Physical Landscapes in the UK
AQA GCSE Geography
You will study 2 topics from coastal landscapes in the Uk, river landscapes in the UK and glacial landscapes in the UK.
The UK has a range of diverse landscapes.
The coast is shaped by a number of physical processes.
Wave types and characteristics – constructive and destructive waves
Coastal processes:
• weathering processes – mechanical, chemical
• mass movement – sliding, slumping and rock falls
• erosion – hydraulic power, abrasion and attrition
• transportation – longshore drift
• deposition – why sediment is deposited in coastal areas.
Distinctive coastal landforms are the result of rock type, structure and physical processes:
Different management strategies can be used to protect coastlines from the effects of physical processes
The costs and benefits of the following management strategies:
• hard engineering – sea walls, rock armour, gabions and groynes
• soft engineering – beach nourishment and reprofiling, dune regeneration
• managed retreat – coastal realignment.
An example of a coastal management scheme in the UK to show:
• the resulting effects and conflicts.
The shape of river valleys changes as rivers flow downstream:
The long profile and changing cross profile of a river and its valley.
Fluvial processes:
• erosion – hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, solution, vertical and lateral erosion
• transportation – traction, saltation, suspension and solution
Distinctive fluvial landforms result from different physical processes:
Characteristics and formation of landforms resulting from erosion – interlocking spurs, waterfalls and gorges.
Characteristics and formation of landforms resulting from erosion and deposition – meanders and ox-bow lakes.
Characteristics and formation of landforms resulting from deposition – levées, floodplains and estuaries.
An example of a river valley in the UK to identify its major landforms of erosion and deposition.
Different management strategies can be used to protect river landscapes from the effects of flooding:
How physical and human factors affect the flood risk – precipitation, geology, relief and land use.
The use of hydrographs to show the relationship between precipitation and discharge.
The costs and benefits of the following management strategies:
• hard engineering – dams and reservoirs, straightening, embankments, flood relief channels
An example of a flood management scheme in the UK to show:
• the social, economic and environmental issues.
Ice was a powerful force in shaping the physical landscape of the UK:
Glacial processes:
Distinctive glacial landforms result from different physical processes:
Glaciated upland areas provide opportunities for different economic activities, and management strategies can be used to reduce land use conflicts:
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