ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES

YEAR 10 SCIENCE ROTATION TOPIC

SALTY SOIL A PROBLEM IN INLAND AUSTRALIA

FEATURES OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Male and female Red Kangaroos in their environment identify the biotic and abiotic features

A FOREST FOODWEB

Spotted Quoll

Blue Wren

POSSIBLE TROPICAL AUSTRALIAN FOOD WEB

What eats what! Frogs - grasshoppers Fish algae, other fish, tadpoles (frogs), Turtles algae, reeds, fish, tadpoles (frogs); Crocodiles water buffalo, fish, kangas, birds, turtles Water buffalo grass, reeds Kangaroos grass, leaves; Small birds seeds of trees, grasses, reeds, Snakes mice, birds, fish, insects, frogs Eagles mice, echidnas, kangaroos, small birds Marsupial mice insects, small birds, Kookaburras snakes, fish, mice, lizards. Termites wood, grass, leaves Echidnas - termites

POSSIBLE TROPICAL AUSTRALIAN FOOD WEB

PRODUCERS

HERBIVORES

OMNIVORES

CARNIVORES

POSSIBLE TROPICAL AUSTRALIAN FOOD WEB

WEDGE-TAILED EAGLES

KOOKABURRAS

CROCODILES

SNAKES

TURTLES

FROGS

MARSUPIAL MICE

ECHIDNAS

FISH

WATER BUFFALO

KANGAROOS

GRASSHOPPERS

BIRDS

TERMITES

ALGAE

REEDS

GRASSES

GUM TREES

BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity describes the variety of life forms and ecosystems.

TYPES OF BIODIVERSITY:
1. GENETIC DIVERSITY the variety of genetic material in a population of a species; 2. SPECIES DIVERSITY the variety of different species in an ecosystem; 3. ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY the variety of different ecosystems within an environment.

CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS Examples

DOG KINGDOM PHYLUM CLASS ORDER FAMILY GENUS SPECIES SUB-SPECIES, RACES, BREEDS Animal Chordate Mammal Carnivore Canidae Canis familiaris
Doberman, poodle, terrier, collie, etc

BIRD Animal Chordate Bird

TREE Plant

APPLE Plant

Spermatopyte Spermatophyte angiosperm Rosales rosacea Malus domesticus

Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, etc

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
1. Biodiversity maintains healthy ecosystems by providing important services:
protecting water resources; forming and protecting soil; maintaining nutrient cycles; breaking down and neutralising pollution; helping to stabilise climate; providing natural pest control; improving the recovery rate from catastrophic events.

WETLAND NEAR ALBURY ON THE MURRAY RIVER

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
2. Biodiversity provides a rich store of useful resources:
food for now and potential new foods for the future; medicinal resources, currently used and potential new medicines; wood products; resources that we do not yet know of, but which could have benefits in the future.

BUSH FOODS

TIMBER

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
3. Biodiversity provides social benefits at all levels of society:
Education, research and monitoring undisturbed biodiverse ecosystems provide a baseline for monitoring levels of environmental damage; recreation; cultural significance; provides a starting point for environmental action.

RESOURCES
Resources are materials or substances from the biotic or abiotic environment that our society uses to provide for its needs. The most basic material needs of human societies are: food from the biotic environment; water; raw materials; from the abiotic environment energy.

RESOURCES
Renewable resources those that are replaced at a rate similar to the rate at which they are consumed. Resources from the biosphere food, timber, natural fibres are normally regarded as being renewable, provided that we do not consume them at a faster rate than the environment can replace them. The Earths hydrosphere provides water, a resource that is also renewable.

RESOURCES
Non-renewable resources are those that are not regenerated at the rate at which they are consumed. Resources that we obtain from the lithosphere fall into the non-renewable category. These include: Energy resources - fossil fuels coal, oil and natural gas; Mineral resources metallic minerals, construction material, industrial minerals.

ENERGY AND THE WATER CYCLE

THE MURRAY DARLING BASIN

BIOINDICATORS
Frogs, such as the threatened Green and Golden Bell frog, are useful as indicators of environmental degradation. This is due to their permeable skins.

WATER QUALITY INDICATORS

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL INDICATORS
Electrical conductivity indicates how saline the water is. The more salt dissolved in water, the better it conducts electricity. The lower the conductivity the better the water quality. Salt comes from saline soil, or saline groundwater. pH how acidic or basic the water is. pH between 6.5 and 7.5 is good Turbidity how cloudy the water is, due to suspended solids clay or algae. The lower the turbidity, the better the water quality.

 Dissolved oxygen (DO) - the amount of oxygen gas dissolved in the water. Oxygen dissolves in water by mixing with air, when water is turbulent, or by photosynthesis of aquatic plants. Higher the DO, the better the water quality Oxygen saturation - the amount of oxygen in the water expressed as a % of the maximum amount that can dissolve. Values lower than 85% represent declining water quality. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) - the amount of oxygen in water that is used up in the decomposition of organic wastes, such as sewage, dead plant matter, animal wastes, etc. The higher the BOD, the worse the water quality.

 Temperature - most aquatic organisms have a optimum temperature range in which they can survive. Also, the higher the water temperature, the less oxygen can dissolve in it. Therefore lower water temperatures are better (> 28C). Nutrients phosphate and nitrate are essential plant nutrients but high concentrations encourage excessive algal growth, leading to algal blooms. The nutrients often come from fertiliser runoff from farms; animal manure from farms and feedlots, or sewage overflows. Levels of phosphate and nitrate higher than 0.1 ppm indicate poor water quality.

WATER QUALITY INDICATORS

MICROBIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
Fecal coliforms - coliform bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, are present in the digestive systems of all warm-blooded vertebrates. The presence of E.coli in water indicates contamination by sewage or animal feces. The higher the count, the worse the water quality.

WATER QUALITY INDICATORS

BIOINDICATORS
Aquatic macroinvertebrates (water bugs) different kinds of water bugs can tolerate different levels of water quality. Low quality water will have a small biodiversity of water bugs, only those that are very tolerant of pollution. High quality water will have a large biodiversity of water bugs, including some that are very sensitive to pollution.

WATER BUGS

Mining for resources has a large impact on the local environment

Original creek line

Native forest

Creek diversion

OPEN PIT

Pine plantation

MINERAL PROCESSING PLANT

WASTE ROCK DUMPS

Farmland Farmland

TAILINGS DAMS

1 km

LANDSCAPE

Hill Creek Farmland

Outcrop of copperbearing rock

Forest

200

m
0 Scale (km) 1 0

EXPLORATORY DRILLING

200

m
0

0 Scale (km)

Ore Barren rock

DISCOVERY OF ORE BODY

PREDICTED FINAL PIT SHAPE determined by rock stability

Not economic b/c to mine it requires removal of much more waste rock

FIRST CUT Barren rock (waste rock) goes to waste rock dump
Ore goes for processing

6 months

12 months

18 months

2 years

2 years

3 years

3 years

4 years

4 years

5 years

5 years

6 years

INCANESCENT LIGHT GLOBE EXAMPLE OF

THE USE OF RESOURCES
glass
inert gas tungsten filament

copper wire
brass base plastic insulator

COMPONENT inert gas

MADE FROM Argon,helium, neon,nitrogen tungsten

OBTAINED FROM atmosphere

RENEWABLE OR NON-RENEWABLE renewable

ENERGY REQUIRED low

POTENTIAL FOR POLLUTION Low

filament

Ore (rock)

Non-renewable

high

High

glass

sand (silicon dioxide) sodium carbonate

Beach, dunes

???????

moderate

Low to moderate

Salt (sodium chloride) seawater Ore (rock)

renewable

low

Low

wires

copper

Non-renewable

high

High

brass

copper

Ore (rock)

Non-renewable

high

High

zinc

Ore (rock)

Non-renewable

high

High

insulator

plastic

petroleum

Non renewable

high

high

WORLD ENERGY USE 1860 2010 BY ENERGY SOURCE

ENERGY SOURCES AND USE

NUCLEAR electricity generation HYDRO electricity generation GAS domestic, industry/manufacturing, electricity generation OIL transport, industry/manufacturing, electricity generation COAL electricity generation, industry/manufacturing OTHER RENEWABLES - electricity generation, domestic heating

COAL-BURNING POWER STATION

Steam

water

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION

NUCLEAR POWER STATION

Primary Energy Production by Fuel Type Australia - 2009/10

Production (PJ) 2009 - 10 %

Coal
Petroleum Natural gas Renewables Hydro Biomass Biogas Wind Solar Total renewables Total

2229
2058 1372

37.5
34.6 23.1

(45) (192) (21) (17) (11) 286 5945 4.8

(0.76) (3.23) (0.35) (0.29) (0.19)

T H E C A R B O N
C Y CL E

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

AUSTRALIAS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS 2009 - 2010

Annual emissions Mt CO2 equivalent SECTOR Electricity generation Stationary energy not electricity 2009 202 87 2010 196 91 % change

Transport
Fugitive emissions Industrial processes Waste Agriculture TOTAL

84
41 29 14 83 540

85
42 33 14 81 543

Source: http://www.climatechange.gov.au/~/media/publications/greenhouse-acctg/national-greenhouse-gas-inventory-accountingdecember-quarter-2010.pdf

Palaeoclimate Indicators

Tree rings

Gas bubbles trapped in ice cores

Layering in ice cores

Palaeoclimatic indicators - pollen

Each plant species has its own unique pollen grains

Pollen grains are very durable and survive for thousands of years in lake sediments, therefore making excellent fossils