Physical Geography:
4 markers:
Water and Carbon Cycle: Explain the concept of dynamic equilibrium in relation to the water cycle.
Dynamic equilibrium is the balance between inputs and outputs within a system. Dynamic
equilibrium can be affected by changes in the closed system of the water cycle however within the
water cycle the subsystem of a drainage basin is open and changes such as human activity can cause
significant change within a rivers natural river regime. An example of this would be building
reservoirs that causes surface storage of water that would usually be discharge can lead to strategic
Water Supply Changing output of such as flood events causing change to the natural equilibrium.
Water and Carbon Cycle: Explain the concept of carbon sequestration.
Carbon sequestration is the removal of carbon dioxide and while this happens within biosphere
through photosynthesis. Another human example is carbon capture and storage to remove carbon
from the atmosphere from industrial plants into liquid form to put in boreholes in the basaltic rock.
Another example of the concept is in ocean’s where carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean and is
stored within and allows from chemical reactions to take place.
Coastal systems and landscapes: Outline the role of waves in the transportation of sediments at
the coast.
Waves act as a transfer in the open system of coasts as they use their energy to transfer eroded
material. As material is eroded from coastal landforms such as cliffs and wave cut platforms. Waves
then transport the sediment through traction (rolling), saltation (jumping), suspension (held in
suspension in the water), and solution (dissolved) sediment to a different part of the coastline. Due
to the number of reasons waves could lose their energy such as decrease in wind or shallower waters
this then means that the water will be deposited in another area and could then moved by waves on
longshore drift (littoral) drift.
Coastal Systems and landscapes: Outline the role of waves in the transportation of sediment at the
coast.
Waves transfer sediment due to littoral drift, where sediment is moved in a zig-zag motion parallel to
the coastline as the squash influenced by the prevailing winds goes up the beach at an angle and in
pulled back by gravity in the backwash perpendicular to the coastline. Another way that waves
transport sediment is the different types of waves were constructive waves usually occurring on low-
energy coastline increase deposition due to there stronger swash and destructive waves usually
occurring on a low-energy coastline increase erosion transporting sediment away due to there
stronger backwash.
Hazards: Outline the concept of Hazard Management Cycle.
Hazard management cycle is circular diagram showing how management should take place before,
during and after a hazard. Before a hazard takes place including forecasting and prediction. After the
hazard happens there will be immediate response including search and rescue. This will also be
characterised with media cover which will decrease over time as an immediate recovery takes place
with reconstruction of local buildings. It then goes to explain after the event were mitigation and
adaption techniques will take place to help reduce the impacts of further events such as
earthquakes-resistant buildings in prone areas.
,Hazards: Outline factors which lead to formation of mudflows a volcanic hazard.
Mudflows are caused by volcanic eruption are associated with volcanic ash/tephra and water. This
water can be contributed from either rapid melting of glaciers, caused the heat from the eruptions
these are often called Johlkusups or the occurrence of large amounts of water from precipitation
such as monsoon season or tropical storms. They also occur as a mass movements meaning that
gravity is required to move the lahars so often forming on composite volcanoes will follow down
slope and often collect a significant amount of speed when channelled into a river valley. An example
of mudflow that caused significant damage was the Nuzela De Armeo that killed 20,000 people due
to the high volume and speed of mudflows.
6 markers: Analysis
Water and Carbon Cycle: Figure 1 shows information about freshwater abstraction in Finland in
2020. Analyse the data shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 shows how the total water use of 2 billion m^3/yr is both abstracted then used before
returning to rivers. Firstly, 68%, 1.36 billion, more water is abstracted from surface water compared
to groundwater where surface water contributes at least 8/10 of its water to self-abstracted water
and 2/10 to tap water. The largest water usage is fish farming 920 million m^3/yr equating to just
under half of the water use in total. The second largest total usage of water supply with 32%, 640
m^3/yr meaning that these two industries use just under 80% of all water supply with Finland.
Interestingly, agriculture has the smallest usage of water with just 2% which is less than water
lost/gained to evaporation and precipitation at 2.8%. While at just under a ¼ of water is abstracted
from groundwater all water returned to rivers with over half returned directly or through small-scale
facilities to rivers. The rest of the water returned to rivers is either released by private just under 3/5
and local authority just over 2/5 of 42% of water released WWTP’s.
Water and Carbon Cycle: Analyse the data shown in Figure 1. (6 marks)
This figure shows a 11-year period of the impacts of different rates of deforestation and
afforestation on land temperature. Overall, there is a trend that deforestation causes a
warming of around 0.5.-0 degrees with at least 4/5 of -50% of the forest experiencing this.
Afforestation we see a decrease in temperatures 0-(-0.) degrees decrease with 3/5 of 50% of
forest experiencing this. In the Northern Hemisphere we see more deforestation than
afforestation -10% average of forest change showing more weight towards the deforestation
side. However, in the Southern hemisphere we do see a positive increase 10% but excluding
the anomaly seen 15-25 degrees south of the equator with -1.5-(-1.7) degrees being further
from the cluster. Interestingly there is more temperature variation on the deforestation side
with 3.2-degree difference compared to the afforestation with 2.2 degrees difference. This
graph is quite hard to understand and read as it is difficult to tell the actual percentage
change due to the size of the block representing the forest change. It is also quite hard to
relate to spatial distribution on the earth making it harder to understand. Also on the key
the two difference land surface have a different numbers of classification with decrease in
land surface temperature only having 4 instead of 6 categories compared to increase in
temperature.
Coastal Systems and Landscapes: Analyse the data shown in Figure 3. (6 marks)
, In 2004, we see the coast of Europe being dominated by accretion of sediment with areas of
the Baltic Sea, Sweden and Finland having over 1,500km of accretion coastline. However,
there is also a high level of erosion on the coastline with areas such as Italy, Northern Ireland
seeing more erosion than accretion which contrasts the trend in most countries like France,
Sweden, and England. Another piece of data shown in 2004 is stable coastline which is not
as dominant s erosion and accretion but still prominent around North Spain, South Portugal,
and most of the islands like Azores Iland and Canary Islands which could show correlation
between islands having a more stable coastline. An anomaly can be seen in Britian were on
the south coastline most shows accretion coastline but Yorkshire the coastline of
Holderness, erosion is higher here than acceleration covering 50km of coastline on the
7500km area of the South British coastline. When evaluating this representation of data, it
can sometimes be unclear especially when looking in small detail such as Canary Islands the
actual data. Also, as the data only covers European Countries large areas such as Slovenia
and Croatia meaning key information of 750km of coastline is lost.
Hazards: Analyse the data shown in Figure 9a and Figure 9b. (6 marks)
Figure 9a shows the economic costs over 27-year time scale highlighting selected disasters and
number of global reported disasters over time. The Kobe Earthquake is displayed to be the first major
economic cost for a selected disaster in 1995 which made up 65% of all global economic costs of
reported disasters. Interesting after this we see a 1.78 increase in number of globally reported
disasters. Interesting both Figure 9a and 9b show that economic cost for storms including hurricanes
making up over 4/5 of the economic costs from storm including hurricanes interestingly using Figure
9a 71% of all economic costs that year are from 3 hurricanes of Harvey, Irma and Maria however
these only made up 33% of all globally reported disasters. An anomaly could be observed in
occurrence and number of deaths because floods have the highest percentage on both making up
over 30% more than however in economic costs it is approximately 5% of global reported disasters.
In Figure 9a we see another anomaly in that between 1990-1997 there is lower record global
disasters ranging between 280 to 210 but relatively high economic costs ranging between $110 and
$60 billion. But when looking between 2000 and 2003 there are must lower economic costs however
the number of globally reported disasters is twice as high than the lowest recorded number of
reported disasters at 210.
6 Markers Knowledge:
Coastal Systems and Landscapes: Using Figure 6 and your own knowledge, asses the
relative importance of factors leading to the development of this landform. (6 marks)
Figure 6 shows a spit that has been developed over the Humber Estuary creating a low-
energy environment, a key factor of creating a spit due to as the energy reduces causing
deposition a flocculation to take place building up the spit. A bigger factor that has influence
on the development of a spit is Longshore (littoral) drift were in Holderness it is southward
moving, this caused by the prevailing that successfully helps to transport the longshore drifts
sediment Northeast causing the beach along this part of the coastline to be drift-aligned and
longshore drift can transport sediment within the sediment cell. However, due to the
Huasdorff dimensions of the coastline it is not straight and will lead to a change in direction
of coastline. This is another less important part of creation of a spit as it doesn’t depend on
the angle or gradient as it will appear if there is any change in direction away from the
4 markers:
Water and Carbon Cycle: Explain the concept of dynamic equilibrium in relation to the water cycle.
Dynamic equilibrium is the balance between inputs and outputs within a system. Dynamic
equilibrium can be affected by changes in the closed system of the water cycle however within the
water cycle the subsystem of a drainage basin is open and changes such as human activity can cause
significant change within a rivers natural river regime. An example of this would be building
reservoirs that causes surface storage of water that would usually be discharge can lead to strategic
Water Supply Changing output of such as flood events causing change to the natural equilibrium.
Water and Carbon Cycle: Explain the concept of carbon sequestration.
Carbon sequestration is the removal of carbon dioxide and while this happens within biosphere
through photosynthesis. Another human example is carbon capture and storage to remove carbon
from the atmosphere from industrial plants into liquid form to put in boreholes in the basaltic rock.
Another example of the concept is in ocean’s where carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean and is
stored within and allows from chemical reactions to take place.
Coastal systems and landscapes: Outline the role of waves in the transportation of sediments at
the coast.
Waves act as a transfer in the open system of coasts as they use their energy to transfer eroded
material. As material is eroded from coastal landforms such as cliffs and wave cut platforms. Waves
then transport the sediment through traction (rolling), saltation (jumping), suspension (held in
suspension in the water), and solution (dissolved) sediment to a different part of the coastline. Due
to the number of reasons waves could lose their energy such as decrease in wind or shallower waters
this then means that the water will be deposited in another area and could then moved by waves on
longshore drift (littoral) drift.
Coastal Systems and landscapes: Outline the role of waves in the transportation of sediment at the
coast.
Waves transfer sediment due to littoral drift, where sediment is moved in a zig-zag motion parallel to
the coastline as the squash influenced by the prevailing winds goes up the beach at an angle and in
pulled back by gravity in the backwash perpendicular to the coastline. Another way that waves
transport sediment is the different types of waves were constructive waves usually occurring on low-
energy coastline increase deposition due to there stronger swash and destructive waves usually
occurring on a low-energy coastline increase erosion transporting sediment away due to there
stronger backwash.
Hazards: Outline the concept of Hazard Management Cycle.
Hazard management cycle is circular diagram showing how management should take place before,
during and after a hazard. Before a hazard takes place including forecasting and prediction. After the
hazard happens there will be immediate response including search and rescue. This will also be
characterised with media cover which will decrease over time as an immediate recovery takes place
with reconstruction of local buildings. It then goes to explain after the event were mitigation and
adaption techniques will take place to help reduce the impacts of further events such as
earthquakes-resistant buildings in prone areas.
,Hazards: Outline factors which lead to formation of mudflows a volcanic hazard.
Mudflows are caused by volcanic eruption are associated with volcanic ash/tephra and water. This
water can be contributed from either rapid melting of glaciers, caused the heat from the eruptions
these are often called Johlkusups or the occurrence of large amounts of water from precipitation
such as monsoon season or tropical storms. They also occur as a mass movements meaning that
gravity is required to move the lahars so often forming on composite volcanoes will follow down
slope and often collect a significant amount of speed when channelled into a river valley. An example
of mudflow that caused significant damage was the Nuzela De Armeo that killed 20,000 people due
to the high volume and speed of mudflows.
6 markers: Analysis
Water and Carbon Cycle: Figure 1 shows information about freshwater abstraction in Finland in
2020. Analyse the data shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 shows how the total water use of 2 billion m^3/yr is both abstracted then used before
returning to rivers. Firstly, 68%, 1.36 billion, more water is abstracted from surface water compared
to groundwater where surface water contributes at least 8/10 of its water to self-abstracted water
and 2/10 to tap water. The largest water usage is fish farming 920 million m^3/yr equating to just
under half of the water use in total. The second largest total usage of water supply with 32%, 640
m^3/yr meaning that these two industries use just under 80% of all water supply with Finland.
Interestingly, agriculture has the smallest usage of water with just 2% which is less than water
lost/gained to evaporation and precipitation at 2.8%. While at just under a ¼ of water is abstracted
from groundwater all water returned to rivers with over half returned directly or through small-scale
facilities to rivers. The rest of the water returned to rivers is either released by private just under 3/5
and local authority just over 2/5 of 42% of water released WWTP’s.
Water and Carbon Cycle: Analyse the data shown in Figure 1. (6 marks)
This figure shows a 11-year period of the impacts of different rates of deforestation and
afforestation on land temperature. Overall, there is a trend that deforestation causes a
warming of around 0.5.-0 degrees with at least 4/5 of -50% of the forest experiencing this.
Afforestation we see a decrease in temperatures 0-(-0.) degrees decrease with 3/5 of 50% of
forest experiencing this. In the Northern Hemisphere we see more deforestation than
afforestation -10% average of forest change showing more weight towards the deforestation
side. However, in the Southern hemisphere we do see a positive increase 10% but excluding
the anomaly seen 15-25 degrees south of the equator with -1.5-(-1.7) degrees being further
from the cluster. Interestingly there is more temperature variation on the deforestation side
with 3.2-degree difference compared to the afforestation with 2.2 degrees difference. This
graph is quite hard to understand and read as it is difficult to tell the actual percentage
change due to the size of the block representing the forest change. It is also quite hard to
relate to spatial distribution on the earth making it harder to understand. Also on the key
the two difference land surface have a different numbers of classification with decrease in
land surface temperature only having 4 instead of 6 categories compared to increase in
temperature.
Coastal Systems and Landscapes: Analyse the data shown in Figure 3. (6 marks)
, In 2004, we see the coast of Europe being dominated by accretion of sediment with areas of
the Baltic Sea, Sweden and Finland having over 1,500km of accretion coastline. However,
there is also a high level of erosion on the coastline with areas such as Italy, Northern Ireland
seeing more erosion than accretion which contrasts the trend in most countries like France,
Sweden, and England. Another piece of data shown in 2004 is stable coastline which is not
as dominant s erosion and accretion but still prominent around North Spain, South Portugal,
and most of the islands like Azores Iland and Canary Islands which could show correlation
between islands having a more stable coastline. An anomaly can be seen in Britian were on
the south coastline most shows accretion coastline but Yorkshire the coastline of
Holderness, erosion is higher here than acceleration covering 50km of coastline on the
7500km area of the South British coastline. When evaluating this representation of data, it
can sometimes be unclear especially when looking in small detail such as Canary Islands the
actual data. Also, as the data only covers European Countries large areas such as Slovenia
and Croatia meaning key information of 750km of coastline is lost.
Hazards: Analyse the data shown in Figure 9a and Figure 9b. (6 marks)
Figure 9a shows the economic costs over 27-year time scale highlighting selected disasters and
number of global reported disasters over time. The Kobe Earthquake is displayed to be the first major
economic cost for a selected disaster in 1995 which made up 65% of all global economic costs of
reported disasters. Interesting after this we see a 1.78 increase in number of globally reported
disasters. Interesting both Figure 9a and 9b show that economic cost for storms including hurricanes
making up over 4/5 of the economic costs from storm including hurricanes interestingly using Figure
9a 71% of all economic costs that year are from 3 hurricanes of Harvey, Irma and Maria however
these only made up 33% of all globally reported disasters. An anomaly could be observed in
occurrence and number of deaths because floods have the highest percentage on both making up
over 30% more than however in economic costs it is approximately 5% of global reported disasters.
In Figure 9a we see another anomaly in that between 1990-1997 there is lower record global
disasters ranging between 280 to 210 but relatively high economic costs ranging between $110 and
$60 billion. But when looking between 2000 and 2003 there are must lower economic costs however
the number of globally reported disasters is twice as high than the lowest recorded number of
reported disasters at 210.
6 Markers Knowledge:
Coastal Systems and Landscapes: Using Figure 6 and your own knowledge, asses the
relative importance of factors leading to the development of this landform. (6 marks)
Figure 6 shows a spit that has been developed over the Humber Estuary creating a low-
energy environment, a key factor of creating a spit due to as the energy reduces causing
deposition a flocculation to take place building up the spit. A bigger factor that has influence
on the development of a spit is Longshore (littoral) drift were in Holderness it is southward
moving, this caused by the prevailing that successfully helps to transport the longshore drifts
sediment Northeast causing the beach along this part of the coastline to be drift-aligned and
longshore drift can transport sediment within the sediment cell. However, due to the
Huasdorff dimensions of the coastline it is not straight and will lead to a change in direction
of coastline. This is another less important part of creation of a spit as it doesn’t depend on
the angle or gradient as it will appear if there is any change in direction away from the
