GEOGRAPHY MYP/GCSE/DP
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      • Why do earthquakes do more damage in LICs than in HICs?
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      • Atmospheric system
      • The energy balance
      • Changes in the energy balance
      • The enhanced greenhouse effect
      • Climate Change and the Hydrosphere, Atmosphere and Biosphere
      • Impacts of climate change on people and places
      • Disparities in exposure to climate change risk and vulnerability
      • Government-led adaptation and mitigation strategies
      • Civil society and corporate strategies
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      • Global patterns and trends in the availability and consumption of water
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      • Water food and energy nexus
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      • Malthus vs Boserup
      • Resource Stewardship strategies
      • Sustainable Development Goals
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      • The drainage basin as a system
      • How rivers change from source to mouth
      • River discharge
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      • Flood mitigation
      • Flood mitigation case studies
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      • Agricultural activities and water quality
      • Pressures on lakes and aquifers
      • Internationally shared water and conflict
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      • Dams as multi-purpose schemes
      • Water management: Integrated Drainage Basin Management (IDBM)
      • Managing wetlands
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Climate Change and the Atmosphere, Hydrosphere and Biosphere

Subject Guide

Climate change and the hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, including:
  • water stored in ice and oceans, and changing sea levels
  • carbon stored in ice, oceans and the biosphere
  • incidence and severity of extreme weather events, including drought
  • spatial changes in biomes, habitats and animal migration patterns
  • changes to agriculture, including crop yields, limits of cultivation, soil erosion

1. Water stored in ice, oceans and changing sea levels

Watch the video clips and use these and your own reading to answer these questions:
  1. What is a glacier?
  2. Provide evidence that glaciers in different parts of the world are retreating.
  3. Why is Greenland's ice-sheet sometimes describes as "one of earth's canaries"?
  4. What would happen if the Antarctic ice sheet melted?
  5. How can global warming cause a thickening of ice sheets?
  6. According to satellites, by how much is sea level rising?
  7. Explain what thermal expansion is and how it causes sea level rise.
  8. Which areas are most in danger from sea level rise?
  9. What is Permafrost?
  10. What problems does melting permafrost cause?
  11. What possible benefits could the melting of arctic sea ice bring? What possible environmental and political problems might follow?
Time to listen to the ice scientists about the Arctic death spiral John Vidal Guardian article
Arctic shipping routes BBC
China and the Polar Silk Road - BBC
Sea level change in California LA Times
In 2017, the oceans were by far the hottest ever recorded - The Guardian

2. Carbon stored in ice, oceans and the biosphere

Use the textbook and the resources below to create a 1 side of A4 factfile on the effects of climate change on carbon in each of ice, oceans and biosphere.

a) Ice

Global impacts of rapidly disappearing sea ice - Yale Environment 360
Melting glaciers pose a carbon menace - Live Science
Carbon impact of melting ice


​b) Oceans

Ocean acidification National Geographic

c) Biosphere

Congo Basin Swamps - The Guardian
Carbon emissions from warming soils - The Guardian
Range of UK wild plants blooming in winter is changing - Guardian article
In the Arctic, More Rain May Mean Fewer Musk Oxen - NYTimes

3. Climate change and the incidence and severity of extreme weather events, including drought

Use the resources below to outline how climate change may attributed to an increase in severity and number of droughts around the world.
Understanding the link between climate change and extreme weather events
Hurricanes and heatwaves - The Guardian

4. Climate change and spatial changes in biomes, habitats and animal migration patterns

1) Use the links below to describe changes in the tundra as a result of climate change.
Arctic Going Green from Warming, Study Finds
Tundra Shrubs Turn into Trees as Arctic Warms
2) Use p173 of the textbook to describe how the Canada lynx responded to the impact of climatic change on its habitat?

3) 
​a) Outline then main importance of soil.
b. How is soil formed?
c. How long does it take to form 10cm of soil?
d. How does human activity affect soil erosion?
e. How many tonnes were lost in 2011 & what does that equate to in cost per person and annually to the global economy? 
f. How is fertile land being 'grabbed' from potentially vulnerable populations?
g. Why is the issue of soil degradation not "current news"?
​

5. Climate change and ​changes to agriculture, including crop yields, limits of cultivation, soil erosion

1. Explain what changes climate change may bring to crops in mid-latitudes and high-latitudes.
2. Why are rising levels of CO2 both good and bad for crop production?
3. Who are the IPCC and what countries/areas do they think will be most affected?
4. Define "soil erosion". Explain how the quality of organic matter in the soil could decline as a result of rising temperatures.... or increase.
5. What is Rice Leaf Blast and why could it be less of a problem in some areas and more of a problem in others?
6. Explain how climate change can hinder livestock production.
7. Produce a 2-3 line summary on the influence of climate change on agriculture.
agriculture-climate-change-september-2015.pdf
File Size: 447 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Benefits of climate change for the English wine industry
  • Home
    • Contact
  • MYP
    • Development >
      • An unequal world?
      • Billionaires investigation
      • Africa: the danger of a single story
      • Patterns of development
      • Trade and development
      • Fair Trade
      • Sustainable Development Goals
    • Tectonic Hazards >
      • What is risk?
      • Alfred Wegener and Continental Drift
      • Plate tectonics
      • Distribution of tectonic hazards
      • Measuring earthquakes
      • Why do people die in earthquakes?
      • School earthquake plan
      • Earthquake assessment
      • Volcanoes - what are they? Why are they important?
      • Volcano "Science Fair"
      • Causes of tsunami
    • Population >
      • Why study population?
      • Population distribution
      • Population growth
      • Population pyramids
      • Demographic transition model
      • Migration
      • Migration examples - case studies
      • Refugees in Indonesia
      • Population revision activities
    • Weather and Climate >
      • Weather vs Climate and why is it important?
      • Climate graphs
      • Why does it rain?
      • What affects temperature and why is Jakarta so hot and wet?
      • What causes wind and how do we measure it?
      • Microclimates
  • IGCSE
    • Course information
    • Physical: Hazardous environments >
      • Distribution of tectonic hazards
      • Causes of tsunami
      • Measuring earthquakes
      • Earthquake case study 1: Haiti
      • Earthquake case study 2: Christchurch
      • Why do earthquakes do more damage in LICs than in HICs?
      • How are volcanic eruptions measured?
      • Tropical storms - distribution
      • Causes of tropical cyclones
      • Tropical cyclones - case study
      • Why live in hazardous areas?
    • River Environments >
      • Hydrological cycle
      • River basins
      • Factors affecting river regimes
      • Fluvial processes: erosion
      • Fluvial processes: weathering and mass movement
      • Fluvial processes: transportation and depositon
      • River features and their formation
      • How rivers change from source to mouth
      • Uses of water
      • Water pollution
      • Water supply
  • IBDP
    • Changing population >
      • Global patterns of economic development
      • Physical and human factors affecting global population distribution
      • Case study 1: China
      • Case study 2: Niger
      • Demographic transition
      • Megacity growth
      • Forced migration and internal displacement
      • Ageing populations
      • Pro-natalist and anti-natalist policies
      • Gender equality policies
      • Trafficking policies
      • The Demographic Dividend
    • Global climate vulnerability and resilience >
      • Atmospheric system
      • The energy balance
      • Changes in the energy balance
      • The enhanced greenhouse effect
      • Climate Change and the Hydrosphere, Atmosphere and Biosphere
      • Impacts of climate change on people and places
      • Disparities in exposure to climate change risk and vulnerability
      • Government-led adaptation and mitigation strategies
      • Civil society and corporate strategies
    • Global resource consumption and security >
      • Progress towards poverty reduction
      • Measuring trends in global consumption
      • Global patterns and trends in the availability and consumption of water
      • Global patterns and trends in the availability and consumption of land/food
      • Global patterns and trends in the availability and consumption of energy
      • Water food and energy nexus
      • Recycling and waste
      • Malthus vs Boserup
      • Resource Stewardship strategies
      • Sustainable Development Goals
    • Freshwater - drainage basins >
      • The drainage basin as a system
      • How rivers change from source to mouth
      • River discharge
      • River processes
      • River landforms
      • Factors affecting flood risk
      • Attempts at flood prediction
      • Flood mitigation
      • Flood mitigation case studies
      • Water scarcity
      • Agricultural activities and water quality
      • Pressures on lakes and aquifers
      • Internationally shared water and conflict
      • Water management: participation of local communities
      • Dams as multi-purpose schemes
      • Water management: Integrated Drainage Basin Management (IDBM)
      • Managing wetlands
    • Leisure, Sport and Tourism >
      • Growth and purpose of leisure time
      • Categories of tourism and sport
      • Economic development and participation
      • Factors affecting personal participation
      • Factors affecting growth of tourism hotspots
      • Spheres of influencee
      • Factors affecting a national sports league
      • Festivals
      • Niche national tourism strategies
      • Role of TNCs
      • Tourism as a national development strategy
      • International sporting events
      • Consequences of unsustainable growth
      • Sustainable tourism
      • Future international tourism
      • Political and cultural influences on sport
    • Extended Essay in Geography >
      • Supervisor meetings
    • Skills/concepts >
      • Infographics
      • 4 Ps
      • Mock examination revision and preparation
  • Geography and ToK
  • Theory of Knowledge
    • Knowledge and Technology
    • Knowledge and Language
    • Knowledge and Politics
    • Knowledge and Religion
    • Knowledge and Indigenous Societies