Paper 2 Jan 2017

Question 1

What is abrasion?

Answer 1

Sand and pebbles are dragged along the riverbed, wearing it away

Question 2

What is attrition?

Answer 2

Rocks wear each other away as they knock together

Question 3

What is hydraulic action?

Answer 3

Fast flowing water is forces into cracks, breaking up the bank over time

Question 4

What is a solution?

Answer 4

Alkali rocks e.g. limestone are dissolved in acid rainwater

Question 5

What is saltation?

Answer 5

Small stones are picked up and then dropped again along the riverbed

Question 6

What is a suspension?

Answer 6

Tiny particles of sediment are carried in the river’s current

Question 7

What is traction?

Answer 7

Large stones are dragged along the river bed

Question 8

What is the Three Gorges Dam?

Answer 8

Mega-dam located on Yangtze River in Central China

Question 9

How long did the Three Gorges Dam take to build?

Answer 9

Took 15 years to build

Question 10

Why was the Three Gorges Dam built?

Answer 10

Built in response to seasonal flooding along Yangtze River that has killed hundred of thousands of people

Question 11

What was the 1998 Flood along the Yangtze River?

Answer 11

• Killed over 3500 people
• Left 13million people homeless
• Billions of dollars damage

Question 12

How much did the Three Gorges Dam cost to build?

Answer 12

180 billion Chinese yen

Question 13

How long will it take for the Three Gorges Dam to pay for itself?

Answer 13

It will take a decade to pay for itself by generating electricity

Question 14

Who was the Three Gorges Dam funded by?

Answer 14

The China Development Bank

Question 15

How does the Three Gorges Dam aid navigability and increase trade capacity?

Answer 15

The dam aids the navigability of the Yangtze by making it slower and deeper, increasing trade capacity

Question 16

How has the Three Gorges Dam reduced the money spent on mining and importing coal?

Answer 16

Reducing the dependency on coal

Question 17

How has the Three Gorges Dam reduced agricultural yield?

Answer 17

Lack of annual flooding reduces fertility of farmland on Yangtze’s floodplain, reducing agricultural yield

Question 18

How many people were required to leave their homes because of the Three Gorges Dam and what was the impact?

Answer 18

1.2 million +
Those who refused were forcibly removed
People relocated to cities where they struggled to find employment
New homes increased living standards

Question 19

How many cities and villages did the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam flood?

Answer 19

The reservoir flooded 13 cities and hundreds of villages, which were home to cultural relics and family burial ground

Question 20

What was the result of sediment being blocked behind the Three Gorges Dam?

Answer 20

Yangtze River transports lots of sediment
Now blocked behind dam
Result in gradual destruction of Yangtze’s delta and increased erosion downstream

Question 21

Why is a reduction in biodiversity a consequence of blocked sediment behind the Three Gorges Dam?

Answer 21

Blocked sediment alters the chemical composition of water upstream from dam.
Leading to a reduction in biodiversity and the potential extinctions of some species

Question 22

How does the Three Gorges Dam reduce global dimming and global warming?

Answer 22

Reduces dependency on fossil fuels