Paper 1 Keywords

Question 1

Define Hazard Risk

Answer 1

The probability or chance that a natural hazard may take place.

Question 2

Define Natural Hazard

Answer 2

A natural event (for example an earthquake, volcanic eruption, tropical storm,
flood) that threatens people or has the potential to cause damage, destruction
and death.

Question 3

Define Conservative Plate Margin

Answer 3

Tectonic plate margin where two tectonic plates slide past each other.

Question 4

Define Constructive Plate margin

Answer 4

Tectonic plate margin where rising magma adds new material to plates that are
diverging or moving apart.

Question 5

Define Destructive Plate MArgin

Answer 5

Tectonic plate margin where two plates are converging or coming together and
oceanic plate is subducted. It can be associated with violent earthquakes and
explosive volcanoes.

Question 6

Define Earthquake

Answer 6

A sudden or violent movement within the Earth’s crust followed by a series of
shocks

Question 7

Define Immediate Responses

Answer 7

The reaction of people as the disaster happens and in the immediate aftermath.

Question 8

Define Long-term Responses

Answer 8

Later reactions that occur in the weeks, months and years after the event.

Question 9

Define Plate Margin

Answer 9

The margin or boundary between two tectonic plates.

Question 10

Define Monitoring

Answer 10

Recording physical changes, such as earthquake tremors around a volcano, to
help forecast when and where a natural hazard might strike.

Question 11

Define Planning

Answer 11

Actions taken to enable communities to respond to, and recover from, natural
disasters, through measures such as emergency evacuation plans, information
management, communications and warning systems.

Question 12

Define Prediction

Answer 12

Attempts to forecast when and where a natural hazard will strike, based on
current knowledge. This can be done to some extent for volcanic eruptions (and
tropical storms), but less reliably for earthquakes.

Question 13

Define Protection

Answer 13

Actions taken before a hazard strikes to reduce its impact, such as educating
people or improving building design.

Question 14

Define Primary Effects

Answer 14

The initial impact of a natural event on people and property, caused directly by
it, for instance the ground buildings collapsing following an earthquake

Question 15

Define Secondary Effects

Answer 15

The after-effects that occur as indirect impacts of a natural event, sometimes on
a longer timescale, for instance fires due to ruptured gas mains resulting from
the ground shaking.

Question 16

Define Tectonic Hazard

Answer 16

A natural hazard caused by movement of tectonic plates (including volcanoes
and earthquakes).

Question 17

Define Tectonic Plate

Answer 17

A rigid segment of the Earth’s crust which can ‘float’ across the heavier, semimolten rock below. Continental plates are less dense, but thicker than oceanic
plates.

Question 18

Define Volcano

Answer 18

An opening in the Earth’s crust from which lava, ash and gases erupt.

Question 19

Define Economic Impact

Answer 19

The effect of an event on the wealth of an area or community.

Question 20

Define Environmental Impact

Answer 20

The effect of an event on the landscape and ecology of the surrounding area.

Question 21

Define Extreme Weather

Answer 21

This is when a weather event is significantly different from the average or usual
weather pattern, and is especially severe or unseasonal. This may take place
over one day or a period of time. A severe snow blizzard or heat wave are two
examples of extreme weather in the UK.

Question 22

Define Global Atmospheric Circulation

Answer 22

The worldwide system of winds, which transports heat from tropical to polar
latitudes. In each hemisphere, air also circulates through the entire depth of the
troposphere which extends up to 15 km.

Question 23

Define Immediate Responses

Answer 23

The reaction of people as the disaster happens and in the immediate aftermath.

Question 24

Define Long-term Responses

Answer 24

Later reactions that occur in the weeks, months and years after the event.

Question 25

Define Management Strategies

Answer 25

Techniques of controlling, responding to, or dealing with an event.

Question 26

Define Monitoring

Answer 26

Recording physical changes, such as tracking a tropical storm by satellite, to help
forecast when and where a natural hazard might strike.

Question 27

Define Planning

Answer 27

Actions taken to enable communities to respond to, and recover from, natural
disasters, through measures such as emergency evacuation plans, information
management, communications and warning systems.

Question 28

Define Prediction

Answer 28

Attempts to forecast when and where a natural hazard will strike, based on
current knowledge. This can be done to some extent for tropical storms (and
volcanic eruptions, but less reliably for earthquakes).

Question 29

Define Protection

Answer 29

Actions taken before a hazard strikes to reduce its impact, such as educating
people or improving building design.

Question 30

Define Primary Effects

Answer 30

The initial impact of a natural event on people and property, caused directly by
it, for instance buildings being partially or wholly destroyed by a tropical storm.

Question 31

Define Secondary Effects

Answer 31

The after-effects that occur as indirect impacts of a natural event, sometimes on
a longer timescale, for instance impact on access to potable water can lead to
spread of disease.

Question 32

Define Social Impact

Answer 32

The effect of an event on the lives of people or community

Question 33

Define Tropical Storm (hurricane, cyclone, typhoon)

Answer 33

An area of low pressure with winds moving in a spiral around the calm central
point called the eye of the storm. Winds are powerful and rainfall is heavy.

The term ‘hurricane’ is usually restricted to the Atlantic and north-east Pacific region. In the north-west Pacific they are known as ‘typhoons’ and elsewhere simply as ‘cyclones’. If sustained wind speeds are between 39 m.p.h. and 73 m.p.h. they are known as a ‘tropical storms’.

Question 34

Define Adaptation

Answer 34

Actions taken to adjust to natural events such as climate change, to reduce
potential damage, limit the impacts, take advantage of opportunities, or cope
with the consequences.

Question 35

Define Climate Change

Answer 35

A long-term change in the earth’s climate, especially a change due to an
increase in the average atmospheric temperature.

Question 36

Define Mitigation

Answer 36

Action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and
property from natural hazards, such as building earthquake-proof buildings or
making international agreements about carbon reduction targets.

Question 37

Define Orbital Changes

Answer 37

Changes in the pathway of the Earth around the Sun

Question 38

Define Quaternary Period

Answer 38

The period of geological time from about 2.6 million years ago to the present. It
is characterised by the appearance and development of humans and includes the
Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs.

Question 39

Define Abiotic

Answer 39

Relating to non-living things.

Question 40

Define Biotic

Answer 40

Relating to living things.

Question 41

Define Consumer

Answer 41

Creature that eats animals and/or plant matter.

Question 42

Define Decomposer

Answer 42

An organism such as a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down dead tissue,
which is then recycled to the environment

Question 43

Define Ecosystem

Answer 43

A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their
physical environment.

Question 44

Define Food Chain

Answer 44

The connections between different organisms (plants and animals) that rely on
one another as their source of food.

Question 45

Define Food Web

Answer 45

A complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food.

Question 46

Define Nutrient cycling

Answer 46

A set of processes whereby organisms extract minerals necessary for growth
from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain - and
ultimately back to the soil and water.

Question 47

Define Global Ecosystem

Answer 47

Very large ecological areas on the earth’s surface (or biomes), with fauna and
flora (animals and plants) adapting to their environment. Examples include
tropical rainforest and hot desert.

Question 48

Define Producer

Answer 48

An organism or plant that is able to absorb energy from the sun through
photosynthesis.