Download
1 / 13
140 likes | 220 Views
The Themes of Geographic inquiry: interaction.
E N D
How the Environment Affects PeopleThe weather in any area affects us on how we live and what we do. We interact with it.The Weather and YouClimate changes so often, it can affect what we want to do. The changes also affect our attitudes, energy levels and health.Agriculture: What Grows WhereThe climate affects where and what we can grow, so the amount of heat and moisture sets the limits for growing agriculture. In some countries there are climate that are very dry, so it they are able to grow, as where some countries that are cold cannot grow agriculture.
Extreme Climate Areas between 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south latitude have year round growing seasons(if these areas are well watered). If the areas are either very dry or very wet, people are forced to adapt to these conditions and are forced to use different methods of agriculture.
ShelterThe climate in many areas affect the shelter of many people in many places. For example, homes in areas covered in permafrost must be built on gravel pads or other insulators so the heat from the buildings will not cause the ground to thaw. Thawing softens the earth and causes homes to shift or sink.Environmental Limits on Human ActivityLands that are too rough or steeply sloped are usually not settled. Therefore, there needs to be settled ground otherwise there will not be much human activity.Mountain BarriersThe mountains force people to move along them until they find a passage way around them or a way over the mountains.(Like the Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush mountains north of India.) Mountains today still impede human movements. It is also difficult to construct through them (e.g. railways and roads). Mountains can also be a constant threat.
Water BarriersThere are a lot of wetland that act as barriers to keep people on their perimeters such as the Everglades or the Okeefenokee. The 5 main common wetlands are river deltas, lagoons, swamps, bogs and marshes.Hazardous Building SitesA lot of areas are not stable so, it is hard to build in certain areas. If there is no solid bedrock for foundations, the land becomes waterlogged. In areas where flooding was a common and a seasonal hazard, that forced people to live on high land in houses that were built on stilts. This happens where people who are found in the Amazon River basin and in Bangladesh.The Physical Environment – Challenge and OpportunityMany people have the ability to take the opportunity to adapt to their physical environment. We adapt to our environment for traveling and for our food surroundings.
Other View PointsSome people see their environment differently. For example, Europeans valued fur which aboriginal would have thought foolish. The natives populations lived with the environment, using what they needed but not exhausting the resources. Some people see their environment differently. For example, Europeans valued fur which aboriginal would have thought foolish. The natives populations lived with the environment, using what they needed but not exhausting the resources.
Natural HazardsNatural hazards affect how we live. Many natural hazards include: cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons), tornadoes, blizzards, ice storms, drought, landslides, snow slides, sand storms and tsunamis. As people live closer and closer together that causes natural hazards an increasing threat to life and land. Preparation HelpsWhen natural hazards are ready to come, we start to prepare as much as possible. As the hazards come people have emergency evacuation routes have been set up to move people out of a threatened area quickly and safely. Property can be protected as well by boarding up windows, moving boats up and away from the shore, and tying things down. When the natural hazard comes people are forced in to migration and starvation.How people affect the environment Know matter how much we try to not change the earth, it is no use trying because the earth changes. We take from earth; we change earth; we have a relationship with it. If we walk through a forest, pick a flower, and enjoy what we see we are all taken from, changed, or related to the environment.
Creating a Built Environment Our communities take advantage and control our local environment through energy and technology. We link our areas together by building bridges or tunneling great distances under water or through mountains. Big urban cities use/take up a lot of energy so, we have built energy transmission lines to move energy from cities to cities.
Waste ManagementWe take to advantage of our energy privileges and we could all reduce the amount by turning of the light when we are using them or needing light. Put the Garbage OutWe generate a lot of waste products- leftovers, unwanted resources. Some societies generate little waste unlike ours we generate huge amounts.Out of Sight Out of MindWe are causing many problems such as contaminated water and diseases. If we continue to throw our garbage in lakes, oceans, old quarries, streams, and rivers we will cause those problems.Toxic Hot SpotsClose to home, we have many toxic “hot spots” in the Great Lakes regions. A toxic hot spot is where chemical poisons that have been dumped into the water that has not been cleaned up. This problem could have happened many years ago and could still be going on.
Our Actions and the Four SpheresThe artificial environments we create have many large-scale effects involving all four components of the environment.People and the Atmosphere We pollute our atmosphere. As a result is a thinning ozone layer, acidic precipitation, and smog.Holes in the Ozone LayerThe thinning in the ozone layer is a fairly new and a not very complex situation. This usually caused by the chemical compounds called chlorofluorocarbons (CCFs), used in air conditioners and aerosol sprays.Acid RainAcid rain is made by cars, trucks, planes, trains, power plants, and industry spew sulphur and nitrogen into the air. These with combined sunlight, water vapour, oxygen to make acids and other toxins which fall to the earth as acid rain. One of the affects is it makes car paint fade away.
SmogWhen there is smog, there are warning signs. For example they will broadcast local weather reports. Breathing in smog is like smoking in 2 packs of cigarettes per day!Technology: Problem and SolutionTechnology has helped us in many ways but, technology also creates problems. It is easier to handle pollution problems When they come from a single point source. Like the smokestacks on a power plant, but when it comes from a non-point, like the millions of cars all over the nation that makes it a lot harder. To make life easier for a good future choice we should start use electric-powered vehicles.People and the HydrosphereWe never thought that putting our garbage would do anything to cause problems but, that is not true. Throwing our garbage in the ocean was not a good idea because the oceans are huge but instead, we are polluting our oceans
Our OceansWith so many people that are living in the costal zones . Dumping sewage and garbage is becoming a big problem because our worlds fisheries have declined. This is happening because we are dumping things that we are trying to hide other thing including undetonated explosives, toxic industrial wastes, and even nuclear wastes.
Our Fresh WaterLake Ontario has been called chemical soup because of the garbage that has been dumped into the lake. That pollutes our water we need for life, and these chemicals are circulated by natural systems. The chemicals- fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides- spread into our land find their way into our water systems.People and the LithosphereWhen we clear woods for farm land, this process creates land forms such as gullies, or increases flooding hazards.People and the BiosphereOur activities forms lives that are threatened, such as many species of animals, birds, and fish. Our cities are growing so much, that it means there are fewer places left for plants and trees to grow. For example, in North America we have many kinds of beautiful orchids, that is now grows on Flowerpot Island in Georgian Bay, Ontario.
