Chapter 1 Investigation Worksheet; Page 1

Chapter 1 Investigation Worksheet; page 1

To complete this worksheet, see the instructions in the textbook (Chapter 1 Investigation).

Table 1. What Might Happen If This Location Is Deforested?
This perspective view shows an area with a variety of terrains and climate.

• Observe the scene and make observations about the landscape. Write your most important observations in the spaces provided below.

• Think about how different features of aspects could be affected by deforestation (cutting down of all the trees). In the space provided, write down your most important questions that arise from your considerations.
• List any types of information you would like to know to answer your questions or further clarify the problem.

• Topography, including slopes:
• Local climate:
• Types of rocks, sediment, and soil:
• Farmlands:
• Water supplies:
• How much sunlight reaches the bare ground:
• Cities and towns:
• Coastal environments:
• Birds and other animals on land, fish and other creatures in water:

Table 2. Observations and Questions
Enter your observations and questions about the area, under the subheadings listed below. Save your interpretations about the impacts of deforestation for the next table.
Environmental feature / Key observations and general interpretations
Topography, including slopes / (a) mountainous; (b) flat; (c) mountainous and flat
Local climate / Moisture: (a) dry desert; (b) abundant moisture
Temperature: (a) hot; (b) below freezing everywhere; (c) cool but moderate
Types of rocks, sediment, and soil / (a) rocky mountains; (b) soft materials on flats; (c) both of these
Areas most suitable for farmlands / (a) highest peaks; (b) steep mountain slopes; (c) relatively flat areas at low elevations
Water supplies / (a) very limited; (b) somewhat limited; (c) abundant
How much sunlight reaches the bare ground / (a) very little; (b) a high percentage;(c) a high percentage in some places and a lower percentage in others
Cities and towns / (a) people concentrated in city;(b)likely pressure on city to expand; (c) tendency for people to build out into forests; (d) need for additional farms to feed city; (e) all of these
Coastal environments / (a) land next to ocean is relatively low in elevation;(b)ocean currents transport water and material along coast; (3) ocean increases amount of moisture in air; (d) all of these
Birds and other animals on land, fish and other creatures in water / (a)diverse environments likely result in diverse types of animals; (b) all areas contain abundant and diverse creatures; (c) highest peaks will likely contain most animals
Table 3. Impacts of Deforestation
List some possible impacts of deforestation for each aspect listed below. There is no single right answer, but some answers are better than others. Be concise.
Environmental feature / Key Impacts of deforestation
Topography, including slopes / (a) destabilize slopes; (b) stabilize slopes;
Rationale:
Local climate / (a) warming; (b) cooling; (c) more humidity
Rationale:
Types of rocks, sediment, and soil / (a) extra rock/sediment/soil in stream; (b) less rock/sediment/soil in stream; (c) no change in rock/sediment/soil in stream
Rationale:
Farmlands / (a) more fertile;(b) less fertile;(c) no change in fertility
Rationale:
Water supplies (from streams and lakes in area of deforestation) / (a) improvements in water quality;(b) poorer water quality;(c) no change in water quality
Rationale:
How much sunlight reaches the bare ground / (a) increased;(b) increased;(c) no change
Rationale:
Cities and towns / (a) economic changes;(b) climatic changes;(c)enabling the city to expand to previously forested areas; (d) all of these
Rationale:
Coastal environments / (a) changes to coastal ecosystems (b) no significant changes to ecosystems
Rationale:
Birds and other animals on land, fish and other creatures in water / (a) changes to coastal ecosystems (b) no significant changes to ecosystems
Rationale:
Table 4. Information You Would Like to Know
If you do not have enough information about any aspect, identify the type of information you would like to know.