Exam Questions- Physical Geography

Question 1

Assess the view that the social and economic impacts of earthquakes are mainly the result of their magnitude (12)

Japan = 9.0 5th highest in history, poor government response

Haiti = 7.0 followed by 5.9 and 5.5, poor preparation lead to more severe effects

Answer 1

Answer:
A01
- The magnitude and intensity can be measured using different scales (moment, mercalli)
- Hazard profiles ( magnitude, speed of onset, duration, spatial predictability)are important in understanding the severity of social and economic impacts in developed, emerging and developing countries
- inequality of access to education, housing, healthcare and income opportunities can influence vulnerability and resilience
- Governance and geographical factors (population density, urbanisation) influence vulnerability and a community’s resilience
- Contrasting hazard events in developed, emerging and developing countries to show the interaction of physical factors and the significance of context in influencing the scale of disaster

A02: Case studies
- Monseratt
- Haiti
- Japan
- E15

Question 2

Landforms from emergent coasts (6)
Raised beach, fossil cliff

1. Define Emergent coast
2. landforms = Raised beach = sits above current sea level
3. Fossil cliff = steep slope at the back of a raised beach formed by marine erosion
4. Example = Fife

Answer 2

Emergent coastlines are coastlines that have been created when the sea level has fallen relative to the land. This can happen when the land is uplifted or when the sea level falls.

Factors affecting:
1. structure of the coast
2. Relief of the coast

Forms:
1. Raised beach = is a flat, sandy or pebble-covered beach that sits above the current sea level
2. Fossil cliffs = is a steep slope at the back of a raised beach that was formed by marine erosion but is now above high tide

Example:
Fife

Question 3

Depositional landforms (6)
Dune, Spit

1. Define deposition
2. Spit formed = longshore drift and deposition
3. Example = Holderness coast
4. Dune formed = due to wind blow sand off beach and forms dune, stabalized due to marram grass, deposition rates higher than erosion rates

Answer 3

1. Spit = A beach spit is a long, narrow ridge of sand or shingle that extends from the land into the sea (Example = Holderness coast)

Caused by:
Longshore drift: Longshore drift carries sediment along the coastline in a zig-zag pattern.

Deposition: When the coastline changes direction, the energy of the longshore drift disperses, causing deposition on the sea bed.

2. Sand Dune = A dune is a natural hill or ridge made of sand that forms when wind blows sand into a sheltered area

Formation:
Sand dunes are formed when wind blows sand off the beach and deposits it around an obstacle, like a rock or driftwood. The sand builds up into ridges, called embryo dunes, that grow in size over time

Stabilization
Vegetation, such as marram grass, stabilizes the dunes through a process called plant succession.

Conditions
Sand dunes form where the rate of beach deposition is greater than erosion. The stronger the wind, the higher the dunes will be.

3. Bayhead beach (Lulworth cove)

Swash - aligned feature = where waves break parallel to the shoreline and move sediment into a bay, where a beach forms. Erosion is concentrated at headlands and the bay is an area of deposition

Flocculation
This process is important for very small particles, like clay, which clump together and become large enough to sink

Deposition occurs when waves no longer have sufficient energy to continue to transport material

This loss of energy might be due to:
- the wind dropping, removing an energy source
- resistance by obstruction, e.g. a groyne or headland
- dissipation of energy through refraction
- friction from extended transport across shallow angled nearshore and foreshore zone

Sediment is deposited when the force transporting the sediment drops.

• Deposition occurs in two main ways:
  Gravity settling occurs when the energy of transporting water becomes too low to move sediment. Large sediment will be deposited first, followed by smaller sediment (pebbles -> sand -> silt)
• Flocculuation is a depositional process that is important for very small particles, such as clay, which are so small that they will remain suspended in water. Clay particles clump together through electrical or chemical attration, and become large enough to sink.

Question 4

Landforms from weathering (8)
Talus scree, rotational scar

1. Define weathering
2. Say three types

Landforms formed
3. talus scree = blockfall, mechanical, freeze thaw (St Oswalds)
4. Rotational scar slope = rotational slump, chemical weathering = mix rain with minerals which adds weight, saturated material leads cliff face to slump, (Christchurch bay barton-on-sea

Answer 4

Weathering is the process by which rocks break down in place. The three main types of weathering are mechanical, chemical, and biological.

Weathering processes causes mass movements:
Rockfall: When pieces of rock fall off a cliff face, usually due to freeze-thaw weathering
Mudflow: When saturated soil flows down a slope
Landslide: When large blocks of rock slide downhill along a line of weakness in the rock, such as a fault or bedding plane
Rotational slip: When saturated soil slumps down a curved surface
Slump: When a mass of earthen material moves downslope in one piece.

Forms:
1. Talus scree (St Oswald’s slope)= A mass of small loose stones that form or cover a slope on a mountain due to:
Mechanical weathering, in particular:
Freeze-thaw weathering
A type of erosion that occurs when water enters cracks in rocks and freezes, causing the crack to widen. This process continues until the rock breaks causing blackballs

2. Rotational scar slope = The scar left behind due to rotational slump
   Chemical weathering when heavy rain reacts with permeable minerals in rocks and saturates them leading to material coming away from the cliff face
3. A terraced cliff profile = a stepped cliff face that’s created by eroded rocks and fractures or lithology in the rock.

Question 5

Consequences from coastal flooding (20)
Bangladesh

1. Global/local sea level rise explain
2. reasons for increase in sea level, global warming melting of ice caps rise sea level, increase in storms and greater frequency
3. Local reasons for flooding, vegetation removal, relief of coastline
4. Consequences of coastal flooding, SEE
5. Case study = Bangladesh 40cm rise submerge 11% of country, 60% of country is less than 3m above sea level

Answer 5

A01:
Global reasons for coastal flooding:
1. Climate change/global warming = sea level rise due to melting of ice caps
2. Storm surges/ greater frequency of storms
3. Tropical storms
5. Tsunamis

Eustatic global sea level = sea rises or falls
Isostatic local sea level = land rises or falls

Things that increase local flooding:
1. Vegetation removal
2. Relief/height of the coastline

A02:

Affects disproportionate amount of people due to coasts (beach and sea) being an attraction for tourists = densely populated

Coastal flooding can have many consequences, including:
Economic:
Loss of businesses, jobs, and income from agriculture. Damaged infrastructure like roads, bridges, and power stations can be costly to repair.
Social:
Deaths and injuries from drowning or collapsing buildings, as well as trauma and hypothermia. People may need to relocate their homes, and there can be a loss of amenity value in coastal areas.
Environmental:
Spread of water-borne diseases, destruction of crops and livestock, and contamination of agricultural land.
Infrastructure:
Damage to roads, railways, ports, airports, water pipes, electricity transmission lines, and sewage systems.
Transportation and communications:
Disruption of transport and communications

Case Studies:
- Bangladesh - a 40 cm sea level rise would permanently submerge 11% of Bangladesh = 60% of country is less than 3m above sea level

• Maldives - 50 cm sea level rise would permanently flood 77% of the Maldive Islands’ land area, highest point is 2.3m above sea level, main island and capital surrounded by 3m sea wall
• Mean global sea level rose by 20 cm in the 1900. 50% of the Netherland now below sea level, but protected by coastal defences
• Milford, little sediment due to groynes to the west