1.Question types
For the climate section, questions are taken from the following climatic regions:-
• Equatorial /Tropical Rain Forest
• Mediterranean
• Hot Desert
• Cold Desert (Tundra)
HINT Typical questions include:
1. Describe the climate of a region, (ES)
2. Match climate graphs to named areas on a world map (KU)
3. Describe the opportunities and problems associated with these climates (KU)
4. Draw or complete a climate graph (KU)
For environmental issues,questions are based on the following topics:-
• Deforestation, eg in Amazonia, the Congo Basin and SE Asia
• Desertification, especially in the Sahel region of North Africa
• Pollution of seas and oceans, eg Mediterranean, North Sea
• Development of the Tundra
2. How to Describe a climate graph
Temperature is shown, in degrees Celsius, on a line graph, with the figures being shown on the left side of the graph.
Rainfall is shown , in mm, by a bar graph, with the figures being shown down the right side of the graph.
2.1 Describing temperature:
Is the temperature the same all year round ?
Which season is the warmest?
Is this warm (10 - 20° C), hot (20- 30° C) or very hot (30° C)?
Which season is the coolest?
Is this mild ( 0 - 10° C), cold (-10 - 0° C) or very cold (below -10° C)?
What is the range of temperature? (subtract the minimum temperature from the maximum temperature)
Write down the temperature and state if it is warm, hot etc.
2.2 Describing Rainfall:
Does rainfall occur all year round?
What is the pattern of the rainfall (i.e. which season(s) is/are drier or wetter than others)?
Is the rainfall high, moderate or low?
What is the total annual rainfall? (add each month's total together)
2.3 The seasons of the year are different in the Southern hemisphere i.e. Australia's summer is November - February!!
3. Examples of a climate based questions from recent SQA paper., together with sample answer:
(a) Describe in detail the climate of the Equatorial Rainforest.
(b)Explain why so many Economically Less Developed Countries (ELDCs)continue
to cut down rainforest
(a) In order to gain full marks the candidate must write about temperature and
precipitation.
Temperature: minimum temperature 25 °C in Jan, Feb and December (1).
Maximum temperature 29 °C in May (1).
Temperature range = 4 °C
Temperature generally high all year round with several fluctuations (1).
Precipitation: maximum precipitation in September 350 mm (1), minimum in May
150 mm (1), rainfall all year (1).
(b) Answers could include: land is needed for settlement (1), land is used for ranching (1),
rainforest is cut down in order to improve infrastructure (1), land is used for mining (1),
many ELDCs have debt problems therefore cut down rainforest in order to raise
money to pay off debts (1), use money to raise the standard of living (1).
4. INTERACTIVE TASK Now click on the following web sites for more information and test questions:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/bitesize/standard/geography/weather_climate/climate_zones_rev4.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/scotland/education/bitesize/standard/gigaquiz?path=geography/weather_climate/climate_zones_test&infile=climate_zones_test
5. Case Study- Tropical Rain Forests
5.1 Background Photos-see Flickr photoshare site for wide range of photos on the Rain Forest.
5.2 The local effects of deforestation
Once the trees go, the soil becomes infertile in one or two years, so it's not good for farming; crop yields fall, often quite rapidly.
Hunting becomes more difficult for the people who live there as the habitat for wildlife is lost.
Clearing forests involves burning, which may get out of hand
Traditional people's cultures are also lost.
Trees removed
Nutrient cycle altered - fewer dead leaves to replenish soil.
Trees do not protect soil so nutrients are leached out by the rain and soil may be eroded.
Soil is now less fertile so regeneration is slow and there is less biodiversity.
The unprotected soil surface becomes dry and compacted, forming a laterite crust.
It is hard for rain to infiltrate the hard, baked soil, so there's rapid overland flow and flooding may occur.
Secondary forestry grows but has a less variety of species than the original primary forest.
5.3 The global effects of deforestation
The destruction of the rainforest is:
Reducing world-wide biodiversity.
increasing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (but this is a minor effect compared to burning fossil fuels for industry and transport)
losing valuable genetic material that may be useful to people in the future-pharmaceutical companies are searching for valuable medicines and drugs in rainforest areas.
Agricultural companies are also looking for wild strains of crops to cross with domestic crops. If species become extinct, then genetic diversity is lost.
affecting the weather patterns across the globe-the changes in humidity in deforested areas are creating less rainfall and having knock-on effects on savanna climates to the North and South. Rainfall is becoming more unpredictable.
5.4 Rainforest destruction does NOT
deplete the Ozone layer
destroy the world's oxygen supply
5.5 How can rainforests be managed?
•Agro-forestry - a combination of farming and forestry - a mixture of different crops and trees are planted together. This variety helps prevent insect damage and soil erosion, as well as maintaining natural soil fertility.
• Banning sales of valuable hard wood e.g. mahogany (but illegal logging may continue).
• 'Debt-for-Nature' swaps - less economically developed countries could have some of their debts reduced or rescheduled in return for setting up projects to protect their rainforests.
• Increased world trade in rainforest products at fair prices.
• National Rainforest Parks e.g. Korup in Cameroon. These act as wildlife reserves and may make some money by carefully managed eco-tourism.
• Portable sawmills to reduce damage caused by motor vehicles bringing logs to permanent sites.
• Tribal reserves for indigenous people so that local land rights and lifestyles can be respected.
5.6 INTERACTIVE TASK Now try the following quick test:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/gigaflat/geography/4rainforest2/4rainforest2_quiz.shtml
6. Case Study-Pollution of seas and oceans
5.1 Background Photos-see Flickr for photos on ocean pollution
Main causes of threats to ocean/sea:
-
Overfishing, factory fishing-many species at dangersously low levels
-
disposal of munitions, explosives-trapped in nets, washed ashore
-
raw, untreated sewage piped directly into sea
-
agricultural and industrial waste (eg fertilsers, pesticides, toxic waste) washed down by rivers into the sea
- oil spillages, tanker collisions, ship break-ups
- litter on beaches
6.2 Sample SQA Question 2
(a) Describe the location of the main sources of pollution throughout the
Mediterranean Sea area.
(b) What are the main causes of pollution throughout the Mediterranean Sea area?
(a) On the coast of Spain, SE Turkey, etc, there is a concentration of tourism (1).
Oil refineries are located on the coast of Algeria, Libya and the South of France (1).
Over 300 tankers sail the Mediterranean every day (1).
In North Italy there is an area of intensive faming in the Po valley (1).
Urban/industrial areas South and East of Spain, S France, around the Po River, etc (1).
(b) Causes of pollution might include:
large influx of tourists in summer to coasts increase in sewage (1) industrial waste from factories near coasts (1)
oil spills from shipping (accidental and deliberate) (1)densely populated areas along coast—domestic pollution (1)
pollutants from agriculture (1); oil spills from oil refineries (1)
7. Case Study Desertification
5.1 Background Photos see Flickr for background photos on desertification
<INSERT INFORMATION July 07 >
7.2 Sample SQA question 3
(a)Explain in detail the effects of desertification.
(b)Explain in detail the measures that have been taken to try to prevent desertification.
(a) ''Answers could include: as desertification increases this results in less grazing land for (1).
animals, especially those at the areas closest to the spread of the desert (1) and this
could result in a decline in the number of herds and hence a lack of food (1).
Waterholes dry up which means that a valuable source of water is lost to animals,
which could result in a decline in this source of food (1). As there is less land available
to farmers, overgrazing means that the vegetation has no time to regrow and will in the
long-term mean less food for the animals. (2)
Fertile soil can be eroded which means less soil available for farmers to grow crops
resulting in less food for the expanding population (2). Over cultivation of the land
due to desertification means that the valuable nutrients the soil needs to regenerate
from fallow periods do not occur therefore the soil becomes less fertile and will not be
able to grow as many crops (2)
(b) Education of locals will help them improve their farming technique and thus
hopefully help prevent desertification (1).Trees become protected in order to prevent desertification due to the loss of roots,
which help to bind the soil together (1).
Plant grass on the sand dunes as the roots will help prevent the sand being blown away
by the wind (1). Set aside certain areas of land where grazing is not permitted in order to let the land
regenerate and thus prevent desertification (1). Trees shelter soil from high temperatures and prevent sand moving (1).
Irrigation supplies water to land which helps to bind the soil together''
8. FURTHER READING
OIL SPILLS- http://www.georesources.co.uk/oilspill.htm
RAIN FOREST http://www.fao.org/NEWS/1999/990301-e.htm (just for the graph)
DESERTIFICATION-http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/nature/deserts/conserve_desertification.htm
MIND MAP-A summary mind map for environmental issues can be found at http://www.scalloway.org.uk/phye_mm.htm
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