GEO STANDARD FIFTEEN
Slide 1
Text: Standard 15: Physical systems affect human systems
[Photo of farmers with horse-drawn plows] [Photo of dust storm on the Great Plains]
Audio: Standard 15 is how physical systems affect human systems. Earth’s physical landscapes
are wide-ranging and very diverse. Climates vary, soil types vary, vegetation varies, and
topography varies across the planet. Humans are remarkably resourceful and then genius in the
way they can modify the physical environment from which they come, and use to their best
ability. Some physical environments are suitable for agriculture and housing construction and are
accessible in many ways. However, some physical environments are harsh, and make life a bit of
a challenge for people who live in there. In this slide, we see two pictures, both from the central
plains of the United States. The top picture shows farmers and their horses and plows on the
Great Plains, a rich agricultural region in this country. The picture at the bottom is during a wild
dust storm on the Great Plains. As result of over cultivation, which is a human activity, and
drought conditions, mostly in natural phenomenon but one that can be exacerbated by human
action, the top soil was exposed, dried up, and blew away. Causing widespread devastation, crop
lost, human starvation, and mass migration. The degradation during the Dust Bowl years is
considered one of the United States worst environmental tragedies.
Slide 2
[Physical map of the United States showing topography, highlands, lowlands, and large bodies of
water]
Audio: Here in slide 2 we see a physical map of the United States showing topography,
highlands, lowlands, and large bodies of water. Note that in much of the Eastern portion of the
country elevation is low, with little topographical relief. And soils are generally very good which
makes agricultural potential high. But again, as we saw on the previous slide, human activity can
alter a landscape and render a once productive area, a literal dust bowl.
Slide F3
[Map showing the annual average precipitation levels in the United States by region]
Audio: This slide shows us the annual average precipitation levels in the United States by
region. If we overlay this information with the information on the physical map on the previous
slide, we can see that the region of the country just east of the Rocky Mountains receives
between 10 and 20 fewer inches of rainfall annually than the Eastern portion of the country
receives. Therefore, less rainfall combined with over cultivation such as we saw in the Dust
Bowl Era makes this midsection of the United States a more ecologically vulnerable region.
Slide 4
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GEO STANDARD FIFTEEN
Text: Arizona’s topography and precipitation
[Map of Arizona's topography] [Map of Arizona's annual precipitation]
Audio: On this slide, we see two maps of Arizona: Arizona's topography and Arizona's annual
precipitation. As we saw on the previous two slides, if we lay a topographic map next to our
precipitation map of Arizona, we can compare the physical landscape to the annual precipitation
rate in the state. This will give us much more insight or clues into where we might be particularly
vulnerable environmentally.
Slide 5
[Photo of solar panels] [Diagram of a well] [Drawing of rainwater harvesting]
Audio: How do people organize their space to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the
natural environment, good soil, abundant precipitation, moderate climate and so on? Conversely,
how do they mitigate or soften the challenges of the natural environment like poor soil quality,
scarce precipitation and harsh climate? It's important to remember that human beings are very
capable and throughout history have been able to modify and adapt to even some of the harshest
environments to meet their daily needs. For example, one article states Arizona State University
marked the completion of phase one of its plan to install 12 megawatts of the solar system power
across its campuses. The five installations in phase one have a combined capacity of 1.8
megawatts and represent the largest solar portfolio on a single US university campus. A
company called CarbonFree Technology has played a central role in this effort as the solar power
developer for three of the five installations with the capacity of 1.87 megawatts. The installations
include single access tracking canopies mounted on top of ASU's Apache and stadium parking
structures and the fixed tilt installation on the roof of Lattie F. Coor Hall. The two bottom images
are from a publication called Rainwater Harvesting for Dry Lands and Beyond Volume One.
There's an innovation--innovative collaborative effort in one town called Desert Harvesters that
promotes, celebrates and enhances local food production and security by planting indigenous,
food-bearing shade trees in water harvesting earth works. And then showing people how to
harvest and process the bounty. Annual events in this town include neighborhood tree plantings,
milling efforts that grind mesquite seed pods, harvested from neighborhood trees, into delicious
flour and native or local food feasts.
Slide 6
[Map of Trans-Alaska pipeline system] [Photo of pipeline]
Audio: Again, we can ask the question, how do humans mitigate some of the harsher
characteristics of the physical environment to serve their needs and make their physical locale
livable? For example the Trans-Alaska Pipeline carries crude oil from Prudhoe Bay across the
Arctic Circle south to the Port of Valdez and Prince William Sound, 800-mile route crosses 3
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GEO STANDARD FIFTEEN
nature mountain ranges, permafrost and earthquake-prone zones in hundreds of rivers and
streams. During construction thousands of workers transformed the Fairbanks near the roots
midpoint from a sleepy outpost into a booming frontier town. A significant part of the oil
Americans consume is used for gasoline. With a number of vehicles on the road continuing to
increase, are Americans making any progress in consuming gasoline more efficiently? Conduct
your own investigation of this issue by polling friends, family and neighbors on the following
questions. What gas mileage does your vehicle get? Less than 10 miles per gallon, 11 to 20 miles
per gallon, 21 to 30 miles per gallon, 31 to 40 miles per gallon or more than 40 miles per gallon?
Another question, how important to factor was gas mileage in your decision to buy this vehicle?
Group the answers on a scale from 1, not important at all to 5, the most important factor. Another
question you might ask is, if you bought this vehicle to replace another vehicle how does its gas
mileage compare with the vehicle of that older vehicle? Better, about the same or worst? Another
question, how important to factor will gas mileage be when you buy your next vehicle? Again
group the answers on a scale from 1, not important at all to 5, the most important factor. And
finally, ask in the past 6 months, have you cut down on the amount of driving you do in order to
save gasoline? Each student in class should pull at least 3 persons on these questions. Tally the
results obtained, but the entire class and then create a graph for each question showing the
results. Post the graphs side by side and analyze them as a class. What do they tell you about
Americans gasoline consumption habits? Powering automobiles is only one of a dozen ways in
which Americans use petroleum everyday. In your class conduct an investigation to find as many
daily uses of petroleum and petroleum-based products as you can. Then use this information to
create an exhibit entitled, "Daily Life in the Age of Petroleum." The exhibit can include
examples of petroleum-based objects, photographs of daily activities that require petroleum, a
schedule of a typical person showing the many times during the day in which that person uses a
petroleum-based product, a photograph of store shopping showing variety of petroleum-based
products and so on.
Slide 7
[Black and white photo of highland Amerindians in Peru and Bolivia] [Image of the book cover
for Eating Local]
Audio: In this slide, we see two pictures. The picture on the left shows highland Amerindians in
Peru and Bolivia. They’re practicing sustainable farming techniques used at 12,000 feet about
sea level, and the altitude that typically does not support good agriculture. And the picture on the
right, we see a book cover from a book called "Eating Local" the cookbook inspired by
America's farmers. Think about where your food comes from, do you eat local? Do you buy at
farmers' markets in your town or city? Do your potatoes come from Peru? Do they come from
the Netherlands? Try to trace your food and see where it comes from. How far do your apples
have to travel before they get to your grocery store, and then to your table?
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GEO STANDARD FIFTEEN
Slide 8
Text: Carrying Capacity – Resources & Population Growth
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An important geographic concept is that of the “carrying capacity” of a place.
Carrying Capacity means: How many people can be sustained in a given place, without
incurring significant environmental degradation and ultimate ecological collapse.
Earth’s physical, climatic, and environmental diversity provides many great examples
that show how people and societies have understood the concept of carrying capacity, and
have modified the physical world to increase its carrying capacity. Be cautious, though.
Earth does have its limits.
[Cartoon titled What’s the Human Populations Carrying Capacity]
Audio: An important geographic concept is that up to carrying capacity of a place. In this slide,
we'll look at the carrying capacity and resources and population growth of a place. The carrying
capacity of the Earth is the supportable population given the food, habitat, water and other
necessities available with in the Earth. Imagine the Earth as a giant ecosystem. The carrying
capacity of the Earth is the carrying capacity of the Earth's ecosystem or the natural resources
needed to sustain the same standard of living. There are many factors that need to be taken into
account when estimating the carrying capacity of Earth such as medical care. One of the biggest
in the increase of our ecological footprint is population growth. When there are more mouths to
feed, you need more food, more air, more sunlight, more water and more everything. So the
question of the carrying capacity of the Earth becomes how many people can the Earth actually
support and sustain. The problem is that the Earth's total area of biologically productive land and
fresh water sources i.e. the carrying capacity of the Earth is finite. These resources need to be
shared among a growing population. In some countries, an average person uses a lot more of
Earth's natural resources than others. Usually, the more developed the country is, the more
resource that--resources its people use. What's the human population carrying capacity? Most
demographic experts predict that Earth's population will cap somewhere between 8 and 12
billion although sometimes we hear much higher estimates. What do you think?
Slide 9
Text: Life style & Consumption
[Diagram showing food waste] [Photo showing food waste] [Photo of a man and a boy working
with the CSA]
Audio: In this slide, we look at lifestyle and consumption. Lifestyles and levels and consumption
are two major factors that help to analyze the relationship between people and their
environments. An important question to post is, how can human's actions and decisions about the
way they live their lives in terms of consumption, energy and water conservation, land use and so
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GEO STANDARD FIFTEEN
on affect the carrying capacity of a given place? The average American wastes more than half a
pound of food everyday. That's 29 million tons of food waste every year. Some researchers
estimate that as many 40 percent of the food produced for consumption in America never gets
eaten. So why does it matter, and what can we do about it? How about a constant called
voluntary, simplicity, living lower on the food chain, which will lead more for others?
The top photo on this slide shows food waste. The bottom picture shows a photo of a man and a
boy working with the CSA, a Community Supported Agriculture program. CSA refers to a
model of farming in which farmers sell harvest shares like vegetables, flowers, meat and so on
directly to people in the local community. It was adopted in America from Japanese and
European models, largely as a response to the disappearance of the small farm. CSA has
represented a shared commitment. Shareholders commit to the farm for the season or providing
farmers with the secure costumer base and farmers commit to doing their best to provide
shareholders with high quality nutritious food. The direct connection between farmer and
consumers bypasses middleman such as marketers, long distant shippers, and so on. And these
benefits the farmer by increasing farm revenue, benefits the environment by decreasing
packaging and pollution and benefits consumers by providing fresh, high quality produce at
competitive prices.
Slide 10
[Image of early Arizona Hohokam Indians building canals] [Photo of a woman standing near a
window air conditioning unit]
Audio: Today, modern human technology has facilitated human habitation and some of the most
remote and inhospitable physical environments. And the days before high-tech, we also see very
creative and advanced ways that people have employed to facilitate their survival and
livelihoods. In the top picture, we see early Arizona Hohokam Indians building canals that
provided irrigation for their crops. The bottom picture asks, how did early inhabitants survive
Arizona's heat before air conditioning? Well, they built houses with thick adobe mud bricks, a
great insolation. And they also hang wet sheets outside on their patios on hot nights to serve as
rudimentary evaporative cooling systems, and earlier in human history, by dwelling in caves on
the mountainsides.
Slide 11
[Photos from the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, August 29, 2005]
Audio: The use of technology to overcome physical impediments to human activity can often
have wide-ranging, and sometimes unexpected, consequences. For instance, the attempt to
control rivers by building dams and dredging waterways to prevent destructive and lifethreatening floods can also lead to diminished soil replenishment, increased water salinity,
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GEO STANDARD FIFTEEN
reduced flow of sediment to oceans, and increased river bank erosion. In this slide we see
pictures of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In addition to carrying
capacity limitations, the physical environment often imposes significant costs on human society.
Natural hazards are defined as processes or events in the physical environment that are not
caused by humans, but whose consequences can be harmful to humans. They cost the United
States billions of dollars each year. Hurricanes, earthquakes tornadoes, volcanoes, storms, floods,
forest fires, and insect infestations are events that are not preventable and whose precise location,
timing and magnitude are not predicable. Their negative consequence can be reduced by
understanding the potential vulnerability of different groups of people and by implementing a
variety of strategies such as improved building design, land-use regulation, warning system and
public education. Whether the issue is the mitigation of a natural hazard or recognition of
carrying capacity, students need to understand the characteristics and spatial properties of the
physical environment. It is essential that they be able to translate an understanding of the
physical processes and patterns that shape Earth’s surface into a picture of that surface as a
potential home for people. That home can only hold so many people or be used only in certain
ways without incurring costs. Judgment as to the acceptability of those costs requires an
understanding of environmental opportunities and restraints.
Slide One
[Photo of Elizabeth Larson]
Audio: This presentation is written by Elizabeth Larson, School of Geographical Sciences and
Urban Planning, Arizona State University, 2011.
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