TERM 2

• Contour intervals


  Lines that join areas of equal elevation
• Ridge


  A long, narrow route that joins two high points
• Saddle


  The lowest point between two high points
• Spur


  Sloping ridge that runs down to lower elevation (usually to water source)
• Peak


  Highest point of a mountain
• Valley


  Low area of land between two hills
• Satellite images


  An image taken from a satellite orbiting Earth
• Satellite images


  • Allow large areas to be seen and examined
  • Often alter natural colours to highlight spatial patterns more clearly
• Weather


  The day to day condition of the atmosphere at a particular place, shown by weather maps
• Climate


  Long-term weather, temperature, and precipitation patterns, for a place or region
• Isobars


  Lines drawn that join places of equal air pressure in hPa (hectopascals)
• The closer the isobars

  The stronger the winds
• Cold front


  Moving cooler air meets warm air, rapid drop in temperature & strong winds
• Choropleth maps


  Used to visualise data over a geographical area
• Cartogram maps


  Alter the geographical size of areas on maps by scaling a factor
• Water stress


  Water supplies drop below 1700m^3 per person, per year
• Water scarcity


  Water supplies drop below 1000m^3 per person, per year
• Absolute water scarcity


  Water supplies drop below 500m^3 per person, per year
• Crops with high water consumption

  • bovine meat
  • nuts
  • meats
  • eggs
• Crops with low water consumption

  • cereals
  • milk
  • fruit
  • vegetable
• Causes of water shortage

  • food production
  • over-extraction
  • growth of urban and industrial demand
• Climate change


  Can negatively affect some regions' food production, whilst others may benefit from higher temperatures and rainfall
• Effects of climate change

  • extreme weather events - greater frequency of extreme weather
  • changes in growing conditions - rainfall and distribution, changes in temp, soil moisture changes
  • pest invasion - increasing extent, type, and frequency of invasive species
• 4 main dimensions of food security

  • Availability
  • Access
  • Utilisation
  • Stability
• Availability


  Food supply and trade; quality, quantity, and diversity of food → improved by sustainable farming, well-managed natural resources, productivity policies
• Access


  Economic and physical access to food → improved by better market access for smallholders, allowing higher income from crops, livestock etc.
• Utilisation


  How the body uses nutrients in food → improved by better nutrition, food safety, and increased diversity in diet
• Stability


  Food security at all times; mitigating climate shocks, conflict, displacement, disease, rise in food prices
• Factors that can influence food production (and in turn, food security)

  • climate
  • topography
  • irrigation
  • pests & diseases
  • technology
  • environmental issues
• Light intensity (lux)


  Measured using light sensor
• Sediment texture


  Measured using grain size card
• Salinity (g/L or PPT)


  Measured using refractometer
• Quadrat


  3x3m quadrat
• Human wellbeing


  The recognition that everyone around the world, regardless of geography, age, culture, religion, or political environment, aspires to live well
• Indicators to measure wellbeing

  • Psychological e.g. HPI (happiness planet index), WHR (world happiness ranking)
  • Social
  • Cultural
  • Economic e.g. GNI (gross national income), Brandt line
  • Spiritual
  • Physical e.g. diet, life expectancy
  • Governance e.g. literacy rates, employment rates
• Overall measure

  HDI (human development index)
• Indicators are important for monitoring and evaluating progress (and lack of it), both quantitative and qualitative indicators
• Key dimensions of human wellbeing

  • Health
  • Social connections & relationships
  • Environment (present and future)
  • Education
  • Material living standards (income, consumption, wealth)
  • Personal activities i.e. work and leisure
  • Political participation (voting)
  • Security (economic and physical)
• UN's definition of development: 'to lead long and healthy lives, to be knowledgeable, to have access to resources needed for a decent standard of living and to be able to participate in the life of the community.'
• Wellbeing indicators for spatial variations


  • Life expectancy
  • Child mortality
  • Literacy
  • Gross National Product
  • Number of doctors per 1000 population