AQA AS Geography 'crib sheet' = Rivers, Population, Cold Envs, Energy

1. AS Geography ‘grey areas’, challenges, and other important concepts
All / many topics
 There’s no perfect solution
 It depends whose perspective you are considering
 Sustainability:(1) SEE; (2) Ec v Env usually in conflict;(3) no such thingas perfect sustainability
 Top down v bottom up management (e.g. re alternativetechnology, indigenous in tundra)
Rivers
 Hjulströmcurve – SAND easiestto erode (clay coagulates)
 Hydraulic radius =cross section area / wetted perimeter – larger = less friction / roughness so faster
 Deltas when rate of deposition > rate of removal by tides,waves, LsD – otherwise estuaries
 Braiding=fluctuatingflow (periglacial / monsoon areas)
 Rejuvenation – causes,landforms
 Not ‘hard’ (physical blockingof natural processes) v ‘soft’(working WITH natural processes) butholistic
 LDC flooding – greater emotional resilience?? (sh** happens,spirituality)
 The storm hydrograph (sketch even if not asked for) – urbanisation / deforestation “stories” – TERMS (less interception,
infiltration excess overland flow,or impermeable  steeper risinglimb, shorter lag time (flashier),higher peak discharge,
exceeds bankfull)
 READ UP PAKISTAN 2010 Taliban deforestation alleged, uncontrolled floodplain development (stage 3 DTM)
 Physical causes contrast(Brown Willy Effectv frozen jet stream  infiltration excess v saturated overland flow)
 SPECIFICS for IMPACTS of floodingin Pakistan 2010 v Boscastle2004 (S,E, E)
Cold Envs
 Glacial budget– accumulation v ablation –advanceor recession (some advancingTODAY due to accum)
 Depositional landforms / characteristics –glacial (UNsorted, angular,no layers,clay fromabrasion,boulders fromscree/
plucking) v fluvioglacial (sorted,sub-rounded, seasonal layers)
 Meltwater erosion – rapid,maybe glacial troughs,channels can go uphill dueto hydrostatics under ice
 Oil,REEs, uraniumetc (Alaska,Greenland)
 Krill pills (Southern Ocean) – keystone species,food webs
 Thermokarst (& attempted solutions –keep heat away from ground - stilts,gravel nottarmac etc)
 Periglacial –freezing / thawing – +9% vol
on surface frostshattering, gelifluction  felsenmeer, scree, solifluction lobes,nivation hollows
underground  frost heave  stone polygons,pingos,icewedges, etc
 Indigenous (Inuit, Sami) sustainablelifestyle,butthat’s changing… e.g. tourism,Greenland suiciderate,McDs
 Three general points of view in conflict:(1) exploitingTNCs, (2) ‘Western’ environmentalists / eco-groups,
BUT the interesting one = locals (indigenous and otherwise) – generally pro-development, pro-jobs,anti-greenwashing
(e.g. narwhal quotas) – obviously aimfor SUSTAINABILITY, but economic and social morethan environmental
 Fragile environment (easily damaged due to low biodiversity,slowto regenerate (cold and DRY – high P)
 READ YOUR CASE STUDY NOTES / CGP BOOK / ETC – especially reearly v more recent development
Population
 Stage 2/3 pyramid = concave[NB lower lifeexpectancy NOT higher death rate]
 UK c.130 years DTM 2  4, Thailand 30 years  problem = RAPID ageing
 Immigration / fertility link (UK,EU, Japan, USA)
 Importance of BRICs (NICs, MINTs) – rapid pop.growth (not Russia) AND largepopulations AND wealth
 The ‘demographic dividend’ – LDCs – IF education / employment [China in Africa…]
 Population policies – antinatal Thailand vpronatal Code de Famille,SingaporeNational Night,Denmark holidays,South
Korea government lights out LEARN THE SPECIFICS and how these aim for sustainable development
 SPECIFICS for East Marsh v Waltham (see my sheet / notes lastweek)
Energy
 USA, China & India
 Fossil fuel exporters mainly politically unstableetc. (Russia,MiddleEast,North Africa,socialistSouth America (Venezuela /
Bolivia etc)
 Fuelwood crisis(sub-Saharan Africaplus Nepal,Bangladesh,etc)
 Investingin renewable etc becauseeven if not economically viable now,it will become more so in future AND desireto be
‘in the lead’when it does
 “Renewable” (incl biofuels) notalways very sustainable… (or atleasthave many environmental side-effects) – e.g. HEP
methane & concrete, biofuel crops pesticideand eutrophication,etc
 Boserupian ideas (e.g. Elon Musk powerwall)
 EF Schumacher – “Small is Beautiful”(1973) – alternativetechnology, people-centred economics
 Energy conservation – more efficient (eg CHP), use less (eg jumpers, car sharing,Boris Bikes etc) - SPECIFICS
 LEARN SPECIFICS for Norway v Morocco (worksheet 07) – both going ‘renewable’, Norway keeping oil in the ground, etc.