sample chapter from gcse geog ocr a
TRANSCRIPT
88 99
1: Introducing extreme environments
Discuss
1 Look at the four extreme environments on these
pages.
a Which one do you fi nd most fascinating? Why?
b Would you want to go there? Why, or why not?
2 a What do all these environments have in common?
List three things. (Clue: it might help if you think
about what is missing.)
b Choose one of these environments. What makes
it extreme? (Clue: think about wahy it would be
hard to survive.)
3 With a partner put the four environments in order
from most extreme to least extreme.
a First, choose fi ve factors to help you to judge how
extreme each environment is. Choose from the list
in the box above.
b Then, rank the environments from 1 to 4 for each
factor you chose.
c Finally, add your rank scores together to put the
environments in order.
Learn 2 learn
[Mountain Photo] A
[Desert Photo]B
What is an extreme environment?
+ What is the defi nition of an extreme environment and what do we know about them?
We are fascinated by extreme
environments. People climb mountains,
cross deserts and travel to the Poles.
Sometime during this century people
may even set foot on another planet.
What is it that makes us go to such
extremes? Is it to explore new places,
to escape the stress of modern life, or
simply for the excitement?
An extreme environment is one where
it is hard for people (or other forms of
life) to survive.
Extreme environments can be as vast as
a desert or as small as a mountain peak.
1.1
Extreme environments can be:
• high
• deep
• hot
• wet
• cold
• dry
• remote
• dark
• toxic
• stormy
• lacking oxygen.
explore
]]]] AAA
The South Pole is as dry as a desert.
Snow and ice have accumulated there
over thousands of years.
The warmest day on Mars is barely as
warm as the coldest day on Earth. The
Martian atmosphere contains almost
no oxygen.
The higher you go
in the atmosphere
the less oxygen
there is. Above
5000 metres it is
hard to breathe.
+ There
is no
right answer to question 3, but
ranking will help you to think about
what an extreme environment is.
A Mountains
Deserts can be hot or cold and
some deserts can be both! They
are very hot during the day and
can be freezing cold at night.
B Desert
C Polar D Mars
1010 1111
1: Introducing extreme environments
Our love affair with mountains goes back a long time. In 1815 William
Wordsworth wrote a poem inspired by a mountain; you can read the fi rst few
lines below, B. Until then, most people had thought of mountains and other
extreme environments as dangerous places that were best avoided. Through
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, ideas changed. People became
more adventurous, and began exploring extreme environments. They soon
discovered that – yes – mountains are very dangerous!
1 Look at photo A.
a How does it make you feel?
b Think of at least fi ve words to
describe the mountain.
2 Now read the poem (B).
a What words does the poet use
to describe the mountain?
b How do you think he feels
about it?
Mountains on your mind
+ How do people react to extreme environments?
How clear, how keen, how marvellously brightTh e effl uence fr om yon distant mountain’s head,Which, strewn with snow smooth as the sky can shed,Shines like another sun – on mortal sightUprisen …
A Mountain landscapes can be inspiring
Extract from November 1, a poem
written by William Wordsworth in 1815
B
In 1985 two mountaineers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, set off to climb
Siula Grande, a mountain in the Andes, South America. Their story is told
in Joe’s book, Touching the Void, and in the fi lm based on the book. Here
is a short extract.
Crouching down on my knees, I turned my back to the cliff edge and managed to get my axes to bite in deeply. I lowered my legs over the cliff until the edge was against my stomach and I could kick my crampons into the ice wall below me. I felt them bite and hold. Removing one axe, I hammered it in again very close to the edge (...) I was hanging on to the ice axe, reaching to my side to place the hammer solidly into the wall with my left hand. I wanted it to be perfect before I removed the axe embedded in the lip and lowered myself on the hammer. As the hammer came out there was a sharp cracking sound and my right hand, gripping the axe, pulled down. Th e sudden jerk turned me outwards and instantly I was falling.
(...) I felt a shattering blow in my knee, felt bones splitting, and screamed. Th e impact catapulted me over backwards and down the slope of the East Face. I slid, head-fi rst, on my
back. Th e rushing speed of it confused me. I thought of the drop below but felt nothing. Simon would be ripped off the mountain. He couldn’t hold this. I screamed again as I jerked to a sudden violent stop.
Everything was still, silent. My thoughts raced madly. Th e pain fl ooded down my thigh – a fi erce burning fi re coming down the inside of my thigh, seeming to ball in my groin, building and building until I cried out at it, and my breathing came in ragged gasps. My leg! Oh Jesus. My leg!
C From ‘Touching the Void’
3 Read the extract from Touching the Void. Better still, close your eyes and get
someone to read it to you. Try to picture the action in your mind.
4 Imagine what might happen next. Continue the story in your own words. You
will fi nd out what really did happen in Chapter 3. If you can’t wait till then, turn
to page 00 to fi nd out (but not until you’ve made up your own story!).
Discuss
5 Talk about these questions with a partner.
a How did the extract make you feel?
b What does it tell you about mountains?
c How is the extract different from the poem?
d How does this tell you that the way we think about mountains has
changed since 1815?
1.2
explore
explore
Learn 2 learn+ Don’t worry if you think Wordsworth’s poem is hard – it is. Just think about how his words make you feel.
Learn 2 learn+ This
technique –
picturing a story in your mind and
continuing it – is sometimes called a
mind movie. It can help to get your mind
really working.
+ crampons
- spikes on
a climber’s
boots
1212 1313
1: Introducing extreme environments
1.3 Is there life on Mars?
+ How do people react to extreme environments?
There are few places left on Earth that people have not already
explored. However, space is another matter. So far, the only place
beyond the Earth where people have been is the Moon. In future, we are
likely to go to other planets. Almost certainly, we will fi nd environments
that are far more extreme than any on Earth. The endless possibilities
of space have become a subject for science-fi ction writers, fi lm makers
and even newspaper reporters.
The photo from the Red Planet ap-pears to show a Yeti-like crea-ture with a huge head making its way down a mountainside. It was taken by a Nasa space probe and its appearance on the internet yesterday fi red the imagination of every science fi ction fan who secretly yearns for a close encounter with an extra-terrestrial.
Then again, of course, it might not be a Martian at all...but just a strange rock formation.Initially, astronomers hoping for signs of life on the fourth planet were disappointed when Nasa’s Mars Explorer Spirit sent
LIFE ON MARS: THE PROOF?
back images from the surface four years ago. The pictures showed a red, drab, dusty surface devoid of life. But one space enthusiast scanned every rock and crevice and spotted the ape-like ‘Martian’ which appeared as just a pinprick on the original photograph. The image was then blown up and posted on a Chinese website.
The intriguing photo will again focus attention on Earth’s near-est neighbour, which many scientists have long believed could harbour alien life.
By John Chapman Wednesday 23 January 2008
The issue has divided stargazers for centuries. Now fi nally this picture
provides evidence that there really is life on Mars – or does it?
Earth Comparing Earth and Mars Mars
Water
Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by
water and all life depends on it. On Mars
there is some water, but it is frozen at
the Poles.
Temperature
Mars is further from the Sun than
the Earth is. It also has a very thin
atmosphere that does not retain much
heat. This means that the temperature
on Mars is much lower.
Pressure
Because the Martian atmosphere is thin,
it does not weigh much and pressure at
the surface is much lower than on Earth.
There is not enough air to breathe.
Oxygen
On Earth 21% of the atmosphere is
oxygen, while Mars has only 0.13%.
We breathe in oxygen and breathe out
carbon dioxide. Too much CO2 would
suffocate us.
Storms
Storms on Earth usually bring wind and
rain. On Mars storms bring winds, which
blow up dust from the surface. Summer
storms blanket most of the planet in
dust.
1 Look at B. In what ways do you think that Mars is:
a similar to extreme environments on Earth?
b different from extreme environments on Earth?
2 Do you think there is life on Mars? Using the evidence
on these pages, say why you think there is, or isn’t.
3 You have been asked to make preparations for the
fi rst human expedition to Mars. Make a list of what
to take and give a reason for each item. Think about
what you would:
• breathe
• drink
4 Think back to what you already know about extreme
environments on Earth. Would you take similar items
to an extreme environment on Earth?
Discuss
5 a Do you think people are likely to go to Mars in
your lifetime? Why, or why not?
b If they do, how is the way we view Mars likely
to change? (Think about the way our views on
mountains changed through the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries.)
explore
• eat
• wear.
ree
s
s
Your world+ Mars is much smaller than the Earth, but it has about the same area of land. Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by sea.
A Extract from the Daily Express
B Comparing Earth to Mars
1414 1515
1: Introducing extreme environments
1.4 Extremely British
+ What environments within the UK may be considered extreme?
When we think of extreme environments we don’t usually think of Britain.
After all, we don’t have any deserts or ice caps, and our mountains are
not very high (A).
explore
1 ‘The UK has no extreme environments’. What is your
opinion about this statement? Give reasons for your
answer.
2 a Read the diary of a Maasai warrior in London, on
the opposite page (C). Notice the things that he
found strange about the city.
b Think of other things that a newcomer to a city
might fi nd strange, e.g. underground trains.
c Now write your own guide for someone coming to
a city for the fi rst time, trying to explain the things
that they would fi nd strange.
Give at least fi ve ideas. For example:
‘In the city the trains travel underground, because
there is not enough space on the ground”.
Discuss
3 Do you think the city
is an extreme
environment? Think of
fi ve arguments in favour,
or fi ve varguments
against. Then debate the
question with a partner.
UK The World
Highest mountain Ben Nevis, Scotland, 1344m Mt Everest, Nepal, 8850m
Largest desert – Sahara Desert, North Africa, 9 million km2
Largest glacier No glaciers in the UK (though it
sometimes snows!)
Lambert Glacier, Antarctica, 80km wide,
500km long
Hottest place (highest temperature ever recorded) Faversham, Kent, 38.5°C El Azizia, Libya, 57.8°C
Coldest place (lowest temperature ever recorded) Braemar, Scotland, -27.2°C Vostok, Antarctica, -89°C
Wettest place (average annual rainfall) Snowdonia, Wales, 447cm Cherrapunji, India, 1270cm
Driest place (average annual rainfall) Clacton, Essex, 513mm Atacama Desert, Chile, 0.1mm
Biggest city London, 7.5 million people Tokyo, Japan, 28 million people
y g ( )
UKUKUKUK The World
Sometimes people can adapt to live in an
environment that other people might think is
extreme. In Britain about 90 per cent of us live
in cities. Of course, we don’t usually think of a
city as an extreme environment – it is just where
we happen to live. However, from another point
of view, the city is an extreme environment.
Where else do you fi nd so much concrete, noise,
pollution or, above all, crowds of people?
Imagine what it would be like to be in a city for
the fi rst time. That is what happened to a group
of Maasai warriors from Tanzania (B). They were
invited to run in the London Marathon in 2008
to raise money for a new well in their village.
It was the fi rst time they had left Tanzania.
While in London their chief kept a diary (C).
April 4 – 12
Arrival in London
The plane was so big and frightening.
(...) Heathrow was very busy and it was diffi cult to walk on the fl oor because some of it moved. You’re walking along and the next moment it’s whoooosh! It’s diffi cult to get on and off but very good when you’re on.
I miss meat and blood very much. There is milk here but blood is better because it gives energy. English tea with sugar is good and we tried Coco Pops. The nicest food is croissants.
The weather here is strange. From a window it looks warm but outside it’s very cold. It’s better when we’re running or in the shower. (...) When the shower is hot it is really hot, and when cold, really cold. This is true.
Everybody in England is friendly and smiley. This is common in Maasai culture – the one difference is they are white. And people here depend on money; back home we don’t buy food.
FRIDAY4
SATURDAY5
SUNDAY6
The Houses of Parliament are the best buildings in London. They use very strong materials. We hoped very much to see the Queen in London, but she is never there.
I prefer my home in Tanzania to here. It’s a more natural life without all these buildings. (...) We can live in the West but I miss the village.
I am excited to get the marathon done and get clean water to save lives. We have a dam that we share with wild animals so every morning the children go to get water; it’s dangerous for them. Some have lost their lives. Next week we will drill and get clean water for top life.
TUESDAY8
FRIDAY11
SATURDAY12
C
e on t thehe g grorounundd ..
rr,,
hheeeeee
.
Learn 2 learn+ You don’t always have to believe something to argue that it is true. Thinking about the opposite argument often helps you to understand better.
ment are the best n. They use very strongvery much to see the t h i v th
Your world+ Traditionally, the Maasai people are cattle herders. They need to be
good runners to herd their cattle and to escape from lions! Today, many of them live in towns.
A Ben Nevis
B Maasai warriors running the London Marathon
1616 1717
1: Introducing extreme environments
1.5 Going to extremes
+ What environments in the UK may be considered extreme?
In the UK we may not have any deserts or
glaciers, and our mountains are not very high,
but there are still adventures to be found. The
number of people who do extreme sports in the
UK has grown dramatically in recent years. In
each case, the secret of the success of these
sports is a suitable extreme environment.
explore
1 a Write a list of all the sports you can think of,
starting with the ones in the photos, which
require an extreme environment.
b In each case, suggest the best type of
environment to do the sport. For example Surfi ng
needs a beach with big waves.
2 Look carefully at map A.
a Describe the distribution of surfi ng beaches on
the map. Which parts of the British Isles have
most surfi ng beaches? Which parts have fewest?
b Try to explain the distribution of surfi ng beaches.
Why do some parts have many while others have
few? (The information beside the map will help
you.)
3 Now try some other extreme sports. Find a good
location on map B where you could go:
a rock climbing
b white-water rafting
c caving.
In each case, give a six-
fi gure grid reference
on the map and say
why you chose this
location. Remember
to mention any map
symbols that helped
your decision.
4 Plan a surfi ng trip for next weekend.
a Go to the Magic Seaweed website at
http://magicseaweed.com. Click on Surf
reports for UK and Ireland and you will see a
map, like map A.
b Choose a location on the map for a surfi ng trip.
It could be the one nearest you. Click the
location on the surf reports map. Find the
forecast for next weekend for this location. What
will the conditions be? Will it be good for surfi ng?
c If not, fi nd another location, somewhere in the
British Isles, with better conditions for surfi ng.
What will the conditions be like there?
Surfi ng [photo from
the UK]
Rock climbing [pho-
to from the UK]
White-water rafting
[photo from the
UK]
Caving [photo from
the UK]
Scotland
England
Wales
NorthernIreland
Ireland
Atlantic OceanNorth Sea
Irish Sea
English Channel
Surfi ng needs good waves. Good waves
depend on:
Swell is the size of the waves out at sea.
The largest swell usually follows a storm.
Wave size is affected by the strength of the
wind, how long it blows for and the distance
at sea over which it blows (the fetch). The
larger the swell, the better the surf.
Local wind direction affects the quality of
the waves.
• Onshore winds (blowing from sea to
land) make the waves break too quickly.
• Offshore winds (blowing from land to
sea) hold up the waves and create the
best waves for surfi ng.
Beach gradient affects the way the waves
break near the shore. Too steep and the
waves break too quickly. Too shallow and
the waves lose all their energy. The ideal
beach is a gently sloping one.
A Surfi ng in the British Isles
B Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales – a good environment for extreme sports
Rock climbing [pho-
to from the UK]
Surfi ng [photo from
the UK]
Caving [photo from
the UK]
Key
Surfing beach
White-water rafting
[photo from the
UK]
--
t k d
Learn 2 learn+ It may be a long time since you used grid references. It is good to practise your geographical skills often so you don’t forget them.
Surfi ng
Rock climbing
White-water rafting
Caving
72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
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