REGIONAL SLIDES

NORTH AMERICA Ekati, Canada Fort McMurray, Canada Power River Basin, USA Prudhoe Bay, USA Upper Green River, USA Lake Chapala, Mexico Knife River Delta, Canada Gaspe Peninsula, Canada Tensas River Basin, USA British Columbia, Canada Olympic Peninsula, USA Country Border, Guatemala/Mexico Angangueo, Mexico

NORTH AMERICA Torreón, Mexico Las Vegas, USA Lake Mead, USA Mexico City, Mexico Everglades, USA San Francisco, USA Night Lights, USA Case Study Hubbard Glacier, USA Hurricane Charley, USA Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii Washington D.C., USA Fort McMurray, Canada Mount St. Helens, USA

NORTH AMERICA Canada now ranks in the top three diamond producers in the world (in terms of value) and North America is the second largest oil producing area after the Middle East North America is the third largest continent in area and is fourth in population, with 74% of its population living in urban areas FAO 2005; UNEP-GEO3; USDA 2005; Wikipedia In the United States there are 155 national forests (protected forests and woodland areas) containing almost acres ( km2) of land that comprise 8.5% of the total land area with Alaska alone accounting for 12% of all National Forest land North America holds about 13 per cent of the world's renewable freshwater (excluding glaciers and ice caps)

Ekati – North America’s only operating diamond mine, Canada Diamond Mining site in Canada Mining in the Northwest Territories, impacting migration routes of native caribou

Oil extraction in Fort McMurray, Canada Vast reserves of low quality oil underlie the Boreal Forest surrounding Fort McMurray By early 2006 the mining operation covered an areas roughly 30 km by 20 km

Coal mining along Powder River Basin United States 1989: Images show areas under coal exploitation 2001: Notable increase in mining operation in the 2001 image

Sprawl of oil fields in Prudhoe Bay United States : After the discovery of oil fields in 1968, the Bay has undergone dramatic changes

Rapidly changing grasslands of Upper Green River, United States The landscape in 1989 Over 3000 wells (black/white dots) Have been approved in the basin, and development is occurring at a rapid rate

Mexico’s largest natural lake – Lake Chapala, Mexico 1983: Level of the lake has declines; noticeable decreases in wetlands 2001: Alteration in the contours of the shoreline is clearly visible

Substantial increase of Knife River Delta Canada 1973: Impact of snow geese on coastal vegetation 1996: Overgrazing has turned the shoreline into an enormous mudflat

The changes in the forest due to logging between 1993 and 2000 Logging in Gaspe Peninsula, Canada

Forest clearing along Tensas River Basin United States 1972: Clearing of forest during the 1960s and 1970s increased flooding and erosion 2001: Land cover change on the Louisiana side of the image is striking

Impact of logging in British Columbia Canada : Shows the impact of logging on reasonably pristine landscape

Temperate forests of Olympic Peninsula United States 1974: Shows patchwork of purple and pink, indicating clear- cutting 2000: Evidence of good re-growth of trees in forest reserve areas

Difference in vegetation cover across borders Guatemala/Mexico : Conversion of forest to agriculture. Now country border can be seen even from space

Angangueo – important habitat of monarch butterflies, Mexico 1986: Images show degradation of forest area 2001: Between 1984 and 1999, 38 per cent of forests were degraded

Visible changes in cropland of Torreón Mexico 1972: There has been significant decrease in cropland due to drought 2000: Cropland around the city is continuously decreasing

Las Vegas – fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States 1973: A small settlement 2006: The landscape is now dramatically modified Images courtesy USGS : Rapid urbanization

Conversion of desert to residential area in Las Vegas, United States Expanding Las Vegas

Drought in western United States Hoover Dam and Lake Mead PhotoView 18 meters Lake Mead

Landscape changes in Lake Mead United States New Golf Courses since 2001

Explosive expansion of Mexico City, Mexico Urban growth is concentrated in the center of the city Now expands dramatically into surrounding rural areas Growth of a Mega city

Urban encroachment on Florida’s Everglades, United States 1973: Rapid urban expansion has converted farmlands to cityscapes 2002: Existence of vast wetlands “Everglades” threatened by urban encroachment

Growth of San Francisco, United States : Population grew from 4.6 million to 7.2 million in the Bay Area

Energy consumption depicted through night lights On 14 August 2003, parts of northeastern United States and southeastern Canada experienced widespread power blackouts

North America: Angangueo 1986: Images show Degradation of forest area 2001: Between 1984 and 1999, 38 per cent of forests were degraded Ice dam in the Hubbard Glacier United States 1986 –Hubbard Glacier blocks Russell Fjord 2003 – Glacier has retreated 2002 –Hubbard Glacier blocks Russell Fjord again

North America: Angangueo 1986: Images show Degradation of forest area 2001: Between 1984 and 1999, 38 per cent of forests were degraded Hubbard Glacier advance United States 14 Aug Aug 2002

Devastation of Hurricane Charley Florida, United States July : Crisp, neat neighborhoods of Punta Gorda, Florida August : Debris scattered across roads, parking lots, and yards, giving the scene a “messy” appearance

Mapping lava flow during Kilauea Volcano Hawaii, United States Jan 83-Oct 86 Jan 83-Dec 86 Jan 83-Dec 89 Jan 83-Dec 91 Maps of lava-flow field from the Pu`u `O `o and Kupaianaha vents of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, January January 1991

Visible devastation after Kilauea Volcano Hawaii, Unites States

Inspiration leading to tree plantation in Washington D.C., United States Satellite images showing the dramatic loss of trees in the District moved Mrs. Casey to action Casey Trees Endowment Fund was created to restore the tree cover of the District of Columbia

Satellite images show urban forest in Washington D.C. Pentagon, 2002Photo: Digital Globe Urban Forest in Washington D.C. United States Photo: Digital Globe

Fort McMurray, Canada : Massive oil extraction from oil sands have remarkably changed the land area of Fort McMurray in Alberta

Ecosystem changes in Mount St. Helens United States Ecosystem recovers after a major Volcanic eruption 1973:The Mountain Peak 10 years before eruption 1983: 3 years after eruption 2000: Vegetation re-growth around the volcano

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