1 / 43

Human-Environment Interaction

Human-Environment Interaction. Human-Environment Interaction: The study of the interrelationship between people and their physical environment. Why study Human-Environment Interaction?.

dale-whitfield
Download Presentation

Human-Environment Interaction

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Human-Environment Interaction

  2. Human-Environment Interaction: The study of the interrelationship between people and their physical environment.

  3. Why study Human-Environment Interaction? By understanding how the Earth’s physical features and processes shape and are shaped by human activity, geographers help societies make informed decisions.

  4. Two Important Questions? 1. How Does the EnvironmentInfluence Human Behavior? 2. How Do Humans Influence Their Environment?

  5. Humans respond to their environment in 2 ways: • Adapting to the environment • Modifying the environment

  6. Adapting or Modifying?

  7. Adapting or Modifying?

  8. Adapting or Modifying?

  9. Adapting or Modifying?

  10. Adapting or Modifying?

  11. Adapting or Modifying?

  12. Adapting or Modifying?

  13. Adapting or Modifying?

  14. Adapting or Modifying?

  15. Adapting or Modifying?

  16. Adapting or Modifying?

  17. Adaptive Behaviors: • Settlement patterns • Housing materials • Agricultural activity • Recreational activity • Transportation patterns

  18. Modifying Behaviors: • Diverting water: dams, canals, polders • Changing the landscape: terrace farming, deforestation, desertification • Changing the environment: acid rain, pollution

  19. Aswan High Dam FACTS: Built in 1979 Control Flooding Nile River Aswan, Egypt Lake Nasser

  20. Helped with Irrigation Decreased soil fertility

  21. Aral Sea FACTS: Located in Central Asia Between the countries of Uzbekistan Kazakhstan Formerly USSR: Diverted water to grow cotton/rice on nearby farms.

  22. Water for irrigation and poisonous runoff from the fields have caused the sea to shrink and increased desertification.

  23. Colorado River FACTS: 1450 miles Through SW U.S. and NW Mexico Source – Rocky Mtns. Mouth – Gulf of California

  24. More than 20 dams Water diverted to the Imperial Valley for farming and growing population No longer reaches the Gulf of California

  25. Polders in the Netherlands FACTS: Located in Northern Europe Most of the country is below sea level. Sea walls/dunes protect it from the sea.

  26. Can you see the reclaimed land?

  27. Deforestation Areas of Deforestation Brazil – SA Nepal – Asia Malaysia - Asia Rainforest FACTS: Contain more than ½ the world's 10 million species of plants, animals and insects One-fifth of the world's fresh water 20 percent of the world’s oxygen

  28. Once covered 14 % of earth. Now cover 6% 1-1/2 acres lost every minute

  29. Desertification Spread of desert-like conditions Greatest Areas of Impact: Africa – Sahara Desert Asia – Gobi Desert Central Asia SW United States

  30. CAUSES: Overgrazing Drought Poor Farming Techniques Overpopulation Natural Climate Patterns

  31. Acid Rain Given the causes, where might you find acid rain the most?

  32. Acid Rain Developed Countries: US, Europe, China

  33. Coniferous forests in the Appalachian Mountains destroyed by acid rain.

  34. Forms of Pollution: AIR

  35. LAND

  36. WATER

  37. Most Polluted Cities: • Mexico City, Mexico • Buenos Aires, Argentina • Beijing, China • Cairo, Egypt • Seoul, South Korea • Karachi, Pakistan • Jakarta, Indonesia • Los Angeles, California USA

  38. Mexico City Mexico City reports unhealthy ozone emissions nearly 85% of the year. Mexico's geographical location--in the center of a volcanic crater and surrounded by mountains-- locks in the air pollution, causing smog to sit above the city.

  39. Chernobyl, Ukraine

  40. Chernobyl, Ukraine - Chernobyl is now infamous for the 1986 nuclear disaster that killed 30 people, forced 35,000 to evacuate their homes, and left a 19-mile radius around the plant that is still uninhabitable to this day.

More Related