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Weather, Climate and Ecosystems (Core Theme 5)

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How and why has climate changed during the Quaternary, and what is the evidence?

Key Idea 5.1: climate change during the Quaternary period, the evidence for natural climate change (ice cores, tree rings, pollen and historical records), the natural causes of climate change (orbital changes, sunspots, volcanic activity), and the contribution and consequences of recent human-induced (anthropogenic) warming.
A focused answer on Key Idea 5.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: climate change during the Quaternary, the evidence (ice cores, tree rings, pollen), the natural causes (orbital changes, sunspots, volcanoes), and the contribution and consequences of recent human-induced warming.
13 min answer →

How does human activity affect ecosystems, and how can a tropical rainforest be managed sustainably?

Key Idea 5.4: human activity and ecosystem processes, the interdependence of the tropical rainforest (climate, soils, nutrient cycle, plants and animals), the causes and impacts of deforestation, and strategies for the sustainable management of an ecosystem.
A focused answer on Key Idea 5.4 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: the interdependence of the tropical rainforest, the causes and impacts of deforestation, and strategies for the sustainable management of an ecosystem.
14 min answer →

How do ecosystems work, and how do energy and nutrients move through them?

Key Idea 5.3: processes and interactions within ecosystems, the components of an ecosystem (biotic and abiotic), the flow of energy through food chains, food webs and trophic levels, the cycling of nutrients, and the global distribution and characteristics of major biomes.
A focused answer on Key Idea 5.3 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: the biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems, energy flow through food chains, food webs and trophic levels, nutrient cycling, and the global distribution and characteristics of major biomes.
13 min answer →

What controls the weather of the UK, and how do weather hazards form and affect people?

Key Idea 5.2: weather patterns and processes, the difference between weather and climate, the air masses and low-pressure (depression) and high-pressure (anticyclone) systems that bring UK weather, and the causes, effects and management of weather hazards including UK storms and tropical storms.
A focused answer on Key Idea 5.2 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: weather and climate, the air masses and depressions and anticyclones that shape UK weather, and the causes, effects and management of weather hazards including UK storms and tropical storms.
14 min answer →