HSC Geography Notes PDF

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HSC Geography general notes and course overview...

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Geography Notes Glossary Agriculture – The science or practice of farming including the cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool and other products Agricultural Yields – The measure of grains or seeds generated from or unit of land expressed as kilograms per hectare Altitude – The height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level Aquifer – A body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater Aspect – The direct which the slope is facing Atmospheric Hazard – Atmospheric hazards include things such as oxygen deficiencies, dusts, chemical vapors, welding fumes, fogs and mists that can interfere with the body’s ability to transport and utilize oxygen Bearing – The direction or position of something, or the direction of movement, relative to a fixed point Biodiversity – Variety of living, organisms (i.e. plants, animals, bacteria, fungi) found in an environment over time Biome – Large area of the Earth that is home to similar plant and animal communities that have adapted to a particular environment over time Biophysical Processes – physical forces and actions in living things Cartogram – a type of map that is distorted to show a representation of statistical data (e.g. access to water, rates of obesity) rather than land area Catchment Area – the place from which rainfall flows into a river, lake or reservoir Climate Change – A change in global or regional climate patterns and in particular a change attributed by the largely increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide Climatic Zones – Climate zones are divisions of the Earth’s climate into general climate zones according to the average temperature and rainfall Consumer – a person who purchases goods and services Community – Group of people living in the same place Desertification – the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation or inappropriate agriculture. Development – the process of developing or being developed Ecosystem – a biological community of interacting organisms

Ecosystem Services – Benefits an ecosystem provides Environment – The surroundings or conditions in which a person, anima or plant lives or operates Extinction – No longer existing. The disappearance of a species Food Security - the state of having reliable access to sufficient quantity and quality of affordable and nutritious food to lead a healthy life Food Web – A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains Gradient – The degree of a slope Groundwater – water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in a rock Habitat – An area of land where flora and fauna coexist Human Wellbeing – Human Wellbeing is the measure by combining facts and figures with indications that have a heading on people’s lives Invasive Species – a species which is non-native to the ecosystem or whose introduction will cause harm to the environment Land Degradation – wearing down of the health of land resources through human actions in ways that threaten their ability to maintain environmental functions Liveability – Liveability is the sum of the factors that add up to a community’s quality of life Natural Resources – Materials or substances occurring in nature which can be exploited for economic gains Perception – the way in which something is seen, regarded, understood, or interpreted Population – all the inhabitants of a particular places Population Density – Measurement of the number of individuals per unit area (e.g. 1500 people per square kilometre) Producer – A person, company, or country that makes, grows or supplies goods. Rotational Grazing – rotational grazing is the practice of moving grazing livestock between pastures as needed or as a regular basis Sketch Map – a roughly drawn map that shows only basic details Spatial Distribution – spatial distribution is the arrangement of a phenonium across the Earth’s surface Sustainability – A going capacity of earth to maintain life Vegetation Identification Chart – It helps with the process of matching a specimen of plant to a known species of plant

World Biomes A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna that has adapted to a particular environment and has similar climate. Spatial Patterns of Biomes Polar Ice, Tundra, and Coniferous Forests are usually found at either pole but because there is more land further North than there is land to the South there is usually more polar ice, tundra and coniferous forests there. Tropical Forests, Savannas and Deserts are usually located near the equator from 30ᵒ North to 30ᵒ South. Chaparral, Temperate Grasslands and Temperate Deciduous Forests are located between the Tundra and Polar Ice but not usually past 30ᵒ North or South of the Equator.

Types of Biomes 

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Tundra - Artic - Alpine Grasslands - Savanna - Steppes - Temperate Grassland Forests - Boreal - Temperate - Tropical Deserts - Cold - Coastal - Semi-Arid - Hot / Dry Aquatic - Freshwater o Ponds / Lakes o Streams / Rivers o Wetlands - Saltwater o Oceans o Coral Reefs o Estuaries

The Three Climate Zones   

Tropical Temperatures are uniformly warm during the world year and there is no true winter season Temperate Temperatures are high during the summer and low during the winter Polar Temperatures are low during the whole year and there is not true summer; Summers are warmer then winters

The locations of all the types of biomes are primarily influenced by the three climate zones

Boreal and Temperate Forests Boreal Forests have long winters that have an average temperature that can drop to as low as -15 ᵒ C and in the short 3-month summer temperatures can rise to 20 ᵒ C with relatively high humidity. Temperate Forest trees are usually located in temperate zones however they were not always in some countries but they exist nowadays because Explorers of Europe set out to colonize new lands and usually took native seeds with them. Boreal Forests Biomes are usually located in large numbers between the temperate and polar zones which make these areas much colder than normal areas however temperate forests biomes usually see more balanced temperatures unlike the usually extreme cold in Boreal Forest Biomes. Boreal Biomes are usually located in a strip in the upper northern hemisphere spanning across all continents however temperate forests basically don’t exist as there are very few places with them with most being close to boreal forest biomes.

Grassland Biomes The Grasslands biome is an important biome as much of the worlds food and fibre come from plants or animals that live in the Grasslands. Most continents usually have some form of grasslands however they are all usually located near equatorial regions or between the two tropics. Africa has the largest amount of grasslands and North America with the least as they aren’t close to the equator. Whenever there is grassland there is usually some cultivated land and urban areas nearby. As grasslands contain much of the worlds food supply some people often choose to live near these areas as food supply is usually a lot higher.

Tropical Forest Biomes All the worlds tropical rainforests are located in between the tropics of cancer and the tropics of Capricorn. Rainforests produce more then 1/5 of the worlds oxygen, they also help regulate the Earth’s temperature, rainfall and hold much of the worlds fresh water supply. The closer you are to the equator the more likely it is a tropical rainforest and further south are subtropical rainforests and then temperate rainforests. Anywhere south of Rockhampton gradually transitions to subtropical rainforests then even further down in Victoria and Tasmania are where most Temperate rainforests are located in. Tropical rainforests are more humid hotter and dense however temperate rainforests are usually a lot dryer and tress more sparsely located. The climate temperature is getting higher making it difficult for some rainforests to survive and urbanization also results in more trees being removed for living area and farming land. The ecosystem services would be a good way to describe the importance of rainforests to humanity as it provides 1/5 of the worlds oxygen, lots of medical needs and much of the world’s original food supply.

Food Security & Land Degradation Food security is experienced when people consistently have enough nutritious food to lead a healthy life. Wearing down of the ‘health’ of land resources through human actions that threaten their ability to maintain natural functions or produce food. Some forms of land degradation include: -

Soil Erosion Soil Salinity Desertification

Soil Erosion There are two main types of soil erosion, erosion by water or by wind. For water erosion water drops breakup the soil and water builds up resulting in runoff taking some topsoil with it. Wind erosion is

caused when fine particles are blown away by the wind while heavy particles are blown across the surface resulting in abrasion which then removes even more particles. Food is harder to grow when topsoil is gone. This results in large portions of topsoil being removed every year. Plants will also get destroyed by small to large particles. It can be reduced by planting trees to hold the soil in place so that the topsoil can’t be blown away.

Ecosystem Services There are four different types of Ecosystem Services.    

Sources Sinks Services Spirituality

Hydrological, Carbon & Oxygen Cycles Hydrological Cycle Water is evaporated into the cloud and cold temperatures condense vapour leading to rainfall (precipitation). Carbon Cycle Plants absorb and store carbon and slowly release it when it dies. Burning of tress and fossil fuels release large amounts of carbon into the environment. Usually takes 1- 10 years for carbon to be removed the hydrosphere holds carbon for the longest. Oxygen Cycle Atmosphere  (water) photolysisO2 Lithosphere  (O2) Biosphere  (O2) Lithosphere Living Organisms  Photosynthesis  O2  Respiration  Living Organism The UV light in the atmosphere turns water into oxygen and hydrogen. This process is known as photolysis. Lithosphere gives O2 to biosphere which then transfers it back. Living Organisms can photosynthesis to produce O2 and respirate to take in O2.

Coastal Management -

Seawall Sand Nourishment Buy Back Homes Rip Rap Stone Protection Fencing to trap sand on dunes Offshore sand dredging to replenish beaches

Swash Zone, Berm, Foredune, dune crest, back dune, incipient dune and swale....