Key term
AQA A-Level Geography 7037
Water and Carbon Cycles
Topic overviewSystems, Stores and FlowsMass Balance in Water and Carbon StoresFieldwork and the Rainforest Case StudyMeasures of Central Tendency and DispersionSpearman's Rank, Chi-Square and Data AnalysisScatter Graphs, Triangular Graphs and Logarithmic ScalesAtlas, Thematic and Flow-Line MapsOS Maps, Sketch Maps and Field SketchesRemote Sensing, GIS and Big DataQualitative Data, Questionnaires and InterviewsSampling, Accuracy and Measurement ErrorData Misuse and Research EthicsThe Global Water StoresEvaporation, Condensation and Cloud FormationPrecipitation and Cryospheric ProcessesThe Drainage Basin as an Open SystemInfiltration and Overland FlowThe Water Balance EquationFlood HydrographsHuman Impacts on the Water CycleThe Global Carbon StoresPhotosynthesis, Respiration and Carbon TransferFarming, Land Use and Carbon SinksGreenhouse Gases and Links between the CyclesFeedback Loops and Climate ChangeCarbon Sequestration and MitigationMass Balance in a Drainage BasinUnit Conversion and Flux CalculationsLine Graphs, Bar Graphs and Pie ChartsWater and Carbon Cycles in the Tropical RainforestThe Amazon rainforest case studyStores within a River CatchmentTransfers and the Controls on Catchment HydrologyThe River Eden catchment case study
Hot Desert Systems and LandscapesLandscape
Topic overviewDeserts as Systems: Inputs, Stores, Flows and FeedbackDesert Climate, Soils and VegetationThe Aridity IndexEnergy, Sediment and Geomorphic Processes in DesertsThermal Fracture and Rock BreakdownDeflation, Abrasion and Aeolian TransportDesert Water Sources and Ephemeral StreamsDeflation Hollows, Yardangs and ZeugenBarchan and Seif DunesWadis, Bahadas and PedimentsPlayas, Inselbergs and Landscape DevelopmentObservation, Measurement and Mapping in DesertsDeath Valley hot desert case studyThe Causes and Definition of DesertificationEnvironmental Impacts of DesertificationHuman Impacts and Responses to DesertificationDesertification on the Yatenga plateau, Burkina Faso
Coastal Systems and LandscapesLandscape
Topic overviewEnergy Inputs to the Coastal SystemCoastal Flows and FeedbackWaves, Tides and Sediment CellsMarine Erosion and Transport ProcessesCliffs, Notches and Wave-Cut PlatformsBeaches, Spits and BarsSand Dune Formation and SuccessionEstuaries, Mudflats and SaltmarshSea Level Change and Coastlines of SubmergenceEmergent Coastlines and Present Sea Level RiseHard Engineering at the CoastSoft Engineering and Managed RetreatThe Holderness coast case studyThe Sundarbans and the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta
Glacial Systems and LandscapesLandscape
Topic overviewGlaciers as Systems: Inputs, Stores and FlowsIce-Albedo and Negative FeedbackDynamic Equilibrium, Landforms and LandscapesThe Glacial Mass Budget and Ice MovementThe Distribution of Cold EnvironmentsClimate, Soils and Vegetation in Cold EnvironmentsCorrie FormationGlacial Troughs and Hanging ValleysRoches Moutonnées, Drumlins and ErraticsMoraines, Till and Fluvioglacial LandformsPeriglacial Landforms and ProcessesThermokarst and Landform DistributionThe Fragility of Cold EnvironmentsImpacts and Management of Cold EnvironmentsFieldwork Skills in Glaciated EnvironmentsGlacial Case Study RequirementsCwm Idwal and the Ogwen valley case studyAlaska as a contrasting glaciated landscape
HazardsHazards or ecosystems
Topic overviewNatural Hazards: Types, Perception and ResponsesThe Park ModelThe Hazard Management CycleThe Internal Structure of the EarthPlate Tectonic Theory and Plate MovementPlate Margins and SeismicityWhere Vulcanicity OccursVolcanic Hazards and Eruption MagnitudeVolcanic Prediction, Impacts and ResponsesA Recent Volcanic EventHow Earthquakes HappenSeismic Hazards, Distribution and MagnitudeEarthquake Prediction, Impacts and ResponsesFocus, Epicentre and Seismic VulnerabilityThe 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunamiTropical Storm Formation and IntensificationTropical Storm Hazards, Distribution and MagnitudeThe Impacts of Tropical StormsManaging Storm Risk in Contrasting PlacesTyphoon Haiyan and Hurricane Maria comparedWildfires and Vegetation TypeWeather Conditions and Wildfire RiskCauses of IgnitionPrimary, Secondary and Environmental Impacts of WildfiresSocial, Economic and Political Impacts of WildfiresShort- and Long-Term Responses to WildfiresWildfire Preparedness, Prevention and AdaptationThe 2018 Camp FireThe Philippines as a multi-hazard environmentLiving with Vesuvius in the Naples area
Ecosystems Under StressHazards or ecosystems
Topic overviewBiodiversity Levels and Causes of DeclineBiodiversity Loss and Ecosystem ServicesEcosystem Structure, Trophic Levels and Food WebsEcosystem Inputs, Outputs, Stores and TransfersBiomass, Net Primary Production and SuccessionNutrient Cycling, Climate and SoilEnvironmental Controls and Ecosystem FeedbackBiomes and the Tropical Rainforest EnvironmentRainforest Stratification and AdaptationsSavanna Climate, Soils and AdaptationsHuman Impacts on the Tropical RainforestHuman Impacts on the SavannaSuccession and Climatic ClimaxTemperate Deciduous WoodlandPlagioclimax and Heather MoorlandCoral Reef Conditions, Services and StressesHuman Pressures and Coral Reef ManagementThe Great Barrier Reef: Extent and BleachingCrown-of-Thorns Starfish and Reef TourismLocal Ecosystems: Heathland, Parkland, Ponds and DunesAdaptations to Dry EnvironmentsAgriculture, Urbanisation and Invasive SpeciesEcological Change and Conservation StrategiesSustainability and Stakeholder ConflictStudying Local Ecosystems and Ecological ChangeThe Sefton Coast sand dunes case studyEcological change in Borneo
Global Systems and Global Governance
Topic overviewGlobal Flows of Capital, Labour, Goods and InformationGlobal Patterns of Production and DistributionTransport and Communications in GlobalisationSecurity, Tariffs and Trade BarriersForms of Global InterdependenceUnequal Flows and Global StabilityWorld Trade Patterns and Market AccessTransnational CorporationsTrade in Food and Manufactured GoodsCase Study: A Transnational CorporationWhat Global Governance MeansScales of GovernanceThe Global CommonsThe Physical Character of AntarcticaThe Southern Ocean and Climate Threats to AntarcticaThreats to Antarctic ResourcesThe Antarctic TreatyUNEP, NGOs and the Limits of Antarctic GovernanceBenefits and Costs of GlobalisationConflict, Environmental Costs and Critiquing Globalisation
Changing Places
Topic overviewWhat Place MeansEndogenous Factors: Location, Physical and Built SettingEndogenous Factors: Demographic and EconomicExogenous Factors, Relationships and ConnectionsContinuity and Change in PlacesLocal and Contrasting Place StudiesDetroit as a contrasting place studyMigration, Investment and Cultural Change in PlacesPolicy as an External Force on PlaceThe Legacy of Past ConnectionsGlobal Networks and Changing Place CharacteristicsInequality and Access between PlacesLived Experience and Shaping Place MeaningsRepresenting Place and Contested MeaningsThe Requirements of a Place StudySources for Place Studies
Contemporary Urban EnvironmentsHuman option
Topic overviewUrbanisation and Its Related ProcessesThe Drivers of UrbanisationDeindustrialisation, Decentralisation and Regeneration PolicyMegacities and World CitiesWhat Shapes Urban FormCultural Diversity and Urban SegregationNew Urban Landscapes and the Post-Modern CityEconomic Inequality within CitiesManaging Urban Inequality and DiversityEmployment Programmes and Top-Down StrategiesThe Urban Heat Island and Urban PrecipitationUrban Winds and Air QualityImpermeable Surfaces and Urban CatchmentsUrban HydrographsSustainable Urban Drainage SystemsRiver Restoration and the Benefits of SUDSWho Delivers River RestorationCheonggyecheon river restoration in SeoulSources and Composition of Urban WasteRecycling, Recovery and Waste DisposalLandfill and Incineration ComparedUrban Air and Water PollutantsDereliction and Pollution in Contrasting CitiesManaging Urban Pollution and DerelictionThe Local Environmental Impact of CitiesDimensions of Urban SustainabilityCompact Form, Mixed Use and LiveabilityContrasting Urban Case Studies
Population and the EnvironmentHuman option
Topic overviewThe Physical Environment and PopulationGlobal Food Production and Agricultural SystemsTropical Wet and Semi-Arid ClimatesZonal Soils: Chernozems and LatosolsSoil Erosion and Its ManagementWaterlogging, Salinisation and Soil StructureThe Dimensions of Food SecurityStudying Climatic Types and Zonal SoilsGlasgow: place and health case studyHealth, Morbidity and the Epidemiological TransitionPhysical Environment and DiseaseMalaria: Distribution, Impacts and ManagementCoronary Heart Disease and Non-Communicable DiseasesGlobal Health Initiatives and Disease StudiesThe Demographic Transition ModelFertility, Population Structure and the Demographic DividendMigrant Types and Causes of MigrationPush and Pull Factors in MigrationThe Components of Population ChangeOptimum Population and Resource DemandEcological Footprint and Population–Resource TheoriesOzone Depletion and Human HealthClimate Change, Heatwaves and Vector-Borne DiseaseClimate Change, Food Supply and NutritionGlobal Population ProjectionsJapan's population decline
Resource SecurityHuman option
Topic overviewStock and Flow Resources and ReservesResource Certainty and Development StagesResource Frontiers, Peaks and Sustainable DevelopmentEnvironmental Impact AssessmentGlobal Production and Consumption of Energy and MineralsThe Geopolitics of Energy, Minerals and WaterWater Sources and DemandWater Supply StrategiesThe Colorado River water supply schemeThe Costs of Supply and Managing DemandWater Conflict and Major Supply SchemesEnergy Types, Mix and Physical Controls on SupplyTNCs, National Interests and Energy ImpactsIncreasing Energy Supply: Unconventional, Nuclear and RenewableReducing Energy DemandEnvironmental Impacts and Sustainability of EnergyThe Alberta oil sands developmentChoosing a Mineral Ore Case StudyDemand for and Occurrence of Mineral OresThe Environmental Cost of Mineral ExtractionThe Bingham Canyon copper mineSustainability in Mineral SupplyAlternative Energy FuturesAlternative Water FuturesMineral Ore FuturesDrivers of Resource TransitionsResource Security and Human Welfare
Coastal Systems and Landscapes
- 14 subtopics
- 46 things to know
- Component 1
- Component 1 Section B, one landscape system of three
What Coastal Systems and Landscapes covers
The coast as a sediment system: the energy that enters it, the erosion and deposition that follow, and the landforms produced as sea level has risen and fallen. Closes on how coastlines are defended. One of three landscape options in Section B of Component 1.
Where it is assessed
Component 1
Section B, one landscape option of three.
Check the AQA specification ↗The 14 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Energy Inputs to the Coastal SystemRecall questions on wind, waves, the sun and tides as sources of energy entering a coastal system.Open →
- Coastal Flows and FeedbackRecall questions on sediment movement and wave energy transfer as flows, and on how cliff collapse can amplify change.Open →
- Waves, Tides and Sediment CellsRecall questions on coastal energy sources, wave energy and fetch, swash and backwash, constructive and destructive waves, high- and low-energy coasts, tides, tidal range, spring and neap tides, and sediment cells, budgets and sources.Open →
- Marine Erosion and Transport ProcessesRecall questions on hydraulic action, corrasion, attrition, solution, wave quarrying and cavitation, on traction, saltation, suspension and solution as transport, on longshore drift and its direction, and on the sub-aerial processes that act alongside them.Open →
- Cliffs, Notches and Wave-Cut PlatformsRecall questions on what starts cliff formation, how a wave-cut notch undercuts the face and what follows the collapse of the overhang.Open →
- Beaches, Spits and BarsRecall questions on beaches, wave energy and beach profile, berms, how longshore drift builds and extends simple and compound spits, and on tombolos, offshore bars, barrier beaches and barrier islands.Open →
- Sand Dune Formation and SuccessionRecall questions on where dune sand comes from and how wind and obstacles build dunes, on the succession from embryo dunes and foredunes through yellow and grey dunes to dune slacks and mature dunes, and on pioneer species.Open →
- Estuaries, Mudflats and SaltmarshRecall questions on estuaries, the conditions and fine sediment that form mudflats, flocculation, and on saltmarsh development through pioneer plants and surface accretion, with changing vegetation, zonation and creeks.Open →
- Sea Level Change and Coastlines of SubmergenceRecall questions on eustatic change through thermal expansion, ice sheets and glaciers, isostatic change and rebound, tectonic change, sea level since the last glacial maximum, coastlines of submergence and emergence, and rias, fjords and Dalmatian coasts.Open →
- Emergent Coastlines and Present Sea Level RiseRecall questions on Dalmatian coasts, raised beaches and marine platforms, and on thermal expansion as a driver of rising seas.Open →
- Hard Engineering at the CoastRecall questions on what coastal intervention seeks to control and on the structure and function of sea walls and groynes.Open →
- Soft Engineering and Managed RetreatRecall questions on soft engineering through beach nourishment, dune stabilisation, managed retreat and cliff regrading, its advantages and drawbacks against hard engineering, Shoreline Management Plan policies, Integrated Coastal Zone Management, cost-benefit analysis and conflicting stakeholders.Open →
- The Holderness coast case studyThe Holderness coast as a UK case study of rapid cliff erosion in soft glacial till, the sediment it feeds south to Spurn Point, and the costs and consequences of defending Mappleton, Easington and the rest of the coastline.Open →
- The Sundarbans and the Ganges–Brahmaputra deltaThe Sundarbans mangrove coast of the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta as a contrasting coastal landscape beyond the UK, covering its depositional processes, cyclone and sea level risks, polders and shrimp farming, and how its communities respond.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Name one category of material input to a coastal system besides energy.
Key term
What happens to wave energy after it has done work on the coastline?
Key term
Give an example of a flow that moves sediment within a coastal system.
Key term
How does increased beach sediment create negative feedback affecting cliff erosion?
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Give two examples of coastal landforms.
Key term
What are the four main sources of energy in a coastal system?
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Which three factors determine how much energy a wave carries?
Key term
What are the characteristics of a destructive wave?
Key term
Name the processes of marine (wave) erosion.
Key term
Define corrasion (abrasion) at the coast.
Key term
Define solution (corrosion) as a marine erosion process.
Key term
What process initiates cliff formation at the coast?
Key term
How do caves form in coastal cliffs?
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Why is the balance between marine erosion rate and weathering important for cliff form?
Key term
What is a berm?
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What causes the recurved ends on compound spits?
Key term
Define a barrier beach.
Key term
What are embryo dunes?
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What are dune slacks?
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What type of environment is required for mudflat formation?
Key term
What type of plants first colonise mudflats in saltmarsh development?
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Why does saltmarsh vegetation show zonation?
Key term
How do ice sheets affect eustatic sea level?
Numbers
How much lower was global sea level at the end of the last glacial maximum compared to present?
Numbers
Describe the pattern of sea level change since the last glacial maximum.
Key term
What is a coastline of emergence?
Key term
Define a raised beach.
Key term
How might climate change increase coastal flooding?
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What is coastal squeeze?
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What does human intervention in coastal landscapes aim to control or influence?
Key term
Describe the structure and function of sea walls.
Key term
What are gabions and how do they reduce erosion?
Key term
Explain how beach nourishment protects a coastline.
Key term
What does the 'hold the line' policy mean in a Shoreline Management Plan?
Key term
Define Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).
Process
How fast is the Holderness coast eroding?
Process
How many settlements have been lost to erosion on the Holderness coast?
Process
What coastal defences were built at Mappleton in 1991?
Process
How do mangroves act as mitigation against coastal hazards in the Sundarbans?
Process
How does shrimp farming increase risk in the Sundarbans?
Process
Why is the Sundarbans a low-energy depositional coast?
Process
Explain how wave energy is generated, and define fetch and a sediment cell.
Process
Explain how a wave-cut notch leads to cliff retreat.
Process
Describe foredunes, yellow dunes and grey dunes.
Process
Describe sea level change since the last glacial maximum and the coastlines it produced.
Take Coastal Systems and Landscapes further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Hydraulic action vs Abrasion
Hydraulic action: erosion caused by water and compressed air forcing rock apart. Abrasion: erosion caused by transported sediment striking a coast.
Longshore drift vs Rip current
Longshore drift: sediment movement along a coast by angled waves. Rip current: narrow seaward flow returning water from the shore.
Eustatic change vs Isostatic change
Eustatic change: global sea-level alteration caused by water-volume change. Isostatic change: local relative sea-level alteration caused by land movement.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What form of kinetic energy enters a coastal system from atmospheric motion?
Model answer
Kinetic energy from wind
- 2
How do waves contribute energy to a coastal system?
Model answer
Waves provide kinetic energy as they move towards and break upon the shore
- 3
What type of energy does the sun provide as an input to coastal systems?
Model answer
Thermal energy
- 4
What form of energy do tides contribute to a coastal system?
Model answer
Potential energy
- 5
Name one category of material input to a coastal system besides energy.
Model answer
Sediment from various sources (e.g. rivers, cliff erosion, offshore deposits)
- 6
Where does sediment go when it leaves a coastal system as an output?
Model answer
Sediment is lost to offshore zones beyond the active coastal system
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Coastal Systems and Landscapes revision questions
- What does Coastal Systems and Landscapes cover in AQA A-Level Geography?
- 14 subtopics: energy inputs to the coastal system, coastal flows and feedback, waves, tides and sediment cells, marine erosion and transport processes, cliffs, notches and wave-cut platforms, beaches, spits and bars, sand dune formation and succession, estuaries, mudflats and saltmarsh, sea level change and coastlines of submergence, emergent coastlines and present sea level rise, hard engineering at the coast, soft engineering and managed retreat, the holderness coast case study and the sundarbans and the ganges–brahmaputra delta. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Coastal Systems and Landscapes organised?
- By the AQA 7037 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Coastal Systems and Landscapes, on a schedule.
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