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GCE MAY 2008 : (A2 1) Physical Processes and Human Interactions

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ADVANCED General Certificate of Education 2008 Geography assessing Module 4: Physical Processes and Human Interactions A2G11 Assessment Unit A2 1 [A2G11] WEDNESDAY 14 MAY, AFTERNOON TIME 1 hour 30 minutes. INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Write your Centre Number and Candidate Number on the Answer Booklet provided. Answer two questions. Answer one question from each of the two optional units you have studied. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES The total mark for this paper is 70. Quality of written communication will be assessed in all questions. Figures in brackets printed down the right-hand side of pages indicate the marks awarded to each question or part question. You are strongly recommended to read through and consider the questions before choosing those you are going to answer. This paper is accompanied by a Resource Booklet. SYNOPTIC ASSESSMENT The synoptic element of each question is indicated by syn. These synoptic elements require you to demonstrate an understanding of the connections between physical and human geography. A2G1S8 3341 Unit A: Managing Fluvial and Coastal Environments 1 (a) Study Resource 1 (page 2 of the Resource Booklet), which is a map showing the location of a retarding basin along Cardinia Creek, Melbourne. (A retarding basin is an area of land zoned to take overspill from a river system during times of flood.) (i) Using evidence from the map, suggest why the authorities may have decided to zone this stretch of the Cardinia Creek as a retarding basin. [6] (ii) Describe an alternative strategy which the authorities could have used to reduce the flood risk in this urban area and explain how this strategy would operate. [6] (b) Why might a coastal zone be considered to be an economic resource? [5] (c) With reference to a small scale case study of a coastal sand dune ecosystem: (i) describe the formation of this sand dune ecosystem; [6] syn (ii) describe and evaluate the remedial strategies which have been introduced to this ecosystem in order to reduce the impact of human pressure. [12] 2 (a) (i) Why is it necessary to consider the results of a cost/benefit analysis before commencing a coastal protection scheme? [4] (ii) Explain how soft engineering strategies aim to balance the need for coastal protection and environmental sustainability. [6] (b) Study Resources 2A and 2B (page 3 of the Resource Booklet), which show coastal engineering at Bangor Marina, N. Ireland. (i) Describe and explain the operation of one of the engineering strategies shown. [4] (ii) With reference to the Resources, briefly discuss reasons why hard engineering strategies were selected for use in this location. [6] syn (c) Modern river management reflects an increasing sensitivity to the need for habitat protection. Discuss this statement with reference to a small scale study of river management. A2G1S8 3341 2 [15] [Turn over Unit B: The Nature and Vulnerability of Tropical Ecosystems 3 (a) (i) In the context of ecosystems, what is productivity? [2] (ii) Describe and explain the contrast in productivity between tropical forest and tropical semi-arid ecosystems. [7] syn (b) Study Resources 3A C (pages 4 and 5 of the Resource Booklet) which illustrate agricultural land use in a tropical forest in Thailand. Describe and explain how this forested area is being managed for socio-economic and environmental sustainability. [12] (c) With reference to places for illustration purposes, contrast the impact on nutrient cycling of traditional slash and burn and large scale deforestation of tropical forest ecosystems. [14] 4 (a) Study Resource 4 (page 6 of the Resource Booklet) which is an account of one family s experience of water and irrigation changes in Pakistan. Describe the positive and negative impacts of water supply on this family. [8] (b) By their nature, tropical ecosystems are vulnerable when faced by the demands of human populations. Discuss and evaluate this statement with respect to tropical forest ecosystems, making reference to places for illustration. [12] syn (c) With reference to a regional scale case study, describe the causes of salinisation in the region and discuss the possible solutions to the problem. [15] A2G1S8 3341 3 [Turn over Unit C: Pollution and its Management 5 (a) With reference to places for illustration, explain the difference between rare and continuous pollution hazards. [5] (b) Study Resource 5 (page 7 of the Resource Booklet), which shows the results of a questionnaire survey into waste minimisation attitudes and behaviour in Exeter. (i) Explain why questionnaires are a useful means by which to study waste minimisation attitudes and behaviour. [3] (ii) For any one of the four waste minimisation options shown: compare the attitudes and behaviour of the respondents; suggest possible reasons for the differences. [8] (c) Resource 5 relates to the behaviour of individuals. Briefly describe one management strategy which a local authority may take in order to encourage waste minimisation amongst its residents. [4] syn (d) With reference to a regional scale case study of river pollution, describe the pollution management strategies implemented and evaluate their effectiveness. [15] 6 (a) Study Resources 6A and 6B (page 8 of the Resource Booklet), which show an advertisement from the energy company BP and information from its website. (i) The Resources suggest that UK householders and BP are trying to reduce their carbon footprints. With reference to both of these groups, explain why this might be the case. [5] (ii) Identify one way in which carbon dioxide emissions and hence carbon footprints may be reduced and comment on its potential effectiveness. [4] (iii) Briefly discuss the damage to the physical environment that may result if the efforts made to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are unsuccessful. [6] (b) With reference to places for illustration, describe the role that toxic metals such as lead may have in the pollution of the environment. [5] syn (c) The potential risks associated with radiation pollution outweigh the potential benefits. Discuss this statement with reference to a regional scale case study of nuclear resource development. [15] A2G1S8 3341 4 [Turn over Unit D: Natural Hazards and Human Activity 7 (a) Study Resource 7 (page 9 of the Resource Booklet) which describes the impact of an historic volcanic eruption in Iceland. (i) Outline the environmental and social hazards created by the Laki eruption. [6] (ii) With the aid of a diagram, explain why hazardous volcanic activity is associated with this type of plate boundary. [8] (b) With reference to places for illustration purposes, describe the potential economic and environmental benefits of volcanic activity. [7] syn (c) With reference to two small scale case studies of earthquake activity, discuss the influence of the stage of development on the management of the primary and secondary impacts. [14] 8 (a) Describe and evaluate the methods used to predict volcanic activity. [9] (b) Study either Resource 8A (page 10 of the Resource Booklet storm) or Resource 8B (page 11 of the Resource Booklet drought) concerning extreme weather in mid-latitudes. (i) Choosing either the storm or the drought, explain its atmospheric causes. [6] (ii) Using only the Resource, identify the social and economic impacts of your chosen event. [6] syn (c) With reference to a case study of a developed or developing country, describe the development of summer and winter monsoon airflows and their associated weather. [14] A2G1S8 3341 5 [Turn over THIS IS THE END OF THE QUESTION PAPER A2G1S8 3341 6 [Turn over ADVANCED General Certificate of Education 2008 Geography Assessment Unit A2 1 assessing Module 4: Physical Processes and Human Interactions [A2G11] WEDNESDAY 14 MAY, AFTERNOON RESOURCE BOOKLET A2G1S8 3341.02 RESOURCE 1 MAP OF MELBOURNE SHOWING LOCATION OF RETARDING BASIN m Cre ek e er Creek Gra s in ia S ey ton rd Ca Secondary College N BEACONSFIELD Retirement Village BERWICK Primary School (under constuction) Beaconsfield College Campus OFFICER Proposed Community Complex Ca rd in ia ee Cr k River / tributary with direction of flow Motorway or Freeway Retarding basin Proposed Freeway 3 9-1-07BP Residential area - under construction Primary road Residential area Secondary road Plant and animal sanctuary Minor road 2 30-10-06RR 500 metres Melbourne area OFFICER Suburb name 1 4/9/06EA Source: adapted from 2004 Melbourne and Surrounds Street Directory 39th edition (page 392) Universal Press Pty Ltd A2G1S8 3341.02 2 [Turn over COASTAL ENGINEERING AT BANGOR MARINA, N. IRELAND RESOURCE 2A Source: Principal Examiner 1 4/9/06EA 2 30-10-06RR 3 9-1-07BP RESOURCE 2B Source: Principal Examiner A2G1S8 3341.02 3 [Turn over AN AGROFORESTRY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, KOH SAMUI, THAILAND RESOURCE 3A PALM PLANTATIONS AND SECONDARY RAINFOREST Source: Principal Examiner RESOURCE 3B 1 4/9/06EA 2 30-10-06RR 3 9-1-07BP INTERCROPPING OF COCONUT PALMS AND BANANA PLANTS Source: Principal Examiner A2G1S8 3341.02 4 [Turn over RESOURCE 3C AGROFORESTRY A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO FOREST AGRICULTURE In tropical forest ecosystems from Brazil to Congo, Sri Lanka to Papua, farmers, businesses and governments are seeking to use forest lands in ways that are both environmentally and socio-economically sustainable. One common solution is to use an agroforestry system: under such schemes tall treebased products such as rubber or 20 N International Boundary oil-palms are grown as long-term MYANMAR National capital perennial (annually productive) LAOS crops. Beneath and between these VIETNAM trees other crops are grown. These may be smaller perennials such as cacao or coffee or even subsistence root crops such as yams or manioc. 16 N Resource 3A shows a forested THAILAND hillside on the island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. In the past, the primary forest here was cleared BANGKOK and has been replaced, either by secondary forest re-growth or by planted coconut palm plantations. CAMBODIA The palm trees mimic the natural 12 N forest structure by forming a canopy layer that provides shade Gulf of Thailand and shelter for the vulnerable soil VIETNAM and vegetation beneath. Strait of Malacca Koh Samui TH The combination of long-term cash crop production from the tree SOUTH species and the other crops grown N 8 N D N CHINA beneath the canopy, gives the SEA farmers flexibility when it comes to market changes. As Resource 3B 100km MALAYSIA shows, beneath the palm tree cover, 100 E 104 E a second cash crop has been grown, in this case bananas. These supply the local market for the Thai people and tourists alike. This agricultural system depends on careful management and abundant labour, one commodity readily available on the island. Koh Samui supplies over one million coconuts to the country s capital, Bangkok, every harvest season. AI 2 30-10-06RR 3 9-1-07BP LA 1 4/9/06EA Source: Principal Examiner A2G1S8 3341.02 5 [Turn over RESOURCE 4 WATER AND FARMING IN PAKISTAN: A FAMILY CASE STUDY Sodha Khan, is the father of five children. He owns 2 hectares of farmland in Nausheroferoze, irrigated by water from the Rahuki canal, 175 km away. In the mid-1970s, Sodha, in his late teens, moved to Parhiyar village due to a family feud in his native village. The water availability was good at that time and he could earn a living working the Parhiyar lands as a sharecropper. (A sharecropper is a farmer who farms a landlord s land paying the rent with a proportion of his harvest.) After a few years, water shortages, caused by poor management of the irrigation canal system in Parhiyar, forced Sodha to move back to Nausheroferoze. Here he worked on his two hectares of irrigated land for some years until it became degraded as a result of waterlogging. He could no longer earn a living from the crops so he and his family returned to Parhiyar village. Here the irrigation situation had worsened and Sodha could find no agricultural work. Like other men in the village he earned his living by cutting the bushes which grew on the abandoned land, to sell as firewood. This was an unsustainable activity: the bushes, and therefore his source of income, disappeared. We had to do odd jobs such as stone crushing for road construction , said Sodha. s In the last few years the situation in Parhiyar has improved dramatically, due to increased availability of water in the Rahuki canal feeding the village irrigation channel. The landowner s investment of 250 000 rupees to buy irrigation pumps and construct a pond, has improved the water supply for the villagers and village lands. Sodha says he now has ample opportunity for work, and during peak seasons he can earn 150 rupees a day. The improved employment situation is a direct result of UZB. TAJIKISTAN TURKMENISTAN CHINA the increased water flow in International boundary the canal. As a consequence, Cease-fire-line despite their poverty, Sodha Sindh province boundary and his family have managed National capital to save enough to construct ISLAMABAD UZB. Uzbekistan their own baked-brick house. 2 30-10-06RR 3 9-1-07BP Note: The villages and lands described in the case study are found in the Sindh province of Southern Pakistan, a desert region in which farming is made possible by the diversion of water from the Indus River along the Rahuki canal. 32 N Indu AFGHANISTAN PA K I S TA N INDIA N IRAN Sindh 200km Arabian Sea 64 E 72 E 24 N 1 4/9/06EA Source: adapted from www.aaas.org/international/ehn/waterpop/paki.htm A2G1S8 3341.02 6 [Turn over RESOURCE 5 GRAPH COMPARING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOUR IN RELATION TO WASTE MINIMISATION IN EXETER, ENGLAND percentage of respondents 100 80 60 40 20 0 Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Waste Minimisation Options Attitudes Actual behaviour Very unwilling or unwilling Rare or never Neither willing or unwilling Sometimes Willing or very willing Usually or always Waste Minimisation Options Option 1 Reduce the amount of produce bought which has excess packaging Option 2 When shopping, take a bag-for-life or reuse old plastic bags, rather than using new ones Option 3 Select items with wrapping that can be easily reused or recycled Option 4 Buy fewer disposable products 1 4/9/06EA 2 30-10-06RR 3 9-1-07BP Adapted from "Environmental Action in the Home: Investigating the Value-action gap" by Stewart Barr, 2006, published in Geography 91.1 pp 43-54 by the Geographical Association, www.geography.org.uk A2G1S8 3341.02 7 [Turn over RESOURCE 6A BP ADVERTISEMENT Source: The Times, 18 November 2005 RESOURCE 6B 3 9-1-07BP INFORMATION FROM THE BP WEBSITE 1 4/9/06EA 2 30-10-06RR As a major supplier of energy, we believe we have a responsibility to be a leader in finding and implementing solutions to climate change. BP was the first major energy company to publicly acknowledge the need to take steps against climate change. We are now investing $350 million over five years to reduce our internal CO2 emissions by up to one million tonnes each year. We are one of the world s biggest investors in lower carbon fuels and technologies. Source: accessed from www.bp.com; 4.8.2006 A2G1S8 3341.02 8 [Turn over RESOURCE 7 THE 1783 ERUPTION OF THE LAKI FISSURE, SOUTH ICELAND On 8 June 1783 a fissure with 130 small craters opened in South Iceland with lava fountains reaching 800 1400 m in height. The eruption, known as the Skaftar Fires, produced about 15 km3 of basalt lava, the second largest lava flow ever witnessed. More importantly, a hundred million tonnes of sulphur and toxic fluorine and chlorine gases were emitted. The gases were carried to altitudes of about 15 km. The eruption continued until 7 February 1784, but most of the lava was erupted in the first five months. A local parish priest wrote, In the past three weeks, more poison fell from the sky than words can describe: ash, volcanic hairs, rain full of sulphur and saltpetre, all of it mixed with sand. The snouts, nostrils, and feet of livestock grazing the grass turned bright yellow and raw. All water went tepid and light blue in colour and hillsides turned grey. All the plants burned, withered and turned grey as the fire increased and neared the settlements. c Ridge tlanti id-A M Haze from the eruption was reported as far away as Syria. In Scotland, the summer of 1783 was known as the sand-summer, due to local ash falls. In Iceland itself, the haze led to the loss of most of the island s sheep and cattle (by eating contaminated grass), crop failure (by acidified rain), and the death of 9000 people (by famine). There NORTH N is also evidence that fluorine EURASIAN AMERICAN gas released during the eruption PLATE PLATE killed many others. The population of Iceland fell by a 100km third in the years following. ICELAND Laki ge Mi dAt l an tic d In places the fog was so dense Ri people could not see the sun at all. Many trees lost their leaves in an instant. Snow one metre Atlantic Ocean deep covered Denmark in late May, which is very unusual. There were also ice floes on the Mississippi river at New Orleans, a unique event in that region. Volcano Source: adapted from various websites 1 4/9/06EA 2 30-10-06RR 3 9-1-07BP The climatic effects of the Laki eruption were impressive. In the atmosphere, aerosols built up causing a cooling effect in the Northern Hemisphere, estimated at 1 C. In the eastern United States, the winter average temperature was 4.8 C below the 225 year average. A2G1S8 3341.02 9 [Turn over RESOURCE 8A THE 1993 MIDLATITUDE STORM, EASTERN USA Between 12th and 15th March 1993, a major storm occurred on the east coast of North America. It stretched from Canada to Central America, but its main impact was felt in the eastern USA and Cuba. Atlanta, Georgia received up to 130 cm of snow, accompanied by 160 km/hr wind gusts and record low barometric pressures. Further south from Florida to Cuba, it created extreme storm surges in the Gulf of Mexico. These, along with scattered tornadoes, killed dozens of people. Temperatures accompanying the storm were unseasonably cold for early spring: average daily maximum temperatures in mid-March are around 11 C in Philadelphia and 18 C in Atlanta. During the 1993 storm these places were near or below freezing. Mid-latitude depressions are common during the winter months, but this particular storm was unusually intense. By the time it was over, it had caused between 2 3 billion of property damage and 270 deaths. At the time, it was by far the most costly mid-latitude depression in US history. 180 US A C Arctic ircle 0 120 90 150 CAN 60 ADA Gr eat UNI 30 Plains Weather forecasters saw, well in advance of the storm, that it would be extremely powerful, noting a combination of factors said to occur about once in 500 years. A disorganised area of low pressure that formed in the Gulf of Mexico joined an Arctic high pressure system in the Great Plains, brought into the mid-latitudes by an unusually steep southward jet stream. These factors combined to produce unusually cold temperatures across the eastern half of the United States. TED S TAT E S Halifax Philadelphia Atlanta n Atlantic Ocea In the South, where there is generally no reason to be prepared for snow removal, Florida Gulf of the storm is vividly remembered because Mexico Ce it resulted in a complete shutdown of the nt ra CUBA lA region for three days. Cities that rarely me ric a have snowfall, such as Chattanooga, 1000 km Tennessee, received about 1 metre of snow. The weight of record snows collapsed many factory roofs in the South. Electricity was not restored to many isolated rural areas for a week or more. Every airport from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Atlanta, Georgia was closed. Source: adapted from several websites 1 4/9/06EA 2 30-10-06RR 3 9-1-07BP Tropic of Cancer A2G1S8 3341.02 10 [Turn over RESOURCE 8B THE UK DROUGHT OF 1976 Even thirty years later, whenever there is a period of hot weather, it is not long before the year of 1976 comes up in conversation. Day after day of hot sunshine from a clear blue sky was nothing short of a miracle for the holiday maker, a nightmare for farmers and in particular the fire fighters, as across the UK woods and heathland burned. The Great Drought of 76 was not just about a long hot summer. It was the culmination of a prolonged period of low rainfall. The summer and autumn of 1975 were very dry, as was the following winter and the spring of 1976. The total rainfall at Kew in London from the beginning of October 1975 to the end of August 1976 was just 235 mm or 43% of the long term average. In parts of Cornwall during April, no rain fell. June was rainless in some districts of Devon and Kent as were places in North Wales during August. The summer of 1976 was the hottest summer recorded in the UK to that date. As well as the heat, Britain was in the middle of a severe drought, exacerbated by the hot, dry conditions. The truly remarkable heat wave occurred in late June and early July. For 15 consecutive days from 23 June to 7 July temperatures reached 32 C somewhere in England. Temperatures reached 35.6 C in Southampton, the highest June temperature recorded in the UK. The mean air pressure over this period was five millibars above average. Sea surface temperature anomalies in the Atlantic and intensification of the upper westerly winds helped to maintain high pressure anticyclonic conditions over or near to the British Isles. Consequences of the 1976 drought Devastating heath and forest fires broke out in parts of Southern England, where one fire destroyed 50,000 trees. Agriculture was badly hit, with 500 million worth of crops failing. Reservoirs were at an extremely low level, as were some rivers, and standpipes were in use in Devon. In Surrey, the Fire Brigade answered 11 000 fire related calls in five months. Concern was expressed about the effect of the fires on the habitats of rare birds such as the Dartford Warbler. 3 9-1-07BP As the ground dried out causing clay to shrink, thousands of subsidence claims poured into insurance companies. Overall costs amounted to 60 million. 2 30-10-06RR The peak of the drought coincided with the holiday season and much of the south west of Britain could not cope with the increased demand for water. A Drought Act was passed and half a million people in Wales had their water supplies cut off. 1 4/9/06EA British Rail stopped washing their trains. Source: adapted from BBC news website A2G1S8 3341.02 11 [Turn over 3 9-1-07BP 2 30-10-06RR 1 4/9/06EA Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright holders may have been unsuccessful and CCEA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgement in future if notified. S 6/07 528-007-2 [Turn over

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Additional Info : Gce Geography May 2008 Assessment Unit A2 1 Module 4: Physical Processes and Human Interactions
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