Battle for the BiosphereRevision Summary

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Distribution of Biomes

WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE

THE LOCATION OF BIOMES?

Global Factors

Latitude – influences temperature and amount Of sunlight

Low Pressure

Low Pressure

High Pressure

High Pressure

AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION – WHERE THERE IS LOW PRESSURE THERE IS MORE RAINFALL. THIS HAPPENS ON THE EQUATOR AND THE JOIN OF THE FERREL AND POLAR CELL. THE MORE PRECIPITATION THERE IS THE MOST LIKELY THERE WILL BE PLANT GROWTH.

Local Factors

Temperatures decrease by 1oC for every

100m in height. Lower temperatures

affect plant growth.

Altitude

Marine Influence and Continentality

CONTINENTALITYAway from the sea the land heats up

quickly in the warm season. This

increases temperatures and

reduces precipitation.

MARINEThe sea cools the

land in the hot season and warms it

during the cold season. This

increases precipitation.

The Biosphere provides uswith many good and services

Goods1. Food and crops2. Meat, fish, hides, timber

and fuelwood3. Drinking water4. Water for irrigation5. Fruit, nuts, other products

such as rubber6. Biomass which can be

burnt for energy7. Medicines

Services1. Forests remove carbon dioxide

from the atmosphere. This reduces global warming.

2. Forests give out oxygen – purifying the atmosphere.

3. Reefs and mangroves provide protection from coastal storms.

4. Reefs an rainforests provide attractive scenery for tourism.

5. Forests protect from soil erosion and intercept precipitation – preventing flash flooding.

The Amazon RainforestThe biosphere is being degraded by humans

What degrades the Amazon Rainforest?

Mining projects such as the Grans Carajas programme which brought iron mines

Hydroelectric Dams along the Amazon’s

tributaries have flooded forest valleys

New Roads – the construction of new

roads such as the Trans-Amazon Highway

leads to forest loss

Agriculture – huge areas of forest have been

cleared for commercial agriculture in particular for growing soya beans

Clearance for timber – especially for

mahogany and teak which are made into

furniture

Population growth in Brazil has meant that more land is needed

for farms and housing

How does climate change

degrade the Biosphere?

Biome Impact of Climate Change

Impact on biome

Coral Reefs Sea surface temperature increase

Coral bleaching and coral death

Desert/ arid areas Lower precipitation Deserts get hotter, growth of deserts, loss of grasslands

Alpine/ Mountains Temperature increase, lack of snowfall

Habitats affected, glaciers disappear, loss of alpine plants

Arctic / Tundra Increase in annual temperature

Vegetation changes, melting of tundra

Coastal marshes Sea level rise, increase in storm frequency

Habitat loss in deltas and estuaries

Wetlands Increase in summer temperatures

Wetlands dry out

Tropical Rainforests Increase in temperature

Drought, species struggle to survive

High altitude cloud forest

Increase in temperature

Extinction of some species

Scale Strategy What are the aims? How does it protect the biosphere?

GLOBALRAMSAR Convention A global agreement to protect and conserve

Wetlands around the world.

CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species)

A global agreement which aims to stop the trade in products such as elephant ivory to help protect endangered species.

World Heritage Sites Over 800 sites around the world have been declared as World Heritage Sites. They are protected against development and destruction.

NATIONAL (UK)

National Parks Protected areas such as the Lake District National Park. They are managed and help to stop the destruction of the environment.

Community Forests Have been established to provide new areas of trees near major cities.

LOCAL Heartwood Forest (Hertfordshire – near Sandridge)

To create the largest native area of woodland plus wildflower meadows.

How can we conserve the biosphere?

Sustainable management of the biosphere - Kilum Forest Reserve, Cameroon

Mount Oku – Mountain Rainforest

• clearing forest for agriculture• the grazing of large flocks of sheep and goats leading to soil erosion• out of control forest fires in the dry season• using the forest as the main source of fuel

Major Threats:

Cameroon’s Government and

Birdlife International have joined together to

form a forest reserve

Sustainable management of the biosphere - Kilum Forest Reserve, Cameroon

Why is it sustainable?The reserve conserves the

ecosystem for future generations while

ensuring local people can still use the ecosystem for

resources.

What they have done in the Reserve:

1. Made a reserve which is zoned.2. The Core Conservation Zone is fully

protected.3. The Buffer Zone can be used by

humans to provide them with goods and services.

4. They have planted tree nurseries.5. They have encouraged ecotourism6. They have planted crops beneath

trees so they don’t have to be deforested.

7. The size of the reserve is large enough to support wildlife and

different species.