AQA GCSE Geography Paper 1 Study Notes

Examination and Curriculum Overview

• Subject and Paper: GCSE Geography Paper 1, titled "Living with the physical environment."
• Examination Date: Friday 17 May 2024 (Afternoon session).
• Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Required Materials: OS map key insert, pencil, eraser, ruler, and a calculator.
• Assessment Structure:
  • Section A: The challenge of natural hazards (All questions compulsory).
  • Section B: The living world (All questions compulsory).
  • Section C: Physical landscapes in the UK (Choice of two questions from Coasts, Rivers, or Glacial).
• Scoring: Total available marks are 88. Question 01.11 specifically assesses spelling, punctuation, grammar (SPaG), and specialist terminology.

The Challenge of Natural Hazards

Arctic Sea Ice and Climate Change

• Historical Trends (1980–2020): Data regarding the volume of Arctic sea ice (measured in $km^3$) shows a significant decrease in both spring (April) and late summer (September) across four decades.
• Summary of Sea Ice Volume Data:
  • 1980: April volume was $32\,200\,km^3$; September volume was $16\,300\,km^3$.
  • 1990: April volume was $29\,900\,km^3$; September volume was $13\,800\,km^3$.
  • 2000: April volume was $27\,400\,km^3$; September volume was $11\,000\,km^3$.
  • 2010: April volume was $23\,900\,km^3$; September volume was $4\,700\,km^3$.
  • 2020: April volume was $22\,600\,km^3$; September volume was $4\,400\,km^3$.
• Evidence of Climate Change: The declining extent and volume of sea ice serve as physical indicators of rising global temperatures. Comparing the average September extent from 1981–2010 to current years shows a marked retreat of ice over the Arctic Ocean.
• International Agreements: Management of climate change often relies on global cooperation, such as the UN International Climate Change Conference (COP26 held in Glasgow, November 2021). These agreements are considered essential for setting global targets to reduce emissions and mitigate environmental damage.

Tectonic Hazards

• Plate Margins near South America:
  • The region involves the interaction between the Nazca Plate, the South American Plate, and the Antarctic Plate.
  • At the margin between the Nazca Plate and South American Plate, the Nazca Plate (oceanic) moves toward and under the South American Plate (continental) in a subduction process.
  • New crust is formed at divergent margins where plates move away from each other (Location Y in tectonic maps).
• Reasons for Living in Tectonic Risk Areas:
  • Fertile volcanic soils for agriculture.
  • Geothermal energy resources.
  • Tourism and economic opportunities (e.g., viewing volcanoes or seismic landscapes).
  • Extraction of minerals.
  • Social factors, including family ties and lack of choice/poverty.
• Tectonic Effects:
  • Primary Effects: Immediate results of the event, such as buildings collapsing during an earthquake in the Philippines or lava flows destroying homes during a volcanic eruption in La Palma.

Tropical Storms

• Management Strategies:
  • Immediate Responses: Search and rescue operations, providing emergency food/water, setting up temporary shelters, and medical aid.
  • Long-term Responses: Rebuilding infrastructure, restoring the economy, improving warning systems, and implementing stricter building codes to resist future storms.

The Living World

Tropical Rainforest Ecosystems

• Biodiversity: Rainforests maintain high levels of biodiversity due to the warm, wet climate (high insolation and rainfall) which supports year-round plant growth and multiple ecological niches (stratification).
• Threats to Biodiversity: Habitat loss via deforestation, climate change, and poaching.
• Food Webs: An ecosystem model showing complex feeding relationships. For example, orchid plants act as producers. If the population of top predators like jaguars increases, it is likely to reduce the number of monkeys (consumers) further down the food chain.
• Deforestation Trends in the Amazon (2004–2021):
  • Rates varied significantly: 2005 rate was nearly double the 2020 rate.
  • The lowest recorded annual rate was in 2012.
  • The annual rate for 2021 was $13\,000\,km^2$.
• Causes of Deforestation: Driven by activities including commercial cattle ranching, logging, subsistence farming, road building (e.g., Trans-Amazonian Highway), and mineral extraction.
• Sustainable Management: Selective logging, where only older or specific trees are felled, allows the canopy to remain intact and preserves the ecosystem for future regrowth.

Extreme Environments: Hot Deserts and Cold Environments

• Soil and Climate Interaction: In hot deserts, soils are often saline and sandy with little organic matter due to high evaporation. In cold environments, permafrost and low temperatures inhibit decomposition and lead to waterlogged or thin soils.
• Adaptations: Plants and animals develop specialized features to survive extreme precipitation and temperature levels.
  • Examples include xerophytic adaptations in desert plants (water storage, spikes) or thick fur/blubber and hibernation in cold environment fauna.

Physical Landscapes in the UK

Coastal Landscapes

• Managed Retreat: A coastal management strategy that involves allowing the sea to flood or erode an area of low-value land to reduce pressure on other areas.
• Hard Engineering: Concrete or artificial structures used to defend the coast, such as sea walls or groynes.
• Case Study Example: Dawlish Warren, Devon:
  • Features include a coastal spit (indicated by size and shape on OS maps) and shingle beaches.
  • Involves specific grid squares such as 9879 (hard engineering structures) and 9779 or 0079.
• Formation Processes: Coastal landscapes are shaped by erosion (e.g., hydraulic action, abrasion), transportation (longshore drift), and deposition.

River Landscapes

• Hydrology: River levels rise quickly after heavy rainfall in areas with steep slopes, impermeable rocks, or lack of vegetation (limited interception).
• Case Study Example: River Witham, Lincolnshire:
  • Drainage and relief are examined in grid square 0870.
  • Hard engineering methods identified in grid square 0970.
  • Distances along the Old River Witham can reach several kilometers (e.g., $1.2\,km$ to $3.6\,km$ depending on specific map points).
• Floodplain Features: Formed by repeated flooding and the deposition of fine sediment (alluvium) alongside the river channel.

Glacial Landscapes

• Abrasion: A process of glacial erosion where rocks trapped beneath the glacier scratch and smooth the bedrock underneath, acting like sandpaper.
• Case Study Example: Snowdonia:
  • Landforms include ribbon lakes (found in grid squares like 7109) and other erosional features in square 7112.
  • Glacially eroded valleys typically exhibit a U-shape with steep sides and a wide floor measured in meters (e.g., between points X and Y on an OS map).
• Glacial Deposition: Material transported by ice is deposited as till or moraine. Features include drumlins and various types of moraines, formed when the ice melts and can no longer carry its load.
• Tourism: Glaciated uplands attract tourists due to dramatic scenery (arêtes, corries), opportunities for outdoor recreation (hiking, climbing), and educational interest.