Geography, Paper 1 Flashcards
Natural Hazards
Natural Hazard - threat to people or property
Natural Disaster - natural hazard that has actually happened
Geological Hazard - caused by land and tectonic processes
Metrological Hazard - caused by weather and climate
Hazard risk - probability of people being affected by a hazard
Continental and Oceanic Crust
Continental Curst - thicker and less dense
Oceanic - thinner and more dense
Destructive
Constructive
Conservative
Destructive - two plates moving towards each other
- Oceanic + Continental, denser oceanic is forced down and destroyed
- Continental + Continental, folded upwards creates mountains
Constructive - two plates moving away from each other
- magma rises to form new crust
Conservative - two plates moving sideways past each other, curst isn’t created or destroyed
Where and How are Volcanoes Formed
Volcanoes
- occur at destructive and constructive margins
Destructive - thinner more denser (oceanic) plate moves down and melts, magma rises through cracks (vents)
Constructive - plates move apart magma rises to form volcanoes.
Earthquakes
Focus
Epicentre
Earthquakes
- tension build up. Can occur at all three margins.
- eventually jerk past each other, cause shock waves
Focus - where earthquake starts (stronger)
Epicentre - surface above focus
Tropical Storms
- How are they formed
- Eye of storm
- Eye wall
- Edges of storm
Tropical Storms
- sea temperature 27 or higher
- between 30 degrees north and south of the equator
- water evaporates, condenses into clouds. This releases huge amounts of energy producing storms.
Eye of storm
- centre of storm, caused by descending air
- light winds, no clouds/rain, high temperature
Eye wall
- surrounds eye of storm
- spiralling rising air, strong winds, storm clouds, rain and low temperature
Edges of storm
- wind speed falls, clouds become smaller and more scattered, less intense rain and temperature
Climate Change - Causes (natural)
Orbital Changes Tilt Wobble Volcanic Activity Solar Output
Mitigation
Mitigation - reduces causes of climate change
Tropical Rainforests
Climate
- same all year (no seasons)
- 20 - 28 degrees (temperature), located at equator
- high rainfall 2000mm per year
Plants
- most trees are evergreen(continual growing season)
- tall trees and dense vegetation, little light reaches
floor
- lots of epiphytes, plants grow on each other take in nutrients and moisture from air.
People
- hunting and fishing, gathering nuts and berries and growing vegetables in small garden plots.
Soil
- isn’t very fertile, heavy rain washes away nutrients.
- surface nutrients due to decayed leaf
Tropical Rainforest - Adaptation
Plants and Animals
Plants
- Trees compete for sun light
- Thick waxy leaves with drip tips, so weight doesn’t damage leaf, no water for fungi
- climbing plants for sunlight
- smooth thin bark, no need for protection from the cold, helps water run off.
- buttress roots, support tall trees
Animals
- String limbs
- camouflaged
- sharp smell, low light levels
- nocturnal, cooler (saves energy)
- many can swim
- suction cups to climb trees
- short wings to manoeuvre
Cold Environments - Polar and Tundra
Climate
- low precipitation
- well defined seasons
Soil
- Ice sheets, no exposed soil (polar)
- Thin acidic and not fertile (tundra)
- permafrost holds green house gases
Plants
- few plants, lichens, mosses and grass (polar)
- hardly shrubs, grasses, mosses and lichens are common. Small short trees grow in warmer areas (Tundra)
People
- polar, mostly uninhabited, few scientist and residents
- Tundra, home to many people, workers in town
permafrost provides water for animals. plants absorb heat in summer to prevent permafrost from thawing.
Cold Environments - Adaptations
Plants
- become inactive to survive winters
- low growing and round to protect from wind
- shallow roots because of permafrost
- small leaves limit water loss
- adapted to short growing seasons
- reproduce using underground runners or bulbs
Animals
- well insulated, thick fur and blubber, reduces energy loss
- hibernate to conserve energy
- adapt to limited food sources
- white winter coats for camouflage
- low biodiversity
- changes to one species affects all
- global warming, cant move to anywhere colder
Ice and Sediment Cores (climate change proof)
Ice and Sediment Cores
- one layer formed each year
- analyse gas trapped in Ice tells temperature
- organisms found in ocean sediments extend temperature record back 5 million years
Pollen Analysis (climate change proof)
Pollen Analysis
- pollen gets preserved in sediments
- can identify and date preserved pollen to show which species were living at that time. Scientists know the conditions that plants live in now, so preserved pollen from similar plants shows the climate was similar
Tree Rings (climate change proof)
Tree Rings
- Tree forms new rings each year
- Thicker in warm, wet conditions (longer growing seasons)
- count rings to find age, Thickness shows climate