How do plains affect people

Agricultural waste and fertilizer residues drain into playas, decreasing the quality of the water, or clogging them so the water cannot trickle down to refill the aquifer. Climate change is expected to add to these stresses, with increasing temperatures and changing rainfall patterns altering rates of evaporation, recharge, and runoff to the playa lake systems. Inhabitants of the Great Plains include a rising number of urban dwellers, a long tradition of rural communities, and extensive Native American populations.

For everyone on the Great Plains, though, a changing climate and a limited water supply are likely to challenge their ability to thrive, leading to conflicting interests in the allocation of increasingly scarce water resources. Native populations on rural tribal lands have limited capacities to respond to climate change. Rural communities As young adults move out of small, rural communities, the towns are increasingly populated by a vulnerable demographic of very old and very young people, placing them more at risk for health issues than urban communities.

Combined effects of changing demographics and climate are likely to make it more difficult to supply adequate and efficient public health services and educational opportunities to rural areas. Climate-driven shifts in optimal crop types and increased risk of drought, pests, and extreme events will add more economic stress and tension to traditional communities. Urban populations Although the Great Plains is not yet known for large cities, many mid-sized towns throughout the region are growing rapidly.

One in four of the most rapidly growing cities in the nation is located in the Great Plains 35 see Society sector. Most of these growing centers can be found in the southern parts of the region, where water resources are already seriously constrained. Urban populations, particularly the young, elderly, and economically disadvantaged, may also be disproportionately affected by heat.

New opportunities There is growing recognition that the enormous wind power potential of the Great Plains could provide new avenues for future employment and land use. Texas already produces the most wind power of any state. Wind energy production is also prominent in Oklahoma.

North and South Dakota have rich wind potential. As climate change creates new environmental conditions, effective adaptation strategies become increasingly essential to ecological and socioeconomic survival.

For example, plant species that mature earlier and are more resistant to disease and pests are more likely to thrive under warmer conditions. Other emerging adaptation strategies include dynamic cropping systems and increased crop diversity.

In particular, mixed cropping-livestock systems maximize available resources while minimizing the need for external inputs such as irrigation that draws down precious water supplies. Conservation of water is critical to efficient crop production in areas where water can be scarce. Following the Dust Bowl in the s, Great Plains farmers implemented a number of improved farming practices to increase the effectiveness of rainfall capture and retention in the soil and protect the soil against water and wind erosion.

Examples include rotating crops, retaining crop residues, increasing vegetative cover, and altering plowing techniques. With observed and projected increases in summer temperatures and in the frequency and intensity of heavy downpours, it will become even more important to protect against increasing loss of water and soil. Lack of rain and strong winds kick up the uprooted soil, billowing dust storms throughout Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico, and destroying any chance of harvest.

Families abandon farms no longer viable for food production as 3. There are a variety of rich soils, good climate, and vegetation as well. Landforms are not just used for resources…they also provide an excellent assortment of things to do in Canada!

Hardly any trees, and the harsh climate makes it hard to have any resources. Some land areas that have been mixed with ocean water make the Atlantic provinces and Appalachian regions an extremely great ground for fishing, making fish a big resource. People should take develop ways to take advantage of opportunities, for example living near mountains you should take regular trips for hiking or jogging to get the best out of these landform regions. By value, Texas produces the most cattle in the United States.

Additional expenses may also be incurred as the need to cool animal buildings increases. Drought and increasing demand for available fresh water is already affecting the livestock industry. Animal operations require large quantities of water for drinking water, feedlot operations, dairy farms, and other on-farm needs.

Some of the largest water withdrawals in the country occur in the Great Plains, with Texas having the highest water usage for livestock in the country. For more information on climate change impacts on agriculture, please visit the Agriculture and Food Supply page. The ragweed pollen season has increased across most of the Great Plains and Midwest. This figure shows the change in the length of the ragweed pollen season between and at 11 locations. Red circles indicate a longer pollen season and the blue circle represents a shorter season.

Larger circles indicate larger changes. Climate and land use are changing simultaneously in the Great Plains and altering many ecosystems. This lessens the ability of plants and animals to adapt by moving to new areas in response to warmer temperatures or changes in water availability. Climate change is also increasing pest outbreaks, spreading invasive species, accelerating wildfire activity, and changing plant flowering times.

An increase in frost-free days in the Great Plains have lengthened the pollen season for the common allergen ragweed, increasing the likelihood of allergic reactions and associated health impacts.

Image of the wetland ecosystem known as prairie potholes. Credit: USGS Climate change is affecting critical game species in the Great Plains, including a number of birds including ducks, geese, and quail , mammals including moose and deer , and fish including bass.

These areas, known as Prairie Potholes in the north or playa lakes in the south , provide habitat for many species to mate and nurture offspring. The lakes also help recharge the High Plains Aquifer. As temperatures continue to rise, the bird and fish populations that rely on these areas are increasingly impacted. For more information on climate change impacts on ecosystems, please visit the Ecosystems Impacts page.

Shafer, M. Ojima, J. Antle, D. Kluck, R. McPherson, S. Petersen, B. Scanlon, and K. Sherman, Ch Great Plains. Melillo, Terese T. Richmond, and G. Yohe, Eds. A biome is an area classified according to the species that live in that location. Temperature range, soil type, and the amount of light and water are unique to a particular place and form the niches for specific species allowing scientists to define the biome. However, scientists disagree on how many biomes exist.

Some count six forest, grassland, freshwater, marine, desert, and tundra , others eight separating two types of forests and adding tropical savannah , and still others are more specific and count as many as 11 biomes. Use these resources to teach middle school students about biomes around the world. A terrestrial ecosystem is a land-based community of organisms and the interactions of biotic and abiotic components in a given area.

Examples of terrestrial ecosystems include the tundra, taigas, temperate deciduous forests, tropical rainforests, grasslands, and deserts.

The type of terrestrial ecosystem found in a particular place is dependent on the temperature range, the average amount of precipitation received, the soil type, and amount of light it receives. Use these resources to spark student curiosity in terrestrial ecosystems and discover how different abiotic and biotic factors determine the plants and animals found in a particular place.

Encyclopedic entry. South America is a continent of extremes. It is home to the world's largest river the Amazon as well as the world's driest place the Atacama Desert. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. Plains near rivers are called flood plains. Photograph by Xi Luo, MyShot. Also called American buffalo.

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