Sustainable Development and Environmental Challenges
Sustainable Development
Principles
- Collection: Extraction rate at or below regeneration rate.
- Discharge: Rate of extraction equals the creation rate of substitute resources/energies.
- Broadcast: Below the assimilative capacity of receiving ecosystems.
- Zero Emission: No bioaccumulative emissions.
- Integration: Mimic natural ecosystem processes.
- Technology Selection: Prioritize efficient technologies.
- Precautionary Principle: Avoid exceeding ecosystem limits.
Brackish Water
Saline intrusion in wells.
Alternative
Read MoreKey Geographical Terms and Concepts
Earth’s Position & Time
Equinox: Time when the sun’s rays cross the equator, causing equal day and night. Occurs around September 23rd and March 21st.
Solstice: Time when the sun’s rays fall directly on the tropics. Around June 22nd (Cancer) and December 23rd (Capricorn).
Mapping & Location
Scale: Relationship between map distance and real-world distance, expressed numerically or linearly.
Latitude: Angular distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees.
Longitude: Angular distance
Earth’s Past: A Geological Journey Through Time
ITEM 13: Getting the Earth and its Past
Readers Rock
In the development of geology as a science, three key ideas have been central:
- The Earth is immensely old. The Earth originated about 4,560 Ma; however, for many centuries, it was thought to be scarcely 6,000 years old.
- The Earth is constantly changing. The Earth’s surface changes permanently due to slow, gradual processes such as mountain erosion or continental movement, but also thanks to sporadic and intense processes, such as volcanic eruptions,
Geologic Time Scale: A Comprehensive Guide to Earth’s History
1. Principle of Superposition: When any given stratum was being formed, all the matter resting on it was fluid. Therefore, when the lowest stratum was formed, none of the upper strata existed.
2. Principle of Original Horizontality: Strata which are either perpendicular to the horizon or inclined to it were at one time parallel to the horizon.
3. Principle of Lateral Continuity: When any given stratum was being formed, it was either encompassed at its edges by another solid substance or it covered
Earth’s Interior: Composition, Seismic Waves, and Plate Tectonics
Earth’s Interior
Composition of Earth’s Interior
Direct Methods: Surveys (max. 13km), analysis of meteorites, analysis of lava from volcanoes (crust and mantle materials).
Indirect Methods: Studying Earth’s density (compared to the theoretical density of crustal material), studying seismic waves (behavior of primary and secondary waves).
Why is the outer core liquid and the inner core solid?
Iron Core = 90% + 10% nickel. Core temperature is 5000°C. At these temperatures, these materials are molten;
Read MoreEarth’s Hydrosphere: Composition, Processes, and Contamination
Life on Earth directly depends on water. Civilizations have disappeared, and many ecosystems have been affected by changes in water quantity and quality.
The ocean represents 97.2% of the hydrosphere, while ice in the polar caps accounts for 2.1%. Groundwater and water in lakes and rivers account for 0.6%. The remaining 0.1% is saline (potable) water found in lakes or groundwater.
The Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere is in close contact with the Earth’s lithosphere; therefore, their properties are related.
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