Impact of weather on human activities

The fog which has caused so much travel chaos at Heathrow and other airports and the torrentiao rain which affected much of wester Scotland last week are good examples of how CONTRASTING weather systems can affect people.

Last week we has severe storms caused by a SUCCESSION of COLD, WARM and OCCLUDED FRONTS, associated with a CYCLONE (LOW pressure) bringing extremely wet, windy conditions in from the Atlantic. In cyclones, the isobars are PACKED CLOSELY; by contrsast this week we have HIGH PRESSURE (ANTICYCLONE) where the isobars are widely spaced, indicating very light winds. See the weather map (Met Office web site) for details. HUMID air cools and the water droplets condesnse to form fog. There is no wind to remove the fog, so it tends to linger, especially in low lying coastal regions or river valleys. High presure areas may remain STATIC for several days, so the fog, as well as BLACK ICE and FROST may continue.

Cutting down on Christmas Waste

Here is an extract from a web site devoted to cuting down on waste.

* Overflowing dustbins and extra bags of rubbish are a common sight in the streets after Christmas. We all create more waste over the holiday period.
* The Royal Mail delivers around 150 million cards and packets each day during the pre-Christmas period. It is estimated that up to 1 billion Christmas cards (17 for every man, woman and child) could end up in bins across the UK.
* It is estimated that over Christmas as much as 83 square km of wrapping paper will end up in UK rubbish bins, enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey.
* We could use an extra 750 million bottles and glass containers, and 500 million drinks cans. About 20% to 30% more glass and cans are collected each year over the Christmas period.

The amount of waste we produce and our main methods of disposal are currently not sustainable. The production, treatment and disposal of waste can all harm the environment. This is not just because of the problems with landfill, incineration or other disposal options - it is also because we use new resources to replace ones we have thrown out. It is estimated that for every tonne of waste produced in our homes, five tonnes has already been produced in manufacturing and 10 tonnes at the point where the raw material was extracted. About 600 million tonnes of raw resources are used in the UK per year, 570 million tonnes of which end up as waste losses through energy, water, solid wastes and other emissions.
As a result of our lifestyles, on average every household in the UK throws away 1.2 tonnes of waste every year. This amounts to a staggering 30 million tonnes in total.
In just a fortnight we each throw away from home, amongst other things, five glass bottles or jars, six cans, seven plastic bottles and three and a half kg of paper and card. A massive 60% of our household waste could be recycled or composted, but most of it is still deposited in landfill sites. Nearly 23% of domestic waste was recycled and composted in England in 2004/05. We need to find ways to not only recycle more, but also to reduce and reuse our waste. We need to focus our efforts and change our habits and what better time than during the Christmas period; a new approach for a New Year!
Having a green Christmas doesn't mean being a Scrooge! Just follow these simple action points for cutting down on Christmas waste.

Over to you: what suggestions do you have for cutting down on Christmas waste?

Migration is BBC News Focus

This month BBC News will be carrying a series of dispatches covering the phenomenon of mass migration. The topic of migration is very important in both S and H Grade, so it is worth following.
You need to know about two main types of migration:

Nation to Nation-people moving from one country to another. Eg, Somalia to the UK; Mexicans to the USA; Poles to Scotland. Some migrants are asylum seekers; others are economic migrants; many are simply exercising the right under recent EU law to move freely from one country to another.

Internal-people moving from one region of a country to another; eg, people from the Highlands and Islands to urban areas; Americans moving to Florida and California from more northern states.

For an insight into migration click here to get a detailed case study on China's migration. It is estimated that 345 million people are going to move from the rural areas to the city areas, eg Shanghai, over the next 25 years.
This explains why cities in the Developing World (ELDCs) are growing so fast.

Arctic Ocean

A report on the BBC's web site warns that the Arctic Ocean may be close to tipping point and that it may be free of summer ice by 2040. The site explains that data presented at the American Geophysical Union suggests the ice is no longer showing a robust recovery from the summer melt. This would be part of a global chain reaction in which reduced ice cover means more heat absorption by oceans, accelerating global warming and thereby melting even more ice. ."
Eventually, she said, the system would be "kicked over the edge", probably not even by a dramatic event but by one year slightly warmer than normal. Very rapid retreat would then follow. Locally, this would have major consequences for wildlife in the region, not least polar bears which traverse ice-floes in search of food, as those of you who have watched Planet Earth will have seen.
Loss of summer ice would seriously compromise the lifestyles of the region's indigenous peoples, though it could also bring new trading opportunities as sea routes opened up.
On a global scale, the Earth would lose a major reflective surface and so absorb more solar energy, potentially accelerating climatic change across the world.

Follow Up Work to Settlement Study

S4 created a spreadsheet to make up a database about selected settlements in the Scottish Borders.

this is a good example of

1. GATHERING TECHNIQUE,

because you are collecting information by
(a) extracting information from the OS map
(b) Using Search Engine to find out additional information from the Borders Council Web site

2. PROCESSING TECHNIQUE

Once you have entered data on to the spreadsheet we can

(a) SORT IT, eg Rank Order
(b) PRODUCE GRAPHS that show significant patterns


Homework for Tuesday 12th December

1. Read the posting for Thursday which gives checklist for describing site and growth.
2. Describe the site and growth of Kelso (use the OS map on the blog)
3. Describe growth of Durham (SQA General Paper)
4. Describe the site of Carlisle (you need Carlisle OS map)
5. Answer the question on Carlisle (SQA)

S4-Settlement Patterns

Regional context-Kelso's situation in the South East Borders-note its importance as a route centre on the Tweed



OS 1/50 ooo map will allow us to identify and describe a settlement's site and growth.

use the checklist below to describe the site and growth of Kelso.

Site

Things to ask

Dry/wet ground-i(e prone to flooding; on sloping, well drained land?)
Route centre? (eg, cross roads, river crossing/bridging point?)
Sheltered/exposed? (eg is it in a valley floor or on a hillside?)
Defensive-eg steep land, meander loop?
Is the local relief flat, sloping, steep, undulating variable?- (what is the contour pattern?)
Height-look at spot heights and contours
Always quote grid references.


Growth

In what way has the settlement grown?
Does it extend along a river?
Does housing follow the roads?
Has the settlement expanded up the hill?
What natural features appear to have restricted growth, eg steep slopes, cliffs, flood plain, marsh, woodland?
What human features appear to have restricted growth, eg farmland, greenbelt laws?

Honeypots!

S4 mapwork

S4 carried out a map interpretation exercise, using the OS 1/50 000 map extract of Kelso (pictured above-can ypu work out where on the map the photograoher was?) They plotted the location of the towns and individual buildings, such as farms and stately homes, on to a scale drawing. By selecting the information they required, the underlying pattern of settlement could be more easily recognised, described and then explained.

Description of settlement patterns-

Dispersed-settlemets spread over a wide area, separated by a large distance
Clustered-settlements closely spaced

Homework for Thursday 7th December:

Find out the population of Kelso; Earlston; Newtown St Boswells; St Boswells
Are they all towns?

For discussion:

Which of these settlements has a secondary school?
What do you think is the minimum size of town neededto support a secondary school?

Go to Geograph-find a picture of each of the above settlements and bring it in for your ring binder. You will be annotating it in class, so make sure it has geographical relevance.

Where is this?

Where is this?

Give reasons for your answer.

Would you want to visit this place?

St Columba's Geog Blog

Where is this?

Would you want to go here?

What are the people doing?

Tourism Survey

Click here to carry out a quick survey.
Once you have tried it, why not devise your own online survey, using Survey Monkey, an online survey toolkit that lets you make up your own questions.

What other questions might we AS GEOGRAPHERS want to ask about tourism?

Prellim Feedback

The two questions which need the most follow up work are:

1. Explain why cities in the ELDCs are growing so fast

2.What are the benefits of Intermediate Technology?

1. Why are cities in the developing world (ELDCs) growing so fast?

Note the word "Explain" -Give reasons, use words like "because" and "therefore"

Click here for more details on urbanisation

Main point is to recognise that this is a Rural-Urban Migration question
The big story about cities in ELDCs is the massive move from the countryside to the town.
This can be explained by PUSH PULL factors,

PUSH-

Poverty in the countryside
Limited opportunities-few schools
Poor health care-high number of patients/doctor; no hospitals
Very small fields, many people LANDLESS
SURPLUS labour, since introduction of MECHANISATION in large estates (eg coffee, sugar estates of Brazil)

Famine and Drought-crops fail (eg Nord Est of Brazil)

Desertification

PULL

Many Multinationals have RELOCATED to ELDCs owing to cheap labour
-Growth of Manufacturing jobs
-huge construction projects need 1000s of workers
Most hospitals and clinics are in cities
Cheap housing
More liberal way of life-countryside very "traditional" and "conservative"-appeals to young people



2. What is the advantage of Intermediate Technology?

Intermediate Technology is often known as "Appropriate Technology"

It involves using local materials, labour and skills to come up with practical low cost solutions to basic problems. It does not require large scale projects that depend on foreign aid or workers. It is low cost, low maintenance, sustainable technology best suited to the economy and culture it is intended to support and which makes use of locally available skills, tools and materials. Examples of appropriate technology include

Biogas plants -Biogas is a mixture comprising mainly methane and carbon dioxide. It is produced when organic matter decomposes in the abscence of oxygen. About 57% of energy in India is generated this way.
two-wheeled iron trailers that can be attached to a bicycle to carry heavy loads of food, water or even passengers
energy efficient stoves using local materials that consume less than half the fuel compared to a traditional open fire.
The Wind-up radio and the computer and communication system planned by the Jhai Foundation are independent from power supply.
There is also the Grameen Bank's telephone network which gives Bangladeshi villagers access to communication.





[

London map exhibition

A major new exhibition has been opened at the British Library in London to display historical maps of the City. Called "London in Maps, the exhibition includes maps, panoramic views, letters, and ephemera from the British Library collectionand will bring to life the city's transformation from a Roman outpost to the huge, heaving metropolis of today. It will also look to the Olympic and post-Olympic future.

It will let you see how London has developed over nearly 2,000 years to become Europe's largest city - 300 languages, all major religions and 7,000,000 people of many nationalities, a city that never stops and perpetually reinvents itself.

Highlights include:

the earliest view of London, from a Roman medal of 296 AD
real history of the A-Z from 1652 onwards
original hand-drawn map for the reconstruction of London drawn within months of the Great Fire of 1666
surviving fragment of the most beautiful map of London, by Wenceslas Hollar
psychedelic panorama of Carnaby Street in 1970

If you are in London between now and late March, take some time out to visist this exhibition; if not, click here for a virtual tour: you can then click on map pins on Google Map, to be directed to maps and pictures, as well as podcasts and video clips.

More glacial melting

A report on tonight's BBC news highlighted the concerns glaciologists from Southampton University have over the rapidly disappearing ice fields in Norway. The scientists are concerned about the increasing pace at which the ice melts, and what impact this may have on the globe's climate. This is just one of a number of stories from around the world which all point to the same thing-a massive increase in the rate at which the world's reservoirs of fresh water are melting.
For example, The Columbia Glacier in Alaska has retreated by nine miles since 1980 and is discharging 2 cubic miles of ice annually into the Prince William Sound, the equivalent of 100,000 ships packed with ice 150 m long.
However, the difficulty is isolating the differences between long term cyclical changes in the world's temperature (caused by atmospheric and other natural factors) and those which are directly caused by human causes of global warming, eg CO 2 emissions; burning fossil fuels)

Threats to seas and oceans

Here is what Peter (SIII) wrote

There should be a lot of concern because so much waste is being dumped that the sea will become a mess of rubbish and sewage and one thing affects another, eg like a marine tanker accident pours thousands of gallons of oil into the sea and therefore thousands of fish die so the fishing industry will lose buisness but in poorer countries people will be forced to eat the poissoned fish and they can become ill and may have childrenborn with defects. Dumping sewage into the sea looks bad and in places such as the Mediterranean Sea can seriously pollute the water as most water stays in the sea and doesn't circulate so the pollution stays there and now this sea is one of the most polluted in the world. Fishing is good in controlled amounts but overfishing on species such as cod is a serious problem and can wipe out species completely causing a chain reaction to fish higher up the food chain.

River Devon

Describe the course and features of the Devon and its valley.

The River Devon is about 50m wide; it flows slowly westwards as it meanders across the flood plain. There is an oxbow lake at GR 942972, which is typical of middle or lower course. The gradient is very gentle, as the river only falls from 30m to less than 10m. At 8495 the Devon changes diretion and flows south into the Forth. For the last 300 m the river is tidal. The vally is wide and straight, with very steep slopes to the north, and gentler land to the south.

S2 Geography Assessments

Please note that S2 will have a Unit assessment in Geography next week, on Monday 20th November (2B) and Wednesday 22nd November(2A and 2C) the test will cover the recent work on Fieldwork. Click here for revision notes.

More on Ox Bow Lakes

Click here for link to Rob Chambers' blog, which includes an exellent section on oxbow lakes

S4 Ink Exercise Answers

S4 Homework Sample Answer
Here are suggested answers for last week's ink exercise:
p.94 Q1 The UK has achieved greater international influence by being a member of the EU.part of a larger land area, therefore greater total production from crops, minerals, such as coal, oilpart of an organisation that has a combined population of 323 million, greater than the USA or Japan-these people make up a large market for British goods and servicesEU has a large GDP, which means that a lot of money is available to spend on eg regional assistance for poor areas, new roads, help for farmers

p94, Q2 The advantages of a selling alliance such as OPEC arethey can work together to guarantee a steady reliable income for member countries by controlling the supply and therefore the price of oilthe changes in in the price of oil arelow, steady (flatlining) from 1960 to 1973 at $3/barrellimmediate rise in 1973 after formation of OPEC to $10/barrellmore gentle rise in the late 70s to £12/barrelllarge spike from 1979-1980, taking price above $35/barrellhas dropped back down to $12 by 1986, only to rise again(For up to date information on oil prices, see Wikipedia article here. (Currently oil is about $56/barrell) )

p96 There is no one correct answer. All. three countries have benefitted from EU membership:access to larger marketsthey already trade with the EU, so this will now be cheaper as they can sell their good without incurring tariffseach country has over 80% of poor quality land which means that farmers may receive EU subsidiesNote:-The European Union (EU) has grown to its current size of 25 member states. There were five successive enlargements during this period, with the largest occurring on May 1, 2004, when 10 new member states joined. The EU will have 27 member states when further enlargement takes place in 2007 with the addition of Romania and Bulgaria. Negotiations are also underway with other states. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration. The most contentious decision is whether to let Turkey join.

p.99 In what ways are the developing (ELDCs) and less developing (EMDCs) interdependent in trade.Interdependence arises from the fact that no one country in the world has all the raw materials, finished goods, services or skills that they need.All countries SPECIALISE-eg Japan produces electronic goods (PS3!) but no oil; Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries produces oil, but don;t make many electronic goods.EMDCs tend to purchase cheap raw materials from ELDCs, often because they are only found in such countries-eg cocoa, coffee, iron, timberELDCs are often unable to process or manufacture their raw materials, so they need to purchase them from manufacturing nations.

p.99 Q4The countries are interdependent up to a point; The total value of exports of each countries to the other is quite similar. However, Ghana is more dependent on the UK than the other way around-27% of its exports go to the UK; but only 0.2% of our exports go to Ghana. We do rely on Ghana for certain essential commodities, such as cocoa (chocolate) and aluminium (many goods made of this light metal). Ghana needs to import oils and machinery from the UK, for example, which are essential to its manufacturing

s4 HOMEWORK

FOR TUESDAY 14TH ;

1. completeyour description of how an ox bow lake is formed.

2. Go to Wednesday's post. Answer the question on the Three Gorges Dam

3. Study Mate-page 85 no,3; page 93; no.4; page 98 No.2

Three Gorges Project

Stndard Grade pupils note that the recently completed Three Gorges Project in China affords a useful example of a major development in which there are advantages and disadvantages. Such evaluation questions are common in both General and Credit papers.

Eg "Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the Three Gorges Project" (ES, 6 marks)

Click on the link to the Guardian's interactive guide here to find out more; use this, and the Wikipedia articles to post an answer.

Thank You!

Thanks are due to second-year pupils Blair, Peter, Sarah and Hannah for helping in room 6 at the Open Evening.

Traffic Survey Findings

Task

Look at the information which was gathered by one S2 class in October.
1.Describe how to carry out a traffic survey
2.Using either graph paper or excel, make up suitable graphs to show the results for each question.
3. Describe and exlain the results in as much detail as possible

Findings

How did you travel to Kilmacolm today?

Car 48
bus 13
taxi 0
walk 41
other 2

Total 104

Number of cars owned by interviewees

1 car 53
2 cars 29
3 cars 5
4 cars 2
5, 6, 7, 8-none
9 cars (!!) 1

How often do you travel to Glasgow?

daily 10
weekly 27
monthly 20
infrequently 33

Are you hapy with transport facilities to/from UK

Yes 34
No 45
Sometimes 20

What age group were the interviewees?

under 18 2
19-25 2
26-35 12
36-55 - 27
56-65- 20

S2 Geograhy in the news

2A have been looking at geography stories that are making the news this month They have created a map using "Paint", whch they can anotate; they are learning to import photos on to the map, too.
Each pair in the class will add a comment about geography in the news to this post

S4 Homework

Please post a comment to describe the change in velocity of the Winceby Beck from source to mouth. (for Thursday)

Transitus Holiday Destinations

Pupils in Mr McDougall's Transitus ICT class have been writing about where they went for their October Break-they have sent their comments to say more about where they went.

Maintenance

Click here for pilot survey

Trial Survey-Test

Click here for trial survey.

S4 Meanders and Ox Bows

Can you work out where the river is?
What is the main land use? Why?


This is classic lower course drainage, wit a river meandering across a very broad, low-lying flood plain.

You need to be able to

Identify a flood plain on a map and on an aerial photograph (see photo above)
Identify an Ox Bow lake on a map and on an aerial photograph
Describe how an Ox Bow lake is formed
Describe the human geography (ie ways in which people use this kind of landscape


Identifying a flood plain on a map:

Click here for link to multimap image-the flat land on either side of the River Clyde is the flood plain

Identifying an Ox Bow Lake

Click here for photograph of a potential Ox Bow Lake (why does the photographer call this is potential Ox Bow lake)
Suggest what might happen during a flood, when the river has more power and erosion
Use your textbook or GeoWiki to draw out a labelled diagram to show how an Ox Bow lake is formed.

The human geography of meanders and Ox Bow lakes

Click here for map of Durham. The River Wear cuts into the surrounding land, creating an incised meander that provides a defensive site for the city. Compare this to the aerial photograph here.

Emma Maersk-the face of globalisation

If you want to know what is meant be globalisation and international trade, look no further than the Emma Maersk (pictured above)
Said to be the world's largest container vessel the Emma Maersk arrived in at the massive port of Felixstowe, Suffolk, to unload 45,000 tonnes of Christmas goods from China. Hundreds of spectators lined the shore to watch as it was guided into port by three tugs. The ship is a quarter of a mile long, 200ft high and as wide as a motorway. Its cargo of toys, books, computers, Christmas crackers, decorations and food, are bound for Britain and mainland Europe.
Paul Davey, of the Port of Felixstowe, said the size of the load reflected the increase of trade with China.

"This year alone we have seen a 16% increase in the volume of goods coming in from China. The year before that it was 24%, so it is continuing at a considerable pace of increase," he said.

The ship's Danish owner, Maersk Line, said the Emma Maersk was "one of the most environmentally friendly" container-vessels built, but campaigners have warned of the environmental damage such giant ships could cause.

"The environmental costs of long-distance trade need to be properly taken into account," said Dr Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for South East England.

"We must manage international trade in a way which is socially and environmentally sustainable, working towards global agreement on measures such as fuel taxes and import tariffs designed to support home-grown businesses.

Click here to see more photos of this ship on Flickr

S4 River Studies

Homework for Tuesday 7th November

(a) Written work (in jotter)

"Standard Grade Study Mate"

Page 94-96, questions 1, 2 and 4; p.99 Q4 (Stuck? see http://www.scalloway.org.uk/trad.htm )

(b) Background reading

Virtual Fieldwork of the Dart, Kent.

The Georesources website has a section on virtual fieldwork. Log on at http://www.georesources.co.uk/darentintro.htm to find out how the river changes downstream. You will also find references to fieldwork methods and equipment.

S2

Shopping Survey-A way of gathering data

2A took part in a shopping survey in Kilmacolm on Wednesday morning -each group made up some questions to find out more about the shopping habits of local people. they then trialled their questions with a sample of shoppers. It was a cold, sunny and dry day, but there were few people out and about at 9.45!
On Friday we shall look at the types of questions we used , and work together to produce an agreed format. Some of the class have already posted comments-well done! Everyone should have posted their comments by Friday 0900!

In your comments-let me know what questions to ask? What kind of question to ask? (eg open? closed? multiple choice?)

We shall be looking at how to use online survey tools, such as SurveyMonkey-have a look at this site and imagine how you might use it!

Dundee Quiz -Fun!

There are 5 questions on Dundee (where the teachers' conference was) on Saturday's posting:-e-mail me the answers!!

Open Evening-Wednesday 8th November

Thanks to those pupils who offered to help-remember to bring in your consent form on Friday.

The Stern Review on Global Warming

"The world was facing "nothing more serious, more urgent, or more demanding of leadership" than climate change and that Britons must be prepared to pay now to avoid future disaster"

so said Tony Blair at the launch of the Review on tackling global warming, written by the eminent economist Sir Nicholas Stern. The purpose of his review, which he wrote for the Government is to set out the costs to the world economy of not tackling global warming.
At this stage, Carbon emissions have already pushed up global temperatures by half a degree Celsius -doesn;t sound a lot, but small changes can have severe consequences-it only took a drop of 5 C to set off the last Ice Age.

If no action is taken on emissions, there is more than a 75% chance of global temperatures rising between two and three degrees Celsius over the next 50 years
There is a 50% chance that average global temperatures could rise by five degrees Celsius

Stern warns, that if no action is taken:

Floods from rising sea levels could displace up to 100 million people
Melting glaciers could cause water shortages for 1 in 6 of the world's population
Wildlife will be harmed; at worst up to 40% of species could become extinct
Droughts may create tens or even hundreds of millions of "climate refugees"


S4-sample answer on waterfalls and V-shaped valleys

Click here for link to Geowiki page

Geography Conference

Attended the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers (SAGT) Annual Conference in Dundee today. Plenty of stimulating and original ideas from guest speakers, as well as goodie bag, made of jute, appropriately.

One web site that we had the chance to learn more about is Geograph. if you are a photographer, then this is the site for you, as the aim is to produce a map that will have photographic coverage of every grid square in the UK. There are already 250 000 images, but room for plenty more-large parts of Scotland are not yet covered, including some parts of Renfrewshire-a good idea for Duke of Edinburgh??

One of the items in the goodie bag was the SAGT journal, which this year is a survey of geographical education in Scotland from "earliest times"to the present day by two stalwarts of geographical education themselves, Kenneth Mclean and Norman Thomson. It was interesting to compare the approach to geography advocated at Conference, with emphasis on ICT, podcasts, wikis and blogs, with the methods and expectations of previous generations. One thing that has changed markedly is the nature of geography examinations...

Higher pupils may wish to ponder the following questions, from 1960:

"Write a systematic account of the economic geography of either the North-East of England or the Central Lowlands of Scotland"

"Write a short essay on either market gardening in Holland or fishing in Norway."

If we had to write a similar kind of question for our times, what might we ask ?

Quiz for pupils-5 questions on Dundee.

1. What are the Three Js
2. Who are DC Thomson&co
3. What is Dundee's population?
4. What happened on 28th December 1879?
5. Who plays at Dens park?

e-mail answers to my school address.

Footprints

This map at the top of the page shows the countries in ECO DEBT (big footprints) and ECO CREDIT (low impact on environment) Can you think why there is a difference?

According to a report produced by the World Wide Fund, the world's ecosystem is facing collapse. with the world's resources being consumed more quickly than they can be replaced. In fact, if if the world's population shared the UK's lifestyle, three planets would be needed to support their needs. This impact is callled the Ecological footprint. The ecological footprint measures the impact of people on their environment; the bigger the footprint, the greater the problem. Finland, the USA and oil-rich UAE have the greatest footprints.

Find out more about ecological footprints here. or view the excellent series, Planet Under Pressure by clicking here.

S4 timed question

In the Credit exam, you have 2 hours to complete an 80 mark question paper. This works out at an average of 6 minutes for the typical 4 mark question, 8 minutes for a 6 mark question. Of course, some questions, eg OS map question, may take longer, others are quicker to do, but as a rule you should expect the following time frame:-

½ hour into exam- you should be finished or finishing Q1 (map extract, roughly 20 marks)
1 hour into exam-you should be half way through, ie have completed 40 marks’ worth-
1 ½ hour-you should have completed 60 marks’ worth
2 hours-time up!

Remember to allow time to:

• Check the paper is collated properly and you have the right map extract
• Read the question
• "CUBE it!"
• Check over your answers
• Rule out, neatly, any rough working or errors


Today’s timed question-sample answer to part (a)

A U-shaped valley was formed over 15 000 years ago (BCE*), when large glacier, under gravity, flowed through a winding, narrow, V-shaped valley. The glacier would have bulldozed, and plucked the interlocking spurs, creating steep truncated spurs, and widening and straightening the valley. Abrasion by boulder fragments embedded in the base of the ice would have gouged and deepened the valley, perhaps leaving behind a ribbon lake.

* BCE=has replaced BC, and means Before Common Era.
+labelled diagram, in pencil



PS For a helpful online dictionary of geographical terms, see Internet Geography.

Darwin Online!

As well as being of obvious interest to biologists news that the entire works of Charles Darwin have been digitalised should also appeal to geographers. Darwin, who revolutionised our understanding of evolution, contributed much to the development of earth sciences through his painstaking and methodical observations of plants, animals, fossils and rock formations during his travels as a nauralist on the Beagle's voyage around the world on the 1830s. Darwin set out his views on evolution in his "Origin of Species" , following it with "The Descent of Man" which contoversially asserted that man had effectively evolved from the apes, an idea that flew in the face of conventional religious belief. Indeed, the debate between evolution and creation or intelligent design still rages today, over 100 years after Darwin's death.

Yahoo Time capsule + Clydeside Regeneration

Just read about Yanhoo's time capsule: For 30 days, from October 10 until November 8, Yahoo! users worldwide can contribute photos, writings, videos, audio – even drawings – to this electronic anthropology project. This digital data will be gathered and preserved for historical purposes.

In addition to submitting your own content, you can view, read, or hear the images, words, and sounds contributed by users from around the world.

You can also comment on the content you and others have submitted – and engage in a digital conversation that is just as revealing and important as any of the content you’ll witness.

And by November 8, you will have helped create a digital legacy of our times, a mosaic of revealing snapshots that will be sealed and entrusted to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings based in Washington D.C., officially taking its place in history.

Clydeside Urban Regeneration Update

According to BBC news, The redevelopment of wasteland on the banks of the River Clyde is reaping bigger than expected rewards, with more than 50,000 new jobs being created. The area is characterised by the latest piece of cicil engoneering, the £20 million Clyde Arc, aka the Squinty Bridge. This whole area is one of transformation, with new office developments such as the BBC and SMG HQs at Pacific Quay.

For more on current urban development schemes in central Scotland, click here.

Geowiki

have started up a wiki- called Geowiki this is a collaborative web site which allows other people to log in and make additions or amendments. This wike is designed to provide lesson notes and interactive tasks for all years from Transitus to Advanced Higher, and will be rolled out over this coming session, starting with S Grade.
click on the button for quick access.

Geography and Travel writing

One of my favourite sections in any bookshop is "travel writing". Good, descriptive writing can really evoke a sense of place, and stir the pangs of wanderlust. Reading can add depth to your geographical knowledge and put textbook notes and diagrams into context. Among my particular favourites is "A Time of Gifts" by Patrick Leigh Fermour. Written with a zest for language, culture, literature, history and geography, this is an account of a young man's journey -on foot-from the Hook of Holland to Isanbul in the 1930s, through a Europe that was to change for ever with the rise of facism and the onset of war. The prose verges on the purple at times, but it's an excellent read. It would be interesting to hear what others regard as their favourite travel writing!

Technical update

Technorati Tags: SAGT06

Technorati Profile

Recycling

Rubbish disposal is becoming an increasing problem-and local councils are beginning to look ahead to 2020 when half of all household waste will need to be recycled, and to 2008, when taxes on landfill sites (photograph) will go up. Fortnightly collections of household waste are inevitable, local authority body Cosla has said; So far 13 of Scotland's 32 local authorities have introduced fortnightly collections, and the rest may follow. But are forthighly collections the answer? here is what one resident says:

"despite recycling glass, cans, cardboard, paper, plastic and garden waste,my bin is always overflowing at the end of two weeks. .. It is the smell. We had a hot summer so it has been much worse. But even in this weather I had bluebottles round my bin."

Why do councils think fortnighly collections are the answer?
What more should be done to encourage recycling?

Tell me what you think-Please add a comment!

SAGT Conference

Looking forward to going to the SAGT conference in Dundee at the end of October-hope to pick up plenty of ideas on how ICT can aid learning and teaching. Good chance to meet up with colleagues and friends and see the lastest publications.

Technorati Tags: SAGT06

U shaped valley in Canton Glaurus, Eastern Switzerland

test photo
Originally uploaded by jmmcdgll.

Classic U shaped valley , taken from the Klausen Pass

Today's recommended Web Site

My top tip for today is




This excellent site has dozens of interesting links, with special section on Google Earth-log on to http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/googleearth.htm to find out more.

For S Grade Revision, go to http://www.scalloway.org.uk/

or try http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/ -but be selective, as this is aimed primarily at English schools

Test

Test
Originally uploaded by jmmcdgll.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

WIND FARMS

Wind farms have appeared in several SQA questions, including last year's Credit paper. usually candidates have to identify the advantages and disadvantages of wind farms.

Advantages-clean form of energy; no greenhouse gases emitted; they harness a a major source of natural power; will help maintain Scotland's energy supplies; compatable with other activities, eg cycling, forestry, farming

Disadvantages-unsightly-they occupy ridges and hills, so they are visible for miles; out of place in wild and remote places; can affect birds which may get entangled in the massive blades

If you can think any more, let me know! You should know about the lastest project, summarised below:-

Work starts today at Whitelee Farm, Eaglesham Moor on Europe's biggest onshore wind farm.It will comprise 140 turbines running along 30 miles of hilltops. They will be able to power 200,000 homes - the equivalent of more than half of Glasgow's energy needs. ScottishPower says the project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 650,000 tonnes a year, equivalent to the output of around 240,000 cars. The company will also build a network of cycle paths and a visitor centre at the site.

Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, said:

"It will make a major contribution to our twin aims of securing energy supplies and tackling climate change.....ixteen per cent of Scotland's electricity already comes from these sources, compared with 4% for the UK as a whole."Philip Bowman, ScottishPower's chief executive, said: "Whitelee is not the end of the story. If we are to deliver more clean energy, we have really got to keep up the momentum on the other big onshore wind farms in Scotland which are currently in planning."Other windfarms in the pipeline include a "renewable energy park" with 42 wind turbines near Neilston, East Renfrewshire.....Another, with 125 turbines, is proposed for Clyde Muirshiel Country Park. Others are earmarked in the Old Kilpatrick Hills, Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.

Click here for images of wind farms in Scotland!!

GEOGRAPHY IN ART

Geography is linked to many other subjects, from science to economics, from geology to sociology. To see the connction between geography and fine art, take some time to visit the BBC's Arts pages-they have a section on "Painting the weather"-,an online gallery of some of the UK's best weather pictures, such as Degas' "Jockeys in the Rain"., which you can see at the Burrell. My own favourite is Turner's Snowstorm.
There is an audio tour which you can download and listen to on Real Player.

Geography in the News

2A have started a digest of geography stories in the news-each lesson, they'll write up the story, and copy it to this blog. Today's story is the mud flow in Java, shown on the map below-

Thousands of people on the Indonesian island of Java have been forced from their homes by tonnes of
hot mud and gas.The sludge, which has been spewing out of the ground for more
than two months, is the result of a crack in a gas drilling project near Indonesia's second city, Surabaya

Geography in the News

2A have started a digest of geography stories in the news-each lesson, they'll write up the story, and copy it to this blog. Today's story is the mud flow in Java, shown on the map below-

Thousands of people on the Indonesian island of Java have been forced from their homes by tonnes of
hot mud and gas.The sludge, which has been spewing out of the ground for more
than two months, is the result of a crack in a gas drilling project near Indonesia's second city, Surabaya

S4 Revision Topics

S4 Homework and Exam Prep, October Break


Write up the report on land use issues in glaciated areas (as issued on Monday 2nd October). You will have Monday 23rd to check that all parts of the report are completed and checked. Report must be handed in on Tuesday 24th October.
Read thoroughly chapters 1 and 2 of Standard Grade Study Mate, (C Clarke) to familiarise yourself with the type of questions you will get in the Exam. This is extremely important-take time to read and take summary notes. (Linear or Mind Map format)

What’s In the Prelim?

Ø Map Skills
o Recognition of landforms, eg corrie, valley, spur
o Land use patterns (eg woodland, farmland, settlement)
o Interpretation of transects (Eg as in the Braemar map exercise)
o Evaluating information, eg:-
§ Location of a new factory/supermarket/tourist centre

Ø Glaciated landscapes
o Erosion-corries, pyramidal peaks, U shaped valleys
o Deposition-Glacial and Fluvio-Glacial
o Land uses
§ Upland-climbing, ski-ing, forestry, sheep, walking
§ Lowland-sand/gravel pits, settlements, farmland
o Land use conflicts
§ Footpath erosion, litter, parking
§ Ski-ing v Environment
§ Holiday homes v traditional character of a place

Ø River landscapes (will be covered after the Holiday)
o Upper, Middle, Lower course of a River
§ Waterfall
§ V shaped valley
§ Ox Bow lake
o Land uses
o Case Study-The Rhine



Ø Environmental Issues
o Rain Forest
§ Deforestation; habitat loss
o Deserts
§ Developments, eg oil, mining, water schemes
o Tundra
§ Oil exploration
§ Alaskan Highway
o Seas and Oceans
§ Pollution, waste
§ Over fishing; whaling
Ø Climate

o Rain Forest
o Desert
o Tundra
o Mediterranean

Ø Trade and Aid

o Globalisation-all countries interlinked by trade
o Trading Alliances
§ The EU (enlargement)
o Export and Import patterns
§ Contrast EMDCs and ELDCs
o Uneven pattern of global trade
o Multinationals dominate world economy
§ Nike, Coke; IBM, Microsoft
o Overdependence on one/two exports (eg many African/South American countries)
o Price changes
o Aid
§ Emergency/Disaster Relief
§ Bilateral
§ Multilateral
o Self Help Schemes
o Intermediate Technology

Ø Population

o Population distribution
§ Crowded areas-Europe, Eastern China, Ganges Delta
§ Sparely populated-mountains, extreme climates, few resources/wealth
o Birth and death rates
§ Difference between EMDCs and ELDCs
§ Interpret population pyramids

o Migration
§ Push-Pull factors
§ Impact on people and places
§ Recent Immigration into Scotland
o Indicators of development, eg::-
§ GNP-wealth
§ Literacy-education,
§ Girls/Boys in Primary/Secondary education
§ Car ownership-wealth
§ %age employed in agriculture-high in poorer countries

Wednesday 4th October-Traffic Survey.

SII carried out traffic survey of Kilmacolm as part of their "Methods and Techniques" course. Divided into pairs, with each pair allocated a specific street or junction to survey for ten minutes. each pair had a booking sheet on which they marked, using tally marks, all incoming and outgoing traffic, according to a classification scheme, eg car, lorry, bus, bike etc. Results to be processed and written up on Friday.

Monday 2nd October

S4's views on ski-ing in Scotland:

I found that ski-ing in Glencoe was not very good, probably because of the time of year I went,in February. There was only 1 slope that was open so it was busy and the snow was icy. To get to that slope, we had to use a chairlift. (Chloe)
I found that ski-ing in France was exceptional, due to the delightful amount of snow that was lying on the ground. Although there were crowds of tourists, it was a pleasure to see the spectacular views,incluing that of Mount Blanc. There were various lifts,the gondola,the pomma and the chairlift. (Jonathan C)

S4 are devloping their note taking skills by carrying out an enquiry into land use issues in upland areas of Europe. The starting point of the exercise was a case study of the Cairngorm funicular railway. The class watched a video on the making of the railway and considered the points for and against this.

The following web sites should be used in researching this topic:

http://www.cairngormmountain.com/
http://highergeogblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/cairngorms-website.html
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/sustainableforestry
http://www.ramblers.org.uk/factshts/factsh14.html
http://www.incallander.co.uk/walks/lawers.htm

St Columba Geog Blog: Thursday 28th September

S4 have been studying land use conflicts in upland areas of Scotland-they watched a video on the Cairngorm funicular eailiway to help them assess the advantages and disadvantages of such developments-is it a simple matter of economic gain v environmental loss? opinion is certainly very divided. Click here to learn more about the Cairngorms.

Wednesday 27th September

In geography with Mr McDougall S2 have been out in Kilmacolm looking at the land use of Port Glasgow road and Lochwinnoch road. We made a scale map of the local roads, marking their land use then drawing up a pie chart of our findings.

We also completed a quiz of odd-one-out questions on geography, saying which was different and why.

David's question: Latvia Ukraine Kazakhstan Armenia

John's question: Britain Italy France Tunisia

Calum's question: Texas Florida Illinois Tenesse

Post your answer-and reason here!

Tuesday 26th September

S4 have looked at exam technique this morning, by studying past paper question on glacial deposition in Denmark. They were given the qeustion and also a prompt to help them identify the main points they should cover. Before starting we looked at how to CUBE a question.
Circle the instruction, eg "describe" "explain"
Underline the key words;
Box the resources in the question you need to use.
Explain in your own words what you are to do.
They also need to include a labelled diagram of how a terminal moraine is formed.
Good links to glacial deposition at BBC Bitesize.

St Columba's Geography Blog-Trial entry

Welcome to the first entry for the Geography Blog for St Columba's School, Kilmacolm. Kilmacolm is a village situated between Greenock and Paisley within Inverclyde District. The population (2004) was 3920. St Columba's is an independent, non denomonational HMC school, with over 700 pupils. Blogging is becoming increasingly popular among geographers as a way of communicating ideas and resources; amomg the most highly recommended are Val Vannet's http://highergeogblog.blogspot.com and Odblog (http://geodonn.blogspot.com). We are going to use this blog for pupils to put out their own thoughts, recommendations and experiences about what they are learning in geography.