Topic 2b: Drought PAPER ONE

Question 1

Do arid environments suffer from drought? - why?

Answer 1

• Don’t suffer from drought as aridity is the normal climate

Question 2

Where are arid environments located?

Answer 2

Regions of high pressure. Dry air descends, usually where Hadley and Ferrel cells meet.

Question 3

Characteristics of Arid environments

Answer 3

Dry air, clouds unlikely to form. So, low levels of precipitation throughout the year

Question 4

Explain some meteorological causes of drought

Answer 4

Meteorological drought = the level of dryness in an area

A reduction in rainfall can cause drought (1) because of changes in the global atmospheric circulation (1) where areas come under the influence of high pressure (1).

Rainfall may be becoming less reliable (1) because of the impact of
climate change (1) meaning that some regions are being more regularly affected by high pressure (1).

Climate change / sun-spots(1) leads to increased temperatures (1)
which leads to an increased evaporation of water (1).

Question 5

Explain some hydrological impacts of drought

Answer 5

Hydrological = impact of low precipitation levels

Lack of precipitation means less water enters the soil. So, surface water (such as in rivers) becomes difficult to access, as water levels drop. This leads to an over-reliance of groundwater and reservoirs.

(Farmers may lost soil moisture, so it is harder to grow crops, so they can’t make as much money/lower crop yields)

Question 6

Explain some human causes of drought

Answer 6

DAMS: restricting water flow of the river leads to a drop in water levels downstream. So, these areas may experience drought as they don’t receive the same amount of water as before the dam’s construction.

DEFORESTATION: trees undergo photosynthesis which removes CO2 from the air. Removing trees results in less CO2 being absorbed from the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect. This = global warming, increasing evaporation.