Plate Tectonics

1)     What was believed BEFORE continental drift.

-Find one theory from Pre-1910 that describes how humans explained such phenomena as earthquake, volcanoes, mountains, etc.
The speculation that continents might have 'drifted' was first put forward by Abraham Ortelius in 1596. The concept was independently and more fully developed by Alfred Wegener in 1912, but his theory was rejected. In 1858 Antonio Snider-Pellegrini created two maps demonstrating how America and Africa continents might have once fit together. Antonio Snider-Pellegrini, and others had noted earlier that the shapes of continents on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean,mostly Africa and South America, seem to fit together.

2)     The theory of Continental Drift

-          Who came up with it?

-          When did they come up with it?

-          What did it state? What was the evidence?

-          Was the theory accepted? Why or why not ?
In 1915, the German geologist and meteorologist Alfred Wegener first proposed the theory of continental drift, which states that parts of the Earth's crust slowly drift atop a liquid core. Wegener hypothesized that there was a gigantic super continent 200 million years ago, which he named Pangaea.Wegener published this theory in his 1915 book, On the Origin of Continents and Oceans. The evidence was the fossils in the ground. Some fossils from south america were in Africa which proved Pangaea truly did exist. However his theory was rejected because there was no explanation as to why/how the continents would have split up and drifted apart from the super continent Pangaea.

3)     The Theory of Plate Tectonics

-          Who came up with it?

-          When did they come up with it?

-          What evidence did they use to support their theory?

o   Be sure to include how plates move.

1. Plate tectonics theory is the theory that the outer rigid layer of the earth (the lithosphere) is divided into a couple of plates that move around across the earth's surface. Alfred Wegener also came up with this theory around 1912.One of the first pieces of geophysical evidence that was used to support the movement of lithospheric plates came from paleomagnetism. This is based on the fact that rocks of different ages show a variable magnetic field direction, evidenced by studies since the mid–nineteenth century.

4)     The theory of Hot Spots

-          Who came up with the theory?

-          When?

-          What evidence did they use to support their theory?

-          Is the theory accepted?
In 1963, Canadian geophysicist J. Tuzo Wilson came up with the hotspot  theory to explain why although most earthquake and volcanic activity happened at plate boundaries.Wilson noted that in certain locations around the world, such as Hawaii, volcanism has been active for very long periods of time.He reasoned that if relatively long lasting and exceptionally hot regions called hotspots existed below the plates it would provide localized sources of high heat energy to sustain volcanism. It was accepted by some people however rejected by others. Some people could not fit this theory with the plate tectonics theory and thought the scientist was WRONG.

Biomes research

Indonesia is in the tropical forest biome and desert biome. Eastern side of Africa for instance Madagascar is in the rainforest biome and so is Malaysia! In an average year, in a tropical rain forest, the climate is very humid because of all the rainfall! Rainfall amounts to about 250 cm per year. The rain forest has lots of rain because it is very hot and wet. This climate is found near the equator(which is why Indonesia is a tropical biome forest). That means that there is more direct sunlight hitting the land and sea there than anywhere else. The main plants in this biome are trees. A lot of the rain that falls on the rain forest never reaches the ground. It stays on the trees because the leaves act as a shield, and some rain never gets past the trees to the smaller plants and grounds below. Trees in this climate reach a height of more than 164 feet. The annual precipitation of a rain forest is greater than 150 cm. The rain forest is different from a lot of other climates. In other climates, the evaporation is carried away to fall as rain in far off areas, but in the rain forests, 50 % of the precipitation comes from its own evaporation. The average temperature of a rain forest is about 77 degree Fahrenheit. The rain forest is about the same temperature year round and rarely changes dramatically. The temperature never drops below 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Rain forests are so hot because they are found near the equator. Indonesia’s vegetation is similar to that of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea. There are some 40,000 species of flowering plants. There are more than 3,000 tree species, including Duran, which are the large bears. Woody rattan vines are abundant in Indonesia’s forests. Thousands of plant species are exploited for economic purposes, either directly or indirectly. Another typical feature of Indonesian vegetation is the mangrove forest, characterized by the formation of prop-rooted trees, which grow only in salty water along muddy shores. Mangrove swamps are extensively developed along the shallow seas on eastern Sumatra and the southeastern segment of western New Guinea. Many of the islands contain endemic species. Among these are such birds as the Javanese peacock and the Sumatran drongo,A giant lizard, the prehistoric Komodo dragon, which attains a length of 12 feet lives on two small islands! The two islands are Rinca and Komodo, between Sumbawa and Flores.

Indonesia is in the tropical forest biome and desert biome.

Indonesia has an enormous and varied insect life that includes many unusual species. Examples include giant walkingsticks that can attain 8 inches in length, leaf insects , huge atlas beetles, elegant luna moths, and beautiful birdwing butterflies.

The reason there are so many animals inhabiting the worlds tropical rainforest is that the conditions are optimal for survival. There is plenty of food and water, there is shade from the heat, and plenty of shelter from the rain.

Many animals of the rainforest are camouflaged which aids them in avoiding predators.

Some animals have adaptations that enable them to eat food that other animals can't. For example parrots have strong beaks that crack the shells of very hard nuts.

As human population grows the need for agriculture, energy and development space increases with it. Tropical rainforests cover a massive amount of the world’s tree surface, each year over 90,000 square miles of the forests are harvested for human use. This deforestation has worried environmentalists because of the release of carbon from the machinery. The carbon dioxide is very harmful for the air and humans. It is believed that deforestation may accelerate the effects of global warming and transform the rainforest climate. The impact humans have on the forest is very bad and pretty much negative!

The lumber, agriculture, and mining industries are more major impacts on the tropical rainforest. They all require large areas of forest to be cleared so that they can take place. In mining large areas of forest are cleared and roads are built to access the mines. This greatly affects the diversity in the area because of the loud construction noises as well as pollution. The lumber and agriculture industries also have a very adverse affect on tropical rainforests. This is chiefly due to the fact that the soil fertility is only good enough to grow crops for a few years after it has been cleared. This leads to farmers clearing more and more forest each year to satisfy the needs of consumers.

Environmentalists estimate that we are losing 137 plant, animal, and insect species every day due to rainforest deforestation. The economic development in these areas are polluting tropical rainforests, reducing the habitat of numerous species!

Human activity and development in the tropical rainforest has lead to massive amounts of forest land being converted into other human uses. Overexploitation of the rain forests and Natural resource is a highly damaging impact that humans have on the rainforest.

However human activity in the Rainforest Biome has allowed for the discovery and implementation of many different medicines, nearly 120 prescription medications today are derived from plants in the tropical rainforest, nearly two thirds of these drugs are known to have cancer fighting properties, not only are the drugs used to combat cancer, they are key in fighting malaria, heart disease, hypertension.

 "Pros and Cons of Moving to Indonesia." Expat Arrivals. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2015.

"Indonesia." Greenpeace International. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2015.

"Indonesian Rainforests | Rainforest Action Network." Rainforest Action Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2015.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 19 June 2015.

"Indonesia." Greenpeace International. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2015.

Earthquake in your Country

Earthquake in your country

***You will need to know the Earthquake terms to know in order to fully understand this assignment.

1)     Find an Earthquake that has occurred in your country. When did it occur?

In 2004 the Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 00 :58 UTC on December 26. This event was known as the Sumatra Andaman Earthquake. The magnitude was estimated to be a 9.0 or 8 (scientist have a rough estimatg).

2)     Where was the focus of the Earthquake? Was it a deep or shallow focus earthquake?

The epicenter was between Simeulue and mainland Indonesia.  3.316°N 95.854°ECoordinates: 3.316°N 95.854°E

3)     What caused the earthquake to occur? (Plate names, boundary type, human caused) Explain.

The under sea mega thrust earthquake was caused because the Indian plate was subducted by the Burma plate and triggered multiple tsunamis along the coasts of landmass bordering the Indian ocean. The earthquake was unusually large  and was estimated that 16000 km of the fault surface slipped along the subduction zone. The slip did not happen instantaneously but took place in two  phases over a period of several minutes.

4)     What was the Richter scale magnitude of your earthquake.

On the Richter scale the magnitude of this earthquake was around 8.0 to 9.0. Since 226 scientist have been estimating this strong impact.

5)     Describe the damage caused by your earthquake.

a.       What was the impact on the biosphere? (Humans, animals, plants)

There was a huge impact on the biosphere about 222,879 people died because of the earthquake and tsunami. The tsunami caused serious damage to the plants and trees. Salt water was added into the soils of the plants. In addition, the spread of solid and liquid waste and industrial chemicals, water pollution and the destruction of sewage collectors and treatment plants threaten the environment even further. The drinking water contained a spread of diesasees such as cholera and typhoid.

b.      Lithosphere (Roads, mountains)
Because of the earthquake the roads have been damaged.  Buildings crushed onto the roads and have damaged them. Homes are part of the lithosphere and they have been damaged due to the earthquake. Things have either broke apart here or fell on them and broke it apart.

c.       Economic Impact

Austria pledged 819 million dollars for  aid packages and about 760 million went towards Indonesia.  The level of damage to the economy wasn't as huge. The two man occupations affected but the tsunami was fishing and tourism. The impact on coastal fishing communities and the people living there, some of the poorest in the region, has been devastating with high losses of income earners as well as boats and fishing gear. Because of the tsunami there became a demand for fiber glass and the industry  for plastic boomed. However the huge demand led to lower quality in the process.

Impact on the infrastructure (buildings, roads, overpasses , bridges) 
The impact on infrastructure is a negative one. It either completely ruined or destroyed certain parts of  buildings, roads, overpasses and bridges. Without a proper bridge townspeople cont have ways to go home or to their workplace. A bridge helps goods and ideas transport and when there is no bridge its harder to transport stuff. 

Rhine River Case Study

You can work with a partner. Please make sure that you tell me who you worked with if you choose to work with a partner. 
Look at the information about the Rhine River valley. You can also look up further information if you choose. 

Questions to answer: 
1) Describe the factors that make the Rhine River the "Industrial Heartland". What area would be the industrial heartland of North America? (4 marks)
So what makes Rhine River the industrial heartland? It is a river which links different European countries together. It helps transport goods, people and ideas to these different countries.countries. It enables industrialization to take place in a more effectively because of the location the river runs through.The region around the north-eastern united states, the great lakes and Midwest stares is the industrial heart land of america. It is surrounded by water which causes it to be a suitable area for trad and the growth in the economies.  There a stronger link built near the lakes because it is in between Canada and USA. Because of the large body of water industrialization is able to occur. The water allows people to transport themselves, goods and their ideas.

2) Analyze the impact that human activity has had on the Rhine River basin. (4 marks)
Humans have a huge impact on the Rhine River basin. Much of the riverside of Rhine's marsh and floodplain was used to hold back flood water got replaced with farmland and various other buildings.Urbanization in the Rhine area has been a negative aspect as it helps the flooding to occur. Mainly because the concrete and tarmac sends more water to the river. People use the upper Rhine for generating hydroelectric power which can cause an erosion. The rivers have been involved in a straightening process due to improved navigation for shopping. This means the distance has been reduced by at least fifty kilometres whereas before it was about one thousand kilometres. Thus the reason the water moves downstream much more quickly now.

3) Suggest solutions to the environmental problems of the Rhine Riber basin and explain why these solutions may be difficult to implement. (4 marks)
Some solutions that can help the environment problems could be to promote water efficiency strategies. This can help decrease the amount of water being wasted. People can protect the water from pollution by fining solutions that can show the public is helpful. For instance green infrastructure can be a solution! Helping cities prepare for water changes can help save the Rhine river. Ensuring waterways have enough water o support aquatic ecosystems can also be another solution. Although these ideas seem great they could be difficult to implant because the Rhine river is very large at size. It goes through multiple cities such as France, Austria and Germany. It is difficult to implant in each area of those countries as everyone's point of views are different.

Case Study: Desertification in Botswana

Read the article about Botswana and answer the questions below.
1) What is desertification? Give a general overview (In your own words) of what it is and what are its causes. (4 marks)
Desertification is a process where land, that once was luxurious and living, becomes a desert. This usually occurs from a drought or deforestation. Deforestation is the action of clearing trees from a certain area. It is basically taking a  forest and demolishing it into clear land.  When there is desertification the land loses its body of water, vegetation and wildlife. Deforestation and droughts aren't always the cause of this mess. Desertification can happen from climate change and people overgrazing the land.

2) Describe the PHYSICAL characteristics of Botswana and how these are impacting desertification. Remember that physical is things that would be there whether humans existed or not and include the climate, the flora and fauna, the landscape. (4 marks)
Climate:
The raise in temperature will raise the evapotranspiration which can lead to soil humidity. The climate change can increase the number of days the land has droughts as well. The deterioration of topsoil especially in dry lands is due to the different temperatures it is facing. The deterioration of the topsoil as well is the effect of rain fall ad soil humidity which also increases the process of desertification at a rapid rate.
Fauna:
Different animal species that depend on vegetation have to migrate to different areas in order to survive. They fly/move to different areas to find resources that help them life and reduce the risk of them disappearing.  The loss drives away from the fact that animals and plant species from dry lands are particularly well adapted to the extremely dry environment and don't need to migrate.  They act as indicators of the environmental condition and their disappearance is a sign of a habitat degradation. This has a negative effect which is causing the desertification to happen in Botswana.
Flora:
he degradation of land is usually due to drought, over exploitation and salinity. The consequences on the vegetation to maintain  and flourish can be gone due to the droughts and over exploitation! This kind of poor vegetation can cause the land degradation to occur which after on results to a desert like area.
Landscape:
Land degradation would cause soil to erode or disappear. This increases the chance of the process of desertification. This has a direct affect on the water cycle! It causes it to be scarce and in threat. With less rainfall there is a more cause of droughts to occur as well.



3) Describe the HUMAN causes of desertification in Botswana. How are humans making it worse? (4 marks)

Overgrazing, deforestation and  farming are a few examples of what causes desertification. Overgrazing is where farmers allow livestock to graze to the point where its damaging the vegetation. Deforestation is when a forest filled with big flourishing trees is turned into clear land usually for agriculture. Overgrazing and deforestation is usually the main causes that lead to desertification because it either removes or damages the vegetation that is protecting and guarding the land. Another cause is farming on the land, destruction of plants in dry lands, and as well incorrect irrigation in dry regions. Some of this stuff causes a build up of salt in soils. In Botswana another reason of desertification is cause of the population. Over the past ten years the population has increased dramatically causing more food being produced. However is isn't enough water to share with everyone and is not enough for the crops to grow which is another reason why Botswana is turning into like a desert.

4) Describe some of the problems associated with solving the problem in Botswana, as well as some of the steps that have been taken to protect the environment and people. (4 marks) 
One of the major problems in Botswana is the growing population. Because of the huge population there is not enough water going to everyone needs. The population needs to be managed otherwise things can go out of hand in a negative manner. By decreasing the population there will be a decrease in human activities which is a cause for desertification. Educating the public is the golden ticket to help reduce desertification. Educate the people on how to respect the environment and to only use the resources which are needed efficiently. Im not sayingthre has been no help in saving Botswanna. Thepublic has tried to minimize their grazing, deforest and damages however not alot of people know how to help the environment around them

Case Study: Flooding in Brisbane Australia

Using the links provided below answer the following questions. 
1) Describe the causes of the flooding. Consider both the natural and human causes of the flood. (4 marks)
Flooding can occur   from either human causes or natural disasters. Flooding is usually in communities which are near the coast. One of the major causes in flooding in Australia is heavy rainfall. Other natural causes , which cause flooding, are hurricanes, tsunamis and violent storms. Some floods don't happen from natural disasters but instead  its done from man made activities. For instance a human cause can be mining and urbanization. Another cause that affects floods can be from pollution and infrastructure. 

2) Describe the social (impact on people), economic (money), environmental impacts of the floods. (12 marks)
Some social impacts that happen from floods is the loss of lives. Some lose their life while others become homeless ad the flood destroys their home. Floods can cause people to get infections and different types of diseases as it contaminates the drinking water. Floods can injure many people as its rough waters which can carry heavy vehicles with them. In the end even if the flood has cleared out it has affect many survivors physiologically. They may be traumatized due to losing a family matter or seeing such a vivid event take place. Floods can plummet economies. The destruction caused on a property from floods can reduce the properties value. Federal government would need to pay for rescue aids. The price on groceries would increase because there would be limited supply due to the loss in the flood. People who become homeless would need jobs to rebuild their lost home. Not only to rebuild  homes but there also would be money needed to rebuild the city. Flooding can impact the environment severely in a negative way. It can destroy forests  and kill animals that come across its path. With floods it can contaminate other waters with various chemicals. It also destroys the natural balance of the ecosystem and leaves the landscape looking a bit different.

3) How is the government of Queensland preparing for future potential floods? (4 marks)
First for most the government is putting a lot of effort into educating the pubic on flooding and how to deal. with it when it is happening. They want to make sure the public is prepared to face a flood without fear but with more strength. The government of Queensland is trying their best to prevent flooding by creating solutions which can overcome the heavy rainfall. A major cause of flood here is because of the overflow of drainage. They became very nasty when its combines with heavy rainfall. Australians are now building stronger homes by getting sturdier framing done and also are building their houses on higher ground.

*Please note: My parents live in Brisbane and were there during the floods! I know this area very well (I have been 5 times). you will NEED to read all of these articles and not just copy down the first thing that you see.

Impact of Fishing

For this assignment you are going to reflect on the documentary "End of the line" that we watched in class. 

a) Consider the impact on the following stakeholders as described in the film. (2 marks each. /8)

-Fishermen (they talked about Canada, East Africa, The eastern USA)

The people that depend the most on the fishing industry are the fishermen. It is what gets the food on the table for them. Fishermen depend on fishing to help provide for their families. The impact on fishing is a major positive to the fishermen because its what they rely on to gain money. Without fishermen consumers like us would not be able to eat the fancy fish dishes we like. The government also rely on fishermen because they need to gain profit and money.


-Consumers (think about the people who buy fish, and the restaurants that sell it)
Consumers who eat fish on daily bases rely heavily on the fishing industry. Some people eat fish to cover health concerns in a proper manner. For instance people who lack vitamins and minerals may eat fish to gain it. People who need Omega-3 would also eat fish to gain the Omega that they need. Fishing also has a positive impact on consumers because it is a demand for fish lovers.  Especially in high class restaurants fish is used as a main meal for simplicity and flavourism.

-Governments
The government as well heavily rely on the fishing industry. The more fish fishermen catch the more profit the government gains. They can make more money from fishing companies. The fishing industry also is a big positive for the government as it gains them profit from both consumers and fishermen. As people will pay more money for  fish delicacies which causes the fish industries to boom!




-The Environment
The environmentalist however are not happy about the fishing industries. By fishing it leads to a loss in fish species because sometimes fishermen over fish. Environmentalist are concerned about the fishes because taking away a certain type of fish can screw up the food chain. Ecological disruption is not a positive yet a negative in fishing.


b) Research fishing in your country. (/10)
-Is it a major industry? (If not look at the salmon industry in British Columbia)
-Has it been impacted by overfishing and climate change? How? 
-How will species depletion impact your country?

Indonesia is one of the biggest seafood producers in the world. It is one of the countries which is the most productive with aquaculture and wild stock fishing. This country is ranked the fourth most populous country that contains  major seafood consumers. The fishery production is totaled at 15 million tonnes in 2012. Aquaculture stands at 9 million and wild stock is at 5 million tonnes. Most of their shipments are sent to the states and Japan. However with climate change and over fishing there are certain negatives and positives in the concern. The effect of sea level rise means that coastal fishing communities are in the front line of climate change. They will have a harder time fishing in poor weather.  While on land the changing rainfall patterns and water use impact on inland fisheries and aquaculture. Indonesia is big on aquaculture and gain most of their profit from aquaculture. This does not just impact the townspeople but as well the fishes and other marine animals.  For instance the rising ocean acidity makes it more difficult for marine organisms such as shrimps, oysters, or corals to form their shells. This is creating a defect in the food web as these animals have to find alternatives for survival. Species depletion would have  major impact on Indonesia! There would be alack of biodiversity in the waters and would lack balance in the food chain. There would be more of one certain fish than another and could lead to the loss of more species. Depletion for species will also cause fishing industries to decline. As the fish decline there would not be enough supply to fulfill the demand of fish for the consumers.