A LEVEL OCR GEOGRAPHY FINAL EXAM 2025

A LEVEL OCR GEOGRAPHY FINAL EXAM 2025 Ablation - -The loss of ice and snow especially from a glacier through melting evaporation and sublimation Absolute humidity - -The mass of water vapor in a given volume of air Abstraction - -The extraction of water from rivers and boreholes for public water supply Abyssal plain - -The deepest part of the ocean covering vast areas of ocean floor submarine mountain chains and trenches interrupt the relatively flat plain Accumulation - -The addition or gain of snow and ice to a glacier overtime Acidification - -Decreasing pH e.g. Of the oceans due to an increase in the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere Active layer - -The near surface layer in a periglacial environment which seasonally freezes and thaws Adiabatic expansion - -The expansion of a parcel of air due to a decrease in pressure. Expansion causes cooling Advanced countries (ACs) - -Countries that share a number of important economic characteristics including well-developed financial markets high degrees of financial intermediation and diversified economic structures with rapidly growing service sectors Advection - -The horizontal movement of an air mass which often results in either heating or cooling Aeolian - -Erosion also transportations and depositional processes by the wind Aggradation - -The deposition of sediment in a river channel which results in a rise in the bed elevation Agribusiness - -A large scale farming practice e run on business lines Afro-ecosystems - -An ecosystem that is managed to produce food Alases - -Flat-floored steep side steep-side depressions in periglacial environments Geography Geography Albedo - -Proportion of sunlight reflected from a surface Algal bloom - -A rapid increase in algae in a water system Alkaloid - -A naturally occurring chemical compound the active ingredient in many medical drugs e.g. morphine Alluvial fan - -A cone of sediment deposited by the river where it leaves a steep upland course and enters a lowland area Abthropocene - -The current geological period where humankind is the main driver of environmental change Appropriate technology - -Technology which is appropriate in its context of use it is small scale can be managed and often uses skills available in the local community Aquifer - -A water-bearing band of porous or permeable rock Archipelago - -A closely grouped cluster of islands Arête - -A narrow knife edged ridge between two corries Artesian aquifer - -A confined aquifer containing groundwater that when tapped will rise to the surface under its own pressure Artesian pressure - -The hydrostatic pressure exerted on groundwater in a confined aquifer occupying a synclical structure Aspect - -The direction a slope faces Asthenosphere - -The layer in the earths mantle below the lithosphere the high temperatures cause the rocks to soften and become viscous meaning the can easily deform Asylum seeker - -A person who seeks entry to another country by claiming to be a refugee Atmosphere - -The thin envelope of gases (mainly nitrogen and oxygen) that surrounds the earth Attrition - -The erosion of sediment transported by rivers glaciers waves and wind Backwash - -Flow of water down a beach after a wave has broken Geography Geography Bajada - -A series of alluvial fans that merge to form a continuous apron of sediment along a mountain front in dry land regions Balance of payments - -Difference between a country's inflows and outflows of money, including all transactions with the rest of the world for goods and services flows of FDI and migrant remittances over a period of time Barchan - -A discrete crescent shaped sand dune with horns pointing downwind Barrage - -A dam built across an estuary or bay so that the rise and or fall in the tides can be used to generate energy by the turning of turbines Base flow - -Water input to streams and rivers from natural reservoirs such as aquifers, pear bogs, soils etc. Beach recharge - -The addition of sediment to a beach by humans to increase its size and volume Benioff zone - -Boundary between a subduction ocean plate and the over-riding continental plate at a destructive boundary Bio-prospecting - -The discovery and commercial exploitation of biological resources e.g. Genetic material in organisms Biodegrade - -The breakdown of a substance through biochemical reactions or the actions of organisms such as bacteria into different compounds Biodiversity - -The number of different plant, animal, fungi etc. Species in a given area Biodiversity hotspot - -A region that is rich in biodiversity and where species and habitats are threatened with destruction Biological weathering - -The breakdown of rocks through the chemical and physical action of living organisms Bioluminescence - -The ability of some organisms to generate light from their bodies Biopiracy - -The exploitation of medicinal drugs from wild environments by pharmaceutical companies with little or no benefit to indigenous people Biosphere - -The space at the earths surface and within the atmosphere occupied by living organisms Black smoker - -Hydrothermal vent on the ocean floor at constructive or destructive plate boundaries. The water carries a high amounts of metal sulphides Geography Geography Block disintegration - -Physical weathering of massive jointed rocks which result in boulder-sized rock debris Blockfield - -A large expanse of boulders strewn across a level surface, often in mountain environments Blue water navy - -A navy capable of operating away from its home bases and across the deep oceans Butte - -An isolated steep sided flat topped rock outcrop Caldera - -Large- scale volcanic crater formed as a result of an explosive eruption which emptied the magma chamber causing the volcano sides to subside Canopy - -The uppermost layer of treetops and branches in a forest or woodland ecosystem Cal and trade - -An internal scheme to control carbon emissions. A market-based solution to climate change where pollutants either cut their emissions or incur extra costs by buying tradable carbon credits Capital intensive - -High levels of investment in manufacturing in plant and machinery per employee Capital - -Accumulated wealth of any kind used in producing more wealth; this may include tangibles such as machinery, buildings, land, and intangibles such as money, investment finance, company stocks Capitalist - -The Socio-economic system in which production of goods and services takes place to generate profit. A key driving force in the system is people's desire for gain and self-interest. Cap rock - -A resident layer of rock often in a plateau-like surface, which protects older weaker rocks from denudation Carbon capture and storage - -The removal of CO2 from emissions by thermal power stations and its storage in disused oil and gas wells underground Carbon credits - -Allowances that permit given levels of CO2 emissions by businesses. Excess emissions must be covered by trading carbon credits Carbon fertilization - -Rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere which increase photosynthesis and stimulate plant growth Geography Geography Carbon offset - -Market-based approach to limiting carbon emissions. Businesses receive annual carbon quotas (credits). These can be sold/bought on international carbon markets. Carbon sink - -A long term store of carbon in ocean sediments, carbonate rocks