Physical geog revision Flashcards
Average annual temperature in the tundra
-11.2
Impacts of low annual temperature
Long term
Large scale
Low photosynthesis
Low biomass store
High littering
Low decomposition
High soil stores
Temp range in the tundra
15 to - 36
Impacts of range of temp in the tundra
Short term changes
Large scale
Low photosynthesis
Low biomass store
High littering
Low decomposition
High soil stores
Geology of the tundra
90% shale and siltstone
10% sandstone
Stores of oil underground
Impacts of geology in the tundra
Moderate store of carbon in the shale, siltstone and oil
Long term
Vegetation in the tundra
No trees able to grow
Seasonal growth of shrubs, grasses and mosses
Impacts of vegetation in the tundra
Short term annual changes
Photosynthesis, decomposition, respiration and high biomass store in the summer
Not in winter
Explain features of the soil in the tundra
Most is frozen all year round
(has been constantly frozen for 500 000 years)
Impacts of soil in the tundra
Huge store of organic carbon
Long term
Decomposition releases CO2 and CH4
Impacts on global carbon cycle
Combustion (of fossil fuels)
Deforestation
Draining wetlands
Combustion stat
100 billion tonnes of CO2 released each year
Deforestation stat
10 million hectares per year
Draining wetlands stat
85% of wetlands from 1700 have been lost
How does nile delta change over time (interlinking landforms)
LSD (due to arcuate shape+NW waves) form spits (burullus) and bars (manzala) Which can from lagoons (manzala+burullus) and salt marshes
How does nile delta change over time (beach profile)
Waves push sediment up the beach
Creates steeper beach and coastal advance
However summer storms can breach the spit as waves can go above 2m
How could the coastal landscape change in a warmer climate
Thermal expansion and maelting of land ice and snow
Eustatic rise
Waves reach cliffs (WCP, WCN)
Arches could become taller
How has human activity affected sandbanks spit
Hold the line led to castal advance
Beach nourishment from offshore deposits
Steeper higher beaches
How many rock groynes were constructed at sanbanks spit
12
How much sediment has been added to sandbanks spit
3.5 million meters cubed
Major physical factors affecting saltburn to flamborough head
Limestone and sandstone - 0.1m erosion each year
Clay and shales - 0.8m per year
Fetch 1500km
Waves from NNE
Major landforms at saltburn to flamborough head
Filey brigg
Filey bay
Flamborough head
Selwicks bay
Robin hoods bay
Interrationship between landforms at high energy coastline
WCP dissipates energy leading to less abrasion and undercutting
Major physical factors at the nile delta
Small fetch 750km from NW over a calm sea
Avr 0.94m waves, summer storms - 4m
91.3million tonnes of sediment from nile river
Arcuate shape encourages LSD
landforms created at the nile delta
Arcuate shape causes waves to arrive perpendicular at Abu Qir Bay causing rip currents to offshore bars
Consequences of human acivity at Pakiri bay
0.4m retreat each year
Spit breached in 1978
Beach profile
What is the significance of the maximum temp in the tundra on the carbon cycle
Trees are unable to grow
Slows the rate of the cycles
How long is carbon stored as partly decomposed plant remains in the tundra
500,000 years
How do lorries on ice roads directly affect the water cycle in the tundra
Creation of ice roads by building on snow cover disrupts natural drainage and prevents infiltration
What is the tidal range at saltburn to flamborough head
4-6m
How long has fluvial deposition been exceeding marine erosion at the nile delta (before dam)
3000 years
What is the name of the last glacial period
Devensian period
How much colder was the last glacial period
5 degrees C
How were global sea levels different during the devensian period
100-150m lower
What are the terms for retreating sea levels exposing land and rising sea levels covering land
Marine regression and marine transgression
What is the impact of 1 degrees C on sea level
2m rise
On avr how much are sea levels changing each year
3.3mm per yr
How could greenlands ice sheets affect global sea levels
6m rise
What was the UK govs target for wetland restoration
500 hectares of former wetlands by 2020
Which gas is produced by intensive livestock farming
Methene
How much of the amazon madeira basin in brazil is protected
44% (ARPA)
state 2 aims of drainage basin planning
reduce outputs of water from basin
increase stores of water available within the basin
What are geomorphic processes
Processess of weathering or mass movement
What are the differetn types of weathering processes
Weathering can be physics, mechanical, chemical or biological
Define lithology
Physical and chemical composition of rocks
Structure of Saltburn to flamborough head
Discordant
name for river sediment
Fluvial sediment
where do waves break on a coast
Foreshore
What chemical is in acid rain
Sulpher dioxide
what are geos and how are they formed
Steep sided narrow inlet
Tunnel like caves perpendicular to the cliff where the roof collapses
How are blowholes formed
part of the roof of a cave tunnel collapses
How do fjords change over time
Wave processes erode sides causing them to be less steep
How are shingle beaches formed
Sea level falls as volume of land based ice increases
Sediment accumulats on new exposed surface
As sea level rose again, the sediment was pushed onshore
flora definition
plant life
fauna definition
animal life
Name of the frozen water on earth
Cryosphere
Term for melting of ice and snow by melting or evaporation
Ablation
what is saturated overland flow
overland flow cos the soil cannot absorb anymore moisture
difference between throughflow and groundwater flow
throughflow is soil
groundwater flow in rocks
outline physical carbon sequestration in the oceans
Enters oceans from atmosphere via diffusion
Downwelling occurs near poles where carbon can stay for centuries
Upwelling occurs and carbon is diffused back into atmosphere
outline biological sequestration in oceans
Phytoplankton absorb carbon by photosynthesis which is carried through the food chain and either accumulates as sediment on the sea floor or is released in decomposition.
How much carbon is removed from atmos by biological sequestration per year
50GT
What is the term for evapourated water cooling as pressure decreases
adiabatic expansion
Amazon rainforest avr temps
25-30 degrees C
Amazon avr annual rainfall
2000mm
how much precip is recycled amazon
50-60%
how much of amazon has been lost
1 fith since 1970
How much of the aral sea has been drained for irrigation of cotton
90% since 1960s
1 example of a ria
Kingsbridge
Direction of waves sultburn to flamborough head
NNE
Direction of waves Nile delta
NW
Geology definition
Lithology and structure of the land
What sediment cell is saltburn-flamborough head part of
St abbs head - Flamborough head
Define sediment cell
A stretch of coastline in which the movement of sediment is limited due to large physical features acting as obstructions.
(think about inputs stores and outputs)
relief of madeira river basin
Gently sloping
Diurnal changes in madeira river basin
Small changes 9 degrees C
Where is madeira river basin in the amazon
SW
Geology of amazon
Impermeable (clay, silts, igneous
What % of deforestation is for cattle ranching
63%
How much oil is extracted from north slope daily
450,000 barrels
How much reforestation is happening amazon
9 million trees at Trombetas
term for beaches sinking
subsidence
Living creatures (e.g. molluscs) or decaying matter
chelation
Dissolved CO₂ makes rainwater slightly acidic. Reaction with
carbonate rocks dissolves them.
carbonation
Rocks above are eroded. As weight from above is removed the
underlying rock expands and fractures (parallel to surface)
Pressure release
Chemical reaction between rock minerals and water that weaken the rock.
hydrolosis
Tree roots or burrowing animals push into cracks in rock,
causing rock to split.
Rooting
How much CO2 is absorbed by amazon each year
2.4 billion tonnes
How long is carbon stored in trees in rainforest
5 years
degrees of latitude of the arctic tundra
60-75
how much water is extracted per year for agriculture in the UK
300 million meters cubes
How much carbon is stored in global permafrost
1600GT
Outline the 2015 Paris agreement
Reduce carbon emissions by 60% of 2010 levels by 2050
How much water to produce 1 cotton shirt
2700 Litres
How else has the ARPA helped reduce deforestation
Economic insentives
