Fishing

A)
Fishermen: Once all the fish are gone from the oceans they won't be able to make living off of fishing.

Consumers: Seafood restaurants will go out of business and people who live off of eating the fish will have a tough time trying to live without it.

Governments: People will lash out at the government and blame them for not doing anything to help save the fish and this could change the results of future elections.

Environment: The way of life in oceans could become a lot worse if fish species start to become extinct if not endangered already.

B) 

-Salmon in BC are a huge industry

-Humans are using many climate polluting energy sources. This leads to the salmon struggling to survive and thrive in the now overheated Fraser River. The river is becoming too warm and too low for their survival. Already there are more and more salmon dying on their way to the spawning grounds. Overfishing is another contributor to the decline in Pacific salmon. Commercial and recreational fishing have really depleted the amount of salmon. In 2005, a report stated that around 35% of the salmon runs in BC were depressed. But in a recent report from 2012  it was reported that around 75% of the runs were now depressed.

-If BC were to lose the salmon, it would create a huge impact on the economy and on local ecosystems. Salmon are a food source to many animals which contribute to the overall beauty of mature in BC such as bears, eagles and orcas. Salmon farming, commercial fishing and sport fishing combine to contribute to over $200 million to the provincial GDP plus hold over 1000 jobs. Needless to say, but salmon are a huge part of BC and it will be a struggle for them if the salmon numbers don't pick up.

Mining

Part A

 Strip Mining is an open mine, that runs close to ground level, and is exposed by the removal of the top layer of soil and rocks.

Pros:
-It is inxpensive
-Lots of space to work so machinery can move around freely
-Workers are not exposed to explosive poison gases

Cons:
-It destroys a lot of the environment
-Leaves giant holes in the ground
-The use of acid washes on site can damage the soil and environment as well


 Shaft mining is when a excavate a vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom.

Pros:
-It produces very little waste and less damaging to the environment
-Only requires a smaller mill
-More profit per ton of ore mined
       
Cons: 
-It is very expensive
-Poor breathing conditions due to the lack of ventilation
-This way of mining is more hazardous to workers overall


Part B

Spouse of a miner: As a spouse of a miner I would be worried about their safety when going to work in a mine. Shaft mining is dangerous for a miners health, so I would prefer strip mining because it is much safer.

Owner of a mining company: As an owner of a mining company I would want the cheapest type of mining, which would be strip mining. Also, I would want my employees to be safe on the job.

Environmentalist: As an environmentalist I wouldn't care about how much the mining would cost, my main concern would be the environment. I would prefer shaft mining over strip mining.

Owner of nearby ski resorts: As an owner of nearby ski resorts I would be about the environment around the ski resort, so I would prefer shaft mining. Nobody wants to ski in an ugly landscape.

Politician: If I was a politician that cared about money, and how much things cost, then I would prefer strip mining because it is cheaper than shaft mining.

Part C

In Madagascar, the mining industry only accounts for less than 1% of the country's GDP. Madagascar has the world's largest sapphire reserves. Poor location and infrastructure make it difficult for Madagascar to make good use of their mining potential.

Impacts of Climate Change

Impacts of Climate Change in Madagascar

Hydrosphere:

- The water levels have risen, but can still rise a lot more causing floods throughout towns along the coast.
- Rising sea levels will also increase the risk of erosion and salt water intrusion.
- Lower river flows in summer will raise water temperatures and aggravate water quality problems.
- There will be a higher demand for water during hot, dry summers.
- In the winter there will be more intense rainfall which will lead to flooding and flash flooding when the urban sewage drains overflow.
- River flows are likely to be lower in summer and higher in winter.
- More coastal protection would be needed due to the higher water levels.
- Upwelling waters in the south region is leading to much richer fishery resources.

Lithosphere:

- Increased temperatures may reduce comfort of occupants in domestic, commercial and public buildings, and could lead to business disruption.
- Bridges could be unusable if sea level rises high enough.
- Hotter summers may cause railways to falter and roads to crumble which will have high expenses for repairs.
- It will be more difficult to access adequate insurance cover due to the  increased flood risk.
- Soil degradation, deforestation, and undermining will occur.
- Very likely that there would be costs associated with changing land-use activities to suit a new climate.
- Currently, there has been an increase in El Niño effects which ties into droughts and wildfires.

Atmosphere:

- A warmer and dryer climate will emerge.
- When the air heats up, people will be more vulnerable to illnesses such as colds and flu.
- Cyclones could become more common and probably larger and more destructive because of the warmer air.
- Pests and diseases will start to spread a lot faster.
- There will be a much higher amount of carbon released into the air.
- Heat stroke and subtropical diseases will become more common.

Biosphere:

- Droughts cause water to dry up and crops and plants to die and make it a lot harder to live especially in their already tropical climate. Many plants and animals would die.
- Shifting ocean currents will have strong impacts on fish populations and the migration routes of numerous wide-ranging species such as whales and turtles. 
- Change of rainfall patterns have already happened and will affect plants and crops the same and cause farmers to adjust to the patterns.
- Native ecosystems may be invaded by exotic species.
- Fruit and vegetable growers may find it more expensive to insure against hail damage.
- Warmer temperatures will reduce some critical habitats, but increasing the risk of localised extinction.
- If the sea level rises significantly, then  people will need to relocate towards the interior of the island
- Forests and other vegetation may grow faster.
- Corals and the ecosystems they support are vulnerable to bleaching and changes in ocean chemistry. 

Biomes Research Project

Biome: Tropical Rainforest

Location:
Aside from Madagascar, the rainforest biome is located in central Africa as well as throughout southeast Asia and South America. Rain forests account for just less than 6% of Earth's surface.

Climate:
Rain forests deal with a tropical wet climate. It is also very hot because tropical rainforests are all near the equator. The temperature can range from 20°C to 34°C and the amount of precipitation could be between 125 and 660 cm per year. The humidity in the rainforest can range from 77% to 88%.

Animals:
There are many animals which inhabit the rainforests of the world. Some of them are gorillas, anteaters, tigers, toucans, anacondas, butterflies, poisonous frogs, chimpanzees as well as many more. Some animals with adaptations include:

Anaconda - This long and heavy species of snake have adapted to the rain forest with regards to camouflage to hide among the trees and grass. Also, they possess prehensile tails to grip onto branches when hunting.

Bengal Tiger - These tigers have soft, padded feet which allow them to stalk their prey and they also have excellent nocturnal vision to allow for them to be able to hunt at night.

Jaguar - Jaguars have spots to help them with camouflage as well as long tails to assist with balance, sharp turns and for climbing.

Chimpanzee - Chimpanzees have strong arms to swing through the trees and they also have opposable thumbs which help them grip to branches.

Toucan - -Toucans in the rainforest have stronger/bigger beaks for eating fruits and they have two claws in front and 1 in the back of their feet to have an excellent grip to branches of the trees.
In most cases, species have adapted in ways involving camouflage, ability to grip to branches as well as altered body parts to enhance the stalking and hunting of prey.

Plants:
There are also an incredibly high number of species of plants in the rainforest. Some species which are present are orchids, tualang, fig trees, durian, curare, and ferns.
Almost all of the plants have adapted to the rainforest with regards to the high amount of rainfall. They have gained the ability to have bigger and stronger leaves to allow for the water to just fall off the plant in an effort to not weigh down and snap. Having bigger leaves is also beneficial as it can be very dark in the rainforest so bigger leaves will make it a little more likely for the plant to get some sunlight. Trees have thin bark to protect them from plants growing on them due to the high humidity. They also have buttress roots to allow for extra support in the shallow soil of the rainforest.

Soil:

The 2 types of soils present in the rainforest are the the ultisols and oxisols. Ultisols are known as well weathered, acidic red clay soils, deficient in major nutrients such as calcium and potassium. Oxisols are acidic, old, reddish, highly weathered and leached. But they are well drained compared to ultisols. The reddish color of both soils is the result of heavy heat and moisture forming oxides of iron and aluminum, which are insoluble in water and not taken up readily by plants. The soil is very shallow and heavy rains have pretty much completely depleted the amount of nutrients in the soil.

Limiting Factors:
Examples of this are predators hunting more of a specific prey in an area due to increase in population or food supply of a species declining due to rapid growth of a population. Also, natural disasters and tropical storms are examples of limiting factors. Rainforests can be very dark due to many tall trees which leads to a competition between plants on the floor for sunlight, which makes it very difficult for plants to survive in this biome.



Human Impact:

Human activity has had a primarily negative impact on this biome with one major problem; deforestation. Deforestation is essentially completely destroying many ecosystems and habitats which is leading to many species of the rainforests becoming endangered. The tropical rainforest biomes around the world are being broken down by deforestation slowly, but surely.

Bibliography:

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm
http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm#.VSREjU10wdU

http://lo2fosho.blogspot.ca/2011/01/limiting-factors-of-tropical-rainforest.html
http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/rainforest.html#humans