physical evolving landscapes - paper 2 Flashcards
What three factors have created the U.K.’s upland landscape
 Geology – Pennines are resistant rocks – limestone – formed in carboniferous age
Tectonic processes – the plate the UK is on has shifted from tropical areas and convection currents have caused uplift + created faults
Glaciation has altered river valleys by eroding and weathering them from V-shaped into U-shaped valleys
What are Upland areas
Mountainous or hilly areas
What are lowland areas
Flat areas of land closer to sea level
Where are Upland areas located in the UK
Northwest Highlands, Grampian mountains, Cairngorms and southern uplands in Scotland and Pennines and Lake District in England and Cambrian mountains in Wales
Where are lowland areas located in the UK
East England and Southeast England
How is land typically used in Upland landscapes
Some cattle but mostly sheep farming, tourism E.G. skiing or Hill walking/climbing
in what way are upland landscapes used (farming)
Upland landscapes have thin and poor soils (resistant rock that does not easily erode to form deep soils) so they are not fertile so they cannot easily grow
crops.
The climate is colder due to altitude with temperatures decreasing the higher you go. Open areas are therefore colder and restrict use of the landscape. Not easy to grow crops because they need warm temperatures for the growing season. The higher up in altitude you go the more precipitation you will get.
There are also few hours of sunshine which also makes these areas not suitable for growing crops because the growing season is so short due to lower temperatures and lack of hours of
sunshine.
These areas get high levels of precipitation which means that they are not suitable for growing crops. The excess amounts of precipitation will lead to crops being
flooded.
Instead you will find some cattle but mostly sheep farming because sheep can cope with the thin, poor soils, Upland mountainous landscapes, cold climate and high levels of precipitation.
What influences the amount of precipitation found in Upland areas
Altitude and location – many are found on the west coast of the UK so they have a great deal of relief rainfall.
How has weathering changed the Upland landscapes
Freeze thaw weathering causes scree to form on hill and mountain slopes
How has glaciation changed the upland landscapes
It has eroded v-shaped valleys and made them deeper and wider causing the shape to change to a U.
How have slope processes changed Upland landscapes
Landslides are common because the land is wet due to heavy precipitation and rain adds to the weight of the weathered rock so it slides easily.
Give one way in which human activities have created distinctive landscapes in the UK
The forestry commission was set up to plant new woodland and to create jobs
Describe discordant coasts
Headlands – hard Rock
Bays – soft rock
Rock type is laid out vertically
Describe concordant coasts
Coves – soft rock
Cliffs/hard rock
Rock type is laid out horizontally
How does a stack/stump form
1. Large crack, opened up by hydraulic action
2. The crack grows into a cave by hydraulic action and abrasion
3. The cave becomes larger
4. The cave breaks through the headland forming an natural arch
5. The arch is eroded and collapses
6. This leaves a tall rock stack
7. The stack is eroded forming a stump
What three things determine the size of a wave
- Wind strength
- How long the fetches. The longer the fetch, the larger the wave
- How long the wind blows for
When in the year are winds strongest
Autumn and winter
Constructive waves are found in which season
Summer
What are some features of constructive waves
Strong swash
Weak backwash, so sand is deposited, deposited sand form a bank or berm
What are some features of winter destructive waves that erode beaches
Strong backwash erode sand from the beach
Week swash, beach profile is steep
You can also have said that they are much larger than constructive waves
When are destructive wave found
Winter
Define longshore drift
The movement of sediment along the beach and coastline
Explain how human activities affect coastal landscapes
Housing – it is a cheaper alternative for people who work in London to live there.
They can easily commute by train from coastal areas to London. Many people choose to retire there for the higher quality of life by the perceived health benefits of living near the sea and the beach environment
Why do scientists think there will be more flooding in the future
Global warming is causing rising sea levels which are causing storms such as hurricanes and depression is to become more powerful and frequent.
This would mean storm surges are more common. If melting ice sheets raise the sea levels, this will increase flooding as well
Three examples of coastal hard engineering
Sea wall
Gaboon
Groyne
What are the four possible ways that councils can use to manage the U.K.’s coastlines
1. Hold the line
2. Advance the line
3. Strategic alignment
4. Do nothing
What is hold the line
Where they put in place costal defences (sea walls) to protect a coastline against the impacts of sea level rise and costal erosion/flooding
Usually expensive
What is advancing the line
Extend the coast into what is currently the sea
What is strategic alignment/realignment
Allow the coastline to move naturally but manage it to only proceed in certain areas
What is do nothing
Easiest option, deal with the effects of flooding and erosion as they come or just ignore them
State four ways that a river carries it load
Solution
Traction
Saltation
Suspension
What is solution
When water dissolves certain types of rocks
What is traction
A method of transporting large stones or boulders, rolled along the river bed by the water as they are too large to be transported by the water alone.
What is saltation
Small rocks bounce along the bottom as they’re too big to be transported by just water.
What is suspension
Method of transporting very fine sediment. The water carries it upstream. Most probably eroded from larger rocks
What is a natural landform feature found in the upper course of a river
Waterfalls
Define abrasion
When sand and pebbles are dragged along the bottom of the river bed, or knock into by saltation. Wears away river bed
Describe how soil creep causes the movement of material towards a river
It is caused by rain dislodging tiny soil particles each time it rains. it’s a slow process
What is a natural landform or feature found in the middle course of a river
Meander
Define discharge
Volume of water flowing in a river, measured in cubic metres per second
Explain how a meander forms
When water in the stream channel erodes the sediments of an outer bend of a stream bank and deposit this and other sediment on subsequent inner bends down stream
According to the Bradshaw model, how does sediment particle size change as a river flow downstream
Decreases due to erosion
Define lag time
The time between the peak rainfall and peak discharge
Define antecedent rainfall
The amount of rainfall that has fallen recently. If there has been a lot, the ground will be saturated
