Download Unit 1 notes

Canadian Geography 1202
Curriculum Outcome 1.0: Students are expected to explain how natural systems and human
systems interact.
1.1
identify and describe natural systems
1.2
identify and describe human systems
1.3 explain how systems thinking may be used to understand interactions between natural
systems and human systems
*The following are terms and notes that you should know in order to apply your knowledge
to new scenarios on your tests and exams*
Terms:
System: A system is made up of different parts that connect to form a whole
Ecosystem: a community of plants and animals that interact with one another and with their
physical environment.
Dynamic System: a system that is continually changing
Synergy: Means the whole system is greater than the sum of its parts (e.g. A car is made up of
parts such as an engine, brakes, and tires, but it is more valuable and useful as a car)
Human System: a system created by people
Natural System: a system found in nature
Atmosphere: a thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth
Biosphere: the layer of the Earth in which plant and animal life evolve
Hydrosphere: all the water and moisture on the Earth in all its forms
Lithosphere: the Earth’s crust and the uppermost part of the underlying mantle consisting of
rocks, minerals and soil
Questions/Notes:
1) What is a “systems approach” to the study of Geography?
A systems approach is used by geographers to study both natural and human systems. It
recognizes that humans use and interact with the natural environment and that our uses have
impacts on natural systems. It helps us make better decisions as we work to create safer and
healthier environments. A systems approach can help us to protect natural systems and to use
resources so they last into the future.
2) What are some characteristics of natural systems?
 They are driven by energy from the sun
 Support all living things, including humans
 Are connected to one another in a complex network of relationships
 Decompose and recycle all wastes
 Can be affected by natural events and human influences
 Are not well understood by humans
 Operate on very long timelines, from hundreds to millions of years
 Operate in all four of the earth’s spheres
 Display synergy
3) What are two examples of natural systems?
A) Water cycle – The water cycle has no beginning and no end. Water is not made or destroyed,
but it changes form.
B) Food Web – A food web represents how energy is consumed in an ecosystem. It is a
continuous system. Organisms produce energy, are consumed by other organisms and they die.
Once they have died, their energy is consumed by decomposers.
4) What are some characteristics of human systems?




Are interconnected in a complicated network of relationships
Can be affected by outside events and influences
Depend on natural systems
Display synergy
 May recycle wastes but usually end up with some (often a lot) harmful waste
 Operate on shorter timelines than natural systems
 Are not well understood by humans
5) What are the five main categories of human systems?
Transportation systems - interconnecting networks, such as roads and rail lines, and the bus, cycling,
airline etc. routes that move and link people and goods. Gas stations, roads, ferries etc. all support
this system.
Communication systems – systems that allow us to talk to fellow humans and share
information. Advances in technology have greatly altered how we communicate and how
quickly we communicate.
Infrastructure systems - the networks of basic services needed for the functioning of a
community or economy. Canada has an extensive infrastructure system including electricity,
water, sewer systems, telephone service, heat, roads, garbage removal.
Economic systems - integrated activities such as manufacturing and transportation that
produce and deliver all the goods and services we use everyday.
Energy systems – all of the interconnected parts that harvest energy from the earth, how
energy is transferred, and how humans use that energy in our day to day activities.
6) What are some ways that human and natural systems interact? (Be able to read a scenario
and think critically about how these systems are interacting. What are the positive and negative
implications?)
Humans depend on nature to meet our needs. Natural systems influence people’s activities and
human activities have an impact on natural systems. Humans cannot help but change the
natural environment as they us resources because resources must be excavated from the earth
or taken from the surface. Humans change the natural landscape every day. There are negative
and positive consequences of human actions. Some of them include:
 Changing the landscape (E.g. Clear cutting Forest)
 Health and sustainability of the environment (E.g. pollution)
 Climate change and global warming
 Protection of wildlife