Unit 4 Geography

The Big Idea: The biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are interconnected, as matter cycles and energy flows through them.

​​Before you begin, download the unit 4 content assignment checklist.  This is a chronological list of the content assignments that you must complete.  Remember all notes, questions, reflections and worksheets are to be kept in your journal.

4.1 Effects of Solar Radiation on the Cycling of Matter and Energy

Radiation from the Sun and Earth

Here Comes the Sun

A Guide to the Energy of the Earth

  • Solar radiation provides the energy required for most life on Earth, and is the root cause of wind and ocean currents, which distribute energy and nutrients around the planet, as well as the energy sources for the water cycle.

Climate and Earth's Energy Balance

Go to the EarthLabs website and complete:
  1. Section A
  2. Section B

How do solar panels work?

​4.2 Matter Cycles within Biotic and Abiotic Components of Ecosystems

REVIEW: Biotic vs Abiotic

What is the Carbon Cycle?

  • carbon exsists within Earth systems in different forms, such as limestone (rock), carbon dioxide (gas), carbonic acid (water), and animals (life)

The Global Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle

Read all about the Carbon Cycle here.  On the right hand side of this page you can click play and the article will be read to you.  Be sure to try the quiz to check for reading comprehension once you are done.

The Carbon Cycle Game

Go to this web activity and play until you have visited all 6 reservoirs.  Take a screen shot and send it to your teacher.
The Carbon Cycle Game

Nitrogen & Phosphorus Cycles

Nitrogen:Phosphorus:
  • ​read more about the Phosphorus Cycle here

Bioaccumulation

  • bioaccumulation: as organisms are exposed to pollutants during their cycle, some pollutants stay in their bodies and accumulate over the period of their lives; these pollutants can become more concentrated further up the food chain as a result of biomagnification, with detrimental effects (ex. high concentrations of DDT in raptors or PCBs in orca whales)

Grassy Narrows First Nations demands cleanup of mercury contamination in Northern Ontario

  • Read this CBC news article on mercury contamination in a Canadian First Nations community.

4.3 Climate Change

Climate Change Explained

IPCC Fifth Assessment Report

This video summarizes the IPCC's (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) 5th assessment which was released in 2014.

Listen to more about this report on the following podcast

The Sun a Virtual Tour

Launch this virtual tour of the sun.  Once launched, click on the heading 'Role in Climate Change', watch the video 

Climate Time Machine

Launch the Climate Time Machine explore each of the four options: sea ice, sea level, carbon dioxide and global temperature.  

Global Ice Viewer

Launch the Global Ice Viewer explore each of the four options: glaciers, Greenland and Iceland, Arctic and Antarctica.

Climate Leadership Plan

Climate Action Charter

  • Under the B.C. Climate Action Charter, local government signatories commit to take actions to become carbon neutral in their corporate operations and reduce community-wide emissions by creating more complete, compact and energy efficient rural and urban communities.  Most B.C. communities have made the commitment to become carbon neutral. Out of 190 BC Local Governments (including the Islands Trust) 182 or 96% have signed the British Columbia Climate Action Charter. 

BC Climate Action Toolkit

  • The BC Climate Action Toolkit is a website dedicated to keeping BC communities with the latest news, best practices and practical advice to help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions and implement their Climate Action Charter commitments. The Toolkit also provides guidance and resources to support local governments to take a more integrated approach to planning that will lead to more resilient, complete, compact and livable communities.
  • If you wanted to initiate a community project to reduce emissions then you would start here.
  • Check out the Toolkit's success stories here.

Additional Resources

4.4 Interconnectedness

We Are Not Separate

First Peoples' Principles of Interconnectedness describes everything as connected from local to global.

7 Billion

The Web of Life
​FULL 1 hour Documentary

Final Project