Waikiki Beach Case Study

1) Describe the causes of erosion on Waikiki Beach. (5 marks)

Soil compaction, low organic matter, loss of soil structure, poor internal drainage, salinisation and soil acidity problems.


 

2) Describe past and present attempts that have been made to save the sand of Waikiki beach. Assess how well you think that they have worked. (10 marks)

Waikiki beach has been having erosion problems since the late 1800s . By the 1950s, more than 80 structures , including seawalls, groins, piers, and storm drains were counted along the Waikiki shoreline to protect itself from erosion. Efforts to combat erosion have been average because of the sea level rising about a foot each year, the threat of losing Waikiki beach has become more and more realistic. 52 to 72 percent of beaches on the chain of islands have eroded over the past century due to sea level rise. Even after a 2.2 million dollar sand restoration, Waikiki beach began eroding less than a year later.
All the attempts to save the sand have been temporary since the erosion continues to happen. Constant planning and check ups on the beach should be made so that our efforts could be successful. A lot of money is also required to initiate such long term and rigorous plans to save the sand of Waikiki beach. I don't think a lot of people know that Waikiki beach has a soil erosion problem, by making people globally more aware of this and fundraising to save the beach, funds could be collected to go into a long term plan to protect the beach.

 

3) Describe the economic, social, and environmental impacts of erosion of Waikiki beach for both the residents of the area, and tourists. (15 marks)




Economic:

- can be very costly to fix erosion damage

- money required to fix roads and tracks

- shrinking Waikiki beach can cause less visitors resulting in hundreds of millions less in expenditures

- Hawaii relies on tourists for profit and if they don't come, people wont make money

- decline in supply and demand 

 

Social:

- bad air quality can have a negative impact on human health

- jobs may be jeopardized

- safety in jeopardy because of all the damage at the beach

- exposed concrete can cause harm to people

Environmental:

- can negatively impact soil quality (inable to store water and nutrients)

- can ruin the air quality

- can ruin the quality of water

- loss of newly planted crops

- deposits of silt in low-lying areas

Case Study: Flooding in Brisbane Australia

1) Describe the causes of the flooding. Consider both the natural and human causes of the flood. (4 marks)

Flooding usually happens in coastal areas because coastal areas have high tides/storms that cause water levels to rise. The major cause of flooding in Australia is heavy rainfall. Other natural causes of flooding are hurricanes, storms and tsunamis. Human causes can be urbanization and mining, deforestation, overgrazing, and poor water management. Another major reason for flooding can be pollution and infrastructure.  

2) Describe the social (impact on people), economic (money), environmental impacts of the floods. (12 marks)

Social impact:

- loss of lives/injuries

- loss of property, leaving many people homeless

- widespread of diseases and infections such as water borne diseases

- drainage systems disrupted

Economic impact:

- repairs to damaged buildings, homes and infrastructure that will cost

- relief and recovery costs

- purchasing and production power will decrease

- business will slow down, affecting their income

Environmental impact:

- habitats and forests are destroyed; biodiversity destroyed

- soil erosion due to large amounts of water coming fast

- agriculture destroyed

- contaminated water; chemical substances may pollute the water

3) How is the government of Queensland preparing for future potential floods? (4 marks)

- to install an early warning alert service

- 'mud army,' volunteers that give assistance to flood victims

- plans to increase buildings' resilience to floods

- 'ready for summer' campaign that provides awareness on how to minimize casualties and risks to people and property

The government is informing the public of strategies in case of a flood. Homes are being built now with sturdier frames and higher floors so water does not seep in so easily.

Case Study: Desertification in Botswana

Read the article about Botswana and answer the questions below.

1) What is desertification? Give a general overview (In your own words) of what it is and what are its causes. (4 marks)

Desertification is a type of land degradation where dry land regions become really arid. It loses its bodies of water, vegetation and wildlife. Desertification is caused by a variety of factors like climate change. It can also be caused by human activities such as overgrazing, bio-industrial practices, poor irrigation practices  and deforestation.

2) Describe the PHYSICAL characteristics of Botswana and how these are impacting desertification. Remember that physical is things that would be there whether humans existed or not and include the climate, the flora and fauna, the landscape. (4 marks)

- Climate:
Climate change and the general rise in temperature in Botswana, will raise the evapotranspiration which can lead to soil humidity and an increase in droughts. The deterioration of topsoil in drylands is the effect of temperature variations, rainfall and soil humidity which increases the process of desertification. 

- Flora:

Land degradation due to drought, salinity or over-exploitation has immediate consequences on the capacity of vegetation to maintain or reconstruct itself. This kind of poor vegetation will cause land degradation to occur resulting in a desert like area.

- Fauna:

 Animal species, dependant on vegetation have to migrate to other areas to find sufficient resources or they risk disappearing altogether. The importance of this loss derives from the fact that animal and plant species from dry lands are particularly well adapted to their extreme environment. They act as indicators of the environmental condition of these areas and their disappearance is a sign of significant habitat degradation. 

- Landscape:
Land degradation would occur causing soil to erode or disappear which would increase the process of desertification. This can have a direct impact on the water cycle causing it to be scarce or threatened. Low rainfall causes more and more droughts to occur. 

3) Describe the HUMAN causes of desertification in Botswana. How are humans making it worse? (4 marks)

- Overgrazing where farmers allow livestock to graze to the point where they damage vegetation.

- Deforestation which is the process of removing trees and transforming a forest into cleared land. 

- Destruction of plants in dry region

- Incorrect irrigation in arid regions which causes a build up of a salt in soil

4) Describe some of the problems associated with solving the problem in Botswana, as well as some of the steps that have been taken to protect the environment and people. (4 marks)

Botswana has a large population which may be a problem which is associated with solving the problem in Botswana. The population needs to be managed otherwise the problem will worsen in terms of desertification. By decreasing the population size, there will be a decrease in human activity causing there to be a decrease in drylands so there would be more rainfall. 

Teaching the public environmental awareness and to use supplies efficiently is an important step to overcome desertification in Botswana. 

Total: /16

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!