Key term
Eduqas A-Level Geography A110QS
Coastal LandscapesLandscape
Topic overviewThe coast as a system: inputs, outputs, stores and transfersSediment sources, sediment cells and dynamic equilibriumTides, currents and wave typesHigh and low energy coastal environmentsFetch, wave refraction and wave reflectionLithology and structural geology at the coastSub-aerial weathering and mass movement at the coastMarine erosion processesCliffs, wave-cut platforms, geos and blowholesHeadlands, bays and the cave to stump sequenceCoastal transport and longshore driftCoastal deposition, flocculation and sediment sortingBeaches, spits and barsTombolos, cuspate forelands and sandy coastlinesCoastal sand dunes and aeolian processesEstuarine coastlines, tidal flats and salt marshesCoral reefs and mangrove coastlinesStorms, seasons and sea level changeCoastal processes and human activityHuman impacts and coastal management
Glaciated LandscapesLandscape
Topic overviewThe glacier as a system: inputs, outputs, stores and transfersThe glacial budget, mass balance and feedbackThe Quaternary Ice Age and the Little Ice AgeCold-based and warm-based glaciersGlacier ice movement and types of flowTypes of ice mass and their distributionFreeze-thaw weathering and glacial erosion processesFactors affecting the rate of glacial erosionCirques, arêtes and pyramidal peaksGlacial troughs, ribbon lakes, hanging valleys and truncated spursRoches moutonnées, crag and tail and striationsGlacial and fluvioglacial transportTill and types of moraineDrumlins and lowland glacial depositionIce-contact fluvioglacial landformsProglacial landforms: sandurs, varves and kettle holesGlacial landscape suites and change over timePeriglacial ground ice and permafrost featuresPeriglacial weathering, mass movement, water and windGlacial landscapes and human activity
Changing Places
Topic overviewPlace characteristics and the home placeA contrasting place: profiles comparedFlows, connections and the shaping of placeGlobal connections and MNC fast food chainsPlace meaning, attachment and identity in the Lake DistrictRepresenting places through advertising and promotionBirmingham Grand Central and the marketed placeFormal, media and popular images comparedStructural employment change and the Clark Fisher modelExternal forces driving economic restructuringDecline of primary employment in rural placesDeindustrialisation, deprivation and social exclusionGovernment policy in deindustrialised placesRetail, commercial and entertainment change in central areasGentrification and re-urbanisationKnowledge economy clusters and their locational factorsRural rebranding and the post-productive countrysideRural management, counter-urbanisation and second homesUrban rebranding: flagship developments and cultural quartersUrban management, conflict and the Covid-19 legacy
Water and Carbon Cycles
Topic overviewSystems, mass balance and the water balanceGlobal water stores, their size and residence timesChanging stores: sea level change and cryospheric processesThe drainage basin as an open systemPrecipitation inputs and interceptionInfiltration, overland flow and throughflowPercolation, groundwater flow, channel flow and basin outputsRiver regimes and the factors that control themThe storm hydrograph: components and shapeClimatic factors influencing storm hydrographsCatchment factors influencing storm hydrographsCloud formation and theories of precipitationExcess runoff: natural and human causesDeficit in the water cycle and aquifer rechargeThe global carbon cycle: stores, fluxes and mass balanceFast carbon pathways between land and atmosphereOcean and atmosphere exchange and the slow carbon cycleCarbon stores in tropical rainforest and temperate grasslandLand-use change and the carbon storePeatlands and the changing carbon storeRising atmospheric carbon, the energy budget and its impactsFeedback, thresholds and permafrost thaw
Global Migration
Topic overviewGlobalisation, global systems and global flowsClassifying migrants and mapping global migration patternsA shrinking world: transport, communication and media representationPoverty, primary commodity prices and access to marketsDiasporas, colonial and Commonwealth links and freedom of movementSuperpowers, global hubs and the competition for migrantsRemittances and the brain drainInterdependency of host and source countriesMigration policies and contested views on cultural changeCauses of refugee movements and internal displacementConsequences of refugee movements for refugees and host statesManaging refugee crises: UNHCR, national governments and NGOsRural push factors, land grabs and indigenous displacementUrban pull factors, export processing zones and megacity growth
Global Governance of the Oceans
Topic overviewSupranational institutions and the law of the seaMaritime zones from the baseline to the high seasChokepoints, canals and piracy in maritime tradeBritain's maritime past and the CommonwealthContainer shipping, oil tankers and shipping regulationSmuggling and people trafficking at seaSeafloor data cables: growth, patterns and usesRisks to seafloor cables and international protectionOwnership of ocean resources and contested sovereigntyUnequal access: landlocked states and indigenous coastal peoplesThe Global Commons and over-exploitation of marine ecosystemsSustainable management: quotas, no-catch zones and conservation zonesSources and consequences of ocean pollutionManaging marine waste and the scales of ocean governance
Tectonic Hazards
Topic overviewEarth's internal structure and plate movementDivergent plate marginsConvergent margins, subduction and collisionConservative margins and hot spotsGlobal distribution of tectonic hazardsThe hazard profile and magnitude scalesTypes of volcano and styles of eruptionPrimary volcanic hazardsSecondary volcanic hazardsImpacts of volcanic activity at local, regional and global scalesContrasting volcanic eruptionsEarthquake characteristics and seismic wavesGround shaking, liquefaction and landslidesTsunami generation and impactsImpacts of earthquakes in contrasting contextsHuman factors affecting risk and vulnerabilityMonitoring, prediction and warningMitigation and the hazard management cycle
EcosystemsContemporary theme
Topic overviewThe value of ecosystems: goods and servicesGlobal distribution of biomes and its climatic controlsThe ecosystem concept, energy flow and trophic levelsNutrient cycling and the Gersmehl modelContrasting nutrient cycles: tropical rainforest and taigaNet primary productivity and limiting factorsMeasuring biodiversityThreats to biodiversity from local to global scaleTropical rainforests and coral reefs at riskWetlands at riskConserving biodiversity: strategies, priorities and fundingSuccession, seres and the climatic climaxSub-climax and plagioclimax communitiesThe Arctic tundra: climate, soils, plants and animalsImpacts of climate change on the Arctic tundraSustainable use and management of the Arctic tundra
Economic Growth and Challenge: IndiaContemporary theme
Topic overviewRelief and drainage patterns of IndiaIndia's climate and the monsoonWater availability and water stressPopulation distribution, growth and structureGovernance, health, education and welfareCaste, gender and cultural influencesResources, relief and climate as opportunity and constraintDroughts, floods and climate variabilityEconomic activity, democracy and the role of governmentThe changing size and structure of India's economyGlobal shift, outsourcing and offshoringIndia's soft power and global governanceEnvironmental pressures of economic growthWater, food and energy security and urban pressuresSustainable development strategies in India
Economic Growth and Challenge: ChinaContemporary theme
Topic overviewRelief and drainage patterns of ChinaChina's climate and the monsoonWater availability and the north-south imbalancePopulation distribution, growth and structureGovernance, health, education and welfareGender and minority groups in ChinaResources, relief and climate as opportunity and constraintDroughts, floods and climate variabilityEconomic activity, modified communism and the role of governmentThe changing size and structure of China's economyGlobal shift, offshoring and the workshop of the worldChina's soft power and global governanceEnvironmental pressures of economic growthWater, food and energy security and urban pressuresSustainable development strategies in China
Development in an African ContextContemporary theme
Topic overviewChanging definitions of developmentSimple, composite and qualitative measures of developmentThe development gap and the development continuumRegional, ethnic and gender variation within countriesThe resource base: minerals and energySoils, relief, climate and water availabilityClimate variability, drought and floodFree trade, trade blocs and protectionismThe resource curse and conflict mineralsMNCs, foreign direct investment and offshoringTourism and fair tradeColonialism, neo-colonialism, governance and corruptionEducation, health, welfare and the position of womenThe environmental costs of developmentDesertification in the SahelStrategies to promote development
Energy Challenges and DilemmasContemporary theme
Topic overviewClassifying energy resourcesFossil fuel stocks, reserves and their global distributionGeological factors in energy supplyInsolation, wind strength and reliabilityRelief, dam sites and hydroelectric powerWaves, tides and biofuels: favourable locationsChanging global patterns of energy demandEconomic and technological influences on energy demandTransfers, storage and the pricing of oil and gasOPEC, national governments and the oil and gas companiesEnvironmental problems of energy extraction, transport and usePolitical, economic and technological problems of energyAppropriate technology and micro-generation in developing countriesNational energy mixes and world energy pricesDemand reduction and energy efficiency policiesClean fossil fuel technologies and the sustainability of alternatives
Weather and ClimateContemporary theme
Topic overviewStructure of the atmosphereThe atmospheric heat budgetGlobal atmospheric circulation and the tricellular modelPressure belts and planetary surface windsOceanic circulation, continentality and altitudeThe world's major climate typesThe ITCZ and seasonal migrationThe monsoon climateThe climate of the UKAir masses affecting the UKThe jet stream and UK weatherENSO and short-term climate changeVulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacityHazards of low- and high-pressure systems and their managementUrban climates and air qualityClimate change: shifting belts, tipping points and response
Geographical Skills
Topic overviewGrid references, coordinates and locating a placeDistance, area, direction and scaleSampling and sources of errorPercentages, ratios, densities and frequenciesMeasures of central tendencyMeasures of dispersionConcentration, ratios and development indicesCorrelation and Spearman RankChi-square and significance testingMapping techniquesGraphs and diagramsDigital and qualitative field techniques
Weather and Climate
- 16 subtopics
- 45 things to know
- Component 3 Section B
- Component 3 Section B, two contemporary themes of four, with India, China or Africa as routes through one of them
What Weather and Climate covers
Weather and Climate is examined in Component 3 Section B, if this is one of the two themes you sit. It covers structure of the atmosphere, the atmospheric heat budget, global atmospheric circulation and the tricellular model, pressure belts and planetary surface winds, oceanic circulation, continentality and altitude, the world's major climate types, the ITCZ and seasonal migration, the monsoon climate, the climate of the UK, air masses affecting the UK, the jet stream and UK weather, ENSO and short-term climate change, vulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacity, hazards of low- and high-pressure systems and their management, urban climates and air quality and climate change: shifting belts, tipping points and response.
Where it is assessed
Component 3 Section B
Contemporary Themes, if this is one of the two themes you sit.
Check the Eduqas specification ↗The 16 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Structure of the atmosphereApproximate depth of the troposphere, average environmental lapse rate and temperature profile of the mesosphere.Open →
- The atmospheric heat budgetAtmospheric heat budget, ice-albedo feedback and latent heat transfer in the context of the heat budget.Open →
- Global atmospheric circulation and the tricellular modelThree cells of the model in each hemisphere, circulation within the Hadley cell and circulation within the Polar cell.Open →
- Pressure belts and planetary surface windsGlobal pressure belts from the equator to the pole, pressure gradient and coriolis effect.Open →
- Oceanic circulation, continentality and altitudeNorth Atlantic Drift and its effect on north-west Europe, cold current and the desert associated with it and thermohaline circulation.Open →
- The world's major climate typesCharacteristics of the equatorial climate, characteristics of the tropical savanna climate and characteristics of the hot desert climate.Open →
- The ITCZ and seasonal migrationHeat equator, seasonal migration of the ITCZ and sahel and how is its rainfall linked to the ITCZ.Open →
- The monsoon climateMonsoon climate, traditional thermal explanation of the south-west monsoon and wind direction and moisture of the summer monsoon.Open →
- The climate of the UKFour main influences on the UK's climate, typical wind direction in the UK and why and approximate mean January and July temperatures for London.Open →
- Air masses affecting the UKAir mass, source region and characteristics of tropical maritime air and source region and characteristics of tropical continental air.Open →
- The jet stream and UK weatherJet stream and rossby waves.Open →
- ENSO and short-term climate changeConsequences of El Niño for South America, consequences of El Niño for Australia and Indonesia and la Niña.Open →
- Vulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacityVulnerability in the context of climatic hazards, exposure to climatic variability and adaptive capacity.Open →
- Hazards of low- and high-pressure systems and their managementThree hazards associated with low-pressure systems, how a mid-latitude depression forms and occluded front.Open →
- Urban climates and air qualityUrban heat island, urban canyon and how does it affect temperature and three strategies for improving urban air quality.Open →
- Climate change: shifting belts, tipping points and responseShifting climate belts, climate tipping point and amazon dieback.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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How is the jet stream expected to change with a warming Arctic?
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Name the four main layers of the atmosphere in order from the surface upwards.
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What is the atmospheric heat budget?
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What does the tricellular model describe?
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Name the global pressure belts from the equator to the pole.
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What drives surface ocean currents?
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On what two elements are the major climate types principally classified?
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What does ITCZ stand for and what is it?
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Define a monsoon climate.
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How is the UK's climate classified?
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Define an air mass.
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What does ENSO stand for?
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Define vulnerability in the context of climatic hazards.
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Name three hazards associated with low-pressure systems.
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What is the urban heat island?
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What is meant by shifting climate belts?
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What is the approximate depth of the troposphere?
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Define insolation.
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Name the three cells of the tricellular model in each hemisphere
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Define a pressure gradient.
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What is a gyre?
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Describe the characteristics of the equatorial climate.
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Why does heavy rainfall occur along the ITCZ?
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Which region has the world's most pronounced monsoon?
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Name the four main influences on the UK's climate.
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On what two properties are air masses classified?
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Describe normal, or Walker circulation, conditions in the Pacific.
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Define exposure to climatic variability.
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Describe how a mid-latitude depression forms.
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Give three causes of the urban heat island.
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How is the Sahel affected by shifting climate belts?
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Why does temperature fall with height through the troposphere?
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Why do the tropics receive more insolation per unit area than the poles?
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Between which latitudes does the Hadley cell operate?
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In which direction does air move between pressure belts at the surface?
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Describe the North Atlantic Drift and its effect on north-west Europe.
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Why does the equatorial climate have a small annual temperature range but a large diurnal one?
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What is the heat equator?
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Explain the traditional thermal explanation of the south-west monsoon.
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Why are UK winters milder than the latitude alone would suggest?
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Name the five air masses that affect the UK.
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What is a jet stream?
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What happens to the trade winds during an El Niño event?
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Define resilience.
Take Weather and Climate further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Weather vs Climate
Weather: the state of the atmosphere at a moment. Climate: the average condition over about thirty years.
El Niño vs La Niña
El Niño: the trade winds weakening or reversing and the eastern Pacific warming. La Niña: the trade winds strengthening and the eastern Pacific cooling.
Mitigation vs Adaptation
Mitigation: reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. Adaptation: adjusting to warming that is already unavoidable.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Name the four main layers of the atmosphere in order from the surface upwards.
Model answer
The four layers are the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere and the thermosphere. Each is separated from the next by a pause.
- 2
What is the approximate depth of the troposphere?
Model answer
The troposphere extends to about 12 km on average. The layer reaches roughly 16 km over the equator and about 8 km over the poles.
- 3
Why does temperature fall with height through the troposphere?
Model answer
The troposphere is heated from below by longwave radiation from the Earth's surface. Air further from that source is therefore colder.
- 4
State the average environmental lapse rate.
Model answer
The average environmental lapse rate is about 6.5 °C per kilometre of ascent.
- 5
Why does almost all weather occur in the troposphere?
Model answer
The troposphere holds nearly all the atmosphere's water vapour and most of its mass. Convection in the layer lifts that moisture to form cloud and precipitation.
- 6
What is the tropopause?
Model answer
The tropopause is the boundary at the top of the troposphere where the fall in temperature with height stops. The boundary caps convection and traps weather below it.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Weather and Climate revision questions
- What does Weather and Climate cover in Eduqas A-Level Geography?
- 16 subtopics: structure of the atmosphere, the atmospheric heat budget, global atmospheric circulation and the tricellular model, pressure belts and planetary surface winds, oceanic circulation, continentality and altitude, the world's major climate types, the itcz and seasonal migration, the monsoon climate, the climate of the uk, air masses affecting the uk, the jet stream and uk weather, enso and short-term climate change, vulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacity, hazards of low- and high-pressure systems and their management, urban climates and air quality and climate change: shifting belts, tipping points and response. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Weather and Climate organised?
- By the Eduqas A110QS specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Weather and Climate, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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