Climate And Change

Climate Change And The Biosphere

• Climate - change of temperature and the atmosphere between a certain time.
• Naturally the climate has changed over the last 200,000 years.
• The earths orbit changes from time to time causing the temperature to change due to the earth moving futher or nearer the sun, this happens every 100,000 years.
• The sun spot theory - When the sun produces black spots on them due to the sun letting more energy off which warms the earth.

Biosphere - Layer of the earth which is made up of plants and animals.

Biodiversity - Range of living things.

Biome - A community of different species, in one large area. e.g. Tropical rain forest.

Dessert - Is windy, dry, hot and arid. The vegetation consists of trees, thorny bushes and cactus'. You can find birds, lizards, beatles, owls, scorpions, dessert mice. Situated close to the northern hemisphere.

Mountain - Windy, cold, snow, rain and wet. Lack of vegetation. You can find foxes, deer, eagles, mountain goats. Himilayas, Asia and Northern America.

Savannah - Situated between the equator of the world. Varied Climate. Vegetation consists of lots of grass and trees. Big five - Elephants, Hippos, Cheetas, Tigers and Lions.

Tropical - Within in the equator. Climate is humid and has a lot of rain. Mainly tropical trees. Similar animals to the Savannah - Elephants, chimpanzees, snakes etc.

Physical (:  Sunlight makes the plant grow

PH7 - neutral soils

Competion of plants

Nutrients in the soil

Human ): Trampling on plants

Gives ferterlisers and pesticides

Over watering.

Flooding and fires.

Desserts - Not enough rainfall.

Too high temperatures in the day and drastically changes at night - no consistancy

Lack of nutrients within the soil.

Tundra - Too cold for plants to grow - due to being near the Arctic Circle.

It's too cold to rain or snow - very low rainfall.

Low layer of soil.

Services - Jobs that are carried out by the rainforest that benifits the plants.

Goods - Resources that people use from the rainforest e.g. Timber/wood, palm oil and rubber.

Goods - 25% of all cancer goods, Used for contriceptive pills, provides 80% of western foods - pineapples, coffee, A rainforest drug is used to help diabetics, source of illegal drugs.

Services - Regulates the hydrological cycles, provides nutrients for the soil, Store carbon, contributor to global warming, provides homes for animals, makes up 50% of the biological diversity from the tropical rainforests. 

Covers 40% of the planet.

It's the lungs of the earth.

40, 000 species.

Has the greatest biodiversity.

220 indigeous tribes.

Half amout of a football pitch of the amazon is cleared of timber.

The Amazon could dissappear in 40 years.

17% is deforestation.

1. Complete deforestation of the Amazon.

2. Many species loose their habitats.

3. Exstiction occurs for certain species

4. Leads to starvation in other species.

5. Less CO2 is given out affects the atmosphere.

6. Rise of death rate increases.

1. Loss of indigenous tribes.

2. Dessertification - areas of the rainforest turn to dessert.

3. 1/3 less of oxygen.

4. Mass extinction of plants - gene pool - plants with medical advantages gone.

5. Destorys carbon storage - climate change occurs.

6. Soil erosion - nutrients are washed away in tropical rains.

Commercial logging: Defforestation through-out the forest. This causes flooding and soil erosion.

Mass tourism: Where amount of people destroy a fragile place e.g. coral reefs.

Over harvesting: Planting more crops which causes animals to be hunted and exstinct.

Introduction of new species: Animals who have been transported from another country which will take over other species.

Over fishing: People hunting for fish such as Cod lead to decline in the food chain.

Water pollution: Sewage or chemicals washed away. This leads to fish dying due to suffication.

Zoning: Only allows certain activities, which stops hunting and mining.

BAP (Biosphere Action Plan): Protecting plants and animals in England.

Ecotourism: Local people earn money from tourism preserves the environment.

Closing off scheme: Stops people going into certain areas to protect.

Creation of a community forest: National forest protects woodland near big cities.

Act locally: local people create BAP's to protect vegetation.

Conservation: Is the wise use of natural resources. Planned action or non action to preserve or protect living and non-living resources.

Ways of conserving a threatened species:

1. Supporting Greenpeace and WWF.

2. Management from knowledge rather than ignorance.

3. IWC (international Whaling Community) 88 countries pledge not to undertake commercial whaling.

4. Creation of the Southern Ocean Whaling Sanctury.

5. Expansion of Ecotourism in Brazil, Austrailia, Argentina and New Zeland.

6. Using DNA has helped bring species back from near exstinction.

7. Radio tagging to keep a close eye on the animals.