Marine Processes

Marine Processes Erosional Processes Hydraulic action As a breaking wave hits a cliff a massive increase in pressure within cracks and fissures of the cliff can occur. When air within these fissures is trapped and compressed, massively increasing the pressure. As the wave falls back the there is an explosive effect of the air under pressure been released. This over a period of time may weaken and break off pieces of a rock or damage cliffs and sea defences. Abrasion Abrasion is the wearing away of a cliff by material the sea has picked up. Sand shingle and boulders are hurled at the cliffs by breaking waves. Over time this will do tremendous damage, abrasion is one of the most rapid and effective form of erosion on coasts which are exposed to storm waves. Attrition The process it which rocks already eroded from the cliffs, causing abrasion, are slowly worn down into smaller and more rounded particles. Solution (corrosion) Mainly the erosion of calcium based rock, such as limestone. Limestone can be dissolved by carbonic acid present in sea water. The evaporation of salts from water in the rocks produces crystals, these expand as they form, causing the rock to weaken and disintegrate. Transportational Processes Long-Shore Drift Most waves move toward the shore at a slight angle. Consequently the swash and backwash of the waves come off at different angles;

  • Word count: 581
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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Examine the effects of the impact of human activity on soil.

Examine the effects of the impact of human activity on soil. In the context of living in the modern world the environment is very important to study and maintain. As technology advances the world we live in is changing, but sometimes these changes are disturbing the balance of nature that has been well established for thousands of years. The effect that we are having on soil is often very detrimental; erosion is an ever-present problem all across the globe. I aim to investigate the impact that human activity has had on soil, and evaluate solutions to the problem. Initially it is important to look at what can be damaged and what the risk is to soils. The main threats include erosion, acidification, pollution, compaction, organic matter loss and salinisation. The increasing amounts of fertilizers and other chemicals applied to soils since World War II, has caused great concern over soil pollution. The application of fertilizers containing the primary nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, doesn't lead to soil pollution, the application of trace elements does. Sulfur from industrial wastes has polluted soils in the past. When lead arsenate was used on crops this had deadly effects but this is now outlawed due to these. The application of pesticides also leads to short-term soil pollution. Ploughing was once a major erosion-causing problem. The way it used to be

  • Word count: 1010
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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Drought in the Sahel Belt

Drought in the Sahel Belt ACTIVITY 5: The Sahel belt is a region in western Africa, forming a transition zone between the arid Sahara on the north and the wetter tropical areas of the south. The Sahel belt runs from Mauritania in the west to Chad in the east. The video which I watched, focused on the Sahel belt in a part of Burkino Faso. A relatively sparse Savanna vegetation of grasses and shrubs predominates. Rainfall averages between 102 and 203mm (4 and 8inches) a year and falls mostly from June to September; periods of low rainfall and drought are common, however. An extended drought in the Sahel, lasting from the late 1960's until the early 1980's the worst in 150 years, suggested and increasingly arid regional climate. Its effects were exacerbated, however, by the fact that unbalanced development projects-which allowed the size of cattle herds to increase as a result of better veterinary practices and the digging of wells, without a compensating increase in the marketing of the cattle-had led to overstocking and overgrazing in an extremely fragile environment. Nomadic herding and limited cultivation of peanuts and millet are possible in most areas in years of normal rain. July is often the rainy season in the Sahel, this is due to moist south-westerlie winds which are carried up to the Sahel belt, before converging with dry north-easterlie winds. Whereas in January

  • Word count: 575
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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To ehat extent is climate change a lot of hot air?

To what extent is climate change a lot of hot air? The term climate change describes a significant variation, occurring over centuries and millennia, to the global climate. Global warming refers to the global temperature rise due to the greenhouse effect. This is where CO2 and other greenhouse gases form a blanket in the atmosphere trapping heat from the sun as it is reflected off the earth's surface. It is common for the two terms to be confused as the same thing, this however is not true and it is important to consider this when looking at data. It is a difficult task to say whether or not climate change is a lot of hot air, as it depends on which data you use and how far back the data has been recorded. There is no doubt that the media is to blame for the hype surrounding the issue of global warming, with new horror stories emerging on a nearly daily basis. This can be seen by the fact that many people believe that over the past century global temperatures have risen by 2-3C when in fact it they have only risen by 0.6C. Stories warn us that we will be living in a tropical Britain where Malaria is prevalent and Norfolk will be submerged under the sea. In 2005 research showed that by doubling CO2 levels it would lead to a temperature rise of about 3C. Some other models showed temperatures rises to as much as 11C, when these stories were published the press was

  • Word count: 1650
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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Distinguish between the processes of erosion and weathering in an area undergoing glaciation.

Distinguish between the processes of erosion and weathering in an area undergoing glaciation. Erosion is defined as the removal and transport of earth materials by natural agents and can be split into two main categories. Abrasion (or corrasion) is the glacier's use of angular debris, held by the ice, to scrape away at the underlying rock. Evidence of this in an area undergoing glaciation are scratches on rock known as striations. Plucking involves the glacier freezing on to blocks of rock and pulling them away. Meltwater will assist in this plucking process: pressure builds up behind a protrusion of rock and so causes melting. The meltwater penetrates any cracks and freezes around the rock (regelation) which is then pulled out by the glacier. Weathering is similar to erosion in that it includes the breakup of rocks, just not the transportation of the materials formed as does erosion. The specific definition of weathering is the breakup of rock due to exposure to the atmosphere. The weathering of a rock by freeze-thaw action (or frost shattering) may break up rock in periglacial conditions before glaciers advance. At the early stage of corrie formation freeze-thaw action and possibly chemical weathering will weather rock beneath the accumulating patch of snow (the process of nivation). During glaciation, meltwater will give rise to freeze-thaw action at the base of the

  • Word count: 1624
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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Urban Areas have a significant impact on climatic characteristics Discuss.

Katie-Jane Sullivan "Urban Areas have a significant impact on climatic characteristics" Discuss. An urban area is characterised by a high population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas are created and further developed by the process of urbanisation. Other characteristics of urban areas include high rise buildings, good transport links and large amounts of vehicles. These characteristics, together with the high population density, means they have a significant impact on climatic characteristics. One climatic characteristic that urban areas affect is the cloud cover. Urban areas generally have 5-10% more close cover due to the greater concentration of condensation nuclei. This encourages the cloud formation due to the heating which increases the uplift of air. Similarly urban areas also have a significant impact on the precipitation levels. For example, urban areas are more prone to thunderstorms due to the enhanced convectional uplift. Another climatic characteristic that is affected is the wind. Urban areas have lower wind speeds due to the roughness of land surfaces. This is due to the varying height of buildings which exerts a fractional drag on the air moving over and around these buildings. This creates turbulence, giving rapid and abrupt changes in the wind speed and direction. Usually the greater area of buildings

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  • Word count: 1159
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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Tornados remain a frightening fact of life for those of us in the Midwest. These powerful acts of nature can wreak havoc on everything in its path of destruction.

Tornados "Dorothy lived with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a small farm in Kansas. Their tiny house stood alone on a large, flat prairie. Dorothy had only one friend, her dog Toto. He was a small black dog who loved to jump and play. One day while Dorothy and Toto were playing, they heard the awful sound of a storm. The wind roared and the dust blew smoky circles in the air. Dorothy was frightened. Uncle Henry stopped working and shouted, 'There's a cyclone coming, run for the cellar!' Tornados remain a frightening fact of life for those of us in the Midwest. These powerful acts of nature can wreak havoc on everything in its path of destruction. Tornado, twister, funnel, and cyclone: all are synonyms for the awesome force, which has intrigued and puzzled scientists for years. A tornado is the most violent of all storms. It is a violent rotating column of air extending from within a thundercloud or a developing thundercloud down to ground level. Tornados can vary in diameter from tens of meters to about two kilometers with an average diameter of approximately fifty meters. In the northern hemisphere, winds of the tornado generally blow counter clockwise around a center of extremely low atmospheric pressure. In the majority of tornadoes that occur in the southern hemisphere, winds blow clockwise. The peak wind speeds can range from 75 mph to almost 300 mph. Some of

  • Word count: 975
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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The aim of my study is to find out if Norsworthy Bridge is a honeypot.

. Introduction. 2. Map. (fig. 1) 3. Background information. 4. Methodology. 5. Data presentation. Q1 6. Data presentation. Q2 7. Data presentation. Q3 8. Data presentation. Impact surveys 9. Data presentation. Impact surveys 0. Data presentation. Q4 1. Data presentation. Q5 2. Conclusion and Evaluation The aim of my study is to find out if Norsworthy Bridge is a honeypot. There are a few questions I will be answering to help me decide if it is or not. * Is Norsworthy Bridge a honeypot? * What type of honeypot is it? * What conflicts are there and what impact the visitors have? * How is Norsworthy Bridge managed to reduce visitor impact but allow its continuing use? (Is it well managed?) * How can it be managed in the future? The area of study is Norsworthy Bridge, it is an area of great natural beauty. Norsworthy Bridge is a site next to Burrator reservoir where people of the local area flock to, to enjoy this site for a number of activities such as, cycling, walking, dog walking etc. But does this mean it is a honeypot? Attached fig 1 is a general location map of the area. A honeypot is a site of historical interest or natural beauty that large amounts of people visit. At a honeypot you may find the following, Car park Attractive scenery Toilets Wildlife Ice cream vans Signs Souvenir shops Busses Picnic areas Rock climbing

  • Word count: 1872
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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Climate Change: A Case Study

Name of the child : Mohammed Jannatul. Age: 12 years old. Sex: Male Address & family: Jannatul lives in a single room in the slum of khilkhet with his family of three. His father died and he lives with his mother and a brother. He has one sister who works as a domestic help in a family who provide her food and clothes but does not give any salary. Occupation: Janantul is a rickshaw puller. He pulls rickshaw inside Baridhara DOHS area. Impact on Working hour & Income: Jannatul generally works for 12 hours i.e. from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm. at night. He has to give the owner of the rickshaw Tk 80 everyday. He earns about Tk 350 normally if the weather is fine. However, change of weather affects his income as less people are at the street if there is more heat. Then his income faces a slump and his working hour increases. On the other hand, initially continues rain or depression is good for him as he gets a higher fare and tips from the passengers. But again he falls sick for being drenched in rain and thus cannot work for next one or two days. So again the income goes down. Health Hazard & Expenditure: Jannatul feels that in Dhaka city heat is increasing day by day. He suffers from sweating as he pulls rickshaw which is very hard physical task for a twelve-year-old. He bears the direct heat of the sun. He feels week and his entire body aches. "I don't feel like

  • Word count: 579
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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The Great Storm of 1987.

The Great Storm of 1987 In southern England, 15 million trees were lost, among them many valuable specimens. Trees blocked roads and railways, and brought down electricity and telephone lines. Hundreds of thousands of homes in England remained without power for over 24 hours. Falling trees and masonry damaged or destroyed buildings and cars. Numerous small boats were wrecked or blown away. A ship capsized at Dover, and a Channel ferry was driven ashore near Folkestone. The storm killed 18 people in England and at least four more in France. The death toll might have been far greater had the storm struck in the daytime. The Storm Gathers Four or five days before the storm struck, forecasters predicted severe weather on the following Thursday or Friday. By mid-week, however, guidance from weather prediction models was somewhat equivocal. Instead of stormy weather over a considerable part of the UK, the models suggested that severe weather would reach no farther north than the English Channel and coastal parts of southern England. During the afternoon of 15 October, winds were very light over most parts of the UK. The pressure gradient was slack. A depression was drifting slowly northwards over the North Sea off eastern Scotland. A col lay over England, Wales and Ireland. Over the Bay of Biscay, a depression was developing. The first gale warnings for sea areas in the

  • Word count: 1567
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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