Theme 2: People and the Natural
World Interactions
Revised
1. Contrasting pressure systems and people.
2. Water supply.
3. Water deficit.
4. Water surplus.
5. Interdependence.
6. Landform development.
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS for THEME 2
o Explain why clouds indicate areas of low pressure (2 marks)
o How are people’s activities and quality of life influenced by weather and climate? (3 marks)
o Suggest five reasons why families in MEDCs use more water then families in LEDCs. (5 marks)
o Explain why Lesotho is able to sell water to South Africa and why Africa wants to buy it (4 marks)
o Summarise the aims of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (3 marks)
o State the main sources of fresh water? (4 marks)
o Describe the effect of drought on people in the Sahel region. (3 marks)
o Suggest how water and sanitation are linked to disease and poverty (4 marks)
CASE STUDY: For an area you have studied that has suffered from desertification
a) Name and locate the region
b) Describe the effects of desertification
c) Explain why it has happened
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS for THEME 2
o Explain why rivers continue to flow even during times of low rainfall (2 marks)
o Describe and explain the ways in which 3 of the following eight groups of people may have been
affected by the floods: (5 marks)
Local business people, school children, house owners, old-age pensioners, hotel owners, rescue
services, weather forecasters, farmers.
o Suggest how building more dams in the future might reduce the risk of flooding (3 marks)
o Suggest how international co-operation between countries relying on a supply of water could
reduce the risk of flooding (4 marks)
o Explain what a floodplain is and in what part of the rivers course are they most commonly found? (2
marks)
o Using diagrams, explain how meanders are formed and change over time (3 marks)
o Compare the erosion of hard cliffs with that of softer clay cliffs (4 marks)
o Draw a diagram to explain the process of longshore drift (2 marks)
o For an area of coastline you have studied, explain WHY it needs to be protected and HOW this could
be done (in a MEDC) (6 marks)
1. Contrasting pressure systems and people.
What’s air pressure?
Although we can’t feel it, all the air above us is pressing down on us.
If air pressure is LOW, it means air is rising.
If air pressure is HIGH, it means air is sinking.
Each type of air pressure brings different weather.
Unequal heating = pressure differences
The equatorial region receives high amounts
of sun (solar energy). The atmosphere is
warmed by the hot region below it. Warm
air rises creating low pressure.
The polar regions receive very low amounts of
solar energy. The atmosphere is cooled by the
polar region below it. Cold air sinks
creating an area of high pressure.
Pressure
Rising air cools down and
condensation occurs. This makes
cloud and rain. The metrological
term for a LOW pressure is
DEPRESSION.
Falling air warms up and any moisture
becomes absorbed. This leads to
clear skies. The metrological term for
a HIGH pressure is ANTICYCLONE. In
summer, anticyclones bring dry, hot
weather. In winter, clear skies may
bring cold nights and frost.
1 b) How does contrasting pressure in the atmosphere lead to variations in weather and
climate?
Europe anticyclone
It was a blocking anticyclone- this blocked the path of any depressions. It interrupted the
normal circulation of the westerly wind. Air moved around the high in a clockwise direction,
bringing a hot, dry tropical continental air mass to western Europe at this time. This pattern
occurred for much of August 2003.
High pressure areas usually bring little cloud and warm conditions in summer.
More than 20,000 people died after a record-breaking heat wave left Europe sweltering in
August 2003.
The period of extreme heat is thought to be the warmest for up to 500 years, and many
European countries experienced their highest temperatures on record.
Climatic Region
Polar
Temperate
Mediterranean
Mountains
Arid
Tropical
Description/Information
Factors Affecting Climate: LAPTOP
1. Latitude: The further you travel away from the equator the cooler it gets.
This is because the Earth is curved. Look at the picture above. The sun rays hitting the Earth
at a higher latitude are spread out over a greater area. Over the Equator the rays are
concentrated in to a smaller area – this is why it is hot at the equator and very cold at the
poles.
2. Altitude: Altitude is height above sea level.
Areas lower in elevation tend to be warmer than areas higher in elevation. Altitude affects the
climate because the higher you go in altitude the colder the air is.
This factor is not dependent on how the land is shaped. An area of flat land at a higher elevation
is colder than an area of flat land at lower elevation.
3. Prevailing Winds: The movement of the earth’s winds starts at the equator, where it is
hottest.
There are certain set patterns of winds called prevailing winds, which means that direction
winds travels most of the time.
The temperature of the wind depends on where it comes from and the type of surface over
which it passes.
Factors Affecting Climate: LAPTOP
4. Topography: Climates often differ on either side of a mountain.
As air rises over a mountain, it cools. As it cools, it condenses, and releases moisture (rain). This
is the windward side. As the dry air flows over the mountain, it descends and warms,
usually producing deserts. This is called the leeward side.
Deserts such as the Atacama in Chile are common on leeward sides of mountains.
5. Ocean currents: can increase or reduce temperatures.
The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current in the North Atlantic flowing from the Gulf of Mexico,
northeast along the U.S coast, and from there to the British Isles.
The Gulf of Mexico has higher air temperatures than Britain as it's closer to the equator. This
means that the air coming from the Gulf of Mexico to Britain is also warm. However, the air is
also quite moist as it travels over the Atlantic ocean. This is one reason why Britain often
receives wet weather.
6. Proximity to water: When a place is closer to water, the climate of that area is regulated. This
means that there aren’t huge differences between the temperature throughout the year.
1 c) To what extent are people’s activities and quality of life influenced by weather and
climate?
Examples of how weather affects people in our society are:
Sport: It might rain during a Wimbledon tennis final.
Recreation: People may not be able to go to the beach on a certain day.
Occupations: A builder may not be able to work during heavy rain.
Travel: Aeroplanes might not be able to take off during a bad storm.
Clothing: Weather affects what people choose to wear each day.
Examples of how climate affects people in society:
Tourism: People may visit a place to go to the beach or to go skiing depending on
the climate.
Farming: Bananas are grown in tropical climates.
Settlement: We choose to live in a certain place because of the climate.
1 c) To what extent are people’s activities and quality of life influenced by weather and
climate?
Tropical Revolving Storms
MEDC Case study: Hurricane Katrina
HURRICANES
in the
Caribbean
TYPHOONS
in the North
West Pacific
CYCLONES in
the Indian
Ocean
2. Water supply
2 a) How does the hydrological cycle link components operating within the hydrosphere?
Water affects everything that happens in life. In Latin, "hydro" means water. Therefore,
anything that scientists describe, when it comes to water, is a part of the HYDROsphere.
That water may be at the bottom of the ocean or in the top layers of the atmosphere; it is
all a part of the hydrosphere.
2 b) What are the main sources of fresh water?
More than 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. Even so, many people are short of
water for themselves, their animals and their crops.
The water in the oceans, and in 90% of groundwater, is very salty and is unsuitable for people,
animals and crops.
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in:
• Ice sheets
• Ice caps
• Glaciers
• Icebergs
• Ponds
• Lakes
• Rivers and streams
• Underground as groundwater in aquifers
• Underground streams.
Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and other
total dissolved solids.
2 c) How does the provision of a sustainable supply of water vary in different areas of the
world?
People in MEDCs generally use more water than people in LEDCs.
The average American family uses 1,304 litres of water a day whereas the average
African family uses 22 litres of water a day.
In sub-saharan Africa, people living in urban areas are twice as likely to have access to
water as people living in rural areas. In the informal settlements of Africa’s cities poeple
do not have access to piped water and cannot afford to drill for water. They are forced to
buy water from private sellers from the back of carts.
As a result, people who live in cities in LEDCs can pay up to 50 times the amount for
water as people who live in cities from MEDCs
2 c) How does the provision of a sustainable supply of water vary in different areas of the
world?
MEDC: UK Reservoirs
In the UK areas in the south and east tend to have a shortage of water, especially in summer,
while there are surpluses of water in the north and west.
North & West - Surplus
South & East – Shortage

High land causes more
relief rainfall;

Lower land means less relief
rainfall;

Prevailing winds bring rain
from the ;

is the 's largest urban area with a
huge demand for water;

Cooler summers mean less
evapo-transpiration.

Warmer summers mean more
evapo-transpiration and more
demand for water to irrigate farm
crops.
Reservoirs
Reservoirs are artificial lakes which are usually made by building a dam across a river to hold
back the water. They store water in places or at times when there is a surplus so that it can be
used where there is a shortage.
2 c) How does the provision of a sustainable supply of water vary in different areas of the
world?
LEDC: South Africa
On average, South Africa has about half as much rainfall as the UK. But rainfall is not evenly
distributed over South Africa. The East coast receives a lot more rain than the west. This is
because moist air comes from the Indian Ocean forming rain clouds over the highlands of
eastern South Africa.
Lesotho transfer scheme
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is an example of a large-scale water management
scheme. It is the construction of six major dams and 200km of tunnel systems to transfer water
to neighbouring countries with a low supply of water.
Advantages
Disadvantages
As it is one of the World’s poorest countries, Lesotho is still struggling with water
the project will create jobs and add to the
shortages and poor sanitation. Local people
country's GNP.
don’t have access to the clean water as it
goes to neighbouring countries
The government will receive money for the
sale of water being sold.
People have had to move because of the
constructions of the dams.
The dams will provide Hydro-electric power
as well as water.
Destroyed a lot of grazing and farming land
– affecting the countries food supply.
3. Water deficit
Drought and desertification
Drought – A period of dry weather that affects crop growth.
Desertification is the process where land turns into desert.
CASE STUDY: Mali and Niger - Desertification
3 a) Explain how a lack of rainfall and/or water deficit can cause drought and desertification.
(3 marks)
3 b) Explain what effect do these have on human activity. (2 marks)
3 c) Explain how can drought and desertification be managed. (3 marks)
The Sahel region of Africa has been suffering
from drought on a regular basis since the early
1980s. The area naturally experiences
alternating wet and dry seasons. If the rains
fail it can cause drought.
In addition to natural factors, the land is
marginal. Human activities such as overgrazing,
over cultivation and the collection of firewood
can lead to desertification, particularly when
combined with drought conditions.
The result is crop failure, soil erosion, famine and hunger: people are then less able to
work when their need is greatest. It becomes a vicious circle and can result in many
deaths, especially among infants and the elderly. In Niger in 2004, the situation was
made worse when a plague of locusts consumed any remaining crops. In these cases,
people rely on food aid from the international community.
On its own, food aid is unsustainable in the long term. What is really needed is
development aid, which involves educating the local community in farming practices.
How population growth may have cause desertification:
The population has grown
People are more settled than
they used to be (don’t travel
around)
More goats are kept
More firewood is needed for
cooking
Overgrazing kills vegetation
The same areas,
close to the village,
are grazed
Trees are damaged.
Fewer leaves.
Less shade means higher soil
temperatures
Soils dry out and are easily
eroded by wind.
Less evapotranspiration from vegetation so less
moisture enters the atmosphere locally
Less local rainfall.
4. Water surplus
The Environment Agency, which is responsible for giving flood warnings in the UK,
estimates that around 5 million people live in areas that are at risk of flooding in England
and Wales.
What causes floods?
• It rains very heavily
• The rain cannot soak into the ground fast enough
• So it runs over the surface
• …and into the river
• The river level rises quickly
The following factors may encourage flooding:
A steep-sided channel - a river channel surrounded by steep slopes causes fast surface runoff.
A lack of vegetation or woodland - trees and plants intercept precipitation (ie they catch or
drink water). If there is little vegetation in the drainage basin then surface run-off will be
high.
A drainage basin, consisting of mainly impermeable rock - this will mean that water cannot
percolate through the rock layer, and so will run faster over the surface.
A drainage basin in an urban area - these consist largely of impermeable concrete, which
encourages overland flow. Drains and sewers take water quickly and directly to the river
channel. Houses with sloping roofs further increase the amount of run-off.
UK FLOODING 2015
Place/s affected: …………………………………………………………………………..
Causes of the floods
Impacts
Social
Environmental
Economic
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Storm Desmond was a cyclone and fourth
named storm of the 2015–16 UK and
Ireland windstorm season which brought
record amounts of rainfall to upland areas
of northern major floods.
In the United Kingdom the worst affected
areas were centred on Cumbria, parts of
Lancashire and the Scottish Borders.
Storm Desmond broke the United
Kingdom's 24-hour rainfall record, with
341.4 mm of rain falling in Honister Pass,
Cumbria, on 5 December.
Winds of up to 70mph were
recorded in some areas as Storm
Desmond hit.
The effects were so severe because the previous poor
weather had saturated the ground so water could not
infiltrate, leading to high surface run off getting to the
rivers quickly and making them burst their banks and flood
More than 1,000 people evacuated across Cumbria.
50,000 people were without power across Cumbria and
Lancashire.
1,000 people have been evacuated from the Scottish border
town of Hawick.
About 40 schools in Cumbria were closed and appointments
and routine business across NHS hospitals were cancelled;
A 90-year-old man was killed after being
blown into the side of a route 143 bus
outside Finchley Central tube station in
London by a sudden gust of wind.
Looters and burglaries increased during the aftermath of the floods, in one incident
alcohol and cash totalling £4,000 was stolen from a business in Carlisle.
Businesses have lost all their stock and will have to pay for expensive repairs- at what
should have been the peak shopping period of the year.
Our current estimate of the damage caused by Storm Desmond is £400m - £500m with
the insurance industry paying out between £250m and £325m.
A waterfall appeared at Malham Cove for a
short time due to heavy rainfall. This had not
previously happened in living memory.
A significant landslide occurred in along the
Glenn Riding beck in the Lake District
Thousands of trees which once lined rivers in the
area affected were ripped from river banks.
Footpaths in the Lake District used by walkers
were eroded and will need to be replaced.
5. Interdependence
LEDC: South Africa
On average, South Africa has about half as much rainfall as the UK. But rainfall is not evenly
distributed over South Africa. The East coast receives a lot more rain than the west. This is
because moist air comes from the Indian Ocean forming rain clouds over the highlands of
eastern South Africa.
Lesotho transfer scheme
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is an example of a large-scale water management
scheme. It is the construction of six major dams and 200km of tunnel systems to transfer water
to neighbouring countries with a low supply of water.
Advantages
Disadvantages
As it is one of the World’s poorest countries, Lesotho is still struggling with water
the project will create jobs and add to the
shortages and poor sanitation. Local people
country's GNP.
don’t have access to the clean water as it
goes to neighbouring countries
The government will receive money for the
sale of water being sold.
People have had to move because of the
constructions of the dams.
The dams will provide Hydro-electric power
as well as water.
Destroyed a lot of grazing and farming land
– affecting the countries food supply.
6. Landform development - River Landforms
The erosive power of the river depends on
4 processes at work:
1. Hydraulic Action – water crashes into
gaps in the soil and rock, compressing
the air and forcing particles apart.
2. Abrasion – the flow picks up rocks from
the bed that smash against the bank.
3. Corrosion – the water dissolves minerals
in the rocks.
4. Attrition – where eroded rocks smash
against one another, wearing them
down into more rounded particles.
6. Landform development - River Landforms
V-shaped Valley
The river erodes vertically at a greater
rate than it does horizontally deepening
the valley.
The river continues to erode vertically,
the river banks become less stable and after
A period of heavy rain, due to gravity they
collapse.
This creates a v-shaped valley.
The process is repeated, deepening
The valley further.
As the river flows through the valley it is
forced to swing from side to side around
more resistant rock outcrops (spurs). As
there is little energy for lateral erosion, the
river continues to cut down vertically flowing
between spurs of higher land creating
interlocking spurs.
6. Landform development - River Landforms
Waterfall
Many waterfalls form when rivers
meet a band of softer less resistant
rock after flowing over a relatively
hard resistant rock. The softer rock
is worn away more quickly, and the
harder rock undercut.
The overhead hard rock forms an
overhang, which will eventually
collapse, to form a deep plunge
pool.
This process is repeated causing the
waterfall to retreat upstream
creating a gorge in its wake.
6. Landform development - River Landforms
Meanders
Within sections of the river channel, the
flow tends to wind from side to side
through a pattern of deep pools and
shallower riffles. Riffles are formed by
bed load deposits.
A meander forms when the river channel
bends, most of the water is directed to
the outside of the bend. This reduces
friction and increases the speed of the
river at this point. The river therefore has
more energy to transport through
suspension, which will lead to erosion of
the outside bank by corrasion. The bank
will be undercut, collapse and retreat to
leave a small river cliff.
Meanwhile, there is less water on the
inside of the bend, there is an increase in
friction and a decrease in velocity. As the
river loses energy, it deposits some of its
load to form a slip off slope.
Levee
Floodplain and levee
Natural levee
– Noun
A deposit of sand or mud built
up along, and sloping away
from, either side of the flood
plain of a river or stream.
In the lower course the river widens its
valley through lateral erosion. At times
of a flood the river has considerable
amounts of energy, which it uses to
transport material through suspension.
When the river overflows its banks, it will
spread out over the surrounding area
which is flat. This sudden increase in
friction will reduce the velocity of the
river causing it to deposit its load (silt).
Each time the river floods another layer
of silt is added creating a flat floodplain.
The coarsest material will be dropped
first, and this can form a natural
embankment, called a Levee next to
the river. Levees can help to prevent
further flooding.
Delta
Accumulation of silt deposited
on the seabed at the mouth of
the river. Because the river’s
velocity is much reduced when
it joins the sea, it must deposit its
load. If the load is built up
above sea level then mud
banks form to create a delta.
Deltas only form under certain
conditions:
Deltas are found at the mouth of large
rivers - for example, the Mississippi. A
delta is formed when the river deposits
its material faster than the sea can
remove it. There are three main types
of delta, named after the shape they
create (see above).
1. The river must be
transporting a large
amount of sediment.
2. The sea must have a small
tidal range and weak
currents.
3. The sea must be shallow at
the river mouth.
RIVER MANAGEMENT
Steps can be taken to manage flooding. Often these steps involve trying to lengthen the
amount of time it takes for water to reach the river channel, thereby increasing the lag time.
Flood management techniques can be divided into hard- and soft-engineering options.
Hard options tend to be more expensive and have a greater impact on the river and the
surrounding landscape.
Soft options are more ecologically sensitive. The tables summarise the main flood
management techniques.
The Kariba dam on the Zambezi river
Hard-engineering options
Dam construction
• Dams are often built along the course of a river in order to
control the amount of discharge. Water is held back by the dam
and released in a controlled way. This controls flooding.
• Water is usually stored in a reservoir behind the dam. This water
can then be used to generate hydroelectric power or for
recreation purposes.
• Building a dam can be very expensive.
• Sediment is often trapped behind the wall of the dam, leading
to erosion further downstream.
• Settlements and agricultural land may be lost when the river
valley is flooded to form a reservoir.
River engineering
• The river channel may be widened or deepened allowing it to
carry more water. A river channel may be straightened so that
water can travel faster along the course. The channel course of
the river can also be altered, diverting floodwaters away from
settlements.
• Altering the river channel may lead to a greater risk of flooding
downstream, as the water is carried there faster.
Soft-engineering options
Afforestation
• Trees are planted near to the river. This means greater
interception of rainwater and lower river discharge. This is a
relatively low cost option, which enhances the environmental
quality of the drainage basin.
Managed flooding • The river is allowed to flood naturally in places, to prevent
(also called
flooding in other areas - for example, near settlements.
ecological flooding)
Planning
• Local authorities and the national government introduce policies
to control urban development close to or on the floodplain. This
reduces the chance of flooding and the risk of damage to
property.
• There can be resistance to development restrictions in areas
where there is a shortage of housing. Enforcing planning
regulations and controls may be harder in LEDCs.
6. Landform development – Coastal Landforms
Coastal Erosion - The sea erodes the coast in four main ways:
• Corrosion – acidic salt water breaks down the rock
• Hydraulic action – the force of the waves smashing against the cliff
• Attrition – rocks are broken into smaller pieces when they smash into each other
• Abrasion – when rocks are hurled against the cliff face breaking off more rock
The diagrams below explain how a coast of headlands and bays can form:
6. Landform development – Coastal Landforms
The diagrams shows how a headland is eroded to leave stack e.g. Old Harry’s Rock
6. Landform development – Coastal Landforms
Coastal Deposition
Longshore drift is the process that moves sediment (sand and shingle) along a beach. The
swash of the wave washes the material diagonally up the beach, and the backwash brings
it back down the beach at a right angle (see diagram below).
Groynes are often used on British beaches to slow longshore drift and stop beaches being
washed away.
6. Landform development – Coastal Landforms
Spits are a depositional landform created at a point on the coast where the land turns
inwards but the sediment continues in the same direction because of longshore drift. It
builds a ridge of material out into the sea, often diverting the course of a river. Behind the
spit mud and silt build up and saltmarshes develop on the sheltered area which is flooded
daily by the tide.
The curved end forms when storm waves or a secondary current pushes the sediment on
the ocean end inland.
When a spit extends across a bay
and rejoins the opposite headland
it is called a bar, and it if joins a
nearby island, a tombolo.
7. Landforms and people
Managing coastal processes
The UK coastline is a battleground. Erosion threatens many sections of coast and coastal
communities expect the government to help protect them. Local councils have three main
options:
1. Do nothing and allow gradual erosion. This would be an option if the land has low
value because using sea defences is expensive.
2. Use hard engineering such as timber or rock groynes and concrete sea walls. New
groynes cost at least £200,000 each and need to be constantly maintained. This option
is generally only used when the land value is high.
3. Use soft engineering techniques such as beach nourishment where sand is taken from
the sea bed and used to thicken the level of the beach.
Case study of sustainable coastal management: Holderness Coast.
Why is coastal management needed?





The coastline is made of soft glacial till called
boulder clay. This was deposited in the area
during the last glacial advance- 12,000 years
ago.
There are no wide sandy beaches to protect the
cliffs, because the cliffs are made of fine clay.
This is transported away or held in suspension.
The coast has little protection from waves from
the North-East. These have a long-fetch and are
powerful.
Between Flamborough and Spurn Head an
average of two metres of coast is lost each year.
Needed to protect important settlements
reliant upon the tourist economy and key
infrastructure, such as gas terminals.
Strategies used.
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Bridlington has 3.6 km of sea wall and groynes to
stabilise the beaches. Bridlington is a popular
tourism destination, and has a popular of 34,000.
Hornsea has 1.6 km of sea wall, groynes and rock
armour.
Mappleton was only allowed defences after an
economic case was made. There is a road that links
many of the coastal villages, this was threatened by
the cliff retreat. 450 metres of cliff are protected at
Mappleton, using 61,500 tons of rock armour, two
groynes and a sloping revetment.
Withernsea has 2.3 km of sea wall, groynes and rock
armour. A small offshore rock armour defence has
also been developed.
Major North Sea gas terminals are located to the
north of the village of Easington. The Easington
defences needed carefully consideration, as there
are two Environmentally Sensitive Areas nearby. At
Easington a 1km revetment was built along the base
of the cliff near the gas terminal, using 133,000
tonnes of rock. To ensure that beach material is not
maintained, the defences hug tightly to the cliff at
Easington- allowing material to be transported to the
ESAs.
10 The local district councils have a roll-back policy
when considering new development. This means that
existing caravan sites will be closed, and then moved
400 metres from the coast. It is hoped that the policy
of roll back will help maintain the local economy.
New developments need to justify a coastal location.
They must also be 30 to 200 metres from the present
coast.
How sustainable is the management?




Limiting erosion along the Holderness
coast would mean less material travelling
south to the Humber estuary and coast of
Lincolnshire. Nearly 50,000 people live
around the Humber estuary. Material
from Holderness is deposited on the
mudflats and salt marshes of the Humber
estuary and the coast of Lincolnshireprotecting the areas from flooding.
Most of the land at risk is farmland, this
has limited value and makes protection
hard to justify.
The policy of protection is to defend larger
settlements but to do nothing to prevent
erosion elsewhere.
Preventing erosion along the entire
coastline would be highly expensive,
hence decision for the roll-back policy.
THEME 2: Keywords
Abrasion / corrasion
Anticyclone
Attrition
Backwash
Beach replenishment
Bedload
Constructive wave
Corrosion / solution
Deposition
Depression
Desertification
Destructive wave
Erosion
Floodplain
Gabion
Gorge
Groynes
Hard engineering
Hydraulic action
Interlocking Spurs
A process of erosion – waves hit the coast and throw pebbles against the cliff face. These knock off small parts of
the cliff causing undercutting
High pressure weather system bringing fine and settled weather.
A process of erosion – transported particles hit against one another making the particles smaller and rounder
The movement back down the beach of water from a breaking wave, powered by gravity, at right angles to the
shore
A hard engineering flood / erosion control whereby material is taken from somewhere and dumped on a beach
to maintain it. Material often dredged from off-shore
Material carried by a river
A wave with strong SWASH and weak BACKWASH which contributes deposition to a beach
The process by which water (river or sea) reacts chemically with soluble minerals in rock (eg chalk and limestone)
and dissolves them
The dropping of material
A weather system with very low pressure.
Process where fertile land becomes desert. This occurs as a result of drought, deforestation and overgrazing.
A wave with a strong BACKWASH and a weak SWASH which erodes a coast
Wearing away of landscape by action of wind, water, ice
Area of flat land either side of a river
Cages of stones on a beach; a hard engineering solution to cliff erosion, designed to absorb wave energy
A valley that has been carved out be a waterfall eroding backwards
Wooden or concrete walls, built perpendicular to shoreline down the beach, designed to trap material carried by
long shore drift and thus maintain a wide beach. A hard engineering solution to cliff erosion and coastal flooding
A strategy to control a natural hazard (flooding) involving man made structures
A process of erosion – soft rocks are washed away by the sea; air trapped in cracks by the force of water expands
as wave slips away. The resulting ‘mini explosion’ weakens the rocks over time, causing cracks to widen and
sections of cliff to break away
Hills made of resistant material which cannot be eroded by the river, so spurs stick out into the river valley as the
river meanders around them.
Long-shore drift
Load
Revetements
Saltation
Sea walls
Soft engineering
Solution / corrosion
Spit
Stack
Sub-aerial erosion /
weathering
Suspension
Sustainable
Swash
Traction
Transportation
Wave cut notch
Process whereby beach material moves along a coastline, caused by waves hitting the coast at an angle
Material transported by the sea (or a river)
Ladder structures built against cliff base. Hard engineering, designed to absorb wave energy and protect cliff from
erosion.
The hopping of medium sized load along the sea bed (or river bed)
A large, expensive concrete structure, built at the back of a beach, to protect high value land from floods. Usually
recurved to direct waves downwards. A wider base than top gives firmer foundations. They deflect wave energy,
and thus tend to undermine their own foundations. Hard engineering.
A strategy to control a natural flood / cliff erosion hazard which uses and blends into the environment, thus
making it often sustainable
The process by which water (river or sea) reacts chemically with soluble minerals in rock (eg chalk and limestone)
and dissolves them
A tongue of deposited material, stretching out to sea parallel to the coastline and attached to it at one end.
Formed due to long shore drift.
An isolated pillar of hard rock standing off a headland, surrounded by water. Was once part of the headland. Will
eventually erode to form a stump. An erosion feature.
Processes of erosion and weathering taking place on cliff tops (eg freeze thaw, rain, wind)
Transportation of the smallest load eg fine clays and silts which is held up continuously within a river or seawater
A way of using resources so that they are not destroyed but remain available for others to use in the future.
Sustainable flood protection should be EFFECTIVE, FAIR, AFFORDABLE and PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
The movement of a breaking wave up the beach, powered by the momentum of the breaking wave. Direction
dictated by prevailing wind / wave direction
The rolling of large rocks along a river or sea bed
The movement of material across the earth’s surface
Area of erosion at base of headland between HTL and LTL.
Theme 2 keywords
Abrasion (or corrasion): Erosion caused by the
rubbing and scouring action of rock fragments carried
by rivers.
Alluvium: Fine soil left behind after a river floods; also
called silt.
Attrition: Erosion caused when rocks and boulders,
transported by rivers and waves, bump into each
other and break up into smaller pieces.
Condensation: The cooling of a gas so that it changes
into a liquid, for instance as water vapour cools, it
condenses to become water droplets, which, when
heavy enough, fall as rain.
Confluence: The point where two rivers meet.
Delta: A build up of sediment at the point where a
river meets a sea or lake, due to the water velocity
slowing and the river having less energy to carry the
sediment.
Deposition: The laying down of material carried by
rivers or waves.
Discharge: The amount of water in a river at a given
time, usually measured in cumecs (cubic metres per
second)
Drainage Basin: The area of land drained by a major
river and its tributaries. Also called a ‘river basin’.
Drought: A prolonged period of weather that is drier than
usual.
Embankment: A raised riverbank built to prevent or reduce
flooding
Erosion: The wearing away of the land by material carried
by rivers and waves.
Estuary: The point at which a river begins to meet the sea.
The river will be tidal, meaning that it will have both salt
water and fresh water in it.
Evaporation: The process by which liquid, such as water,
changes to water vapour when it is warmed.
Evapotranspiration: The loss of moisture from water
surfaces and the soil (evaporation) and vegetation
(transpiration).
Flood: The flow of water over an area that is usually dry.
Floodplain: The wide, flat area at the bottom of a valley
which is often flooded.
Groundwater: Water stored underground in permeable
rocks.
Hydrograph: A graph showing changes in the discharge of
a river over a period of time.
Hydrological (water) cycle: The continuous recycling of
water between the sea, air and land.
Hydraulic action: Erosion caused by the sheer force of
water breaking off small pieces of rock.
Impermeable: A rock or soil that does not let water
pass through it.
Infiltration: The downward movement of water that
seeps into the soil or a porous rock.
Interlocking spur: Ridges of high ground that project
into V-shaped valleys. They occur on alternate sides of
a valley and interlink.
Lag time: The period of time between peak rainfall ad
peak river discharge.
Levee: An artificial embankment built to prevent
flooding by a river or the sea.
Meander: The winding course of a river
Mouth: The end of the river, where it meets the sea, or
a lake.
Overland flow: When water flows over the surface of
the ground. This occurs for a number of reasons: the
soil may be saturated and therefore be unable to
absorb any more water; the underlying rock may be
impermeable or the ground may be frozen.
Oxbow lake: A crescent-shaped lake which has been cut
off from the main river channel and abandoned.
Percolation: The movement of water through the soil or
underlying porous rock. This water collects as
groundwater.
Permeable: A rock or soil that allows water to pass
through it.
Precipitation: The deposition of moisture usually from
clouds. It includes rain, hail, snow, sleet, dew, frost and
fog.
Runoff: Rainfall carried away from an area by streams and
rivers.
Saltation: A process of transportation by rivers in which
small particles bounce along the bed.
Solution: A type of chemical weathering in which water
dissolves minerals in rocks.
Suspension: A process of transportation by rives in which
material is picked up and carried along within the water
itself.
Throughflow: The movement of water within the soil
sideways, towards the river.
Traction: A process of transportation by rivers in which
material is rolled among the bed.
Transpiration: The process by which water from plants
changes into water vapour.
Transportation: The movement of materials by rivers and
waves.
Tributary: A small river that flows into a larger river.
Velocity: The speed of the flow of the river
V shaped valley: A narrow, steep-sided valley formed as a
result of rapid erosion by a stream or river.
Waterfall: A sudden fall of water over a steep drop.
Watershed: The boundary separating two river basins.
Theme 2 - Case Study Questions
A place that has been affected by flooding
• Name the place that has been affected by flooding
• Describe the effects of flooding on people and the environment
• Explain what caused the place to flood
The effects of a flood and flood prevention
• For an area where flooding had taken place:
• Name the area
• Describe how the flood affected people and the environment
• Explain what is being done or could be done to prevent flooding in
this area
A landform that brings advantages and disadvantages to an area
• For a landform that you have studied:
• Name and locate the landform
• Describe how the landform was formed
• Explain how it brings advantages and disadvantages to an area
A coastal landform
• Name and locate the landform
• Describe the landform
• Explain how it was formed. Use diagrams to help
A scheme to change the supply of water
• Name a place where the supply of water had been,
or is being, changed by people
• Describe how the supply of water was, or is being
changed
• Explain how the changing water supply is affecting,
or will affect, different groups of people or
organisations
A sustainable coastal landform:
• Name a place where you have studied. Name the
landform and state whether it was created by
erosion or deposition
• Describe how the landform was created
• Explain how the river landform has been or is
being used by people and/or organisations