A2 SYNOPTIC TOPICS

This page last updated July 2008 and now ARCHIVED.

NORFOLK COASTAL REALIGNMENT CASE STUDY

Remember that the aim is to test the geographical understanding, knowledge and skills you have gained during the 'A' level course (or before...) and draw them together, and to think critically about what you have learned.

The exam lasts for 2 hours. Although it follows on from the other exams, don't assume you can forget about the content in the others, or that it can't be revised for. It is marked out of a maximum of 120 UMS (40% of the final mark)

The paper will start with a DATA RESPONSE section based around a theme. Last year's   (2007) was resource conflict in Bolivia. Other areas have included Skye and Las Vegas.

 'AS' SYNOPTIC RECAP (Word document)

You need to get over to the WYCOMBE HIGH SCHOOL site to get their booklet !  This is a useful recap of all the main themes.

CONTENTS OF THIS SECTION

DATA RESPONSE SECTION

This will test a number of skills which involve using resources:

PHOTOS, GRAPHS, MAPS and TEXT.

You will need to be able to extract and synthesise information, analyse and describe graphs and be selective with the information contained in the text.

Start by reading through all the resources. Time has been built into the time allocation for this. Resources are presented in the order that you need to make use of them. Identify the main theme of the questions, and think about which areas of the syllabus relate to this. It could be a mixture of physical and human topics. Make sure that you have a HIGHLIGHTER PEN ! Need to annotate the information.

The following topics are covered in the A2 Synoptic Paper

Remember to have EXAMPLES for each one, and that these have to be targeted. This is really the tester as to whether you've been reading those newspapers. There are 24 Synoptic links, so there's quite a lot to keep in your head...

Also bear in mind useful alternative pairs in terms of effects: positive and negative, short and long term, small scale and large scale, MEDC and LEDC

Make sure that you go use our school subscriptions to the GEOGRAPHY IN THE NEWS and NEW SCIENTIST sites.

Remember the term EXTERNALITIES !!

KEY AREAS TO REVISE

The black text gives the statements from the specification, and the red gives some suggested areas that could be covered when preparing students for the synoptic paper - you will then need to decide on some case studies to add the final layer of preparation.

EARTH SYSTEMS

Positive and negative impacts of earthquakes and volcanoes on human activity, both short term and long term.

Importance of risk assessment, prediction and monitoring, and the limitations of these techniques.

• Impacts of earthquakes (ground displaced, landslides, liquefaction, tsunamis, fires)

• Impacts of volcanoes (types of eruption, magma) - refer to magnitude and frequency - primary, secondary and tertiary effects, economic costs)

• Difference between hazard and risk - try out the DISASTER REDUCTION GAMES http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/

• Products of volcanic eruptions (minerals, soils, HEP, tourism including ski-ing on Ruapehu)

• Earthquake prediction and monitoring (look for methods used, and include the elements of animal behaviour and other recent trends)

• Volcanic monitoring (the signs to look for, equipment to look out for)

• Hazards and risk (Danny O Callaghan)

Also used this powerpoint:

ATMOSPHERIC SYSTEMS

Weather and human activity are interdependent.

Possible impacts of humans on weather and climate, including pollution, ozone destruction, global warming, cloud seeding.

Weather hazards and their impact on human activity to include hurricanes, tornadoes and drought, with an emphasis on recent events.

• Consider different views on whether there is climate change taking place - showing 'An Inconvenient Truth (now an OSCAR winner) - we do lots on this...

• Impact of natural hazards  - are they becoming more common ?

• Are there links between Ozone and Global Warming ?

• Link between El Nino and drought - teleconnections

Check out the GLOBAL WARMING page.

Check out Rob Chambers' GEOBYTES blog: particularly the Advanced Extension blog for details of the effects in Greenburg, Kansas in May 2007 of a tornado which was apparently around 1km wide. Is this a sign of things to come ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6628613.stm - BBC News article on the event

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5324984.stm - how do Tornadoes form ? - sequence of diagrams

Check out this Guardian story on how the Chinese are going to be using cloud seeding to attempt to control the weather during the Olympics.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2078030,00.html

GLACIAL SYSTEMS

Opportunities and challenges exist in upland areas, either glaciated in the past and/or currently active, for tourism, energy production, quarrying, transport, agriculture, settlement etc.

Periglacial and permafrost environments present their own challenges and opportunities.

• Nature of mountainous regions: tourism / mineral extraction

• Melting permafrost

• Worth considering areas such as Iceland

• Remember that you can't separate the human and the physical environment

COASTAL SYSTEMS

The need for coastal management schemes.

Issues of management, including methods and strategies used, and their possible impact.

• Need for coastal management has increased in recent years. Inundations of coastal areas and ecosystems due to sea level rise.

• Need for coastal management in key areas: UK, Bangladesh - what issues need managing ? What conflicts are arising ?

FLUVIAL SYSTEMS

The reasons for, and methods of groundwater and river management in countries at different stages of development.

Issues relating to the management of the hydrological cycle.

• Why do people need to manage groundwater ? - irrigation, drinking, competition between consumers and movements of population.

• Two key issues are quantity and quality.

• Groundwater and water supply in MEDC e.g. Colorado and Hoover Dam and LEDC

• River management (irrigation and flood management, HEP, multi-purpose scheme, issues to do with rivers which cross boundaries)

ECOSYSTEMS

The management opportunities and challenges associated with grassland and forest ecosystems.

The causes and management of soil erosion.

• Have some examples of projects to use tropical rainforest areas - need to be specific rather than 'the Amazon'...

• Check http://www.geographypages.co.uk/a2eco.htm for more on this topic !

• SOIL EROSION is a big theme - check out the SOILS page. A hazard. Some good new quotes now on the page.

• Consider the effect of the community on the rainforest

• Remember also that there are forests in temperate landscapes

ECONOMIC SYSTEMS

Industrialisation and de-industrialisation have an impact on the physical and human environment.

• Consider a range of industrial landscapes e.g. colliery landscapes of Yorkshire and elsewhere and the effects of closure on communities a la Brassed Off and Full Monty... Could perhaps show clips from these. The first part of Full Monty is a useful one to use, but of course it has a lot of 'sweary Mary' language....

• Remember that all economic activity can be included, not just manufacturing...

PUNE ARTICLE in Independent on Sunday

Article from “The Independent on Sunday” (April 20^th 2008)

Read, and answer the following questions briefly 

1. What changes have taken place in the area around Pune in the last few years ?

2. Which companies are moving into the area ? Why are they moving there ?

3. Which additional benefits are the changes bringing to the area ?

4. What trends are illustrated on the graph in the article ?

RURAL URBAN INTERRELATIONSHIPS

Rapid change has created pressures on rural-urban interdependence.

• Rural-urban fringe developments

• Planning decisions: Tesco

DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES

The world is increasingly interdependent.

• Globalisation and glocalisation

•  

POPULATION

Governments have a direct and indirect influence on population change.

Government policies influence settlement characteristics and patterns.

Government policies influence migration patterns.

• Censuses - why do planners need population and development data ? Why are they carried out ? How do they vary ?

• Population policies - anti-natal and pro-natal policies - looking at influencing fertility or neutral view.

• Trying to influence population trends: exhortation, fiscal policy, social policy, migration, in some cases active coercion e.g. India / China

• Consider various changing views on immigration

• Public views on refugees, asylum seekers etc.

• Managing urban sprawl

• Britain's New Towns

• Planning and gender issues in LEDCs

• Managing urban decay

• Immigration issues / Refugees

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6631471.stm  - could population be on the way back up again as the economy produces wealth for some...

SETTLEMENT

Government policies influence settlement characteristics and patterns

• Definitions of urban and rural

• Urban sprawl and its management - best to relate to the USA, and look at edge cities and strip developments - LA

• Britain's New Towns - be aware of the various stages in their developments

• Planning issues and the management of urban decay

THE EXAM

The exam paper itself will have questions on a number of themes. The Physical geography topics we have covered should allow you to answer questions on the first 2 themes in particular.

Themes

It may be worth targeting themes 6.1 and 6.2 as these are the most suitable for Physical topics. It's important that you then have information about each of the areas that you have studied in some detail. 6.4 occasionally throws up some useful links with population and settlement (as it did in 2006)

TEXTBOOKS

We  have 2 textbooks to assist us with this section of the exam:

This contains 12 exercises on a range of human and physical themes, plus selected marks schemes and scaffolding. A useful resource to have access to, and students will have seen at least 3 of these. We have already looked at the example of VENICE.

We will be looking at the example of the CAIRNGORMS funicular railway.

Advice from INSET attended by Mr. Douglass (2002)

Only those pieces of information mentioned in the synoptic section will be on the synoptic paper.

You will need to be able to observe, classify, categorise the evidence from the sources and generally organise your ideas.

When doing this activity, feel free to do the following:

• Highlight text

• Annotate photos and diagrams

• Identify trends on graphs

• Manipulate data e.g. averages and ranges

• Look for patterns in distributions

• Divide the map into areas

Also bear in mind that you may have to integrate topics studied in the Physical area of the course with those on the Human side.

Section B will involve writing 1 essay. The essays are open ended, and can be taken in any direction the writer chooses: there is no single correct answer. You will need to use appropriate, often contrasting examples, use personal and local knowledge, and use much higher level geographical thinking.

Currently, a major weakness with essays in general is the lack of specific exemplification. Need more detail. Often people don't understand the demands of the question.

Remember to look for ways of demonstrating your appreciation of the holistic nature of the subject, and know about contemporary events which are of relevance to the topics.

Remember the wonderful PDFs from Wycombe High School site I alerted you to. These provide some invaluable assistance with the thinking through of these topics. They are worth pinning up to your bedroom door so that you see them every day. There is a rather nice booklet of materials for the SYNOPTIC UNIT available from this source.

"Essential Purchase"

(for those who prefer to have a text to work from)

CONTEXTS

These are topics which could be used to cover a number of the themes, and also show an awareness of contemporary events. They are only a sample of the stories:

Drought in the UK for 2006

Tornado in Kensal Rise

Migration issues with the growth of the EU and the recent increase in border patrols between the USA and Mexico

9 / 11 - 'significant geographical events' (a la Liz Taylor)

Soil Erosion in Australia as a result of the drought in Australia - El Nino links / La Nina

Growth of Tesco and other supermarkets - Barker report - Tescopoly book

Global Warming - endless stories in the newspapers over the last few years..

Geographies of consumption - globalisation and issues to do with the 'greening' of companies such as BP - 'social responsibility' and M&S's "Plan A".

An Inconvenient Truth - plus Australian study guide - one of final parts of course to round it off nicely

Situation in Zimbabwe

New capital city in Burma (Myanmar)

German policy of financial support to encourage population growth

Chinese making artificial snow in April 2007

Spiderman 3 and Spiderman in India

More to come soon....

WILDERNESS

This is a theme which is picked up in the Synoptic paper quite often.

What is a wilderness ?

How is it used in the context of the exam ?  Key ideas are whether they should be conserved or developed, and if they ARE developed, then what kinds of development are appropriate (and can you have a 'developed wilderness' anyway ?)

Until recently, wilderness areas would have been classed as being of little 'value', but many contain valuable resources such as minerals, energy, biodiversity and are also potential tourist destinations. Activity holidays could be developed in mountain landscapes, reflecting current trend for extreme sports. The higher rainfall could also mean that they are used to store water for the increasingly thirsty cities in other, more developed, parts of the country. Also groups opposed to development who want to conserve the wilderness.

In the USA, there was a Wilderness Act passed in 1964, with the intention of preserving some of these areas. It provided a useful definition of what a 'wilderness' is:

• areas primarily affected by physical forces (rather than human activity)

• possess 'outstanding opportunities for solitude'

• underpopulated, undeveloped

• federally owned

• over 2000 hectares in size

• protected and managed

• may contain geological, scientific, ecological features

• is of scenic, scientific and/or educational value

From Simon Oakes via SLN

Wilderness environments that Spec A candidates will actually have studied are periglacial/glacial, depths of Amazonia, and - if you push the definition of wilderness - upland moors in UK (they should have studied tors and limestone pavements as part of their physical work). Essays on this theme could present a section on each of these three studies ideally, showing a range of pros and cons... or similar..
 

Don't forget to PEE

HAZARDS

We recently used Matt Burdett's fine powerpoint, which looks at the issues related to hazards. Check out Matt's blog via the GeoBlogs page.

We then followed that up with Danny O' Callaghan's fine powerpoint on Hazard responses and management with some excellent images.

We identified that there are different levels of RISK and VULNERABILITY, but that ultimately there is a PERCEPTION that then leads to people either living with and accepting the risk (possibly be externalising it) or moving.

Of course the next issue is how we manage risk.

I mentioned a lecture by Bill McGuire that I saw at the recent GA Conference 2007

http://www.benfieldhrc.org/people/cvs/cv_bm.htm - he works for the Benfield Hazard Research Centre, and the website contains a lot of materials related to Hazards, particularly the GGEs or Global Geophysical Events that Bill specialises in.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1279710,00.html - an interesting related news article...

and another one here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article407717.ece

Got some good materials on KATRINA to come and a POWERPOINT by Val Vannet....

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