Scottish Advanced Higher Geography Syllabus

Geography syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Geography in Scottish Advanced Higher, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Physical Geography

   3 topics

   • Geomorphology
     • Glaciated and coastal landscapes
     • Fluvial processes and landforms
   • Hydrology and biogeography
     • The hydrological cycle and drainage basins
     • Soils and biomes
   • Atmospheric processes
     • Weather systems and climate
2. 2

   Human Geography

   3 topics

   • Population and migration
     • Demographic transition
     • Causes and impacts of migration
   • Urban environments
     • Urbanisation and urban change
     • Management of urban issues
   • Development and economic geography
     • Indicators and inequalities of development
3. 3

   Geographical Research and Skills

   3 topics

   • Fieldwork techniques
     • Data collection in physical and human contexts
     • Sampling strategies
   • Geographical methods and statistics
     • Mapping and GIS
     • Statistical techniques and significance
   • Geographical study and folio
     • Research question and methodology
     • Analysis, evaluation and conclusions

Geography flashcards for Scottish Advanced Higher

25 of 51 cards from the Geography deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In geomorphology, what is meant by 'isostasy' and give a Scottish example of its effect.

   Isostasy is the gravitational balance of the Earth's crust 'floating' on the denser mantle; when ice load is removed (deglaciation) the crust rebounds upward. In Scotland, isostatic rebound after the last ice age produced raised beaches (e.g. around the Firth of Forth and west coast).

2. Define a 'misfit (underfit) stream' and explain why it occurs.

   A misfit stream is a river that is too small to have eroded the valley it occupies. It occurs because the valley was cut by a much larger former flow (e.g. glacial meltwater or a larger Pleistocene river) and the present discharge is comparatively tiny.

3. What is the Hjulström curve and what three processes does it relate to flow velocity?

   The Hjulström curve plots water velocity against sediment particle size to show the thresholds for erosion (entrainment), transport, and deposition. It shows fine cohesive clays need surprisingly high velocities to erode, while sand is entrained at the lowest velocities.

4. State the four processes of fluvial erosion.

   Hydraulic action (force of water), abrasion/corrasion (load scraping the bed and banks), attrition (load particles colliding and wearing each other down), and corrosion/solution (chemical dissolving of soluble rock such as limestone).

5. Explain how a meander migrates to form an ox-bow lake.

   Erosion (undercutting) on the outer concave bank and deposition on the inner convex bank (point bar) make the meander neck progressively narrower. During a flood the river cuts across the neck, taking the straighter course; deposition seals off the old loop, leaving an ox-bow lake that becomes a marsh.

6. In glacial geomorphology, distinguish a corrie, an arête and a pyramidal peak.

   A corrie is an armchair-shaped hollow eroded by a rotational glacier. An arête is a narrow knife-edge ridge between two corries eroding back-to-back. A pyramidal peak (horn) forms where three or more corries erode towards a common summit.

7. What is the difference between till and outwash (fluvioglacial) deposits?

   Till is unsorted, angular material deposited directly by ice (e.g. moraine, drumlins). Outwash is sorted and stratified material deposited by meltwater, becoming finer downstream (e.g. eskers, kames, outwash plains).

8. Describe how a drumlin forms and how it indicates ice-flow direction.

   A drumlin is a streamlined hill of till deposited beneath moving ice when the load exceeded the ice's competence. Its long axis is parallel to ice flow, with a steep blunt stoss end facing up-ice and a gentle tapering lee end pointing down-ice.

9. Define the water balance equation used in hydrology.

   $$P = Q + E + \Delta S$$ where $P$ is precipitation, $Q$ is runoff (discharge/streamflow), $E$ is evapotranspiration, and $\Delta S$ is the change in storage (soil and groundwater).

10. Give the formula for river discharge and its SI unit.

    $$Q = A \times v$$ where $Q$ is discharge, $A$ is cross-sectional area ($\mathrm{m^2}$) and $v$ is mean velocity ($\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$). Discharge $Q$ is measured in cumecs ($\mathrm{m^3\,s^{-1}}$).

11. On a storm hydrograph, define lag time and explain what a short lag time indicates.

    Lag time is the time interval between peak rainfall and peak discharge. A short lag time indicates rapid runoff reaching the channel quickly, typically due to impermeable surfaces, steep slopes, saturated/frozen ground, sparse vegetation or a circular drainage basin, producing a flashy, high-peaked hydrograph.

12. List the main flows and stores in the drainage basin hydrological cycle.

    Stores: interception, surface, soil moisture, groundwater, channel. Flows/transfers: precipitation, throughfall/stemflow, infiltration, overland (surface) flow, throughflow, percolation, groundwater (baseflow) flow, and channel flow; outputs are evapotranspiration and discharge.

13. Distinguish infiltration capacity from percolation.

    Infiltration capacity is the maximum rate at which water can soak into the soil surface (mm/hr); when rainfall exceeds it, infiltration-excess overland flow occurs. Percolation is the deeper, slower vertical movement of water from the soil down into the underlying bedrock/groundwater.

14. In biogeography, define a vegetation 'climax community' and a 'plagioclimax'.

    A climax community is the stable, self-perpetuating vegetation in equilibrium with the prevailing climate/soil at the end of a succession (climatic climax). A plagioclimax is a community whose succession has been permanently arrested or deflected by human activity (e.g. heather moorland maintained by grazing and burning).

15. Describe a hydrosere succession (seral stages).

    A hydrosere is a succession beginning in open freshwater: open water -> floating/submerged plants (pioneers) -> reed swamp (rooted emergents) -> marsh/fen -> carr (alder/willow scrub) -> climatic climax woodland, as accumulating organic matter and silt progressively dry out the site.

16. Draw the relationship between a podzol soil and its environment, naming the key horizons.

    A podzol forms in cool, wet climates under coniferous/heath vegetation with acidic litter. Horizons: O (acid mor humus), A (dark organic-rich), Ea (ash-grey leached/eluviated horizon), Bs/Bh (iron/aluminium-enriched illuviated horizon, often with an iron pan), then C (parent material). Leaching dominates due to precipitation exceeding evapotranspiration.

17. What is podzolisation and what gives a podzol its grey leached layer?

    Podzolisation is intense leaching where acidic, organic (cheluviating) compounds dissolve and translocate iron and aluminium sesquioxides and bases downward. The removal of coloured iron oxides leaves the bleached, ash-grey Ea (eluvial) horizon.

18. State the atmospheric heat budget imbalance that drives global circulation.

    Low latitudes (between roughly 35°N and 35°S) have a net surplus of radiation (insolation received exceeds outgoing), while high latitudes have a net deficit. This latitudinal energy imbalance drives the transfer of heat polewards by winds and ocean currents.

19. Name the three atmospheric circulation cells in each hemisphere and the pressure belts they create.

    Hadley cell (equatorial low at the ITCZ rising; subtropical high ~30° descending), Ferrel cell (mid-latitude, sub-polar low ~60° rising), and Polar cell (polar high descending). This gives alternating low and high pressure belts from equator to pole.

20. Explain the formation of a temperate (mid-latitude) depression along the polar front.

    Warm tropical maritime air meets cold polar maritime air at the polar front. A kink develops; warm air rises over the cold (warm front) and cold air undercuts the warm (cold front). Pressure falls, an anticlockwise (N. Hemisphere) circulation forms, the cold front catches the warm to form an occlusion, then the system fills and decays.

21. Compare the weather of a warm sector with that behind a cold front in a depression.

    Warm sector: mild, overcast, drizzle/light rain, steady temperature, backing/veering winds, falling then steady pressure. Behind the cold front: cold, clearing skies with bright intervals and heavy showers, sharp temperature drop, rising pressure, gusty veered winds.

22. Describe the weather associated with an anticyclone in summer and in winter.

    Anticyclones are high-pressure systems with descending, diverging, stable air and light winds. Summer: hot, dry, clear sunny days, risk of thunderstorms/heat haze. Winter: cold, clear nights with frost, fog, and temperature inversions; calm settled conditions persist due to slow-moving 'blocking' highs.

23. Define the urban heat island effect and give two causes.

    The urban heat island is the tendency for cities to be warmer than surrounding rural areas (often by 2-6°C at night). Causes include: heat absorbed/re-radiated by concrete, brick and tarmac (low albedo, high thermal capacity), anthropogenic heat from vehicles/heating/industry, reduced evapotranspiration, and pollution domes trapping longwave radiation.

24. State the demographic transition: what happens to birth and death rates across the four/five stages?

    Stage 1: high birth and death rates, low/fluctuating population. Stage 2: death rate falls (medicine, sanitation), birth rate high -> rapid growth. Stage 3: birth rate falls -> growth slows. Stage 4: low birth and death rates, high stable population. Stage 5: birth rate below death rate -> natural decline/ageing population.

25. Give the formulae for natural change and population (natural) growth rate.

    Natural change rate $= \text{birth rate} - \text{death rate}$ (per 1000 per year). Natural growth rate (\%) $= \dfrac{(\text{births} - \text{deaths})}{\text{total population}} \times 100$. Overall population change additionally includes net migration.

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