Science Research Task - Evelyn

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Science Research Task - Evelyn

1. Describe four causes for deforestation


- Agriculture: expand the land for agriculture and crops to be planted
- Mining: area to be cleared for mining to occur in the area
- Infrastructure projects: major infrastructure construction, such as roads, railway lines or
power stations which require wood from trees to be built.
- Timber logging: harvesting wood to use in daily lives to source as materials

2. Explain how deforestation affects the carbon cycle

Deforestation can lead to an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, affecting
the stable levels of the carbon cycle. Plants are made up of carbon. Rainforests absorb huge
amounts of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. This process stores the carbon and produces
oxygen. When we cut and burn trees to clear land, we remove this carbon dioxide sink, and the
carbon is released as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Higher levels of carbon dioxide contribute
to climate change. Deforestation also reduces the number of trees that can convert carbon dioxide
to oxygen leading to the impact of deforestation to the carbon cycle.

3. How does deforestation impact the water cycle

Deforestation will affect the amount of rainfall in the surrounding areas, leading to the influence of
climate change. Plants produce water vapour in a process called transpiration. This water vapour
accumulates in the atmosphere and contributes to rainfall. As more trees are cut down, wet areas
will become increasingly dry, reducing the amount of local rainfall. This impacts the entire local
ecosystem, which is the water cycle. Rainfall has a major impact on humans, the less rainfall an area
receives, the less water there is available for these uses, which impacts the water cycle.

4. Which states in Australia have the most cases of deforestation

1.Queensland: Total area of land clearing in Queensland between 2010 and 2018 - 2,446,600
hectares of land
Majority of clearing was agriculture

2.NSW: Total area of land clearing in NSW between 2010 and 2018 - 663,00 hectares of land
Majority of clearing was agriculture

3.WA: Total of land clearing in WA between 2010 and 2018 - 288,400 hectares of land
Majority of clearing was for agriculture, horticulture and forestry
5. Other than its disruption on the cycles (as outlined in the previous questions), describe five
other ways deforestation negatively impacts Australia

- Degraded regrown vegetation: Forests are replaced with degraded forests and bushlands,
which regrows vegetation of different ages
- Animal Extinction: due to the clearing of trees, it clears habitats of both flora and fauna. 55
wildlife species are extinct, 37 plant species are extinct in Australia. Habitat losses for
animals such as koalas (native animal) in Australia
- Soil Erosion: runoff of sediment, nutrients and other pollutants into coastal waters, causing
damage to coral reefs and other marine ecosystems. Increased nutrients in river and streams
can cause outbreaks of toxic algae
- Unsustainable Agricultural Farming: trees help the land to retain water and topsoil, which
provides the rich nutrients to sustain additional forest life. Making the land more susceptible
to flooding
- Host of problems for indigenous people: the loss of forests has an immediate and direct
effect on their lifestyle. Many indigenous communities depend on what the forest has to
offer for food, medicine, building materials, and cultural resources. Because of these
communities are located in remote areas in dense forests, the loss of these resources may
pose many challenges to their health and wellbeing.
- Factories using cleared space: carbon emissions are released by all of the coal-fired stations
in the country which is utilised after land clearing

6. List five species in Australia that are under threat due to tree clearing
- Quirky elegant frog
- Kuranda tree frog
- Spotted tree frog
- Numbat
- koala

7. Describe three conservation actions that can be undertaken to reduce the negative impacts
of deforestation
- Reduce consumption of single-use packaging
- Eating sustainable food: adopt a plant-based diet or reducing your consumption of animal
products including the protection of forests and nature
- Choose recycled products: supporting and choosing recycled or responsibly produced wood
products
- Promote forest-friendly policies: persuade companies commit to reduce deforestation
through forest friendly polices and follow through on those commitments
WEEK 1 CONTENT

Earth’s spheres:
Lithosphere – upper mantle and the crust (solid crust of the earth)
Atmosphere – layer of gases (air)
Hydrosphere – solid, liquid and gaseous water
Biosphere – all living organisms

Describe the interactions between the Biosphere, Atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere.

Route 1
Photosynthesis -> fossils and fossil fuels -> factory and vehicle emissions O

Route 2
Organic carbon (trees) -> animal respiration or plant respiration O or into route 2

Describe the main processes:


Photosynthesis: the process which plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to create oxygen
and glucose
Respiration: the process which exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide
Combustion: a chemical process in which a substance reacts rapidly with oxygen and gives off heat
Fossilisation: the process of an animal or plant becoming preserved in hard, petrified form

Carbon reservoirs and sinks


- rocks and sediments
- forests
- oceans
- decomposed organic matter
- soil organic matter
- shells of marine organisms and some terrestrial organisms

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