The Norse had explored and wintered in North America some 500 years before Giovanni Caboto, a Genoese explorer whom the British called John Cabot, rediscovered the land in 1497. Although Cabot failed to find a northern route to the rich spice trade in Asia, he returned with tales of an ocean teeming with cod and…
Population distribution – the pattern of where people live in a region, or across the country. There are 2 main patterns, dispersed and concentrated Two main catgories of settlement in Canada. Rural ,and Urban Rural – outside of cities and towns, low population density, dispersed settlement pattern Three factors affect pattern of rural settlement 1.…
FOUR MAIN PARTS TO SOIL 1. Minerals – comes from the weathering (chemical, physical) of the parent material. The inorganic material in soil is made up of rock material mainly. It can be sand, silt or clay. The particles in each of these rock types are ordered from larger to smaller with sand being the…
Layers of rocks can be faulted, folded and tilted by large forces within the Earth’s crust. The study of these changes can give information about the strength and direction of the forces involved. Sedimentary rocks – layers of rock fragments that were compressed and cemented together. They often contain fossils. Igneous rocks – molten rock…
Definition: Continental Drift It is the theory that the earth’s continents are constantly in motion and at one time they all collided together to form one massive continent about 300 million years ago! Pangaea (meaning “all lands”) began to break up and drift apart. Founder of the Continental Drift Theory Alfred Wegener came up with…
Cost Is this a cheap energy resource to use? Are the start up costs minimal or large? Are the operation costs minimal or large? Does there need to be more research? Availability and Accessibility Availability Is this energy resource one we can harness now? Is it in the research process? Is there lots of supply…
What is an Environmental Contaminant? Environmental contaminants are substances that, when accidentally or deliberately introduced into the environment, may have the potential to harm people, wildlife and plants. Some of these contaminants may have been manufactured for industrial use and because they are very stable, they do not break down easily. If released to the…
Humans come into contact with harmful contaminants in many ways. We may: eat food that carries toxin residues touch contaminated soils absorb radiation or chemical vapors through our skin drink polluted water inhale gases and particulates as we breathe Determining how much exposure of a contaminant is safe is a multi step process that involves…
Energy Types Energy sources are classified as either renewable or non-renewable A renewable energy resource is one that can be replaced after use by regrowth, reproduction or replacement within a reasonable time frame (usually one human lifespan). Examples include solar, wind, tidal, thermal and hydroelectric A non-renewable resource is one that cannot be replaced after…
What is Agriculture? Agriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. The development of agricultural techniques is credited for creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated societies with distinct classes Agriculture uses many techniques, to expand the lands suitable for plant raising. For example: Digging water-channels and…
The basics Environmental issues are particularly difficult to solve because often the solutions require sacrifice It is difficult to convince a population of people to trade in quality of life and convenience for the greater environmental good This is evident with North America’s obsession with big cars, SUVs and Trucks When considering an environmental issue…
Efficiency Energy efficiency is one area that scientists are focusing on to decrease the worlds overall energy use Energy efficiency in buildings is one of the top priorities in energy conservation There are many different ways that we can make an older building more energy efficient Simple ways to improve a building’s efficiency Insulate and…
Goldilocks Principle Venus is too hot, Mars is too cold but Earth is just right Earth’s average temperature sits between the boiling and freezing temperatures of water. This makes it ideal for life Insulating gas blanket Earth’s “perfect” surface temperature for life is often thought to be because of it’s orbit distance from the Sun.…
There are many different types of Waste Solid Waste Liquid Waste Gaseous Waste Animal by-products Biodegradable waste Biomedical waste Chemical waste Commercial waste Construction and demolition waste (C&D waste) Electronic waste (E-waste) Green waste Grey water Hazardous waste or Toxic Waste Human waste Industrial waste Radioactive waste Recyclable waste Sewage Slaughterhouse waste Wastewater Industrial Waste…
The Air We Breathe Clean dry air is a mixture of 4 main gasses: 78.08% is Nitrogen 20.95% is Oxygen 0.934 is Argon 0.035% is Carbon Dioxide Water vapour, Neon, Helium, Methane, Krypton, Hydrogen, Carbon Monoxide, Xenon, Ozone, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur Oxides and Hydrogen Sulfide are found in trace amounts Air Pollution An imbalance in…
Plant History Canada has at least 5000 different plant species. These range from flowering plants, to large trees, to agricultural plants The earliest plant is believed to have evolved 430 million years ago The first land plants were mosses and ferns All land plant life can be traced back to those species. Classification of Plants:…
#1 Climate Change The increase in greenhouse gasses (mainly CO2, CH4, and NOs) due to the burning of fossil fuels is causing a general increase in the average global surface temperature More greenhouse gasses are causing more of the sun’s and earth’s radiation to be trapped in our atmosphere Some areas are expected to experience…
Random change Key factors that can cause evolution: –Small populations are more variable to changes in allele frequencies -non-random mating opportunities result in only those “preferred” traits being passed onto future populations –new alleles may be created when mutations occur (changes the frequencies of new and original alleles) -migration causes changes in the relative abundance…
Introduction Acidic pollutants can be deposited from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface in wet and dry forms. The common term to describe this process is acid deposition. The term acid precipitation is used to specifically describe wet forms of acid pollution that can be found in rain, sleet, snow, fog, and cloud vapor. An…
Humans are very reliant upon electricity. Think back to the blackout of August 2003 and recall how whole cities were shut down. Since we rely on electricity so much, it’s important to produce as much of it as possible and conserve it whenever we can. All energy sources are either renewable or nonrenewable. A renewable…