Energy Part 3

RANKING OF THE TYPES OF ENERGY THAT I RESEARCHED THAT IS THE BEST FOR ITALY

3. Hydrothermal Energy

I find hydrothermal energy to be number 3 in being used in Italy for one big reason. Geothermal is already being used in Italy, and since that and hydrothermal are almost exactly identical, it made it absolutely redundant to have both geothermal and hydrothermal when they both do almost exactly the same things. An example of that is they are both hard to move, both are very green in terms of the environment, and both get the energy from almost the same source.

2. Wind Energy

I find that wind energy would be put as number 2 in being used in Italy as a good source in coastline and northern environments. Wind power is being used in Italy in some parts, growing over the past few years. The reason I believe that wind energy is better in the coastal regions is the fact of wind being more prominent in those regions, which also explains lower temperatures. The same thing can be applied to Northern Italy as well. A minor difficulty with wind power might finding room to build the expensive turbines, since Italy isn't that big of a country.

1. Solar Energy 

I find that solar energy would the top option for Italy to implant because of the location of where the country is located. Italy is located in an region where precipitation is moderate not over the top, and sunlight can reach over 11 hours a day in the summer months. All of these help out the usability of solar panels, which unlike the other two, is less expensive. Like wind power, solar power in Italy has grown in the past few years, upwards of around 300%. The only issue with solar power is its lack of effectiveness in the winter months, due to lower amounts of sunlight in the day and higher counts of precipitation.

Energy Part 2: Italy's Type of Energy

Italy's main energy source is geothermal energy, mainly the energy found in the fossil fuels. From the things found in those fuels, such as petroleum for transporting purposes such as importing and exporting goods, and natural gas for things like heating up homes. Italy also imports a bit of energy, about 35%, from countries such as Switzerland and France. In total, Italy has spent around 65 million on energy over the past 12 years. The emissions that the fossil fuels have emitted put Italy 17th in CO2 emissions in 2009. Italy also uses solar and wind energy, and has no nuclear plants.

Energy Part 1

Solar Energy

Solar energy is a type of energywhere one uses the sun's rays as an energy source. It is seen used as a cooker, powering homes, warming up water in a hot water heater and used for ventilation purposes. To use the sun rays, blackish-blue reflective checkered squares on a big panel called a solar panel is used. It collects the sun's rays and stores it as energy and electricity. One benefit of having solar energy is that you don't have to pay an electric bill as much since you basically create your own electricity thanks to the sun. A drawback to solar energy is that it doesn't charge during the night, which makes sense since it uses sun rays. This drawback is amplified a bit if you use a lot of electricity than someone who is more energy efficient. Solar panels are also somewhat expensive to install and maintain.

Wind Energy

Wind energy is another type of energy, this time using wind turbines as an energy source. The wind turbines create energy by using a motor that makes them spin, and the wind they cause creates kinetic  energy. This kinetic energy is then used for specific tasks. You'll generally find wind energy used for harvesting purposes, such as for grain and water pumps. Some benefits of wind energy are that its a pollution free source of energy, only using wind as a power source. It is also a renewable source of energy as well, meaning it can't be wasted. Some drawbacks of wind energy are that its unpredictable on how much power will be made, since some days can be windy and others won't be windy. It is surprisingly a threat to wildlife, mainly birds, since they are at risk of accidently flying into the turbine. Finally, they are quite costly to build, and require heavy investment if your trying to have your own energy.

Hydrothermal Energy

Hydrothermal energy is a type of energy which uses the heat from a body of water as a energy source.

It uses special types of vents which collect the heat from the water which comes out as electricity. The cooled water then goes back down into the earth and reheats so it can be used once again. A benefit to using this type of energy is that it is a renewable source of energy, lowering the cost of energy used. It is also, along with geothermal, the greenest source of energy. A drawback to this energy is that it is very expensive to build plants to get this type of energy. It is made a bit worse as this energy type can't be transported at all. These plants also need to be watched with extreme caution, or chronic problems may ensue.

Case Study: Waikiki Beach

1. The main causes of erosion in Waikiki Beach were the making of building that were put very close to the shoreline and the removal of the close pier which sped up the erosion a little bit. The former of the two has been happening slowly since the late 19th century.

2. There have been a few attempts to fix the erosion problems, such as small attempts like mats on the beach to cross over eroded areas and sandbags to keep the water from seeping into the beach. These are small fixes, but not long term ones that will last a few years. They have also done things such as beach maintenance in the early part of the new year since 2012. This would bring most of the beach back towards its former glory.

3. Economically, because of the loss of sand due to erosion, less and less people are on the beach, especially during high tide where the water is so close to the buildings you can barely put one row of chairs on the beach. Less people on the beach means less earned money for people who work on the beach, either in the hotels or the shops and food places. Environmentally, not only is there a lack of dry sand, there are also worries that the water could get contaminated from the storm drains and flooding of the roads close to the beach. Socially, many might become homeless if floods were to happen, although this might only affect the people closer to the beach. Another issue is the possibility of contaminated water. Many might put themselves at risk if they drink it and make themselves sick. Finally, many might lose their jobs from not making money if the tourism is very low.

Case Study: Glacial Retreat

PART A

1. All 3 areas that were experiencing the glacial retreat were hit by higher temperatures and the snowfall patterns like what has happened with the Chhota Shigri glacier since 1962. In the Glacier National Park in Montana, the retreating is worse as it is lower on elevation. This melting was mainly caused by the temperature raising over 1.33 higher than global mean average. In the Antarctic, ten  ice shelves have been lost and 87% of the glaciers have retreated.

2. Socially, the glacial retreat has created an increased amount of water from the melting of them. This might cause an increased risk of flooding is areas close to water and increased water levels in general. Environmentally, the higher water levels are the major concern. This could cause many species that live in shallower water to become less and less seen and maybe endangered of even extinct. Economically, this affects the tourism industry the worst, less people coming means less revenue earned.

PART B

Because of melting glaciers, the tourism industry in areas like Banff are losing many tourists because the glaciers are just disappearing. In Banff it's said that by 2100 over 90% of the glaciers in the area will be melted, which really hurts the economy in that area.

PART C

The majority of Italy isn't mainly affected by the glacial retreat, mainly like the rest of the world, higher water levels. However Northern Italy fares worse, since not only the water levels are rising but it's also affected by the lack of tourism since it's proximity to the Alps if people want to see them.

Case Study: Flooding in Brisbane, Australia

1. The flooding was caused by increased rainfall in the region, higher than average. This caused the Brisbane river to become overflowed. The Wivenhoe dam also caused a bit of flooding, due to higher inflows than outflows.

2. Economically, the flooding caused heavy damage to the crops grown in the region, many of them drowned from the amount of water. Tourism in the region was also harmed. The flooding also caused fuel inflation an cost 3-5 billion dollars. Socially, the flooding made many people worried about things such as food poisoning from water contamination, among other diarrhoea like symptoms such as lung disease and toxic shock. It of course left many people homeless, and forced them to do risky methods of using power. Environmentally, the flood waters hammered a lot of the Queensland landscape. Creeks and rivers eroded, became contaminated and covered in debris. These ended up putting exotic species like carp at risk. Soils as well became contaminated from the chemicals some industrial areas put out after being flooded. These issues also threatened marine environments like Moreton Bay with the amount of contamination surrounding them.

3. Queensland is preparing by coming up with plans to do such as guides on what you need to do and awareness maps so you know how much at risk is your area. The guides include how to prepare, how to report a flood incoming, and to understand the problems that might arise.

Case Study: Desertification in Botswana

1. Desertification is basically once vegetated region has now lost all of its vegetation and soil fertility. This is generally caused by the lack of water or moisture in the soil, causing it to become dry and unusable for planting crops.

2. Botswana is literally on the latitude that the Tropic of Capricorn is, meaning itgets high temperatures and quite low rainfall. It is also surrounded by more desert, though isn't a true, real desert since it has quite a bit of vegetation. Botswana's region also has a very high evaporation rate of 7.5 mm maximum.

3. Human causes towards the desertification in Botswana are the overstocking of crops, increase of population of humans living there and cattle over the span of 20 years, land degradation and overgrazing because of the over abundance of cattle.

4. The land degradation is generally the biggest issue when solving the problem in Botswana, but there have been steps to combat the desertification, such as Botswana joining the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1996. It would later make the National Action Programme (NAP) in 2006, which outlines strategies and activities in combat the issues in Botswana.

Land use and Agriculture in Italy

1. In terms of Italy's land use, about 31% of Italy's land is used for agriculture purposes (23% for arable land, replanted crops and 8% for permanent crops). The other 69% is for the other two, urban and forestry, the percents being about 38% and about 31% respectively.

2. Monoculture

Pros

• Maximium profit from the growing of margin crops

• Reduced plant competiton on nutrients, space and solar radiation

• Control of undesirable organisms

Cons

• Depeltion of nitrogen levels in the soils

• Damage to the environment

• Lower amount of food being produced per acre of land

Slash and Burn Agriculture

Pros

• Source of food and income when used properly

• Ability to farm in place where it usually isn't possible due to dense vegetation or soil infertility

• More useful/less harmful when practiced on a small piece of land

Cons

• Can cause temporary or permanent loss of forest cover

• Can lead to lack of water in the soil which can lead to erosion

• Loss of biodiversity which can make certain species living in those areas become extinct

Polyculture

Pros

• Reduced susceptibility towards diseases (makes pesticides redundant)

• Local biodiversity in the region increases

• Higher amount of food being produced per acre of land

Cons

• Harvests take longer than other methods

• Harder to calculate income and profits gained from results

• Expensive cost of seeds and heavy potential of seed loss, harming profits

3. Italy generally uses the monoculture format in its agriculture. Thanks to the amount of water surrounding the Italian peninsula as well as in the soil itself, Italy is one the leaders in high quality fruit and vegetables, such as tomatoes and apples. Italy's current state of agriculture is still good, but has weakened slightly over the years.

Water use in Italy

1. I found the video that we watched on Wednesday to be quite shocking on how third world countries were being treated by companies like Nestle and Suez. I was  also a bit angry how the people in those countries had to rely on other sources because water from those companies was so expensive. I was also disgusted by the polluted water that these people in these countries were having to drink.

2. Italy main issue with water is the fact that most of the water is polluted with contaminants, which has been an ongoing issue since 1976. This is due to the millions of tons of solid waste that is produced in Italy every year, putting many at risk. It has affected the lakes in Italy as well, such as in the Lagilo beach area, where the bacteria levels are over 65% higher than normal. This means you could attract skin infections and worse by just going for a swim.

Irrigation

From the most common three types of irrigation that farmers use, I believe that farmers should use is the drip irrigation system mainly for its practicality. The drip irrigation system is very good in the double fact that it's portable, and can cover your entire field, where as with certain sprinkler systems only cover the entire area in a circular radius. It is also the best option if you're growing onions or celery. It's downsides however are the fact that they can be difficult to repair.

Land subsistence in the SW USA

a) Land subsistence in the SW US has been getting worse for many reasons. One big reason is their locations, with them not being near lakes and basically being in the desert. This forces them to use the groundwater. Another one is their lack of precipitation. Without much rain, places in those areas don't get lakes or dykes where water will build up. Another one is the growing population in those areas. More people means more water being used. Finally, the water being used is being wasted by silly things like watering your lawn or in the toilet.

b) The impacts of this are pretty worrying. Impacts by this would include change of the elevation in certain areas (ie the land dropping), failure of well casings because of forces by compaction, damage to buildings and damage to other things like roads, bridges, sewers and railroads.

c) Some ways I believe that these areas can lower future land subsistence is by using less water from their aquifers, creating lakes in the not as hot areas of the area, and recycling used water to be used again.

Deforestation in Italy

1. Deforestation has been practiced in Italy since the Roman times, and is widely quoted as a example in man-made deforestation. Sicily is generally the place in Italy where most of the deforestation happens, when it was a agricultural area.

2. Environmentally, deforestation has hit the hardest. The loss of trees in the regions of Italy had dampened the climate, leading to rivers drying up and less rainfall. Less crops were grown in fields and pastures, harming the wild fauna. Socially, this harms the local lumberjacks. With no trees to be cut, they have no job basically.Local farmers also take a hit with crop turnouts lowering. Economically, Italy has to import lumber for their needs since materials in the country are lacking. Sometimes Italy has to import foods in certain areas because of the crop turnout.

3. I find that deforestation is more of a threat in Italy than in Canada because of the amount of trees harvested. Italy has been cutting down trees since the Roman times, meaning a lot more trees have been eliminated than in Canada. Deforestation rates are also higher in Italy than in Canada. Italy also has to rely on imports of lumber due to the amount of deforestation where as Canada does not, in fact, Canada probably supplies Italy with lumber anyway. Finally, Canada is at a less of threat than Italy as it sustains its forests better, with things like replanting trees and keeping other forests out of bounds from cutting.

Aquaculture

1. Aquaculture is the breeding and harvesting of plants and animals aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, oceans and ponds. There are two main types, marine aquaculture which produces mainly oysters, clams, mussels, shrimp and salmon. It also produces lesser amounts of fish like cod and yellowtail. The other one is freshwater aquaculture, which produces certain species only native to freshwater areas, such as trout and bass. It primarily takes place in ponds.

2. Social

Pros

1) Supplies jobs for many people.

2) Supplies a reliable source of protein.

3) Supplies a global demand for seafood.

Cons

1) Unable to make fish farms in certain spots due to waters not accepting certain species.

2) Noisy area to work at, and to live by in general.

3) Threatens fishermen livelihood.

Environmental

Pros 

1) Reduces pressure on certain species of fish, helping their life cycle.

2) Puts more emphasis on protecting costal waters from pollution.

3) Many species bred on a fish farm stay on the fish farm.

Cons

1) Can cause disease and parasites to transfer from one species to another.

2) Can pollute water systems with things such as chemicals and antibiotics.

3) Can possibly compromise the aesthetic beauty of coastlines.

Economic

Pros

1) Can increase revenue at a city, state/province and national level.

2) It encourages local investment.

3) Reduces the seafood trade deficits than countries have.

Cons

1) Can be an unpredictable enterprise for small communities due to vulnerability to things like severe weather.

2) Some fish farms operate outside legal restrictions.

3) Can be as expensive to run a fish farm in a community.

3. I find that aquaculture in general is a bad thing in my view, from a environmental standpoint mainly. Fish farming is very polluting towards the environment in many spots such as in the waters and coastlines. In fact, it possibly can ruin the aesthetic beauty of coastlines. It is also very expensive to run and can be very unpredictable in its supply. Sure it will give jobs, but many companies may lose money if the weather doesn't cooperate with them. The only thing I could say that maybe ok about aquaculture would be that it protects some species like seaweed and certain fish species, but they may be interbred with other species, causing more problems. All in all, I believe that aquaculture is a bad idea and should be gotten rid of, or changed.

Earthquakes 2: Vancouver

1. It's been implied that Vancouver is due for an earthquake, since the Cascadia fault has been quite silent. On average, the fault has an earthquake every 300 to 1000 years. Since the last big earthquake was in early 1700, provided from reports of an tsunami hitting Japan, the dead trees in the ghost forest in Washington, and the soil carbon dating.

2. The area around Vancouver is on a silty basin known as the Georgia basin. The area also has the Strait of Georgia that Vancouver is on the coast of. Vancouver Island is on the left of the Strait of Georgia.

3. a) In terms of liquefaction, cities in the Vancouver are at risk to it (especially Richmond) since Vancouver is in the silty Georgia Basin. Houses built on mountainsides like in
Coquitlam or roads on mountainsides like Highway 5 are risk to landslides because of loose rocks or soil coming down because of a major shock.

Any city on a coast like Tofino and even Vancouver are at more risk to tsunamis as they are cities close to water after all. Vancouver Island is more likely to shield Vancouver a little bit from a tsunami, but a giant tidal wave like that would sweep cars off roads, among other things. Finally flooding is probably the most worrying issue, as cities like Richmond would become literal swamps after the tsunami wrecks it's way through.

b) The social impact would be quite harsh when the big one hits here. It's calculated that 400 to 800 people would perish from the quake and tsunami alone. Many more would be injured and/or homeless as well. Economically it would also be a disaster, as it's estimated that the quake alone would cause over 150 million dollars, with it rising more when the tsunami hits. On infrastructure, it depends on the stability and if it's was built to withstand such a natural disaster. Worst case, a skyscraper collapses or something else is decimated. Newer structures should fare better than older ones, as the codes of building have switched over the years. Areas like Gastown are at larger risks than rural Surrey for example just because of Gastown's older structures being weaker since they were built using older methods or been standing for a long time.

4. Metro Vancouver in terms of preparing for that earthquake have been quite lacklustre, in fact many say that nothing a

has been done to prepare at all. They have however, done things such as reinforce weaker structures (upgrading the Granville Street bridge) and things like earthquake drills to prepare people for what to do when the big one hits.

Earthquakes

1. The Terremento dell'lrpinia (Irpinian earthquake) occurred on November 23, 1980.

2. The quake epicentre was 40.85°N and  15.28°E, in the village of Conza.

3. It is unknown what caused the earthquake, but it is believed that it was caused by the Eurasian and African plates colliding with each other.

4. The quake measured a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale. It also had 90 smaller aftershocks.

5. In all, 2984 people were killed and over  10,000 were injured. Many cities were destroyed, especially in the province of Avellino. 300,000 were left homeless because of the event. Many churches , an orphanage and even a 10 story apartment building in Naples were leveled. The Italian government spent 59 billion dollars on earthquake reconstruction, with West Germany contributing 32 million USD and the US contributing 70 million USD.

Plate Tectonics in Italy

1. 

Italy is located on the edge of the Eurasian Plate, close to the boundary of the Eurasian and African plates.

2. The Eurasian plate moves at about 2 cm per year eastward. It is divergent with the North American plate and convergent with the African plate.

3. Because of the convergent reaction with the African plate, mountain ranges like the Alps formed in the cause of the two pushing against each other.

4. Volcanoes are a major hazard caused by the convergent boundary. Some of these volcanoes have caused major casualties, like mount Vesuvius in Naples for example.

Earthquakes also happen in the regions around the plate boundary, but are much less common than the volcanoes.

5. Italy has some faults in the land, such as in the Alps and the Apennines.

Impact of Fishing

PART A

Fishermen: The amount of over fishing made by fishermen mean less and less fish being available for them to fish because of the amount of fish being caught.

Consumers: 90% percent of fish caught are eaten. When the fish are over fished, later generations won't get the luxury to know what fish is or get to eat fish at all.

Governments: the governments are getting more and more pressured to limit the fish being caught in their own country waters to a certain level where their populations stabilize and do not diminish and become endangered.

The Environment: With the fish becoming more and more endangered, species that fish eat like plankton for example, become more and more populated in the waters. If it keeps going like it is going, waters in the world may turn green from the amount of plankton and algae in the waters.




PART B:

Italy is one of the major fishing countries in the world, thanks to it being around the Mediterranean Sea. Since it has one of the major fishing industries, it does over fish quite a bit. It's also affected by the Mediterranean Sea heating up in deep and shallow waters due to climate change in the region. The species depletion hasn't affected Italy as bad as other countries, as other species with short-life spans and adapt towards warmer waters have adjusted in the Mediterranean.

Mining

PART A

Strip mining: a type of mining where the soil and rock covering the mineral wanted is removed, generally in strips.

Pros

1. Safer than other methods of mining.

2. More efficient in getting the material.

3. Cost of mining this way is much lower compared to other methods.

Cons

1. Destruction of the natural ecosystem.

2. Contamination of water supplies due to excavated material and extraction solvents. 

3. The release of toxins and dust into the air, polluting the environment.

Shaft mining: the method of excavating  vertical or near vertical tunnel from top to bottom with no inital access to the bottom.

Pros

1. Less pollution from this method.

2. Less destruction of the ecosystem.

3. Less contamination of water.

Cons

1. Less efficient than strip mining.

2. More expensive to mine this way.

3. More dangerous, risk of tunnels collapsing and poisonous gases released through the tunnels.

PART B

Spouse of a miner: I would prefer strip mining, as it is safer than shaft mining is.

Owner of a mining company: I would prefer strip mining, as it's more efficient, meaning more money made for the company.

Environmentalist: I would prefer shaft mining, as it's less polluting on the environment than strip mining.

Owner of a nearby ski resort: I would prefer strip mining, as it lowers the risk of tunnels collapsing, causing avalanches.

Politician: I would prefer strip mining, as it    costs less than the alternative, and it's more efficient, meaning gaining money.

PART C

Italy is the largest mining producer of feldspar and pumice, and a leading producer of marble, even though they are poor in mineral resources. The way that that Italy generally mines those materials is through strip mining. Some major quarries of mining are located in the Massa and Carrara areas.

Waste Management

1. Italy disposes their waste in landfills, and they also recycle waste that is recyclable. Waste disposal is done at a municipal level in Italy.

2. Italy has issues in the fact of their landfills being overfilled, and the utter lack of waste collection in certain cities like Naples. Italy also has a region known as the Triangle of death due to the amount of cancer deaths because of pollution of illegal waste disposal.

3. I believe that Italy needs to make more landfills so they don't have issues of overfilled landfills. Areas that should be getting more landfills should be the cities in the triangle of death and Naples, the former to reduce the pollution amounts, thus reducing death counts in the region, and the latter to fix the waste crisis that is plaguing Naples.

Climate Change Affecting Italy

What affects Italy in regards to climate change?

1. With the ice caps melting, cities in Italy like Venice are at risk to flooding.
2. Rainfall amount has decreased in Italy since the 50s, by almost 5 to 10%.
3. With the temperature increasing, the Alps might be ice free within the beginning of the next century if temperature increases by 5°C in the coming years.
4. Air temperatures have increased by 0.76°C since 1850.
5. If temperatures increase by 4°C, snow on the Alps will decrease by 50%.
6. Increase of heat increases the chance of drought in the vineyards.
7. Droughts would last longer and begin earlier in areas in Italy.
8. Pollution increases would increase CO2 levels.
9. Heat waves put woodlands in southern Italy at risk for forest fires.
10. About one-fifth of Italy is at risk of desertification.
11. Melting permafrost is creating lakes within the Alps, which might cause erosion.
12. Coastal beaches in Italy are at risk of erosion as well.
13. Decrease in marine life and seashore regression.
14. Heat waves puts many people's health at risk.
15. Hotter temperatures increase amount of mosquitoes carrying diseases.
16. Freshwater areas have been contaminated by salt intrusion.
17. Rivers also are becoming more and more flooded.
18. Melting ice caps increase risk of landslides and avalanches.
19. Melting permafrost increases risk of rock slides.
20. With the temperature increasing, storms are becoming more severe.
21. In the Mediterranean, the warming of the sea has decreased life spans of fish.
22. Reduction in the grape wine industry, due to heat wave increase.
23. Increased risk of flash floods, due to ice cap melting.
24. Pollution increasing stress on the fishing industry.
25. Loss of land due to rising of sea levels.

Climates and climate controls

1. Italy is affected by many different climate controls. It's affected in the land/water climate by it being close to the Mediterranean Sea, it gets somewhat subtropical highs, and in southern region in between subtropical highs and equatorial lows. It also is affected by geo position, with cities in the north higher up than cities in the south. Latitude also affects Italy due to being close to the Alps in the north and the Mediterranean Sea in the south.

2. Italy is dominated by a temperate climate, a Mediterranean climate to be more specific. Average temperatures are around 7°C, and get an annual precipitation of 42 cm. Summers in this climate are dry and winters in this climate are wet.

3. 

Wind Storms in Italy

1. This storm that hit Italy was a tornado.

2. The F4 tornado hit the outskirts of Venice on September 11, 1970, and smashed through about 70 km across the land.

3. The tornado caused heavy amounts of damage to the region and killed 36 people. It is unknown how much damage to the environment was caused, but waters in Venice were affected quite a bit.

Air Masses, Global Winds and Types of Rain

1. Most of Italy is affected by continental tropical air masses. Northern regions however have been known to have maritime polar air mass with snow in those regions.

2. Italy is affected mainly by westerlies and some trade winds, similar to areas in the mid-east US.

3. Italy is generally affected by frontal rainfall, due to the differences in temperature between the north and the south. The west part of Italy gets more rain than the east.

Weather and Climate Intro

1. The rays of radiation from our Sun, hitting the surface of the Earth.

2. Since the diagram shows the Earth on an angle, the equator regions are closer to the Sun, meaning the sun rays reach there sooner.

3. Albedo is solar energy refracted from the Earth back to space. A black roof would absorb more sunlight than a snow covered mountain.

4. The rate where atmospheric temperatures decrease where altitude increases.

5. Aspect is the compass direction that sloped surface faces. South side plants would grow better in the Northern Hemisphere.

6. We have seasons because the Earth rotates around the sun, the further away it is the colder it gets.

7. Land heats up faster than water as water reflects the solar radiation.

8. With no source of water, the land stays dry, lowering the amount of rainfall that area gets.

9. The climate in Norway becomes more temperate, as the Gulf Stream warms the country.

10. The Alaska current is the one that goes past BC.

11. Extra CO2 causes our planet to be warmer than it should, making global warming an issue.

12. Convection is the collective movement of groups of molecules in fluids, through diffusion, advection or both.

13. The natural movement of the air, blown in a predictable direction.

14. Urban heat islands are metropolitan areas warmer than the rural areas. This is caused by higher concentration of human activities in the metropolitan areas.

5 things Part B

Location

Absolute Location: 41° North Latitude and 12° East Longitude for Rome, Italy.

Relative Location: Rome is 8983 km away from our home in Surrey, BC.

Place

Human Characteristics: Italy has ancient roads, some of the oldest in history. Italy also has structures such as the Coliseum, the Roman Catholic Chruch and a few castles. Italy also has shopping centres in Milan and city on water, known as Venice. The language of Italy is Italian of course.

Physical Characteristics: Italy's mainland has physical features such as mountainous areas, lowlands in the heart of Italy and along the coast, grasslands and fine snowy hills in the northern regions.

Human-Environment Interaction

Depend: Italians depend on many different things. They depend on other countries for imports as well as exports, they depend on the Mediterranean Sea for food such as fish or crab. The city of Venice depends on gondolas as transportation through the Grand Canal.

Modify: Italians modified their environment by building roads, and farmland. They modified rivers with dams and dykes. They also negatively affected the environment as well, from emmisons from factories or endangering the wildlife.

Adapt: Italians adapted to their environment by not building cities close to active volcanoes, buying clothing jackets for the rain and warm homes for the cold. They also raised building standards in case of an earthquake.

Movement

Italy has used movement in many ways, such as moving exports like clothing for export. They used gondolas, buses and trains as means of transportation. Internet and magazines also were used to get info around.

Region

Italy has many regions such as Sicily off the coast and the areas in the north such as Abuzzo. Other Island areas such as Sardinia are also part of the Italian region.

4 spheres of the environment

On April 6, 2009, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake landed in the Abuzzo region of Italy. The centre of the quake was in the Abuzzo capital of L'Aquila, and other villages also received very significant damage from the earthquake and its aftershocks. About 308 people were killed and around 1500 were injured. 65,000 people were also left homeless, and had to go to homeless camps in the region and hotels around the Italian coastline. The total amount of damage caused was around 16 billion dollars. A major cause of casualties was the poor building standards in the region. Many sightings of light glows were seen prior, possibly as a warning to the coming of the earthquake.

The spheres involved in this geological event were the biosphere and the lithosphere respectively. The lithosphere was involved in the movement of The African Plate colliding with the Eurasian Plate, causing the earthquake and the aftershocks that hit the region. That earthquake affected the biosphere, which caused fatalities, damage to villages and homes, not to mention that many of the buildings in the region had existed since the medieval days.

Blog 1

1. 

2. Italy is located in Southern Europe.

3. The capital city of Italy is Rome.

4. Italy's size is 301,338 km².

5. The population of Italy is 61,070,224 people.

6. Italy has a unitary parliamentary republic, which means they have a president as a head of state.