Case Study: Land Subsistence in the American Southwest

Using the links provided as well as your own research, answer the following questions in full sentences.

a) Describe the causes of land subsistence in the American Southwest and explain why it is getting worse over the past few years. (4 marks)

Common causes of land subsidence from human activity are pumping water, oil, and gas from underground reservoirs; dissolution of limestone aquifers (sinkholes); collapse of underground mines; drainage of organic soils; and initial wetting of dry soils (hydrocompaction). Overdrafting of aquifers is the major cause of subsidence in the southwestern United States, and as ground-water pumping increases, land subsidence also will increase.

b) Describe the potential impacts of land subsistence. (4 marks) 

- changes in elevation and slope of streams, canals, and drains

- damage to bridges, roads, railroads, storm drains, sanitary sewers, canals

- damage to private and public buildings

- failure of well casings from forces by compaction of fine-grained materials in aquifer systems

c) Outline ways to prevent further land subsistence. (This will require you to think on your own) (4 marks)

- switching from ground-water to surface-water supplies

- reducing water use and determining locations for pumping and artificial recharge that will minimize subsidence

- monitor water uses; such as preventing too much water use for people's yards or inside people's homes

Land Use and Agriculture in your country

1) (5 marks) Describe the land use in your country. What percentage is agriculture? forest? urban?
-Try to find specific examples/maps

These are the percentage shares of total land area for three different types of land use:

 arable land - land cultivated for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each harvest
permanent crops - land cultivated for crops like citrus, coffee, and rubber that are not replanted after each harvest; includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber
other - any land not arable or under permanent crops; includes permanent meadows and pastures, forests and woodlands, built-on areas, roads, barren land, etc.

Arable land: 26.21%      
Permanent crops: 3.94%      
Other: 69.84% (2011)




2) (9 marks) Look at the following three types of Agriculture : Monoculture, Polyculture, Slash and burn. Describe the pros and cons of each. Think about the social economic and environmental impacts.

• Monoculture:
  
  Pros:
  - Cultivation is simpler and more efficient than farming multiple crops in the same area
  - Focus of agricultural resources on only one species during planting, growing and harvesting
  - Producing a single crop best adapted to a particular environment or to a particular market
  
  Cons:
  - More pressure from diseases and pests because they can spread more effectively as it is easy for them to find a host plant
  - Lack of biodiversity of a monoculture makes it less adaptable to changes in the environment, so a single threat can destroy an entire crop
  - Less effective than mixed plant communities when it comes to exploiting all the nutrients available in soil, water, light and fertilizer
  
  
  
• Polyculture:
  
  Pros:
  - Number of pests, weeds, and disease outbreaks reduces because of increased variety of plants
  - Different shapes and sizes of the plant roots make good and full use of the soil and increase the soil fertility
  - More stable and consistent income for the farmers as they don't have to depend on just one type of production
  
  Cons:
  - Becomes difficult for the farmers to control and supervise the activities going on in the farm. They have to take care of the needs of each and every plant
  - Might result in higher investment in specific equipment to cater to the needs to every plant species
  - Will need greater infrastructure to get the work done on a land for polyculture farming
  
  
  
• Slash and burn:
   
  Pros:
  - Extra nutrients added to the soil from burning and spreading the ash
  - Drives away pests with the burning
  - Removes debris
   
  Cons:
  - Deforestation; when practiced by large population and fields are not given time for vegetation to grow back, there is a temporary or permanent loss of forest cover
  - Erosion; when fields are slashed, burned, and cultivated next to each other in rapid succession, roots and temporary water storages are lost
  - Biodiversity loss; could result in the extinction or endangerement of certain animals that lived in a particular area
  
  

3) (10 marks) What type of agriculture is common in your country? What types of crops do they grow? Describe the current state of agriculture in your country. 

Historically, the agriculture sector has been Turkey's largest employer and a major contributor to the country's GDP, although its share of the economy has fallen consistently over several decades.

Farmers have been slow to adopt modern techniques, and much of the potential land and water resources are inefficiently managed.

Monoculture is common as the farmers devote in planting a single crop and produce tons of it such as wheat. 

About 90% of the cultivated area is devoted to cereals. Wheat is the principal crop, accounting for 59% of total grain production in 1999; 18,000,000 tons of wheat were grown in that year, followed by barley with 9,000,000 tons. Turkey also produced 20,000,000 tons of sugar beets and about 3,650,000 tons of grapes. Other agricultural products were grown in lesser but still important quantities in 1999: maize, 2,400,000 tons; sunflower seeds, 860,000 tons; cotton, 802,000 tons; and oranges, 830,000 tons. Turkey usually leads the world in the production and export of hazelnuts (about 580,000 tons produced in 1999) and ranks after Iran and the United States in pistachio nuts (40,000 tons).

Water use in my country

1) I agree that water conservation is crucial with the increase of global warming. The documentary emphasized the importance of water conservation and the need to do so for the future. After seeing the documentary, I realized that fresh clean water is a great privilege that I have. Other third world countries do not have access to clean water or other corporations abuse water use for exploitation even though that water is for other people to drink in the area. I was shocked that corporations exploit water for their own economic gain. 

2) Water shortage has greatly affected Turkey. Not only does the country have a serious water issue, they are also struggling with its worst drought in a decade. Climate change is only part of the reason; poor water management is also to blame. Ten dams supply the city with water. But the current water levels of their reservoirs are only at 29.8 percent of total capacity, according to the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Authority.

Especially hard hit by the water shortages are the western part of Turkey and central Anatolia. 

Apart from climate change, poor urban planning is seen as a further reason for the water shortage. Istanbul's urban areas has overtaken fields, forests, wetlands and other areas where water resources lie. The Istanbul metropolitan municipality has begun to build dams and new water channels, but the population continues to grow and has made the city to begin rerouting water from sources outside the city. 

Water Use in Agriculture

1) Drip Irrigation

Pros:

• Prevents weeds from germinating nearby

• Keeping the moisture at soil level reduces water loss to wind and evaporation

• Even distribution of moisture so there would be no muddy or drought areas

Cons:

• Poor root development if installation is not proper

• Still need periodic flushing to remove mineral buildup, need to constantly check for any blockages so water pressure does not build up within the tubing and damage entire system

• Looping the tube too wide or installing a small quantity of water might create drought

2) Sprinkler

Pros:

• Can cover large areas

• Can be adjustable as conditions/weather change

• Easily controllable

Cons:

• Can be costly depending on size of property

• Portions of the area wil have to be dug up to install pipework and and attach to plumbing system from the house

• Weather, such as wind, can direct water in the wrong direction

- I believe that farmers should use drip irrigation because it can evenly distribute water and moisture to the area and reduce water loss. On the other hand, sprinklers might not be able to do so due to weather such as the wind directing the water in the wrong direction. 

The cons from drip irrigation can easily be fixed if the installation is proper and you check perodically for mineral buildup. However, sprinklers can cost highly and put damage to the area as you need to dig up to install pipework. 

In conclusion, drip irrigation is the best method to use because of its efficient distribution of water! 

LANDSLIDE STRIKES ZHOUQU COUNTY, CHINA

On August 8, 2010 at approximately midnight, a deadly landslide had disrupted the Zhoqu community. It was caused by heavy rainfall and flooding in the Gansu Province. The landslide was very devastating because after the heavy rain, there was a buildup of water behind a dam of debris blocking a small river to the north of the city of Zhouqu when the dam broke, around 1,800,000 cubic meters of mud and rocks swept through the town, in a surge reported as up to five storeys high, covering more than 300 low-rise homes and burying at least one village entirely. 

The landslide was predicted according to Gyurme Dorje's Tibet Handbook, the forest region of Zhoqu  has, since the 1950s, "shrunk by 30% and the reserve of timber reduced by 25% due to overfilling. The sand in the river water has increased by 60%, and the water volume has reduced by 8%, resulting in increased flooding and drought." Furthermore, there were between 47 and 53 hydroelectric construction projects in recent years, with 41 completed and 12 approaching deadline, according to government data. These together have caused 749,000 tons of water and soil erosion and over 3,000,000 cubic meters of bulldozed material. In 2006, a Lanzhou University report concluded that these projects have made the whole area a volatile danger-zone. These predictions could have warned the Zhoqu community and they would have been able to evacuate before the predicted landslide. 

Landslides have major hazards that may include liquefaction, structural hazards (buildings collapsing), and destruction of utility lines (gas, water, electricity) and roads. 

The restoration of a permanent water supply started in Zhouqu in northwest China's Gansu Province as the rebuilding of the mudslide-battered area picked up, according to Xinhua news agency.

The new system would provide 12,000 tones of water a day, enough for residents in urban areas.

Safe drinking water will be available within five months, according to China First Railway Group, which is organizing the project.

Zhouqu's main water supplies were cut after the mudslides and emergency water containers have been used to provide safe water for the last month.

Deforestation

1) You are going to research deforestation in your country. Give me some information on it. (5 marks)

- From Gezi Park to the Black Sea coast, whether with the push of municipalities or Turkey's central government, trees are being cut down to accelerate urban transformation plans, mines, hydro-electric and coal plants, etc. The Turkey government continues to make plans for more projects such as the building of a third airport and bridge in Istanbul which will destroy 2.7 million trees despite the fact that northern Istanbul's forests are important for Istanbul's ecosystem and can have huge consequences. The government continues to pursue these projects for economic gains despite the fact that there have been many protests. 

2) You will explain the Social, Environmental, and Economic Impacts that deforestation has had on your country. (6 marks) 

Social:

- With the cutting down of trees, source of oxygen for humans decreases.

Environmental:

- Destroying habitats and ecosystems.

- Biodiversity is lost.

- Vegetation is affected.

Economic:

- Renewable resources - a renewable resource is a resource which is replaced naturally and can be used again. Examples are: oxygen, fresh water, solar energy, timber, and biomass. Renewable resources may also include goods commodities such as wood, paper and leather - cannot be gained again.

3) Look at the information in the Environment and Resources folder that talks about Deforestation in Canada. Based on the information provided do you think that deforestation is a greater threat in your country or Canada? Explain your reasoning using specific examples. (10 marks)

- Deforestation is a greater threat in Turkey than in Canada because unlike Turkey, Canada has a deforestation rate of 0.02% and is among the world's lowest. Canada uses sustainability for forest management and the Canadian government monitors and regularly publish reports on deforestation. In Turkey, they do not use any sustainability methods and there have not been any regular reports to let people know of the changes that deforestation will have, for example, the building of the third airport and bridge in Istanbul will destroy 2.7 million trees but the protests have not stopped the project and so the project will continue on. There are other projects such as the building of a coal plant right by olive fields in Soma, which will affect the agriculture there and food for the people. There has been no consideration of the affects of deforestation. 

Aquaculture

1) Define aquaculture. 

Aquaculture is the rearing of aquatic animals or the cultivation of aquatic plants for food.

2) Pros and Cons.

Social: 

Pros

- Provides jobs for people

- Provides a source of food for people

- Can increase revenue for the city

Cons

- There may be conflict or competition between other fishermen 

- Small local communites negatively affected because of it is an unpredictable enterprise

- Global competition

Environmental: 

Pros

- More emphasis on protecting coastal waters from pollution

- Preserve endangered fish species

- Fish farms can be produced in coastal areas, make artifical ponds; won't affect already existing fish habitats 

Cons

- There may be transfer of diseases and parasites to wild fish populations

- Can pollute water systems with excess nutrients

- Chemicals and antibiotics are polluted

Economic:

Pros

- Can reduce seafood trade deficit

- Reduce fishing pressure on certain wild stocks if it can be produced through aquaculture

- Create jobs for community

Cons

- Global competition

- Conflict with other fishermen or migrating fish

- Can threathen livelihood of fishermen

3) I believe aquaculture is a good thing as it provides jobs for a lot of people. The industry contributes to the revenue and profits for the economy. People are also able to have a source of food that provides nutrients and proteins. However, it is a bad thing in environmental terms because water systems may become polluted, therefore affecting the drinking water for the people.