Unit 1 Exam Revision - Glossary Terms Flashcards
Absolute Location
Refers to the exact location on earth of a place for example latitude and longitude, postal address.
Relative Location
Refers to the distance and direction from one place to another. The use of place names, landmarks and regions helps to specify the relative location of one place by comparing to the location of another place.
Distribution
The arrangement of features or objects on the Earth’s surface.
Spatial Distribution
The degree to which two or more phenomena are similarly distributed or arranged on the Earth’s surface.
Scale
As the size of something compared to something else.
Movement
A change in location of phenomena such as people, goods and ideas through travel or flow.
Hazard
A situation with the potential to cause harm to people and/or the environment.
Hazard Event
When a hazard is realized.
Disaster
When a hazard is deemed severe enough by a recognised authority.
Hazard Vulnerability
Refers to the characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard.
Natural Hazard
A naturally occurring hazard that is not caused by human activity. Human activity may influence the severity but not the occurrence.
Risk
The likelihood of a hazard event occurring. Risk is often expressed as a statistical probability and is independent of the threat of what happens when the event actually occurs.
Hydro-meteorological
Threats due to atmospheric conditions including floods, bushfires, cyclones, hurricanes.
Geological Hazard
The threat from natural processes such as volcanic activity and earthquakes that release enormous amounts of energy stored in the Earth’s crust or even deeper in the mantle.
Technological Hazard
Threats either initiated by humans or humans have played a significant role in their development such as air pollution and oil spills.
Biological Hazard
Threats from lifeforms including infectious diseases, water-borne diseases, plant and animal invasions.
Convection Currents
The currents in the earth’s mantle that drive plate tectonics. Convection currents are caused by the heat from the earth’s core.
Epicentre
The point on the earth’s surface directly above the earthquakes focus.
Focus (earthquake)
The point within the earth’s crust where the earthquake originates.
Landslide
The mass movement of rock, debris, or earth down a slope. A landslide may be triggered by an earthquake, heavy rain, mining etc.
Bushfire
Fires that burn out of control in grassland or forest regions.
Ground fire
Underground fire, where burnt coal and tree roots ignite.
Surface Fire
Low to High intensity fire burning at the surface including litter, grass and shrub layers.
Crown Fire
A very high intensity fire, spread through the canopy of the trees, fuelled by strong winds.
Cultural Burning
Traditional fire management applies cool and quick burns that are of low-intensity.
Malaria
Malaria is a life threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable. In 2019, there were an estimated 229 million cases of malaria worldwide.
Endemic
A plant or animal that is native to a specific location. For biological hazards, endemic means a disease that keeps returning to a community.
Vector
A living organism that transmits an infectious agent to another living organism.
