Geography paper 1

• Weather hazards


  • Global atmospheric circulation
  • Tropical storms
  • Pressure belts
  • Surface winds
• How global atmospheric circulation works

  1. Air at the Equator rises

  2. Air flows poleward

  3. Air sinks at 30 degrees north and south

  4. Air flows back towards the Equator
• Pressure belts


  • Equatorial low pressure
  • Subtropical high pressure
  • Polar low pressure
• Air at the Equator


  Rises due to convection
• Air at the polar latitudes

  Is colder and denser, so the air sinks towards the ground surface under high-pressure conditions
• Air at about 60 degrees


  Rises under low pressure conditions
• Circulation cells


  • Hadley Cell
  • Ferrel Cell
  • Polar Cell
• Surface winds


  Caused by the circulation cells
• Formation of tropical storms

  1. Air spirals rapidly under low pressure

  2. Rising air draws up moisture

  3. Spinning air forms an eye

  4. Rising air cools and condenses, forming clouds and rain

  5. Storm loses strength when it meets colder air
• Typhoon Haiyan was a category 4 or 5 tropical storm
• Climate change may increase the intensity and frequency of tropical storms
• Primary effects of Typhoon Haiyan

  • Widespread destruction
  • Flooding
  • Storm surge
• Secondary effects of Typhoon Haiyan


  • Disruption to power, communications, transport, fishing industry
  • Shortages of food and water
  • Spread of disease
• Responses to Typhoon Haiyan

  • Emergency aid
  • Rebuilding infrastructure
  • Mangrove replanting
• Weather hazards in the UK

  • Flooding
  • Storms
  • Droughts and heatwaves
  • Extreme cold
• Recent extreme weather events in the UK include severe storms and flooding
• Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the UK
• Causes of climate change

  • Human factors
  • Natural factors
• There is strong evidence for climate change, including rising temperatures, sea levels, and changes in weather patterns
• Effects of climate change

  • Environmental effects
  • Social effects
  • Economic effects
• Strategies to adapt to climate change

  • Improving flood defences
  • Changing agricultural practices
  • Relocating vulnerable communities
• Deforestation is the clearing of forests, often for agricultural or development purposes
• The rate of deforestation has slowed in recent decades but remains a significant issue
• Causes of deforestation


  • Logging
  • Clearing land for agriculture
  • Mining and infrastructure development
• Impacts of deforestation


  • Loss of biodiversity
  • Disruption of local communities
  • Contribution to climate change
• Values of tropical rainforests

  • Biodiversity
  • Carbon storage
  • Livelihoods for indigenous communities
  • Potential for medicinal discoveries
• Coastal processes include erosion, transportation, and deposition of sediment
• Coastal landforms are shaped by the interaction of geology and coastal processes
• Coastal landforms


  • Beaches
  • Cliffs
  • Caves, arches, and stacks
• Coastal management strategies


  • Hard engineering (e.g. sea walls, groynes)
  • Soft engineering (e.g. beach nourishment, managed realignment)
• River processes include erosion, transportation, and deposition of sediment
• River landforms


  • Meanders
  • Oxbow lakes
  • Gorges
• Factors affecting flood risk

  • Precipitation
  • Soil moisture
  • Vegetation cover
  • River management
• Hydrographs


  Graphs showing the volume of water flow in a river over time
• River management strategies


  • Flood defences
  • River restoration
  • Catchment management