Human geography: landscapes of human activities pdf download

Predicted climate change and its impacts; alternative possible futures for local populations. Students must engage with a range of quantitative and relevant qualitative skills, within the theme landscape systems. These should include observation skills, measurement and geospatial mapping skills and data manipulation and statistical skills applied to field measurements.

Case study of a hot desert environment setting to illustrate and analyse key themes set out above and engage with field data exemplifying field data may be gathered in settings that experience some of the aeolian processes associated with mid and low latitude desert environments such as coastal dunes.

Case study at a local scale of a landscape where desertification has occurred to illustrate and analyse key themes of desertification, causes and impacts, implications for sustainable development. Evaluation of human responses of resilience, mitigation and adaptation. This section of our specification focuses on coastal zones, which are dynamic environments in which landscapes develop by the interaction of winds, waves, currents and terrestrial and marine sediments.

The operation and outcomes of fundamental geomorphological processes and their association with distinctive landscapes are readily observable. Student engagement with subject content fosters an informed appreciation of the beauty and diversity of coasts and their importance as human habitats. The section offers the opportunity to exercise and develop observation skills, measurement and geospatial mapping skills, together with data manipulation and statistical skills, including those associated with and arising from fieldwork.

Sources of energy in coastal environments: winds, waves constructive and destructive , currents and tides. Low energy and high energy coasts. This content must include study of a variety of landscapes from beyond the United Kingdom UK but may also include UK examples. Origin and development of landforms and landscapes of coastal erosion: cliffs and wave cut platforms, cliff profile features including caves, arches and stacks; factors and processes in their development.

Origin and development of landforms and landscapes of coastal deposition. Beaches, simple and compound spits, tombolos, offshore bars, barrier beaches and islands and sand dunes; factors and processes in their development.

Eustatic, isostatic and tectonic sea level change: major changes in sea level in the last 10, years. Coastlines of emergence and submergence. Origin and development of associated landforms: raised beaches, marine platforms; rias, fjords, Dalmatian coasts. The relationship between process, time, landforms and landscapes in coastal settings. Human intervention in coastal landscapes. Traditional approaches to coastal flood and erosion risk: hard and soft engineering.

Case study ies of coastal environment s at a local scale to illustrate and analyse fundamental coastal processes, their landscape outcomes as set out above and engage with field data and challenges represented in their sustainable management. Case study of a contrasting coastal landscape beyond the UK to illustrate and analyse how it presents risks and opportunities for human occupation and development and evaluate human responses of resilience, mitigation and adaptation.

This section of our specification focuses on glaciated landscapes. These are dynamic environments in which landscapes continue to develop through contemporary processes but which mainly reflect former climatic conditions associated with the Pleistocene era. Student engagement with subject content fosters an informed appreciation of the beauty and diversity of glaciated regions and the challenges they present for human habitation.

Physical characteristics of cold environments. Climate, soils and vegetation and their interaction. The global distribution of past and present cold environments polar, alpine, glacial and periglacial and of areas affected by the Pleistocene glaciations. Geomorphological processes — weathering: frost action, nivation; ice movement: internal deformation, rotational, compressional, extensional and basal sliding; erosion: plucking, abrasion; transportation and deposition.

Periglacial features and processes : permafrost, active layer and mass movement. This content must include study of a variety of landscapes from beyond the UK and may also include UK examples. Characteristic glaciated landscapes. Origin and development of landforms and landscapes of glacial deposition: drumlins, erratics, moraines, till plains.

Fluvioglacial landforms of erosion and deposition: meltwater channels, kames, eskers, outwash plains. Characteristic fluvioglacial landscapes. Periglacial landforms: patterned ground, ice wedges, pingos, blockfields, solifluction, lobes, terracettes, thermokarst.

Characteristic periglacial landscapes. The relationship between process, time, landforms and landscapes in glaciated settings: characteristic glaciated and periglacial landscapes. Concept of environmental fragility. Human impacts on fragile cold environments over time and at a variety of scales. Recent and prospective impact of climate change. Management of cold environments at present and in alternative possible futures.

Case study ies of glaciated environment s at a local scale to illustrate and analyse fundamental glacial processes, their landscape outcomes as set out above and engage with field data. Case study of a contrasting glaciated landscape from beyond the UK to illustrate and analyse how it presents challenges and opportunities for human occupation and development and evaluate human responses of resilience, mitigation and adaptation. This optional section of our specification focuses on the lithosphere and the atmosphere, which intermittently but regularly present natural hazards to human populations, often in dramatic and sometimes catastrophic fashion.

By exploring the origin and nature of these hazards and the various ways in which people respond to them, students are able to engage with many dimensions of the relationships between people and the environments they occupy. Study of this section offers the opportunity to exercise and develop observation skills, measurement and geospatial mapping skills, together with data manipulation and statistical skills, including those associated with and arising from fieldwork.

Nature, forms and potential impacts of natural hazards geophysical, atmospheric and hydrological. Hazard perception and its economic and cultural determinants. The Park model of human response to hazards. The Hazard Management Cycle. Earth structure and internal energy sources. Plate tectonic theory of crustal evolution: tectonic plates; plate movement; gravitational sliding; ridge push, slab pull; convection currents and sea-floor spreading.

Destructive, constructive and conservative plate margins. Characteristic processes: seismicity and vulcanicity. Associated landforms: young fold mountains, rift valleys, ocean ridges, deep sea trenches and island arcs, volcanoes. Spatial distribution, magnitude, frequency, regularity and predictability of hazard events. Short and long-term responses: risk management designed to reduce the impacts of the hazard through preparedness, mitigation, prevention and adaptation.

The nature of seismicity and its relation to plate tectonics : forms of seismic hazard: earthquakes, shockwaves , tsunamis, liquefaction, landslides. Spatial distribution, randomness, magnitude, frequency, regularity, predictability of hazard events.

Short and long-term responses; risk management designed to reduce the impacts of the hazard through preparedness, mitigation, prevention and adaptation.

The nature of tropical storms and their underlying causes. Forms of storm hazard: high winds, storm surges, coastal flooding, river flooding and landslides. Spatial distribution, magnitude, frequency, regularity, predictability of hazard events.

Impacts and human responses as evidenced by two recent tropical storms in contrasting areas of the world. Nature of wildfires. Conditions favouring intense wild fires: vegetation type, fuel characteristics, climate and recent weather and fire behaviour.

Causes of fires: natural and human agency. Case study of a multi-hazardous environment beyond the UK to illustrate and analyse the nature of the hazards and the social, economic and environmental risks presented, and how human qualities and responses such as resilience, adaptation, mitigation and management contribute to its continuing human occupation. This optional section of our specification focuses on the biosphere and in particular the nature and functioning of ecosystems and their relationships to the nature and intensity of human activities.

Study of the impact of population growth and economic development on ecosystems at various scales affords the opportunity for students to engage with fundamental contemporary people—environment issues including those relating to biodiversity and sustainability.

Study of this section offers the opportunity to exercise and develop observation skills, measurement and geospatial mapping skills, together with data manipulation and statistical skills including those associated with and arising from fieldwork. Dimensions of sustainability: natural, physical, social and economic.

Nature and features of sustainable cities. Concept of liveability. Case studies of two contrasting urban areas to illustrate and analyse key themes set out above, to include:. This optional section of our specification has been designed to explore the relationships between key aspects of physical geography and population numbers, population health and well-being, levels of economic development and the role and impact of the natural environment. Engaging with these themes at different scales fosters opportunities for students to contemplate the reciprocating relationships between the physical environment and human populations and the relationships between people in their local, national and international communities.

The environmental context for human population characteristics and change. Key elements in the physical environment: climate, soils, resource distributions including water supply. Key population parameters: distribution, density, numbers, change.

Key role of development processes. Global patterns of population numbers, densities and change rates. Global and regional patterns of food production and consumption. Agricultural systems and agricultural productivity.

Relationship with key physical environmental variables — climate and soils. Characteristics and distribution of two major climatic types to exemplify relationships between climate and human activities and numbers.

Climate change as it affects agriculture. Characteristics and distribution of two key zonal soils to exemplify relationship between soils and human activities especially agriculture. Soil problems and their management as they relate to agriculture: soil erosion, waterlogging, salinisation, structural deterioration. Global patterns of health, mortality and morbidity. Economic and social development and the epidemiological transition. The relationship between environment variables eg climate, topography drainage and incidence of disease.

Air quality and health. Water quality and health. The global prevalence, distribution, seasonal incidence of one specified biologically transmitted disease, eg malaria; its links to physical and socio-economic environments including impacts of environmental variables on transmission vectors. Impact on health and well-being. Management and mitigation strategies.

The global prevalence and distribution of one specified non-communicable disease, eg a specific type of cancer, coronary heart disease, asthma; its links to physical and socio-economic environment including impacts of lifestyles.

Role of international agencies and NGOs in promoting health and combating disease at the global scale. Factors in natural population change: the demographic transition model, key vital rates, age—sex composition; cultural controls. Models of natural population change, and their application in contrasting physical and human settings. Concept of the Demographic Dividend.

International migration: refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants: environmental and socio-economic causes, processes. Demographic , environmental, social, economic, health and political implications of migration. Population growth dynamics. Concepts of overpopulation, underpopulation and optimum population. Population, resources and pollution model: positive and negative feedback. Contrasting perspectives on population growth and its implications; Malthusian, neo-Malthusian and alternatives such as associated with Boserup and Simon.

Health impacts of global environmental change: ozone depletion — skin cancer, cataracts; climate change — thermal stress, emergent and changing distribution of vector borne diseases, agricultural productivity and nutritional standards.

Prospects for the global population. Projected distributions. Critical appraisal of future population-environment relationships. Case study of a specified local area to illustrate and analyse the relationship between place and health related to its physical environment, socio-economic character and the experience and attitudes of its populations. This optional section of our specification focuses on the large-scale exploitation of unevenly distributed natural resources, which is one of the defining features of the present era.

Increasing demand for water, energy and minerals and their critical role in human affairs leads to massive local and regional transfers of water and massive global transfers of energy and minerals. In this section students contemplate the fundamental relationships between the physical environment and human activities and wants and the relationships between people in their local, national and international communities involving themes of sustainability and conflict.

They engage with these themes in relation to energy, water and minerals but may concentrate on one or other in their case studies. Concept of a resource. Resource classifications to include stock and flow resources. Stock resource evaluation: measured reserves, indicated reserves, inferred resources, possible resources.

Natural resource development over time: exploration, exploitation, development. Concept of the resource frontier. Concept of resource peak. Sustainable resource development. Global patterns of water availability and demand. The geopolitics of energy, ore mineral and water resource distributions, trade and management.

Relationship of water supply volume and quality to key aspects of physical geography — climate, geology and drainage. Strategies to increase water supply to include catchment, diversion, storage and water transfers and desalination. Sources of energy, both primary and secondary. Components of demand and energy mixes in contrasting settings.

Relationship of energy supply volume and quality to key aspects of physical geography — climate, geology and drainage. Energy supplies in a globalising world: competing national interests and the role of transnational corporations in energy production, processing and distribution. Environmental impacts of a major energy resource development such as an oil, coal or gas field and associated distribution networks.

Strategies to increase energy supply oil and gas exploration, nuclear power and development of renewable sources. Sustainability issues associated with energy production, trade and consumption: acid rain, the enhanced greenhouse effect, nuclear waste and energy conservation. With reference to iron ore or a specified globally traded non-ferrous metal ore eg copper, tin, manganese. Sources of the specified ore.

End uses of the ore. Components of demand for ore. Role of specified ore in global commerce and industry. Key aspects of physical geography associated with ore occurrence and working: geological conditions and location. Environmental impacts of a major mineral resource extraction scheme and associated distribution networks.

Alternative energy, water and mineral ore futures and their relationship with a range of technological, economic, environmental and political developments. Case study of either water or energy or mineral ore resource issues in a global or specified regional setting to illustrate and analyse theme s set out above, their implications for the setting including the relationship between resource security and human welfare and attempts to manage the resource.

Case study of a specified place to illustrate and analyse how aspects of its physical environment affects the availability and cost of water or energy or mineral ore and the way in which water or energy or mineral ore is used. A-level Geography Specification Planning resources Teaching resources Assessment resources Key dates.

Subject content. Contents list. Changes for Introduction Specification at a glance Subject content 3. Previous 3.