Chapter 4 – The
Environment
2014-02-25
4 Components
(Parts) of the Environment
1)
Atmosphere – air
2)
Hydrosphere – water
3)
Lithosphere – the surface of the earth (crust)
4)
Biosphere – plants, and animals, including people
Key Terms:
Ecosystem – is a balanced arrangement of
plants and animals and their surrounding physical environment.
Biotic – Living elements in an ecosystem
like people, plants and animals
Abiotic – Non-living elements in an
ecosystem, like water and rock
Habitat – the place where living things survive
Biomes – a collection of related ecosystems
(eg. Tropical Rainforest, veg. regions)
Ecology- the study of ecosystem
Photosynthesis - the process by which plants
convert sunlight in to energy for growth
Chapter 5 – Interaction
2014-02-27
Interaction - the way that the 4 themes of geography (place & location,
region, movement, and environment), people and the processes of the earth work
together or connect with one another.
How the Environment Affects People:
Ø The weather affects many activities
that we do.
Ø Climate affects what and where we
grow.
Ø We live in the “Sun Parlour” the area
of Canada which has the longest growing season (over 200 days).
Ø Extreme climates – agriculture has to
be altered to meet the climate
Ø Permafrost – permanently frozen
subsoil (ground). Eg – northern parts of Canada above the frost line.
Ø Shelter – in northern communities,
the utilities, water pipes and electrical wires, are run above ground. Some
houses are built on “stilts” and are actually above the ground, because the
heat from the house will cause the ground to thaw!
Environmental Limits on Human
Activity
· Most people live in regions that have
flat plains, gently sloping river valleys, and along coastlines.
· Mountain Barriers – Rocky mtns.
Appalachians, mid-Atlantic ridge, Himalayas, etc.
· Water Barriers – river deltas,
swamps, lagoons, bogs & marshes.
· Hazardous Building Sites – areas
where foundations for housing are difficult to build. Some houses have to be
built on stilts. Eg. Amazon river region, & Northern areas of Canada. –
Flooding also occurs in Bangladesh as a result of the Monsoon winds bringing
heavy rainfall to the area.
Natural Hazards
1)
Volcanoes-
2)
Blizzards-
3)
Hurricanes-
4)
Tornadoes-
5)
Earthquakes-
6)
Avalanche-
7)
Tsunamis-
8)
Mudslides-
9)
Typhoons-
10)
Landslides-
11)
Drought-
12)
Whirlpools-
13)
Forest
Fires-
14)
Sandstorms-
15)
Hail
/ Ice Storms-
16)
Flood-
Toxic Hot Spots – is an area where
some chemical poison has been dumped in the water and has not yet been cleaned.
It could have happened many years ago or could still be going on today. There
are many in our region – Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Sarnia, Hamilton, Toronto
etc.
