IGCSE EM Kristie

  • Unit 1.3 Fossil fuels as a source of energy (Coal, Oil and Natural Gas)

    • 20 Nov 2011
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  • 2011 Thailand Floods

    • 31 Oct 2011
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    This video addresses the main causes of the current flood in Thailand. It begins by stating that the flood water itself comes from rain water - which is expected due to the annual monsoon season. The video continues to explain thath rainwater from the North flows down into the Gulf of Thailand due to the sloping relief of the country. Originally, the vast amount of rain water would have been absorbed and curbed by the large amount of rainforest, but as technology has advanced, humans have built dams to control the water from flowing southward to build industrial areas and housing. The video points out that figures show that rainfall since the beginning of 2011 has not varied much from previous years, however rainfall in September itself has exponentially increased. This drastic change caused dams to overflow unexpectedly, creating the flood in which we are in currently, with an estimated amount of over 100 billion cubic metres of water on land.  The video shows that the solution is to mimic the natural patterns of water flow but instead by using rivers to transport the water. However, this process will be slow and Thailand will face floods for no less than a month.

    Flooding relates to many of the syllabus topics, however the most prevalent would be no. 8, Human intervention in the water cycle. Flooding is relavent to 8.1 the collection and control of water for a variety of uses, and 8.4 the ways in which processes operating within the water cycle affect development

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  • Savanna Grassland

    • 1 Sep 2011
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    5 ESSENTIAL FACTS:

    • There are two layers of vegetation - tall grass and trees such as acaia and baobab trees scattered around the land
    • There is noticeable diversity in savanna grasslands, species vary from wildebeest to gazelles, which in turn attract predators such as lions and cheetahs.
    • All trees in the savanna grasslands are deciduous [shed leaves], an adaptation to reduce water loss through transpiration in the leaves.
    • There is an extreme, long dry season in the winter.
    • The landscape changes drastically during the wet and dry seasons.

    The baobab tree is an extreme adaptation in which it's immense tree trunk (up to 9 metres wide) has a soft and spongy inner layer which is used to store water as a reserve for the dry season. Tree growth is slow and the roots are long tap roots which assist in the absorption of water from deep underground.

    Baobab_tree_sized

    The giraffe's iconic long neck is one of its many adaptations to live in the savanna grasslands. Their long neck allows them to reach leaves from trees where no other species can grab, allowing their species to be the sole consumer of leaves of that height. Giraffes also have a special glue-like saliva that allows them to eat (the afore mentioned) acaia trees, which have a spiky, thorn layer around their leaves. In addition, giraffes havee the ability to go without water for long periods of time, and often drink morning dew.

    Thumbnailcah1szvo

    Sources:

    Baobab tree http://langabi.name/gallery/mapungubwe05/Baobab_tree?full=1

    Giraffe http://www.naturfoto-cz.de/giraffe-foto-7535.html

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  • Clouded Leopard Adaptations

    • 28 Aug 2011
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    The clouded leopard has the largest teeth size in proportion to its body for any wild cat, an adaptation  that assists the secondary consumer to catch its prey. Its tail is exceptionally long to support its arboreal [tree-climbing] patterns. The ankles are flexible and can rotate which also allow the cat to climb down trees head first. The clouded leopard’s paws have long claws, allowing the larger surface area to assist the cat to grip onto surfaces. The arboreal patterns of the clouded leopard make it a good predator to orangutans.

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  • The Orangutans of Samboja Lestari

    • 23 Aug 2011
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    Samboja Lestari is a rainforest made by Willie Smits, a conservationist from the Netherlands, and it is situated in East Borneo, Indonesia. He restored an entire rainforest using adequate techniques and information about natural rainforests in South East Asia. When watching his talk on TED, I felt he put his knowledge and expertise to good use, and I admire his persistence which ultimately proved to make an enormous impact on both the wildlife and people in the area. I think his talk is very informative because he incorporates abiotic factors such as air humidity, forest fires, rainfall and cloud cover. It also displays a real example of how one individual can make a big difference.

    I think we should protect orangutans because they are the only species of Great Ape in South East Asia - surely thats enough motive on its own? In addition, I feel that no species should become extinct, especially if it is avoidable. I personally feel there is no logical reason to let orangutans go extinct.

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