Assignment 3: Resource Geography of British Columbia–Abiotic Resources

About Assignment 3

This assignment is marked out of 100 and is worth 5 per cent of your final mark in the course. It covers the following topics:

• Natural resources, their categories, dynamic nature, and uses; impacts on the economy over the last 200 years; and economic regions of British Columbia
• The role of governments, First Nations, and private companies in managing resources, development, and the economy
• The types and distribution of mineral resources in British Columbia; and factors influencing metal mining and mineral development
• The history of energy development in the province, including the role of wind, wood, coal, hydroelectricity, oil and gas, and other energy sources
• The physical properties of water and the hydrological cycle; the various forms in which water is found and its distribution in the province; the concept of water as a non-renewable and renewable resource; the institutional framework for managing water resources; issues and proposals related to water management; and emerging problems

Part 1: Natural Resources and the Spatial Economy

(15 marks)

1. With reference to examples from British Columbia, for each of the following terms, provide a brief definition:
   1. Resource benefits (5 marks)
   2. Fordism (5 marks)
   3. Time-space convergence (5 marks)

The following useful website will help you define concepts or answer questions in this part of the assignment:

BC Ministry of Energy and Mines and Responsible for Core Review

Accessing these websites is not required to complete this part of the assignment successfully.

Part 2: Mining and Mineral Development in British Columbia

(20 marks)

1. What are the major geological regions of British Columbia, and (10 marks) what is the significance of each of these regions to the mining industry?

2. Assessing the quality and quantity of any ore body is essential (5 marks) to production. How much pure copper can be refined from a 1000 kg sample of an ore body with a grade of 0.5 per cent copper, and how much waste rock would be produced?

3. What factors led to the closure of the Cassiar Mine and nearby (5 marks) community in northern British Columbia during the mid-1990s?

The following websites will help you define concepts or answer questions in this part of the assignment:

Geoscape Canada

BC Ministry of Energy and Mines and Responsible for Core Review

Accessing these websites is not required to complete this part of the assignment successfully.

Part 3: The Energy Industry in British Columbia

(20 marks)

1. What are the dominant energy sources and the types of energy (10 marks) use in British Columbia? Compare the contribution each makes to the balance between energy production and consumption in the province.

2. Describe, using examples, the utilization of coal resources in (10 marks) British Columbia. How important was coal to the development of the BC Hinterland and energy industry?

The following websites will help you define concepts or answer questions in this part of the assignment:

BC Ministry of Energy and Mines and Responsible for Core Review

Accessing these websites is not required to complete this part of the assignment successfully.

Part 4: Water Resources of British Columbia

(20 marks)

1. What are the main categories of water use in British Columbia? (5 marks)
2. Plot the soil water budget data for Nanaimo, southeastern Vancouver Island, as presented in Table 1 (below), in a graph.
   1. Interpret these data and the graph and briefly discuss the (5 marks) implications for evapotranspiration ratios, and periods of

water surplus and deficit in the region.

1. Compare your graph (and data) with potential and actual evapotranspiration ratio graphs for the following stations:
   • Golden (see Practice Exercise for Topic 4 in Unit 3)
   • Kamloops, Pemberton Meadows, Vancouver, and North Vancouver (see Figure 3 on page 212 and Figure 13.4 on page 214 of the course text Geography of British Columbia, People and Landscapes in Transition)

Describe and account for the similarities and differences in          (10 marks) the form of these graphs.

Notes: Your graph (and the example graphs) are based on the soil water balance, which can be expressed as follows:

P = E + G + R + S

Where:

P = precipitation; E = evapotranspiration (Ea—actual, Ep—potential);

G = change in soil water storage (+ or –); R = water surplus or runoff; and

S = soil water storage.

D = soil water deficit.

All values measured in cm. Average daily temperatures are also shown.

 

A standard minimum soil storage capacity (field capacity) of 30 cm is assumed for the calculation of changes in soil water storage, in which monthly values of G are cumulatively added or subtracted from previous values of S.

For this question use a sheet of graph paper or a computer-graphing program to plot the data.

Table 4.1a: Soil water budget data (cm) for Nanaimo, BC (49° 10’ N, 123° 57’ W)

	P	Ea	(– G)	+ G	+ R	Ep	D	S
Jan	14.8	0.8			+ 14.0	0.8	0.0	30.0
Feb	10.7	1.3			+  9.4	1.3	0.0	30.0
Mar	7.4	2.7			+ 4.7	2.7	0.0	30.0
Apr	4.5	4.7	– 0.2			4.7	0.0	29.8
May	4.1	7.5	– 3.4			7.7	0.2	26.4
Jun	4.1	8.7	– 4.6			9.8	1.1	21.8
Jul	2.2	8.3	– 6.1			11.9	3.6	15.7
Aug	2.2	6.2	– 4.0			10.9	4.7	11.7
Sept	4.9	5.8	– 0.9			7.4	1.6	10.8
Oct	8.3	4.3		+ 4.0		4.3	0.0	14.8
Nov	16.0	2.1		+13.9		2.1	0.0	28.7
Dec	16.4	1.1		+ 1.3	+14.0	1.1	0.0	30.0
TOTAL	95.6	53.6	–19.2	+ 19.2	+42.1	64.7	11.2

Table 4.1b

 

Average daily temperature (˚C)
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2.7	4.2	6.1	8.8	12.3	15.2	17.9	18.0	14.8	9.7	5.4	2.9

The following websites will help you define concepts or answer questions in this part of the assignment:

BC Ministry of Environment, Water Stewardship Division

Accessing these websites is not required to complete this part of the assignment successfully.

Part 5: Review of Unit 3

(25 marks)

Prepare an essay on ONE of the following topics. Your essay should be no longer than 500 words (one to two pages). Illustrate your essay with relevant examples, diagrams, tables, and references to the course texts and other resources.

Complete ONE of the questions below:

1. The economic development of British Columbia can be characterized as a series of “booms” and “busts” based around the exploitation of a rich and varied resource base. Compare and evaluate provincial economic development under the W.A.C. Bennett government (1952–1972) and provincial governments since the early 1970s.
2. Explain why the physical setting of British Columbia favours a wide range of mineral and energy deposits, and how this distribution has influenced patterns of mineral development and settlement in the province.
3. Describe the changes in energy needs in British Columbia over the last 200 years and discuss the impacts of these changes on the resource base and the
4. Outline the important developments in the oil and gas industry of British Columbia, and evaluate their importance in the economy of the

How to Submit Your Assignment

Remember to make a copy of your work before sending the completed assignment to your Open Learning Faculty Member for marking.

Follow the instructions in “How to Submit an Assignment Using Assignment Tool” posted within the “Assignments Overview” area.

Final Project Reminder

Allocate some time as you work through Unit 3 to the collection, analysis, and evaluation of material for the Final Project. Incorporate the knowledge gained from the text readings, additional resources, topic overviews, self-assessed practice exercises, and the unit assignment into the design of your research essay.

Remember, the Final Project is worth 25 per cent of your final mark.

This is the end of Assignment 3.

 

Word Count: 1500-1600

No. of Pages: 8