EnglandGeography

Physical geography

23 dot points across 23 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do the world's biomes differ in productivity and structure, and why is the biosphere under threat?

The global distribution of biomes; net primary productivity and its controls; the structure and functioning of major biomes; biodiversity; and the threats to the biosphere from human activity and climate change.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.6 content on the biosphere, covering the global distribution of biomes, net primary productivity and its controls, the structure and functioning of major biomes, biodiversity, and the threats to the biosphere from human activity and climate change.
12 min answer →

What marine, sub-aerial and biological processes shape the coast, and what erosional and depositional landforms result?

Sources of coastal energy and sediment; marine, sub-aerial and biological processes; erosional and depositional landforms; and the landforms produced by changing sea levels.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.3 content on coastal landscape development, covering sources of energy and sediment, marine, sub-aerial and biological processes, erosional and depositional landforms, and the emergent and submergent landforms of sea-level change.
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How do people manage the coast, and how do hard, soft and strategic approaches compare?

Hard and soft engineering approaches to coastal management; sediment-cell management and shoreline management plans; managed realignment and do-nothing; and the costs, benefits and sustainability of coastal protection.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.3 content on coastal management, covering hard and soft engineering, managed realignment and do-nothing, shoreline management plans and the sediment-cell approach, and the costs, benefits and sustainability of protection.
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How do energy, sediment and sea-level change combine to shape coastlines, and how should coasts be managed?

The coast as a system; sources of energy and sediment; marine, sub-aerial and biological processes; landforms of erosion and deposition; sea-level change; and approaches to coastal management.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.3, covering the coast as a system, energy and sediment sources, marine and sub-aerial processes, erosional and depositional landforms, sea-level change, and hard and soft coastal management.
12 min answer →

What processes shape hot desert landscapes, and what landforms do aeolian and fluvial action produce?

Sources of energy and sediment in hot deserts; weathering, mass movement, aeolian and fluvial processes; the landforms of erosion and deposition; and the origin of desert landscapes.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.2 content on desert landscape development, covering sources of energy and sediment, weathering and mass movement, aeolian and fluvial processes, and the erosional and depositional landforms of hot deserts.
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What causes desertification on desert margins, who does it affect, and how can it be managed?

The causes of desertification on the margins of hot deserts; the role of climate change and human activity; the impacts on ecosystems, landscapes and populations; and strategies to manage and reverse it.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.2 content on desertification, covering the physical and human causes on hot desert margins such as the Sahel, the role of climate change and population pressure, the impacts on ecosystems and people, and management strategies.
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How do ecosystems function and change, and how does human pressure threaten biodiversity at local and global scales?

Ecosystem concepts and biodiversity; nutrient cycling and succession; biomes and their functioning; ecological responses to environmental change; and the management of fragile ecosystems under threat.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.6, covering ecosystem concepts and biodiversity, nutrient cycling and succession, the functioning of biomes, ecological responses to human pressure, and the conservation and management of fragile ecosystems.
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How do glaciers move and erode, and what landforms of erosion and deposition do they leave behind?

The glacial system and mass balance; warm- and cold-based glaciers and ice movement; glacial and fluvioglacial processes; and the erosional and depositional landforms of glaciated landscapes.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.4 content on glacial processes and landscape development, covering the glacial system and mass balance, ice movement, glacial and fluvioglacial processes, and the erosional and depositional landforms of glaciated landscapes.
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How do glaciers form, move and erode the land, and what landscapes do they leave behind?

The glacial system and mass balance; glacial, fluvioglacial and periglacial processes; erosional and depositional landforms; the periglacial environment; and the human use and management of cold environments.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.4, covering the glacial system and mass balance, glacial movement, glacial, fluvioglacial and periglacial processes, erosional and depositional landforms, and the management of cold environments.
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Why do natural hazards become disasters, and how do people perceive, respond to and manage tectonic, storm and wildfire risks?

The concept of hazard and risk; hazard perception and the Park model; plate tectonics and volcanic, seismic, tropical storm and wildfire hazards; their impacts; and the responses to and management of these hazards.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.5, covering the concept of hazard and risk, hazard perception, plate tectonics, volcanic and seismic hazards, tropical storms, wildfires, their impacts, and the management and responses to hazards.
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What processes shape hot desert landscapes, and how do aridity and human activity drive desertification at the margins?

The global distribution and causes of aridity; sources of energy and sediment; aeolian and water processes; desert landforms; and the causes, impacts and management of desertification.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.2, covering the distribution and causes of aridity, energy and sediment sources, aeolian and fluvial processes, desert landforms, and the causes, impacts and management of desertification on desert margins.
11 min answer →

How are local ecosystems threatened by human activity, and how can fragile ecosystems be managed and conserved?

Local-scale ecosystems and their value; the impact of human activity on local and fragile ecosystems; ecosystem management and conservation; and the principles of sustainable management.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.6 content on local ecosystems under threat and ecosystem management, covering local-scale ecosystems and their value, the impact of human activity, conservation and management strategies, and the principles of sustainable management.
12 min answer →

How do energy and nutrients flow through ecosystems, and how do communities change through succession?

Ecosystems as systems; energy flow, trophic levels and food webs; the Gersmehl nutrient cycle; primary and secondary succession; and the climatic climax and plagioclimax.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.6 content on ecosystems change and challenge, covering ecosystems as systems, energy flow and trophic levels, the Gersmehl nutrient cycle, primary and secondary succession, and the climatic climax and plagioclimax.
12 min answer →

What processes operate in periglacial environments, and what landforms does permafrost produce?

Periglacial environments and permafrost; the processes of freeze-thaw, frost heave, solifluction and nivation; periglacial landforms; and the fragility and management of cold environments.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.4 content on periglacial landscapes and change, covering permafrost, the active layer, freeze-thaw, frost heave, solifluction and nivation, periglacial landforms, and the fragility and management of cold environments.
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What drives plate movement, and how does plate tectonic theory explain the global distribution of hazards?

Earth structure and internal energy; plate tectonic theory, continental drift, sea-floor spreading and palaeomagnetism; mantle convection, slab pull and ridge push; plate margins; hot spots; and the global distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.5 content on plate tectonics, covering Earth structure and internal energy, plate tectonic theory, continental drift, sea-floor spreading and palaeomagnetism, the drivers of plate movement, plate margins, hot spots, and the global distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes.
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What forms do seismic hazards take, what determines their impact, and how can they be managed?

The nature of seismicity and its relation to plate tectonics; forms of seismic hazard including earthquakes, tsunamis, liquefaction and landslides; primary and secondary impacts; and prediction, prevention, protection and adaptation.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.5 content on seismic hazards, covering the nature of seismicity and its link to plate tectonics, the forms of seismic hazard including earthquakes, tsunamis, liquefaction and landslides, the primary and secondary impacts, and management responses.
12 min answer →

How do tropical storms form, what hazards do they bring, and how are they managed?

The nature of tropical storms and their relation to global atmospheric circulation; conditions for formation; characteristics and distribution; the primary and secondary impacts; and prediction, protection and adaptation responses.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.5 content on storm hazards, covering the nature of tropical storms and their link to atmospheric circulation, the conditions for formation, their characteristics and distribution, the primary and secondary impacts, and management responses.
12 min answer →

How does carbon move between the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere and rocks, and why do the fast and slow cycles matter for climate?

The carbon cycle as a system; stores in the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere, soils and lithosphere; fluxes including photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, combustion and sequestration; the fast and slow carbon cycles; and the carbon budget.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.1 carbon cycle content, covering carbon stores in the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere, soils and lithosphere, the fluxes that move carbon, the fast and slow carbon cycles, sequestration and the carbon budget.
12 min answer →

How does water move through the global hydrological cycle and the drainage basin, and what controls the balance between them?

The global water cycle as a closed system; the drainage basin as an open subsystem; inputs, outputs, stores and flows; the water balance; runoff variation and the storm hydrograph.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.1 water cycle content, covering the global water cycle as a closed system, the drainage basin as an open subsystem, inputs, outputs, stores and flows, the water-balance equation, factors driving runoff variation and the storm hydrograph.
12 min answer →

What forms do volcanic hazards take, what are their impacts, and how can they be managed?

The nature of vulcanicity and its relation to plate tectonics; forms of volcanic hazard; the primary and secondary impacts; and prediction, prevention, protection and adaptation responses.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.5 content on volcanic hazards, covering the nature of vulcanicity and its link to plate tectonics, the forms of volcanic hazard, the primary and secondary impacts, and the management responses of prediction, prevention, protection and adaptation.
12 min answer →

How do water and carbon move through and between the major stores on Earth, and why does this matter for people and climate?

Systems concepts; the global water and carbon cycles, their stores, fluxes and feedbacks; the drainage basin and carbon budgets; and human impact on both cycles.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.1, covering systems concepts, the global water and carbon cycles, drainage-basin and carbon budgets, dynamic equilibrium and feedback, and how human activity disrupts both cycles.
12 min answer →

How are the water and carbon cycles coupled, and how does human activity disturb them to drive climate change?

The coupling of the water and carbon cycles; the role of feedback and dynamic equilibrium; the carbon and water budgets at a range of scales; human impacts including fossil-fuel use, deforestation and land-use change; and management responses.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.1 content on water, carbon, climate and life, covering the coupling of the two cycles, feedback and dynamic equilibrium, budgets at a range of scales, human impacts such as fossil-fuel use and deforestation, and management responses.
12 min answer →

What causes wildfires, what controls their spread and impact, and how are they managed?

The nature of wildfires and their natural and human causes; the physical and human factors affecting occurrence and spread; the primary and secondary impacts; and prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.1.5 content on fires in nature, covering the nature and causes of wildfires, the physical and human factors affecting occurrence and spread, the primary and secondary impacts, and the management cycle of prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.
12 min answer →