1. complete anything left from today's classwork (Assignment 39)
2. start reading Feeding 9 Billion (via National Geographic) and Chapter 11.1, 11.2 and 11.3 from Botkin and Keller (due for Wednesday)
3. continue preparing for Thursday and Friday's Populations Exam
Assignment
39 Thinking about the Effects of Population Growth
Answer all of the following questions to the best
of your ability.
1. As
the world’s population increases and availability of new arable land decreases,
providing sufficient food for the world’s human population is becoming
increasingly difficult. The table below shows the area of land needed to feed
the world’s population from 1900 projected to the year 2060.
|
Year
|
1900
|
1940
|
1980
|
2020
|
2060
|
|
Land
Area Needed (billion hectares)
|
0.40
|
0.60
|
1.25
|
2.50
|
4.75
|
(a)
On the graph below, plot the data from the table above and draw a smooth curve.
(b)
Assume that the maximum arable land area on Earth is 4.00 billion hectares.
Using the smooth curve that you created above, determine the year in which the
human population is likely to run out of arable land for agriculture.
(c) Identify
and describe at least two ecological consequences of the predicted increase in
agriculture needed to meet the expected increase in global human population
size.
(d)
Describe two viable strategies for reducing the amount of land needed for
agriculture.
OPTIONAL REVIEW (for now...)
(e)
Soil quality is a critical factor in agriculture. Identify TWO physical and/or
chemical properties of soils and describe the role of each property in
determining soil quality.
(f) One
problem that can result from agriculture is soil salinization.
(i) Describe how salinization
occurs.
(ii) Describe one method to prevent
or remediate soil salinization.
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