- In 1997, the forest fires cause losses of &3.5-7 billion from ecological
impacts, transportation, hotel businesses, tourism, health and plantation.
Air Pollution
- Forest fires release dust and smoke, causing air pollution and haze
- The winds will spread the haze to neighboring countries as well, such as
the Philippines and Thailand.
- Prolonged haze can cause health problems such as throat and eye
irritations
- Up to 70 million people were affected by the haze altogether in 6 Asian
countries.
- The World Health Organization of Philippine estimated that the hospital
visits for respiratory problems were more than up to 2-3 times the usual,
when the haze was its worst in Indonesia.
- This can affect the tourism industry as people will avoid visiting affected
countries.
Temperature Rise
- Rise in sea temperature will reduce the ocean’s chlorophyll. This will
indirectly cause fish that feed on plankton to decrease.
- Because of the El Nino event in 1997-1998, over 34% of Asia’s coral reefs
were lost due coral bleaching in response to sea-surface temperature
which rose
- Temperature rise will also affect the reproduction cycle of fishes, which
will lead to the numbers of fish decreasing. Indonesia may then
experience economic losses from not being able to meet the future food
demand.
- Indonesia’s marine turtle populations will be affected by the changes in
ocean circulation and salinity patterns. Also, if the temperature of sands in
beaches increase, the gender of the baby turtles will be affect as well. If
the majority of the turtle population is one gender, it will be hard for them
to reproduce.
- Forest fires have also become more frequent due to the rise in
temperature. These will affect the wildlife in the forest as well as the
health of villagers nearby, due to the smokes that will be emitted.
Key Players:
Local Farmers They need to grow crops so they can sell them
and make money. Sometimes they need to kill
the wild animals that go on their farms because
they will destroy their crops. Less crops means
less income. They are already poor.
- The local farmers will not agree to the poachers killing all the animals, because if they need
some more food there won’t be animals for them to hunt.
- The loggers, poachers and miners all understand each other because they are poor and
need the money to support their family. Maybe if more opportunities were opened up to
them, they would stop.
- Plantation owners will be on the loggers’ side, because they can use the land cleared by
the loggers.
The government could also control logging activities and perhaps force
companies to use selective cutting. This is considered a sustainable method
because only commercially valuable trees will be cut down, leaving a large are
of non-valuable trees undisturbed.
- Transformation
Threats faced by
St Lucia
Temperature Ocean
Rise Over Acidification
Fishing/Destructive
Fishing
Driving Factors:
Deforestation
- People are doing it for economical benefits
- Large areas of land are cleared due to the increasing demand for
agricultural space; 33.7% of their land is under agriculture
- Many people are banana farmers and are dependent on the banana
production
- Trees are cut down for the development of residential construction and to
build more roads
- Due the amount of tourists flocking to St. Lucia annually, there is a push
for more large scale development projects
- Bottom trawling is used because you will catch a lot of fish in one go, so
you can easily make a lot of profit
Tourism
- For LEDCs, like St. Lucia, the tourism industry is a major source of their
income
Temperature Rise
- This happens due to global warming and climate change
Ocean Acidification
- This happens due to global warming and climate change. The ocean
absorbs Co2 let out into the atmosphere.
Impacts:
Deforestation
Floods
Loss in Biodiversity
- There is an increase of sediments that flow into the ocean, which limits
the photosynthesis of coral reefs. This can lead to coral deaths and a
decreasing amount of fish, as there is smaller food supply.
- In 1975, there were less than 100 Saint Lucia Parrots, also known as
Jacquot. This is because deforestation destroyed their natural habitat.
- During the 1980s, the average marine catch declined by 1.3% per year
- Bottom trawling crushes everything in its way, such as fish and corals.
Also, sometimes fish that are already at risk of extinction are already
caught. They are then thrown back into the sea, often injured or already
dead.
- Sometimes other forms of marine life are caught unintentionally while
fishing, such as dolphins and turtles. This is known as by catch. The
animals either die while caught in the nets, or they are released into the
oceans in bad shape.
Tourism
- When tourist do activities such as diving and snorkeling, they can destroy
the corals if they accidently hit them with their flippers
- When tourists go in the water, their sun block goes into the water as well.
This will pollute the sea and impact the marine life.
- Sometimes tourist will throw rubbish and waste into the ocean. This will
affect the sea animals because some of them might eat the rubbish and
die.
Sea Level Rise
- St. Lucia will lose some of its beaches. This will lead to less tourists
resulting in a lost in income. Tourism accounts for 60% the country’s
GDP, so their economy will be greatly
affected.
Temperature Rise
Animal Populations
- For some species, like turtles and copepods, the genders of their off
springs are determined by the temperature. This will affect the sex ratios,
leaving an unbalanced population.
Coral Bleaching
Moving Homes
Ocean Acidification
- If there are high levels ofCo2 in oceans, primary productivity will be
affected. The ocean pH will decrease as well. Some species have specific
water requirements. The formation of coral reefs will be also be slowed
down or stopped altogether in result of the decrease in pH.
- If oceans are more acidic, the coral bleaching will take place. This will
cause many corals to die. The death of corals will affect the species that
depend on corals, such as seahorses and moray eels.
Key Players:
- Divers and tourists would also be unhappy with the ship captain if they anchored the ship
near the bay, because they might injure the fish and destroy corals
- The ship captain might and the fishermen will come into conflict. If the fishermen fish all
over the place they will block the captain’s way when he wants to dock. Also when the
captain docks, he will disrupt the water which will disturb the fishermen’s’ farming