Landscapes, Hazards, and Human Impacts
Landscapes and Their Formation
A landscape is what we perceive of a territory that has been modeled by natural processes and human activities.
Natural Hazards and Environmental Impacts
Natural hazards refer to the probability that a natural process may inflict damage on people and their property within a given landscape.
Environmental impacts are the effects, both positive and negative, that human actions have on the landscape.
Landscape Types
Landscapes can be broadly categorized into: natural landscapes,
Read MoreRaw Materials and Energy Sources in Spain
Raw Materials
Raw materials can be classified by their origin:
- Organic: Sourced from farming, forestry, or livestock.
- Minerals: Extracted from deposits. These are further divided into:
- Metallic minerals: Used in basic industry.
- Non-metallic minerals: Used in the construction and chemical industries.
- Industrial rock: Used in construction.
Insufficient domestic production necessitates reliance on foreign trade. Spanish mining policy, aligned with EU targets, aims to increase competitiveness, improve the
Read MoreOrogenic Theories and Plate Tectonics: A Comprehensive Study
Orogenic Theories
Fijist Theories
Fijist theories assumed that the geographical position of continents and oceans do not vary with time, and that the causes of internal processes are vertical movements of elevation and subsidence. The theory of greater importance was Dana’s. He considered that from an initial molten earth, the planet suffered a gradual cooling and consequent contraction. According to this theory, as the interior cooled and contracted, the external solid surface was deformed by crumpling
Read MoreGeothermal Energy: Sources, Availability, and Environmental Impact
Where Does Geothermal Energy Come From?
Geothermal reservoirs are naturally occurring areas of hydrothermal resources. They are deep underground and are largely undetectable above ground. Geothermal energy finds its way to the Earth’s surface in three ways:
- Volcanoes and fumaroles (holes where volcanic gases are released)
- Hot springs
- Geysers
Geothermal energy also comes from volcanically active places such as Iceland and New Zealand.
Most of the geothermal power plants in the United States are located
Read MoreUnderstanding Key Ecosystem Cycles: Nitrogen, Carbon, Fire & Soil
Understanding Key Ecosystem Cycles
The Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen constitutes 78% of the air. While abundant, it’s largely unusable in its gaseous form. It exists in small amounts in water and is part of mineral salts or ammonia. Very few organisms can directly use atmospheric nitrogen. The nitrogen cycle in nature proceeds as follows:
- Plants absorb dissolved nitrogen compounds from water and, through photosynthesis, incorporate them into organic compounds like proteins.
- Certain bacteria can convert atmospheric
Sustainable Farming: Cover Crops, Crop Rotation & More
Sustainable Farming Practices for Soil Health
When farmers plant trees, shrubs, and ground cover around the edges of their fields, they are using a strategy called “cover cropping.”
Land degradation has accelerated during the 20th and 21st centuries due to increasing and combined pressures of agricultural and livestock production (over-cultivation, overgrazing, forest conversion), urbanization, and extreme weather events such as droughts and storm surges, which salinate the land.
The practice of growing
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