Important Definitions Flashcards
Geography
The study of places and people on the Earths surface
Human Geography
Explores Man-Made features
Physical Geography
Explores Natural features
Environmental Geography
Explores how human and physical geography interact
Floodplain
An area of low lying groung next to a river to absorb flooding
Primary Producer
Creates its own energy (photosynthesis)
Primary/Secondary/Tertiary consumer
Eats other organisms to gain energy
Decomposer
Breaks down dead matter (animals, leaves)
Environment
The surroundings or conditions in which people, animals and plants live or operate
Ecosystem
A community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
Biome
Large scale ecosystem
Food web
The movement of energy through a variety of producers, consumers and decomposers
Climate
The average weather conditions over a long period of time
Ozone Layer
A part of the upper atomosphere where ozone is found in its highest concentration
Pravailing wind
The direction the wind blows most of the time
Destructive Waves
Remove material from the beach (weak swash, strong backwash)
Constructive Waves
Build up the beach (strong swash, weak backwash
Coast
A zone where the land meets the sea
Abrasion
Sand and stones being carried by the sea are flung against rock. They wear it away like sandpaper.
Attrition
Rocks and stones being carried by the sea knock together and are broken onto smaller pieces
Hydraulic Action
Waves hitting cliffs force air into cracks in rocks, helping to break it up (enlarge the cracks) by compressing the air
Corrosion/Solution
Water dissolves soluble minerals from cliffs (only some types of rock e.g. Limestone, Chalk)
Swash
How far the water goes up the beach
Backwash
How far the water comes back from the beach
