Geography 16 mark plans for OCR A Level (Earth's Life Support Systems)
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Course
Earth\'s Life Support Systems (H481)
Institution
OCR
A Level physical geography for the OCR Paper 1 Physical systems. Covers all 16 markers for the ELSS topic 1.2, as well as necessary knowledge to gain AT LEAST an A in this section of the paper. In depth plans with three factors for each 16 marker and incredible up-to-date A* standard detail for eac...
1. Wetland restoration
- Prairie potholes in North/South Dakota, Minnesota
- Wetlands/peatlands/marshes/mangroves are carbon sinks. EG peatlands contain 30% of
world’s soil C despite covering only 3% of land area
- When wetlands are drained for agriculture, oxygen rich conditions promote decomp of
organic matter, releasing C
- Despite methanogenic bacteria activity, C sequestration is greater eg due to vegetation
growth and store of methane in waterlogged soils. Methanotrophic outweighs
- Eg everglades in S.Florida; decades of drainage/agriculture now being restored by the
Comprehensive Everglades restoration plan (CERP)
- 70,000 mangrove trees planted in Gle Jong (indo) 2014 for tsunami damage prevention
2. Afforestation
- Recognised by multilateral agencies eg UN/World Bank
- UN REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries) programme
(2008) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Encourages policies.
Supported (50+ countries) projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America
- 2022 REDD+ activities cover a forest area of 1.35Bha (62% of forest area in developing
countries) and about 75% of global deforestation
- World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership facility has mobilized $1B funding for REDD
- Amazon Regional Protected Areas (ARPA) programme now covers nearly 10% of Amazon
basin. Offsetting 430M carbon tons / year. Protecting genetic bank
3. Agricultural practices
- Reduction in water losses can reduce water vapour in the atmos GHG. Manages C cycle
as reduces eg melting of permafrost which stores 17,000BT C. EG drip irrigation/ mulch
- Water vapour accounts for 50% earths global warming (NASA)
- Adopting practices eg conservation tillage/crop rotation built organic matter in soil
which increases carbon stored in soil. Also aeration reduces methanogenic activity
- Wetland restoration
- Livestock management; dietary supplements eg Asparagopsis seaweed contains
bioactives (bromoform) that inhibit the enzymes in a cow's stomach that form methane
- Crop farming (with vegetation strips) fixes carbon through photosynthesis. The
biosphere stores 2,000GT (BMT) of carbon. 1kg maize produces 0.9kg emissions. Beef 30
4. International agreements to reduce carbon emissions
- COP21 established first major step in reducing C emissions. Target intends to maintain
below 1.5 degrees, collective goal for all signatory countries; however not reached 2023
- Increases incentives for management techniques eg wetlands/ afforestation NOT L bind
- Kyoto protocol 1997 (Clean Development Mechanism); developed countries offset
emissions by investing in emission reduction in developing countries – positive large
scale LEGALLY BINDING
- COP 28 closed with an agreement that signals the “beginning of the end” of the fossil
fuel era
- Depends on legally binding or not
, Human factors enhancing/disturbing the natural processes/stores of carbon cycle
1. Deforestation (disturb)
- X2 from 2012 (5000km2) to 2020 (10000+km2) due to Jair Bolsonaro’s anti-environment
agenda (2019-22) in the amazon
- 60% deforestation due to cattle farming in the amazon- release of carbon as methane.
Cow produces 200 pounds per year
- Methane is 87 times more potent over 20 years than carbon – PFL greenhouse ef
- Often slash and burn techniques to deforest (eg amazon June-august dry season) which
although short term vegetation increase = more sequestration. Long term shrubification
reducing sequestration abilities.
2. Farming practices (disturb)
- Cattle farming increasing due to eg changing tastes and population increase. 2B-8B in
last century. EG amazon 14M to 85M cattle (1980-2018)
- Single cow produces around 200 pounds of methane per annum. 27x more potent than
carbon dioxide and contains carbon
- Increases store of carbon in the atmos
- Reduction of carbon sequestered in trees due to deforestation for farming. 80% of
deforestation in the atmos is for cattle ranching and subsistence farming.
- Slash and burn technique has released carbon into atmos and reduces vegetation
sequestration ability due to shrubification
3. Wetland restoration
- Prairie potholes in North/South Dakota, Minnesota
- Wetlands/peatlands/marshes/mangroves are carbon sinks. EG peatlands contain 30% of
world’s soil C despite covering only 3% of land area
- When wetlands are drained for agriculture, oxygen rich conditions promote decomp of
organic matter, releasing C
- Despite methanogenic bacteria activity, C sequestration is greater eg due to vegetation
growth and store of methane in waterlogged soils. Methanotrophic outweighs
- Eg everglades in S.Florida; decades of drainage/agriculture now being restored by the
Comprehensive Everglades restoration plan (CERP)
- 70,000 mangrove trees planted in Gle Jong (indo) 2014 for tsunami damage prevention
4. Afforestation
- Recognised by multilateral agencies eg UN/World Bank
- UN REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries) programme
(2008) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Encourages policies.
Supported (50+ countries) projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America
- 2022 REDD+ activities cover a forest area of 1.35Bha (62% of forest area in developing
countries) and about 75% of global deforestation
- World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership facility has mobilized $1B funding for REDD
- Amazon Regional Protected Areas (ARPA) programme now covers nearly 10% of Amazon
basin. Offsetting 430M carbon tons / year. Protecting genetic bank
5. Enhanced global warming
Physical factors enhancing/disturbing the natural processes/stores of carbon cycle
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