Geography

Geographical issues affecting Australian environment
1. Geographical issues are areas of concern that arise due to changes in environment.
These issues can be investigated from a spatial dimension which explains where things are and why they are there.
Issues can also be investigated from an ecological dimension which describes the relationship between people and its environment and the effects they have on each other.
2. Overview of geographical issues
Air quality
Spatial dimension
  * Air quality differs between places, at different times and under different weather conditions
  * Increasing population and demand for more goods puts greater pressure on air quality
Ecological dimension
  * Human interactions include transport, industrial activity, and burning fossil fuels
Processes
  * The sun is the source of energy for the circulation of the atmosphere and changing weather patterns
  * Topography plays an important role in temperature inversions
Impacts
  * Smog, enhanced greenhouse effect, asthma, lung cancer and death of vegetation
Coastal management
Spatial dimension
  * Coastline surrounds continent with cliffs, beaches, coral reefs, wetlands and islands
  * 90% of Australians live within 50 km of the coast
Ecological dimension
  * Drift of population to the coast
  * Urban, industrial, agricultural, recreational and tourist activities put additional pressure on coasts

Processes
  * Erosion, weathering, ocean processes (tides, currents), tectonic forces (tsunamis) and enhanced greenhouse effect (sea level rising)
Impacts
  * Building on fore dunes, clearing of wetlands, sewage disposal, threatening of marine species and oil spills by passing ships
Land and water management
Spatial dimension
  * There is great variation in topographic features, geology, soils and water availability leading to   a wide range of different land use
Ecological dimension
  * Increasing population have...