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Glossary Definitions Flashcards

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1
Q

Absolute humidity

A

The total mass of water vapour in a given volume of air, regardless of the temperature

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2
Q

Abrasion

A

In erosion, is the impact of particles hitting rock and soil

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3
Q

Acculturation

A

When one culture becomes similar to another through contact

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4
Q

Acid rain

A

Rain that contains a high concentration of pollutants, notably sulfur and nitrogen oxides. These pollutants are produced from factories and power stations burning fossil fuels and car exhausts and once in the atmosphere the sulfur and nitrogen oxides combine with moisture to give sulfuric and nitric acids which fall as corrosive rain

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5
Q

Acidification

A

Is when liquids become acidic. Rocks and minerals can be dissolved by water that contain acids - where acids are more concentrated, the weathering is more extreme

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6
Q

Advection fog

A

Forms when warm air passes over a cold surface

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7
Q

Agro-technology

A

The technology used in agriculture to increase the volume of food produced

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8
Q

Air masses

A

Winds that blow regularly and have uniform characteristics over a horizontal distance of thousands of kilometers. Air masses are categorised according to their temperature and humidity

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9
Q

Akle dunes

A

Long sinuous ridges formed when there is plenty of sand. Common in the western Sahara

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10
Q

Albedo

A

The proportion of solar radiation reflected from areas of the earths surface

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11
Q

Alluvial fan

A

A triangle shaped deposit of gravel, sand and silt built up by streams, created where the water moving through the mountains or hills abruptly decreases in velocity

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12
Q

Antecedent conditions

A

The conditions that exist before a precipitation event

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13
Q

Aquifers

A

Formation of porous rock that store underground water. They are vital to facilitate irrigation for farming and for supplies of drinking water

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14
Q

Arcuate delta

A

A fan-shaped delta where the river mouth splits many times on the way to the sea

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15
Q

3D jobs

A

Dirty, Difficult or dangerous jobs. Unpopular

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16
Q

Area of assimilation

A

Parts of a city’s central business district where offices are converted to residential use or houses are turned into offices

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17
Q

Area of discard

A

Parts of the CBD where old buildings that can no longer by used are demolished

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18
Q

Aridisols

A

Soils that are usually saline or alkaline with little organic matter and little moisture. Typically found in deserts

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19
Q

Arroyos

A

A wadi used in south-western USA, a dry watercourse in an arid region

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20
Q

Asthenosphere

A

The upper layer of the earths mantle, below the lithosphere which is estimated to be between 85 and several hundred kilometers in depth

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21
Q

Aspect

A

In geology, the direction a slope faces as defined by compass bearing

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22
Q

Atmospheric counter-radiation

A

When the terrestrial radiation that is absorbed by water vapour, CO2 and other gases in the atmosphere heats up and is returned as counter-radiation to the ground

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23
Q

Attrition

A

When boulders and large stones carried by a river or by the ocean back into each other and break up into smaller pieces

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24
Q

Bajada

A

A series of merging alluvial fans along a mountain front

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25
Q

Balance of trade

A

The difference between a country’s imports and exports

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26
Q

Barchans

A

Crescent-shaped sand dunes formed in desert regions where the wind direction is very constant; wind blowing round the edges of the dunes cause the crescent shape, while the dunes may advance in a downward direction as particles are blown over the crests

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27
Q

Base flow

A

The water flowing in a stream that is fed only by groundwater; during dry periods it is only the base flow that passes through the stream channel

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28
Q

Base level

A

The lowest point to which a river can flow; sea level is usually the base level for large rivers but a large river is often the base level for its tributary streams

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29
Q

Batholiths

A

Large areas of igneous rock that have been formed underneath the surface of the earth by magma intruding and solidifying; between 10 and 15km deep

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30
Q

Bedload

A

Particles that are transported by water along a riverbed

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31
Q

Benioff zone

A

A downwards sloping contact zone situated beneath a destructive plate boundary where oceanic plates or ocean-continental plates converge - when they collide earthquakes occur

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32
Q

Berm

A

Another word for a raised barrier composed of shingle and sand created by wave action

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33
Q

Bhopal disaster

A

Took place in India at a pesticide factory owned by American company Union Carbide; a gas leak exposed the local population to toxic gas and chemicals killing an estimated 3000 people and injuring half a million

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34
Q

Bid rent theory

A

States that the price and demand for property and land changes as its distance from the CBD increases

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35
Q

Bill and Melinda Gates foundation

A

Founded in 2000 this is the biggest private foundation in the world and it engages in poverty reduction, expanding education opportunities for the most disadvantaged people in the world and enhancing healthcare provision

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36
Q

Bioconstruction

A

The colonisation of mudflats by vegetation that can withstand high salinity and water submergence; the vegetation forms a mat that creates friction between the waves and the salt marsh, which makes the waves slow down and deposit more material on the salt marsh

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37
Q

Biodiversity

A

The diversity of plant and animal life in a particular habitat, geographic region or in the world

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38
Q

Biomass

A

The total mass of living organisms both plant and animal in a given area

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39
Q

Birds foot delta

A

A delta where the river splits off into fingers that jut out into the sea

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40
Q

Birth rate

A

The total number of live births in a year for every 1000 people

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41
Q

Block disintegration

A

Large blocks of rock that break into smaller blocks of rock

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42
Q

Bluff

A

The slightly raised line that marks the edge of a floodplain

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43
Q

Bottomset beds

A

Sediment made up of fine silt and clay deposited in a delta by a river; the finest sediment is carried the furthest by the river

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44
Q

Break-of bulk

A

Unloading a portion or all of a shipment at a particular location

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45
Q

Buttes

A

Relatively small outliers of mesas

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46
Q

Calcile

A

The hard protective limestone skeleton of a coral polyp; this forms the structure of a coral reef

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47
Q

Capacity

A

In rivers the load that can be theoretically carried given the velocity of the river flow

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48
Q

Capillary migration

A

Water at the surface evaporates and this draws up more water from the depths that can exceed 3m; when this water evaporated at the surface it leaves salts

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49
Q

Capital intensive

A

In agriculture, the use of mechanical goods like machinery, tools, vehicles and factories to produce large amount of agricultural goods with minimal human labour

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50
Q

Carbonation

A

The process where carbon dioxide often from rainwater, produces carbonic acid which dissolves rock

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51
Q

Carrying capaciry

A

The maximum number of species that the resources in an environment in a given area can sustain

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52
Q

Cavitation

A

A type of hydraulic action where collapsing air bubbles create small shock waves call cavitation

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53
Q

Central Arid Zone Research Institute

A

Set up by the government of India in 1952; finds ways to stabilise shifting sand dunes, limit deforestation and renew degraded forests

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54
Q

Chain mirgration

A

When people migrate to a particular place because they have family connections there, friends as social networks or because people of the same nationality already live there

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55
Q

Channel flow

A

The name given to water moving through a defined channel

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56
Q

Channel storage

A

Water contained within a river channel or stream

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57
Q

Chelation

A

A bio-chemical weathering process; organisms produce chelates that can decompose minerals and rocks by removing metallic cations

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58
Q

Circular migration

A

Where a migrant repeats a circular journey between their home and host areas usually in search of employment

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59
Q

Coastal squeeze

A

The name for what happens to a coastal area that is squeezed between a man-made land-based boundary like a sea wall and an ocean that is storm prone or rising in level; the squeezed coastal environment is trapped and begins to deteriorate

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60
Q

Coastal zone management

A

Managing coastal areas so that human activities, economic needs and environmental priorities are balanced

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61
Q

Cold currents

A

An ocean current that carries water from the poles towards the equator, taking cold polar water into warmer seas

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62
Q

Competence

A

The maximum size of material that a river is capable or transporting

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63
Q

Command economy

A

Government, rather than market, control of the production of goods and services

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64
Q

Commercial farming

A

Farming crops for sale and profit, including livestock with the use of modern technology

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65
Q

Commodification

A

To give something a price

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66
Q

Common agricultural policy

A

The policy of the EU to support and subsidise certain crops and methods of animal husbandry

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67
Q

Concentric zone model

A

Theoretical model to explain social structures particularly social groupings in cities and their location in relation to the CBD which lies at the centre of the model with the most affluent groups of people living in the lest locations

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68
Q

Condensation level

A

The height at which a body of air reaches the dew point

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69
Q

Condensation nuclei

A

The name given to the particle of salt, soot or dust needed for raindrops to form around in order to achieve droplets

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70
Q

Condense

A

The process by which cooling vapour turns into liquid

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71
Q

Conservative migration

A

When people migrate to preserve a certain standard of living

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72
Q

Continental climate

A

Places that have seasons because they have annual variations in temperature

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73
Q

Continentality

A

The climes of places far from the sea

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74
Q

Convection currents

A

Heat from the earths core is carried up to the mantle through convection currents; the currents move around destroying the crust in some places and creating new crust in other places

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75
Q

Convectional

A

The name given to rain formed by hot ground heating the air above it, making this air less dense causing it to rise. As the air cools to below the dew point the water vapour condenses and falls as water droplets

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76
Q

Convergent

A

Plates that move towards each other. Where 2 continental plates move together and collide, large mountain ranges are formed. Where a continental plate converges with an oceanic plate volcanoes are common and a subduction zone is formed

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77
Q

Coral bleaching

A

When the symbiotic relationship between the coral and the zooanthellae breaks down, the coral loses its colour. This happens when the temperature of the water increases

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78
Q

Core-periphery concept

A

Developed in 1963 the concept looks at development and states that core cities, regions or countries develop faster than periphery areas because they have physical or human advantages

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79
Q

Coriolis force

A

A force exerted by the earths rotation that causes moving objects to move the the right in the northern hemisphere and the the left in the southern hemisphere. It is responsible for the direction for movement in various weather events like hurricanes

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80
Q

Corrasion

A

When sand and stones carries by a river rub against the riverbank and riverbed and knock off other particles (also called abrasion)

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81
Q

Corrosion

A

When acids in a river dissolve the ricks that make up the bank and riverbed

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82
Q

Counter-stream

A

Migration that moves in the direction opposite to a migrant stream

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83
Q

Counterurbanisation

A

The movement of people from urban areas to rural areas

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84
Q

Cultural clashes

A

When differences between cultures lead people to misunderstand or resent each other

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85
Q

Cuspate delta

A

A delta where material from the river is evenly spread on either side of the channel so as the river meets the sea the land around the mouth of the river forms a shape like the head of an arrow jutting into the sea

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86
Q

Cutoff

A

Another name for an oxbow lake

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87
Q

Death rate

A

The total number of deaths in a year (for every 1000 people)

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88
Q

Debris avalanche

A

A sudden landslide of hot or cold material from the side of an unstable steep-sided mountain

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89
Q

Deflation

A

Loose particles picked up by the wind and carried away, causing erosion

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90
Q

Deflation hollows

A

Hollows in rock left by deflation

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91
Q

Deflocculation

A

The dispersal of particles that had been stuck together

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92
Q

Deglomerating

A

The process of breaking a large mass up into smaller parts

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93
Q

Deindustrialisation

A

The process of decline and removal of heavy industry from a country or region

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94
Q

Demography

A

The statistical study of human populations using information about areas such as births, deaths, disease and income

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95
Q

Dendritic

A

The name given to a drainage pattern that looks like a tree, with water converging from several directions before it joins the main channel

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96
Q

Dependent variable

A

The variable that is being measure and whose value depends on that of another

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97
Q

Dependency ratio

A

The ratio of dependents to the working age population

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98
Q

Desertification

A

Land degradation in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities

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99
Q

Dew

A

When water on the Earth’s surface condenses fue to atmospheric cooling it form droplets of water known as dew

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100
Q

Dew point

A

The temperature at which the atmosphere being cooled becomes saturated with water vapur

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101
Q

Dissolved load

A

The process by which small dissolved sediments and minerals are transported within a river (also called solution)

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102
Q

Distal

A

The end furthest away from the attached end or the centre

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103
Q

Diurnal range

A

The difference between the highest and the lowest temperature in a 24 hour period

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104
Q

Divergent

A

In plate tectonics, plates that move away from each other, both on land and as sea floor spreading

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105
Q

Divided bar graphs

A

A graph in the form of either horizontal or vertical bars which illustrate the size of values

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106
Q

Doha Amendment

A

An amendment to the Kyoto Protocol which commits signatory nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020

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107
Q

Dragging theory

A

Another name for slab-pull mechanism

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108
Q

Duricrusts

A

Formed by the evaporation of groundwater - this gives a hard mineral crust near the soil’s surface; usually found in semi-arid areas

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109
Q

Dune slacks

A

The area in the dip between sand dunes

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110
Q

Dust devil

A

A small whirlwind or air vortex over land, visible as a column of dust and debris

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111
Q

Dynamic equilibrium

A

A lack of change in a system as inputs and outputs remain in balance

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112
Q

Economies of scale

A

The economic advantage gained by producing larger quantities of goods - this is because the fixed costs of each item produced is reduced if the cost of production is spread over a larger number of goods

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113
Q

Ecotourism

A

Tourism that is concerned with the support and conservation of natural environments, local economy and local society

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114
Q

Edge city

A

A mostly American term for a relatively large area of businesses, shopping and entertainment situated on the outskirts of a city in what was previously a residential area

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115
Q

Effective precipitation

A

The percentage of rainfall that becomes available to plants and crops

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116
Q

Emerging market

A

An economy that is moving from a low income per person to a middle income per person

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117
Q

Embryo dunes

A

The youngest sand dunes that sit nearest the shoreline at the front of the dunes on a beach

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118
Q

Emigrants

A

People who leave a country

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119
Q

Emigration

A

The act of leaving one’s country to go and live permanently in another country

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120
Q

Endorheic

A

Relating to interior drainage basins

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121
Q

Energy mix

A

The energy consumption of a household, region or country; includes both renewable and non-renewable energy sources

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122
Q

Enhanced greenhouse effect

A

The warming of the Earth’s atmosphere caused by an excess of carbon dioxide which acts like a blanket preventing the natural escape of heat

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123
Q

Entrenched meanders

A

Will developed symmetrical meanders that form in a river when the rivers base level falls, allowing the river to quickly vertically erode leaving little time for later erosion

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124
Q

Epidemiological transition

A

The name given to a sudden increase in population due to improvements in medicine; often followed by a drop in fertility rates, leading to a re-levelling of population growth

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125
Q

Equatorial low pressure belt

A

The area of low pressure found at or near the equator

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126
Q

Ester Boserup

A

A Danish agricultural economist who believes that population determines agricultural methods

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127
Q

Erg

A

A broad large area of sand

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128
Q

Eustatic fall

A

A drop in sea level related to changes in the volume of seawater in the oceans or because of a change in the shape of an ocean basin which affects how much water the ocean can hold

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129
Q

Eustatic rise

A

A rise in sea level related to changes in the volume of seawater in the oceans

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130
Q

Event modifications

A

Actions that limit the ability of a flood the cause damage and impact on peoples lives

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131
Q

Evaporation

A

The change of state from water droplets to water vapour caused by heating

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132
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

Loss of water into the atmosphere from plants and water surfaces

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133
Q

Excavation

A

The removal of material such as rocks and soil to obtain access to underlying layer of the Earth’s surface

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134
Q

Exfoliation

A

A form of weathering whereby the outer layers of rock or boulder shear off due to the alternate expansion and contraction produced by diurnal heating and cooling

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135
Q

Exogenous

A

Something that originates externally

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136
Q

Falling limb

A

The part of a hydrograph that shows the river discharge decreasing and water levels moving back towards base level

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137
Q

Fertility rate

A

The number of children that would be born alive to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years

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138
Q

Fetch

A

The name given to the potential distance a wave can travel

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139
Q

Financial capital

A

The funds available to a business for investment

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140
Q

Fixed capital

A

The money a business invests in items that are fixed

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141
Q

Fixed costs

A

Costs that remain the same regardless of how many items of a product are manufactured

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142
Q

Fixed dunes

A

Sand dunes that are grey in appearance, immobile and support most plant life of any found on dunes as a result of their richer soil

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143
Q

Flash floods

A

Sudden flooding in low-lying areas

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144
Q

Flocculation

A

The process of saltwater and freshwater mixing which causes tiny clay particles to stick together into larger masses; these masses are too heavy to stay suspended in water so they sink to the seabed

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145
Q

Fog

A

When the air becomes saturated with water droplets resulting in the reduction of visibility near the surface of the Earth

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146
Q

Fold mountains

A

Mountains that have been formed by large-scale and complex folding

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147
Q

Footlosse industries

A

An industry that is free to choose any location

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148
Q

Forced migration

A

When people are made to leave a country

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149
Q

Foreset beds

A

Deposits of medium-size particles of sediment that are carried less far than the finest sediment but further than the coarsest material

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150
Q

Free migration

A

When people migrate in order to improve their circumstances and life chances

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151
Q

Friable

A

Something with a crumbly texture that can easily be broken into smaller pieces

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152
Q

Front

A

A boundary between two air masses

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153
Q

Frontal

A

The name given to rain that is the result of warm air meeting cold air; the lighter warm air is forces up over the cold air and the line where the wam air and cold air meet is called a front

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154
Q

Frontal fog

A

Forms when warm air meets cold air at a front

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155
Q

Frontier Five

A

A group name for Bangladesh, Nigeria, Peru, Vietnam and Oman; poised to experience significant economic growth

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156
Q

Frontier market

A

Developing countries with slower economies and less established stock markets

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157
Q

Fulls

A

Another name for sand ridges on a beach

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158
Q

Gender analysis

A

Examines the different roles of men and women in migration and how sex discrimination affects migration

159
Q

Geostationary satellites

A

Satellites that travel in a circular orbit around the earth over the equator at an altitude of about 35800km. They travel once around earth every day so they appear ot be stationary

160
Q

Geothermal energy

A

Heat from the Earth or stored in the Earth

161
Q

Global shift

A

The movement of manufacturing from HIC’s to MIC’s and LIC’s by TNC’s seeking cheaper labour and less regulated business environments

162
Q

Global warming

A

A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere

163
Q

Gradient

A

The measure of steepness of a slope

164
Q

Granular disintegration

A

When rock breaks into fine particles

165
Q

Gravitational model

A

Explains why migrants settle for a location that is not their intended location; the number of migrants moving from one town to another is related to the opportunities available at the final destination but inversely proportional to the number of opportunities that present themselves along the way, before they get to their intended destination

166
Q

Green belt

A

Land surrounding urban areas that is protected so that it cannot be built on

167
Q

Greenfield

A

Undeveloped land in urban or rural locations used for farming, grazing or left to lie fallow

168
Q

Green Revolution

A

The series of technological and research advances that took place in the 1940’s that increased the efficiency of farms

169
Q

Groundwater flow

A

The part of streamflow that has infiltrated the ground, entered the phreatic zone and has been discharged into the stream channel through springs or seepage

170
Q

Groundwater recharge

A

The restocking of groundwater with surface water

171
Q

Groundwater storage

A

Water stored in the pores and spaces of underlying bedrock

172
Q

Haffs

A

Long shallow lagoons; separated from the open sea by a narrow sandbar

173
Q

Halophytes

A

Plants that can live in saline areas

174
Q

Harbin explosion

A

On 13th November, 2005 there was an explosion at a petrochemical plant in China which caused 100 tonnes of toxins to enter to Songhua River

175
Q

Heat transfer

A

The transfer of heat from one place or object to another

176
Q

Heave

A

The name given to a type of mass movement of downhill weathered rock material; this movement is characterised by a slow expansion and subsequent movement of debris to the surface perpendicular to the slope

177
Q

Helicoidal flow

A

A corkscrew-like river flow associated with the formation of sediment bars and slip-off slopes; mainly found as water travels around river bends

178
Q

High income countries

A

Countries that have a high income according to the world bank’s world development indicators

179
Q

Hill fog

A

Forms when air is forced to rise up a slope and cools

180
Q

Holistic

A

An approach that views the whole as being more important that a focus on just a few individual parts

181
Q

Honeycomb weathering

A

Another name for pitting

182
Q

Hotspots

A

Volcanic areas fed by underlying magma often found near tectonic plate boundaries

183
Q

Hoyt’s sector theory

A

He placed the CBD at the centre of the model and observed that as differences in function occurred in the growing city variations tended to endure

184
Q

Human development index

A

A measurement of a country’s achievements in 3 areas:
Life expectancy at birth
Adult literacy rate and enrolment ratio
GDP per person

185
Q

HWN

A

The spring tide high water mark

186
Q

Hydration

A

The ability of something to absorb water

187
Q

Hydraulic action

A

The erosive force of water alone; as distinct from corrasion; a river or sea will erode partially by the sheer force of moving water

188
Q

Hydraulic fracturing

A

A process that extracts oil and gas from shale rock by drilling deep into the earth and then forcing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the rock to bring the gas or oil stored there to the surface

189
Q

Hydrolysis

A

A reaction involving the breaking of a bond in a molecule using water. Mainly occurs between a hydrogen ion in water molecules and often changes in pH of a solution

190
Q

Hygroscopic nuclei

A

The name given to the microscopic particles of salt, soot or dust onto which water vapour can condense to from rain

191
Q

Hyper capital-intensive

A

A business that needs large quantities of money to produce a service or a product

192
Q

Igneous rocks

A

Rocks formed when magma cools and solidifies

193
Q

Immigrants

A

People arriving in a new country

194
Q

Immigration

A

The movement of people into a country or region from other countries or regions

195
Q

Impelled migration

A

When people believe that they are under physical or human threat and they respond by leaving an area in an effort to ensure their safety

196
Q

Impermeable

A

Something that cannot be penetrated by water

197
Q

In-migration

A

To move around one’s own country to settle in a new location

198
Q

Incised meanders

A

Another name for entrenched meanders

199
Q

Independent variable

A

A variable that is manipulated or changed

200
Q

Index of multiple deprivation

A

Calculated y combining a number of domains relating to employment, income, education and skills, health, crime, barriers to housing and services and living environment; each domain is given a score, each score is weighted and then added together to produce the overall level of multiple deprivation

201
Q

Industrial inertia

A

When an industry does not relocate even though the original reasons for choosing the site are no longer applicable

202
Q

Innovative migration

A

When people migrate in order to improve their standard of living

203
Q

Infant mortality rate

A

The number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births

204
Q

Unter-annual variability

A

The difference in precipitation from one year to the next

205
Q

Interception

A

Water that is caught and stored by vegetation

206
Q

Interception loss

A

Water that is retained by plants

207
Q

Intergovernmental panel on climate change

A

A scientific intergovernmental body set up by the UN in 1988

208
Q

International migration

A

People moving from one country to another

209
Q

Intertropical convergence zone

A

An area of low atmospheric pressure and ascending air found near or at the equator; global winds converge here and rise thanks to convection from thermal heating

210
Q

Internal migration

A

People relocating within a country

211
Q

Intervening obstacles

A

Things that happen to stop migrants from getting to their original destination

212
Q

Inverse distance law

A

The volume of migrants decreases with the distance from the origin

213
Q

Irrigation

A

Artificially diverting water to fields to grow crops

214
Q

Island arc

A

A line of volcanoes situated on islands that sit above an oceanic-oceanic subducting plate and form the shape of an arc

215
Q

Knowledge economy

A

An economy based on the use of information to create wealth

216
Q

Kuznets curve

A

In environmental economics, proposes that as a country develops economically levels of pollution decrease

217
Q

Kyoto protocol

A

An international treaty that extended the UN framework convention on climate change and committed signatory nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2012

218
Q

Lag time

A

The amount of time between peak rainfall and peak river discharge

219
Q

Lahar

A

A type of destructive mudflow or debris flow which contains a mix of volcanic rock fragments and water flowing rapidly downhill on the slopes of a volcano

220
Q

Laminar flow

A

A flow of river that is a smooth horizontal motion; unusual because natural river environments are characterised by complex condition such as gradients

221
Q

Landslide hazard analysis

A

The analysis of all types of landslides using computer mapping and geographic information systems

222
Q

Land use

A

The function of an area of land

223
Q

Latent heat

A

The energy released when a material changes state; measures the change in internal energy that appears to be hidden from a thermometer

224
Q

Lateral planation

A

Rivers swing from side to side eroding the surface, causing lateral planation

225
Q

Leaf drop

A

Water that travels through the plant canopy by running down and off leaves and twigs

226
Q

Life expectancy

A

The number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life

227
Q

Line haul costs

A

The cost to a business of moving goods from one place to another

228
Q

Lithosphere

A

The hard and rigid outer surface of the solid earth

229
Q

Littoral cells

A

Another name for sediment cells

230
Q

Long-wave radiation

A

The infrared energy radiating from the earth to space

231
Q

Loss-sharing adjustments

A

Mechanisms designed to help cope with flooding

232
Q

Low income countries

A

Countries that have a low income according to the world bank’s world development indicators

233
Q

Lunette

A

The name of a small sand dune formed in the lee of a deflation hollow

234
Q

LWM

A

The spring tide low water mark

235
Q

Maritime climate

A

Places where the land is affected by the close proximity of an ocean, which lowers temperature of the area during the summer and keeps it warmer in winter

236
Q

Marxist theory

A

Argues that migration is one of the results of capitalism

237
Q

Mesas

A

Flat-topped isolated hills in arid regions; have a protective cap of hard rock underlain by softer, more readily eroded sedimentary rock

238
Q

Mass migration

A

When large numbers of people, sometimes whole communities, move as one to a new location. Can also apply to mass tourism when large numbers of people go the the same resort at the same time of year

239
Q

Metamorphic rocks

A

Rocks that have been changed by intense heat or pressure, often accompanies by an increase in hardness and resistance to erosion

240
Q

Mid-latitude depressions

A

Weather systems that result from frontal rain in mid-latitudes

241
Q

Middle income countries

A

Countries that have a middle income according to the world bank’s world development indicators

242
Q

Migrant stream

A

A pattern of migration established by a group of people with common characteristics

243
Q

Mountain building

A

The building of mountains or continents due to the interaction of tectonic plates, principally subduction

244
Q

Mudflow

A

The name given to a type of mass movement of downhill weathered rock material; distorts and shapes to the land over which it travels like a viscous liquid and the rate of flow is influenced by gravity

245
Q

Multiple nuclei theory

A

Theory of urban structure challenged the idea that a city developed around a single central nucleus rather than a number of separate nuclei

246
Q

National parks

A

Areas of scenic countryside protected by law form uncontrolled development in order to conserve the natural beauty of the landscape and to enable the public to visit and enjoy the countryside for leisure and recreation

247
Q

Natural increase

A

Calculated by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate

248
Q

Nebkha

A

The name given to a small sand dune in the shelter of the lee of a bush

249
Q

Negative externalities

A

Costs that third parties have to bear when a product is made or consumed

250
Q

Nehrungs

A

Sand splits that can be many kilometres in length

251
Q

Newly industrialised countries

A

Countries that are developing their economies through rapid expansion of secondary industries

252
Q

Next eleven

A

Countries that have a good change of becoming the world’s largest economies in the 21st century

253
Q

Nomadic systems

A

Where farmers move to different locations in search of the best climatic conditions for farming crops and grazing animals

254
Q

Ocean conveyor belt

A

This process begins in the polar regions with the formation of ice - the surrounding water gets saltier because the creation of the ice leaves salt behind which increases the seawater’s density making it sink; surface water is then pulled in to replace the sinking water which in turn becomes colder and saltier and also sinks initiating the currents deep in the ocean that power the ocean conveyor belt

255
Q

Oceanic tranches

A

Deep-sea trenches that form long narrow depressions in the surface of the seafloor along a tectonic plate boundary

256
Q

Open system

A

A system that transfers energy and matter across its boundaries to the surrounding area

257
Q

Organisation for economic co-operation and development

A

Works to promote policies that aim to improve the economic and social wellbeing of people all over the world

258
Q

Orogenesis

A

Another name for mountain building

259
Q

Orographic

A

The name given to precipitation that is the result of air being forced upwards by a mountain - as the air cools to below the dew point water vapour condenses into water droplets

260
Q

Out-migration

A

To leave an area and settle in a new location within one’s own country

261
Q

Overland flow

A

The movement of precipitation from high ground to lower ground over the surface

262
Q

Oxbow lake

A

A crescent shaped lake originating in a meander that was abandoned when erosion breached the neck between bends, allowing the stream to flow straight on, bypassing the meander; the ends of the meander rapidly silt up and it becomes separated from the river

263
Q

Oxidation

A

The breakdown of rock by oxygen and water when the rock is exposed to air. Iron-rich rocks will often obtain a rusty-coloured weathered surface

264
Q

Pastoral nomadism

A

Farmers who travel to different locations in search of grazing land and water for livestock

265
Q

Peak flow

A

The maximum river discharge for any given event in cubic metres per second

266
Q

Pedimentation

A

The name given to the parallel retreat over time of a hillslope

267
Q

Peeling

A

Another name for exfoliation

268
Q

People trafficking

A

The trade in people; people who are trafficked are sold into sexual exploitation or forced labour

269
Q

Permeable

A

Something that can be penetrated by water

270
Q

Phreatic zone

A

The part of an aquifer found just beneath the water table that is saturated with water

271
Q

Phreatophytes

A

Plants that have root systems that delve deep into the ground to draw water from the water table

272
Q

Piemont zone

A

The zone at the foot of a mountain covered in loose stones, rock, dust and sand and featuring playas, salt lakes and inselbergs

273
Q

Pitting

A

A type of salt weathering that creates cavities in a rock surface that make the surface look aerated

274
Q

Planar landslides

A

Happen when weathered rock becomes detached from the main body of a rock along a plane or joint

275
Q

Playa

A

The name given to a salt lake that has dried out

276
Q

Pleistocene pluvials

A

Landlocked basins that date from the Pleistocene geological epoch

277
Q

Pluvial

A

A period marked by intense rainfall

278
Q

Point bars

A

Another name for slip-off slopes

279
Q

Polar high pressure system

A

The area of high pressure found at or near poles

280
Q

Positive externalities

A

When the manufacture or consumption of a product benefits a third party

281
Q

Positive net migration balance

A

More people entering a country than leaving

282
Q

Post-industrial cities

A

Cities that have gone through the process of deindustrialisation

283
Q

Practical salinity units

A

The measure of salt concentration in seawater

284
Q

Precipitation

A

Water deposited on the Earth’s surface in various forms

285
Q

Primary data

A

Data that is collected first-hand for a specific reason

286
Q

Primitive

A

The migration of nomadic people due to seasonal or climatic factors

287
Q

Principles of migration

A

Examines external push factors and pull factors

288
Q

Process industries

A

Industries that process raw materials into other products

289
Q

Pro-poor tourism

A

Tourism that provides net benefits for poor people thanks to the support of their local economy

290
Q

Proximal

A

Another name for updrift

291
Q

Pseudo bedding planes

A

Structures in igneous rock that look like bedding planes but are not bedding planes; caused by expansion of the rock on pressure release due to erosion of the surface rock

292
Q

Qualitative research

A

Primary exploratory research that looks at trends, opinions and people’s thoughts on a particular subject

293
Q

Quantitative research

A

Data that expresses an issue or problem in numbers

294
Q

Radial

A

The name given to a drainage pattern where water drains away from a central high point

295
Q

Radiation fog

A

Forms when the ground has cooled due to radiation from the ground

296
Q

Rain shadow

A

The relatively dry area on the leeward side of high ground in the path of rain-bearing winds

297
Q

Recession

A

Another name for falling limb

298
Q

Regolith

A

The layer of loose broken rock, soil and other material that covers solid rock

299
Q

Relative humidity

A

The amount of water vapour in the air expressed as a percentage of the amount that would be present if the air was saturated

300
Q

Rectangular drianage

A

The name given to a drainage pattern where a river or stream follows geological weaknesses and gaps in block-like bedrock

301
Q

Repeat migration

A

Another name for circular migration

302
Q

Resource curse theory

A

Where countries with valuable natural resources do not prosper economically because they fail to invest in other areas of the economy

303
Q

Rias

A

Submerged river valleys caused by a rise in sea level or subsidence of the land relative to the sea

304
Q

Rising limb

A

On a hydrograph, the part of the graph that initially rises, indicating the increasing level of water as determined by the combined rate of surface runoff, throughflow and groundwater flow following a precipitation event

305
Q

River discharge

A

The amount of mobile volume of water moving in a river

306
Q

River regime

A

The annual variations in a river’s flow over the period of a year

307
Q

Rockfalls

A

Sudden movements of rock from cliff faces caused by gravity, chemical erosion, coastal action, earth movements, weathering or freeze-thaw action

308
Q

Rotational slides

A

A type of landslide that occurs on a curved failed surface causing the upper surface to tilt back

309
Q

Sabkhas

A

Coastal salt flats subject to occasional flooding by the sea

310
Q

Saltation

A

The transport of sediment by water along a riverbed

311
Q

Scarp

A

The steep side of an inselberg

312
Q

Seasonal lag

A

The delay between the hottest or coldest month of the year and the point at which it is experienced on earth; the delay is caused by the sea taking a long time to either heat ip or cool down

313
Q

Saturated

A

When something holds as much water or moisture as it is possible for it to absorb

314
Q

Secondary data

A

Data collected by someone else

315
Q

Sediment cells

A

Erosion, transportation and deposition take place within sediment cells and they are closed systems which means that no sediment is transferred between cells

316
Q

Sedimentary rocks

A

Rock formed by the consolidation of sediment derived from pre-existing rocks

317
Q

Seif dunes

A

Sand dunes that run in straightish ridges parallel to the wind; they are caused by either of 2 main wind direction or by helical-roll vortices

318
Q

Seismometers

A

Instruments that measure movement in the ground created by events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

319
Q

Semi-fixed dunes

A

Sand dunes that are less bare, less mobile and more fertile than embryo dunes but not as fixed or fertile as a fixed or grey dune

320
Q

Sensible heat

A

The is the heat we can feel

321
Q

Sensible heat transfer

A

When air or water moves from one place to another, taking its temperature with it

322
Q

Sharecropping

A

A type of land use where a tenant farmer cultivates land owned by someone else. A percentage of the crops grown on the land is then given to the landowner as rent for the land

323
Q

Shifting cultivation

A

A type of land use characterised by farming one area of land until it is no longer fertile then moving to a new area of land. Also known as swidden

324
Q

Shoreline management plans

A

Plans that assess the risks to a coastline and then set out details of policies that can manage these risks

325
Q

Short-wave radiation

A

The visible light and ultraviolet energy radiation from the sun to earth

326
Q

Slab-pull mechanism

A

The motion of a part of a tectonic plate by subduction; this happens when the oldest edge of a tectonic plate, furthest from the molten magma becomes cooler and more solid and sinks into the mantle; also known as dragging theory

327
Q

Slide

A

The name given to a type of mass movement of downhill weathered rock material; this movement takes place in a cohesive unit with minimal internal dislocation and deformation

328
Q

Slip-off slope

A

A sloping bar located on the inside bank of a meander; created by the accumulation of sediment on the inside of the meander bend, where discharge is at a minimum and friction and deposition are at their greatest

329
Q

Slope overloading

A

When a slope becomes overloaded with material such as mud, earth and rubbish, which increases the pressure on the slope causing it to fail

330
Q

Slope stability analysis

A

The analysis of the safety of a slope

331
Q

Smog

A

An air pollutant which is a combination of fog and smoke typically found in urban areas

332
Q

Soil croop

A

A slow movement of soil that takes place on very gentle slopes due to the way soil particles expand at right angles in wet condition and contract vertically in dry conditions

333
Q

Solution

A

The process by which small dissolved sediments and minerals are transported within a river

334
Q

Specific heat capacity

A

A measure of the thermal energy contained in an object or substance

335
Q

Spits

A

Low marrow banks of sand and shingle built out into an estuary by the process of longshore drift

336
Q

Standardisation

A

To set a standard and then make everything meet that standard; can apply to objects

337
Q

Star dunes

A

Sand dunes in the shape of a star

338
Q

Stemflow

A

Water that runs down the trunk and branches of a tree into the ground

339
Q

Step migration

A

A series of migrations from a person’s place of origin where each stage of migration is a shorter journey than one long-distance migration; they gradually move towards the migrants initial goal destination or sometimes migrants remain at a location on the way to their final destination

340
Q

Stone pavements

A

The landscape formed when rainwater causes chemical weathering of limestone, enlarging the natural bedding planes and joints to form blocks

341
Q

Storm flow

A

The additional discharge experienced by a river as a result of precipitation events

342
Q

Structural engineering

A

The design, construction and implementation of man-made structures that air the stability of the landscape

343
Q

Structuration theory

A

A social theory of migration that looks at individual motives for migration and at the structural and cultural factors and rules within which migrants have to operate

344
Q

Succlent

A

When plants with thick fleshy leaves or stems adapted to storing water in arid climates or soil condition

345
Q

Subduction zone

A

Where the oceanic crust of a tectonic plate is forced under the continental crust and sinks into the mantle as the plates converge. Occurs where 2 oceanic plates converge

346
Q

Sublimation

A

The transition of a substance directly from a solid to a gas without passing through the intermediate liquid phase

347
Q

Sub-tropical high pressure belt

A

The area of high pressure found 30 degrees north and south of the equator

348
Q

Sub-tropical jet stream

A

A high speed narrow air current; it moves in a westerly direction at a height of between 10 and 15 km and follows the boundaries between hot and cold air

349
Q

Surface creep

A

Where sand grains are pushed along the surface of the desert causing erosion

350
Q

Surface storage

A

Any part of a system where water lies above ground on the earth’s surface

351
Q

Suspended load

A

The portion of the stream load carried suspended in the flowing water

352
Q

Suspension

A

Where the lightest sand particles, dust and dirt are carried along by strong winds or water

353
Q

Sustainable resource management

A

Management of an environment that takes into account issues such as waste disposal and the protection of natural resources

354
Q

Swales

A

Long, narrow and shallow troughs between ridges on beaches, run parallel to the coastline

355
Q

Swell

A

The name given to waves that are generated by the wind and are not significantly affected by local winds

356
Q

Technology transfer initiatives

A

The sharing of technical knowledge and skills

357
Q

Temperate low pressure belt

A

The area of low pressure found at or near the temperate zone

358
Q

Terminal costs

A

Another name for fixed costs

359
Q

Terrestrial deposition

A

The process of sediments, soil and socks being added to land

360
Q

Terrestrial radiation

A

Short-wave radiation energy coming from the sun heats the ground and is then reradiated as infrared long-wave radiation

361
Q

Thalweg

A

The line of deepest water-the path of least resistance where water flows the fastest

362
Q

Thermohaline circulation

A

Seawater currents that reflect variations in temperature and salt content

363
Q

Throughfall

A

Water that travels through the p[lant canopy by running down and off leaves, twigs and stems

364
Q

Throughflow

A

The name given to the process of water flowing though the soil substrata

365
Q

Tombolo

A

A spit which extends to join an island to the mainland

366
Q

Topset beds

A

Coarse material carried by a river into a delta; the coarsest material is carried the shortest distance

367
Q

Traction

A

The transport of large items such as stones and boulders along a riverbed by the strong flow of moving water

368
Q

Trade blocs

A

Groups of countries that agree to trade with each other and to exclude countries that they do not have trade agreements with

369
Q

Trade winds

A

Surface winds in the tropics that blow from the sub-tropical high pressure zone to the equator. Trade winds in the Northern hemisphere move from the northwest to the southwest and are called Northeast trades. Trade winds in the Southern hemisphere flow from the southeast to the northwest and are called the Southeast trades

370
Q

Transform

A

Plates that move past each other side by side often causing earthquakes

371
Q

Transpiration

A

The loss of water from the somata and pores of vegetation into the atmosphere

372
Q

Trellised

A

The drainage pattern where streams follow slopes downhill and converge along areas of eroded rock

373
Q

Turbulent flow

A

A river flow characterised by a series of erratic horizontal and vertical spiral flows influenced by factors such as the velocity of the water and the friction it encounters

374
Q

Urban heat island

A

The name given to the phenomenon of urban areas being warmer than the rural areas that surround them

375
Q

Unit labour costs

A

The amount of money a firm needs to pay its staff to make one unit of one thing. A low unit labour coast means that it costs less to produce one unit of a product

376
Q

United national environment programme

A

An agency of the UN concerned with issues to do with the atmosphere, ecosystems, the green economy and environmental governance. It promotes environmental science and works with governments to develop and implement environmental policy

377
Q

United national framework convention on climate change

A

An international climate change treaty dating from 1992 that aims to stabilise greenhouse gas concentration in earth’s atmosphere by bringing pressure on the 165 signatory nations to reduce emissions

378
Q

Unroofed

A

Upper layers of rock erode and allow layers of roof to relax and crack

379
Q

Unsaturated

A

Something with remaining capacity to hold water

380
Q

Updrift

A

An area where coastal material, such as sand, is deposited on a beach further along a coastline

381
Q

Vegetation storage

A

Moisture stored by vegetation directly through the root system

382
Q

Volcanoes

A

Fissures in the earth’s crust through which magma reaches the earth’s surface. The 4 main types of volcano are:
acid lava cone - a very steep-sided cone composed entirely of acidic, viscous lava which flows slowly and congeals very quickly
composite volcano - a single cone comprising alternate layers of ash and lava
fissure volcano - a volcano that erupts along a linear fissure in the crust rather than from a single point
shield volcano - a volcano composed of very basic, non-viscous lava that flows quickly and congeals slowly, producing a gently sloping cone

383
Q

Warm currents

A

An ocean current that carries water from the equator polewards, taking warm water into colder seas

384
Q

Water balance

A

The balance between the input of precipitation and losses due to evaporation and transpiration by plants

385
Q

Watershed

A

The boundary between 2 river basins

386
Q

Waves f oscillation

A

Inside the wave water molecules travel in a circular to elliptical orbit and do not move with the wave form; mainly deep sea waves

387
Q

Waves of translation

A

Inside the wave water molecules move forward with the wave form on the shoreline where the waves break

388
Q

Wind-shadow dune

A

The name given to a sand dune that forms in the lee of a hill

389
Q

Xerophytes

A

Plants that so not need a lot of water

390
Q

Yardangs

A

Long, roughly parallel ridges of rock in arid and semi-arid regions. The ridges are undercut by wind erosion and the corridors between them are swept clear of sand by the wind; the ridges are orientated in the direction of the prevailing wind

391
Q

Yazoo trubutary

A

A tributary that runs parallel to a river within the same valley for some distance before eventually joining it

392
Q

Yellow dunes

A

Found after embryo dune appear on a beach, yellow dunes develop behind them

393
Q

Zeugen

A

Pedestal rocks in arid regions; wind erosion is concentrated near the ground where corrasion by wind-borne sand is most active - leads to undercutting and a pedestal profile emerges

Geography (30 decks)

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