Year 11 Geography Holiday Homework
VCE geography relies heavily on a working knowledge of the spatial
concepts and geographical interpretive skills. Therefore it is
important that you come to class with a good understanding of these.
Complete the following work from the text in your workbook (pages
supplied):
Page
Activities
2 -3 ‘What is Geography’
1-3 (page 3)
3-12 ‘Applying spatial concepts 1-7 (page 7); 1-3 (page 9); 1-2
(page 10); 1-3 (page 12)
13-15 Organising geographic
data
16 Interpreting the
instructional wording used in
Geography
1-2 (page 14)
1-3 (page 16)
Estimated work time: 4 hours.
Read the attached article ‘World’s oceans being hit by a ‘silent storm’
of acidification, study finds’ and answer the following questions in
your workbook.
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the environment discussed in this article?
What is ‘ocean acidification’ and what is it caused by?
What other global phenomenon is ocean acidification linked to?
Describe 3 impacts ocean acidification has on the marine
environment.
5. What is the suggested solution to the issue?
6. Who is responsible for implementing the solution?
Estimate work time: 1 hour.
World's oceans being hit by
'silent storm' of acidification,
study finds
Sydney Morning Herald
November 15, 2013
Oceans are acidifying at the fastest pace in at least 55 million years. Photo:
AP
Global warming is causing a silent storm in the oceans by
acidifying waters at a record rate, threatening marine life from
coral reefs to fish stocks, an international study showed.
The report, by 540 experts in 37 nations, said the seas could
become 170 per cent more acidic by 2100 compared to levels
before the Industrial Revolution. Carbon dioxide, the main
greenhouse gas, can become a mild acid when mixed with
water.
Acidification is combining with a warming of ocean waters,
also caused by a build-up of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, and other man-made factors such as higher
pollution and overfishing, the report, released on Thursday,
said.
"It is like the silent storm - you can't hear it, you can't feel it,"
Carol Turley, a senior scientist at the Plymouth Marine
Laboratory in England, told Reuters.
The study, released on the sidelines of a meeting of almost
200 nations in Warsaw on ways to slow global warming,
estimated that acidity of the oceans had already increased by
26 per cent since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and
19th centuries.
A 170 per cent increase in acidity is equivalent to cutting the
Ph level of the ocean, a scale of acidity and alkalinity, to 7.9
from 8.2 on a logarithmic scale. Battery acid rates about 1 and
soap, an alkaline, is about 10.
Corals, crabs
The pace of acidification was the fastest in at least 55 million
years, the scientists said. Acidification undermines the ability
of everything from corals to crabs to build protective shells
and has knock-on effects on the food web.
"Marine ecosystems and biodiversity are likely to change as a
result of ocean acidification, with far-reaching consequences
for society," according to the summary led by the International
Geosphere-Biosphere Programme.
"Economic losses from declines in shellfish aquaculture and
the degradation of tropical coral reefs may be substantial
owing to the sensitivity of molluscs and corals to ocean
acidification," it said.
And some studies have found that young clown fish, made
famous by the movie "Finding Nemo", behaved as if drunk in
more acidic waters, their brains apparently disoriented.
Another study found that rockfish can become more anxious.
"A normal fish will swim equally in light and dark areas in a
tank ... an anxious one on high carbon dioxide spends more
time in the darker side, the more protected side," said Lauren
Linsmayer of the University of California, San Diego.
"If society continues on the current high emissions trajectory,
cold water coral reefs, located in the deep sea, may be
unsustainable and tropical coral reef erosion is likely to
outpace reef building this century," the report said.
Deep cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases, from power
plants, factories and cars, would limit acidification.
The Warsaw talks are working on plans for a global deal, due
to be agreed in 2015, to limit climate change.
Reuters