22-23-Y9 Geography (Spring) Flashcards
Ecosystem
Ecosystems are communities made up of living things and their non-living surroundings or environment.
Biotic Factors
Living components of an ecosystem such as plants and animals.
Abiotic Factors
Non-living components of an ecosystem such as the climate and soil.
The Nutrient Cycle
The recycling of nutrients within an ecosystem involving the breaking down of organic matter by decomposers.
Producer
An organism or plant that is able to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis.
Primary Consumer
A creature that eats plant matter. Also known as a herbivore.
Secondary consumer
A creature that eats other animals. Also known as a carnivore.
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down dead plant and animal matter such as bacteria and fungi.
Nutrients
A substance that provides nourishment which is essential to growth. Plants require nutrients from the soil such as nitrogen andpotassium.
Food chain
The connections between different organisms that rely on one another as their food source.
Food web
A complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food.
Biome
A large global ecosystem with specific climatic characteristics. The flora and fauna are adapted to their specific environment.
Climate Graph
A graph which gives the average annual precipitation (in bars) and the average temperature (with a line).
Adaptation
The process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.
Fragile environment
A delicate ecosystem easily impacted by humans.
Deforestation
Removal of forest on a large scale.
Sustainability
Sustainability is meeting the needs of people today without limiting the ability of future generations to do the same.
Drip tip leaves
Some leaves are shaped with pointed tips to allow water to get off them quickly. This reduces damage to the leaf.
Lianas
These are woody creepers rooted to the ground which wind up around trees. The purpose for this is to reach light.
Buttress roots
These are huge ridges at the bottom of trees. They help support tall trees and to transport water. They also increase the surface area to help the O₂ / CO₂ exchange.
Thin bark
The bark forms a thin smooth layer on the outside of the tree which helps water flow off of the tree quickly.
Emergent layer
Competition for light and space causes trees to grow fast. Their trunks are tall and straight. The tallest trees form the Emergent layer. Buttress roots support these tall trees. Epiphytes (air plants) grow high up on the branches of trees to gain access to the light.
Canopy layer
The Canopy layer is where the majority of animals live. The vegetation is dense and shades the forest below
Undercanopy layer
Plants and small trees wait for gaps in the canopy to then grow really fast reaching the light.
Forest Floor
Plants on the forest floor are shade tolerant and able to cope in the darker conditions. They have large leaves to maximise photosynthesis.
Logging
The business of cutting down trees and transporting the logs to sawmills. Teak and Mahogany worth the most.
Energy
Dams have been built to generate Hydroelectric Power (HEP). Large areas of rainforest have been destroyed by flooding. Bakun Dam- 700km2 cleared.
Mineral extraction
The removal of mineral resources from the earth. Tin and smelting most common. Pollutes rivers and air. Trees above the mines and quarries are removed.
Population pressure
The population is growing and land needs to be cleared in order to make way for housing farmland and new roads.
Agriculture
Large contribution to GDP of poorer countries. Lots of tropical countries therefore deforest to make room for farmland. Palm oil is a very profitable crop. The profits can help develop the country.
permafrost
Areas of permanently frozen ground.
tundra
Biome with cold temperatures resulting in permafrost and limited vegetation
polar
Extremely cold biomes covered with ice sheets
thermal growing season
The warmer months in the tundra where temperatures rise enough for plants to grow.
Arctic fox
A fox found in tundra environments that can camouflage itself.
bear berry
Small red berry plants found in the tundra.
adaptation
The process of being able to survive in an environment due to special characteristics.
Arctic lichen
A very small plant that grows low to the ground.
geothermal energy
Heat created in the Earth’s crust due to tectonic activity then turned into electricity.
fragile environment
A delicate ecosystem easily impacted by humans.
wilderness area
An area with very limited human activity and the land is in a natural state.
albedo effect
The act of snow and ice reflected the sun’s energy back to Space cooling the area.
economic development
Using different activities to generate income and growth for an area.
management
The process of protecting an area whilst still using it for human activity.
Arctic Council
The 8 Arctic countries join together to protect the Arctic Ocean and environment.
Paris Agreement
Landmark legislation to protect the environment and reduce the impacts of climate change.
NGOs
Non-governmental Organisations- charities.
technology
The internet mobile phones and data storage.
Inuit
Local (indigenous) people living in Alaska Greenland and Canada.
Arctic Council
8 countries make up the Arctic Council: Canada US Russia Norway Finland Denmark Iceland and Sweden. They discuss how to protect the Arctic Ocean peoples and polar and tundra landscapes. Regional management method.
Paris Agreement
Countries around the world agreed to cut carbon emissions and reduce temperature increase to within 1-2 ̊C range to limit impact on melting ice caps and rising sea levels. Global management method.
NGO
Charities like Greenpeace campaign to protect ecosystems from damage from climate change and try to force countries into cutting carbon emissions by reducing fossil fuels. Global management method.
technology
Technology like the internet can connect communities that are isolated in cold environments bringing them education and healthcare enabling them to survive and develop. Regional management method.
hemisphere
Half of the earth usually as divided into northern and southern halves by the equator
continent
One of several land masses
ocean
A body of water that comprises most of a planet’s hydrosphere.
sea
A body of water found on the margins of theoceanand partially enclosed by land
monarchy
A form of government in which a person the monarch is head of state
democratic
A form of government in which the people have the authority to choose their government
conflict
A clash of interest/disagreement between people and/or countries
relief
The lay of the land: mountainous or flat rivers or desert
physical feature
The natural characteristics that make up a place
human feature
Characteristics of a place that have been made by humans
desert
An area of land that receives no more than 25cm of precipitation per year
precipitation
Rainfall snow sleet hail
climate
The average/expected weather conditions over a long period of time in an area (usually 30 years)
development
The process of improving a country and making citizens wealthier
commodity
A substance or product that can be traded bought or sold
tourism
The operation of holidays and visits to places of interest
LIC
Low income countries
HIC
High income countries
water insecurity
A lack of sufficient water to meet human needs or scarcity of water supplies.
drought
Long shortages in water supplies either through lack of precipitation or a fall in groundwater supplies.
agriculture
The science or practice of farming
irrigation
The supply of water to land or crops to help growth
desalination
The process of removing salt from seawater
sustainable
Meeting the needs of people today without impacting future generations
strategic
To help business/government achieve their overall goals.
poverty
The state of being extremely poor
corruption
A form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted with a position of authority in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one’s private gain
birth rate
The number of live births per thousand of population per year
life expectancy
The number of years a person can expect tolive
Place
a portion of geographic space that is unique in some way and can be compared with other places
Space
interactions that link places together e.g. the movement of people from one place to another (migration)
scale
understanding where certain places are at a variety of scales ranging from local (nearby) to global (worldwide)
interdependence
where geographical locations are dependent on one another in some way or form e.g. low income countries relying on high income countries for aid
physical & human processes
human or physical mechanisms of change such as migration or sea-level rise
environmental impacts
the effect that people and/or natural occurrences have on the environment and our surroundings
sustainable development
improving places in such a way that does not harm the environment or the people in it for now or for future generations
cultural awareness
our understanding of the differences between ourselves and people from other countries or other backgrounds
cultural diversity
our ability to recognise that there are a large amount of different cultures that exist around our world
Postive Impacts of Tourism
provides jobs for locals. income from tourists spending money. Money from tourism can be spent on improving the country in terms of healthcare education and roads. This is known as infrastructure.
Negative Impacts of Tourism
cultural erosion of the host country. Many tourists can use up valuable resources e.g. water supply. Money made from tourism is often only spent on making facilities better for the tourists and not the locals. The tourism industry can exploit migrant workers. Tourism can have huge environmental impacts e.g. water pollution impacting on wildlife.
