Geography of Russia KS3 PDF

# Progress-In-Geography-KS3 ## 5 Is the geography of Russia a curse or a benefit? ### 5.1 Is the geography of Russia a curse or a benefit? #### In this unit, you will learn: - where Russia is located - what Russia is like - the physical landscape, climate and natural environment of Russia - how...

# Progress-In-Geography-KS3 ## 5 Is the geography of Russia a curse or a benefit? ### 5.1 Is the geography of Russia a curse or a benefit? #### In this unit, you will learn: - where Russia is located - what Russia is like - the physical landscape, climate and natural environment of Russia - how Russias’ physical geography has influenced it’s human geography - how important Russia is to the world. #### When geographers investigate a place or country, they first consider its location. Location usually describes where a place or country is in relation to others and what other features surround it. The first consideration is which continent it is in, and then what forms its boundaries or borders. Map A shows the location of Russia, the countries, seas and oceans that surround it. #### **A The location of Russia** [A simple description of the image of a map of Russia. The map shows Russia with surrounding countries and seas. It should be noted that it seems to be a map of Russia with surrounding countries, but it's not a precise geographic map. For example, it shows the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, East Siberian Sea and the Sea Of Okhotsk. The boundaries are also not precisely accurate. Additionally, the map shows the Ural Mountains. It also shows some cities, labelled with numbers, the approximate locations of these cities are: Kaliningrad (1), St Petersburg (6) and Moscow (8).] #### **B Winter ice fishing in Vladivostok** [This image shows a group of people on ice fishing in what appears to be the sea. The sea is frozen and there is ice fishing equipment. The people are dressed warmly.] #### **C The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood in St Petersburg** [This image shows a large colourful building with multiple domes. It is a church. The church is surrounded by trees and grass.] #### **D Moscow in winter, Moskva River** [This image shows a river flowing through a city with snow on the ground. It shows high rise buildings.] #### **E Mount Narodnaya - the highest peak in the Ural Mountains** [Image shows a mountain peak with snow. The mountain has several peaks.] #### **F Old and new in Moscow** [This image shows a mix of modern and traditional buildings in a city. It shows tall modern glass buildings and also shows several traditional buildings with red roofs.] #### **G Lake Baikal** [This image shows a body of water in a landscape. There are mountains and trees in the background. The water of the lake is blue and clear.] #### **H The vast grassland area of the Steppes in central Russia, an important area for farming** [This image shows a vast area of grassland. It's not possible to see any specific features, it's just a picture depicting the grassland area.] ### **Russia fact file** - Russia is the largest country in the world, occupying one-tenth of all the land on Earth. - Russia is nearly twice the size of Canada (the world’s second largest country), and 70 times the size of the UK. - It is so large that is spreads across two continents, partly in Europe but mostly in Asia. - Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest and oldest lake, holds 20 per cent of the world’s unfrozen fresh water reserve. - Russia accounts for 20 per cent of the world’s forest area. - The Ural Mountains separate Europe and Asia. - Of the 100 coldest cities in the northern hemisphere, 85 are in Russia. - A record low temperature of -71°C was recorded in 1974 at the north-east Siberian village of Oymyakon. It is the lowest temperature ever recorded anywhere in the world for an inhabited region. - Russia spans nine time zones - when Russians are getting ready for bed in Moscow, they are having breakfast in Vladivostok. - It has a coastline on two oceans. - Russia has 14 neighbouring countries at its borders. - Russia is rich in natural resources and, for example, produces 20 per cent of the world’s natural gas. - The full name of Russia is the Russian Federation. - 142 million people live in Russia. This is only 2.5 times larger than the population of the UK. ### **Activities** 1. Look carefully at Map A and an atlas. - Name the 14 countries that border Russia. - Name the oceans that border Russia. - Which continents is Russia in? - Write a paragraph to describe the location of Russia. 2. Discuss with a partner what images B-H show you about what Russia is like. - Which photos fit your existing knowledge of Russia? - With a partner select two of the photos, then each of you describe what they show using the 5Ws and 2Hs. - Now work with another group and describe your selected photos to each other. 3. Read the Russia factfile. - What physical feature separates Europe and Asia? - Compare the size and population of Russia and the UK. What do you notice? - Which facts do you find surprising? 4. Table I shows the top ten countries in the world by area. - Draw a bar graph to show the area of these ten countries. - Describe how Russia compares to the other nine countries. - Plot these countries on an outline map and then describe the location of the top ten countries. - The world's top ten countries by area | Ranking | Country | Area (km²) | | -------- | --------------- | ------------ | | 1 | Russia | 17,098,246 | | 2 | Canada | 9,984,670 | | 3 | China | 9,826,675 | | 4 | USA | 9,596,960 | | 5 | Brazil | 8,514,877 | | 6 | Australia | 7,741,220 | | 7 | India | 3,287,263 | | 8 | Argentinian | 2,780,400 | | 9 | Kazakhstan | 2,724,900 | | 10 | Algerians | 2,381,741 | 5. From the information you have gained during this lesson, write a paragraph to explain why you think it is important to investigate and learn about Russia. 6. Look at the vision statement for Progress in Geography; which aspects of this do you think you are likely to make progress in during this unit of work on Russia? ## 5.2 What is the physical landscape of Russia? ### Learning objective - To know the distribution of physical landforms across Russia. #### **A The physical landscape of Russia ** - The physical landscape of Russia can be divided into several vast physical regions, shown on Map. A. The Ural Mountains are a particularly important physical feature. The mountain range splits Russia in two, running north-south for over 2,400 km, from the Arctic Ocean into Kazakhstan. The mountain range forms the traditional separation between Europe and Asia. The North European Plain lies west of the Urals, and the Siberian Plain to the east. A plain is a landmass that is flat or gently rolling and covers many kilometres. [This section includes a map of Russia. The map shows several features including: Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mt Elbrus, Caspian Sea, Ural Mountains, North European Plain, West Serbian Plain, Sayan Mts, Central Serbian Plateau, Verkhoyansk Range, Kolyma Range, Klyuchevskaya Sopha, R Amur, Kamchatka Peninsula, Sakhalin, Bering Sea, Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, East Siberian Sea, Laptev Sea and Chukchi Peninsula.] - **B The Caucasus Mountains: the highest peak is Mount Elbrus, an extinct volcano visible in the distance, which at 5,642 m is the highest point in Russia** [This image shows a mountainous area with a snow peak in the distance. It's not possible to see any details about this area, it's just a general picture of a mountanous area with a snow peak in the distance.] - **C The West Siberian Plain is a huge lowland, which stretches 1,600 km across and 2,400 km from north to south. This is the largest plain in the world. It is a vast frozen area in winter, and a huge marshland in summer** [This image shows a vast area of flat landscape. You can see a forest area and some water features including a lake and some streams. It's not possible to see any specific features of the landscape, it's just a picture depicting flatlands and some water features.] ### **Activities** 1. Which physical landform acts as the barrier separating the continents of Europe and Asia? 2. Which part of Russia has active volcanoes? 3. Look at the geographical data provided about the physical landscape of Russia. - Write down five key statements about the physical landscape. - Share your ideas with a small group. - As a group, share all your ideas with the rest of the class, and record all the key points made by everyone. - Discuss the class list of key points about the physical landscape of Russia and agree which are the five most important. - Make a list of the five key statements agreed by the class. 4. Use Map A and a physical map of Russia in an atlas or use the Degree Confluence website you explored in Lesson 1.4 (pages 8-9). - Work in pairs to investigate the physical landforms shown in Map A. - For each landform you study, record the location and dimensions of the feature, for example the length, height, latitude and longitude. 5. On an outline map of Russia, draw and label the main features of the physical landscape. 6. Write a paragraph describing the physical landscape of Russia. ## 5.3 What biomes exist in Russia? ### Learning objectives: - To understand the distribution of biomes in Russia. - To understand how tundra and taiga biomes have evolved across Russia. #### In Lesson 2.5 (pages 30-31) you were introduced to biomes and studied the rainforest biomes. In Russia the biomes are very different. Map A shows the distribution of biomes across Russia. The Steppe is grassland, with few trees and generally fertile soil. Temperate forests have a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees. Most of Russia is, however, dominated by taiga and tundra. #### **A The distribution of biomes across Russia** [The map shows borders of various biomes across Russia including: Arctic Ocean, Bering Sea, Baltic Sea, Caspian Sea, Moscow, and Sea of Okhotsk. The map specifically shows the distribution of the biomes, with key used to denote the regions of the following biomes: Temperate Forest, Taiga, Steppe and Tundra.] #### **The taiga biome** - Taiga is a biome characterized by coniferous forests, consisting mostly of pines, spruces and larches. The taiga is the world’s largest biome apart from the oceans. It has as many trees as the world’s rainforests. Taiga circles the Earth in the northern hemisphere, and contains one-third of the world’s trees. It is the largest biome in Russia. The Russian taiga represents the largest forested region on Earth (approximately 12 million km²), and is larger than the Amazon. It contains more than 55 per cent of the world’s conifers. #### **B The distribution of global taiga biomes** [This image shows a map of the world, with the distribution of taiga marked.] #### **The tundra biome** - Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia, meaning ‘treeless plain’. It is too cold for trees to grow. The Siberian tundra is located in the northeastern part of Russia between 60° to 80° North latitude, and 70° to 180° East longitude. In the tundra, winters are long and summers are short. Soil forms very slowly in such cold conditions; in fact, much is frozen as permafrost. The plants of the Siberian Tundra include fungus, grasses and shrubs growing low to the ground to be protected from the wind and the cold. They group together to keep warm. Plant roots spread out on the surface to take in water. They don't grow deep roots because the soil is always freezing and thawing which would break up the roots. ### **Activities** 1. Study Map A. - List the different biomes in Russia. - Describe the distribution of biomes. 2. Compare Map A with the climate maps, A and B, from Lesson 5.3, page 86. - Which biomes are in the colder parts of Russia? - Which biomes are in the warmer parts of Russia? - Write a summary paragraph to explain how climate has influenced the development of biomes across Russia. 3. Look carefully at Photo C. - What is the taiga? - What type of vegetation dominates this biome? - Why is this biome important to the planet? - Draw your own diagram to show how the taiga biome has developed. 4. a) Describe the tundra biome. b) Identify how it is similar and different to the taiga. ### **Stretch and challenge** Go back to the Degree Confluence website you used in Lesson 1.4, page 8 (www.confluence.org). - Study a map of Russia and compare it with Map A showing biomes. - Find a confluence point for each of the biomes shown on Map A. - Use the photos and description of each selected location to write your own description of what the biome is like. #### **D Vegetation in the Tundra biome** [This section shows a picture showcasing a tundra biome. The picture shows a vast area of flat land with few trees. The land is covered with grass and moss.] #### **The coniferous trees have long thin needles, which reduce moisture loss** - Downward sloping and springy branches allow snow to slide off - Taiga soils tend to be thin, acidic and poor in nutrients. The thinness is due to the cold, which hinders soil development #### **Adaptations of taiga forest and soils to the cold climate** [This text shows descriptions of the adaptations of Taiga forest and soils to the cold climate.] ## 5.4 Where do people live in Russia? ### Learning objectives: - To know what population density is, and how it is calculated. - To identify parts of Russia that are densely and sparsely populated. - To describe the distribution of population across Russia. - To identify reasons for the distribution of population in Russia. ### Population distribution and density There are about 144 million people living in Russia, but where do they all live? Map A is a population distribution map and shows where people live, across the country. As you can see the population of Russia is not evenly spread out. There are some areas with many people, and others with very few people. The map uses density to show the distribution of population. Population density is the number of people living in a given area, usually a square kilometre. Diagram B shows how population density is calculated. You will learn more about this in Unit 8. #### **A The population density of Russia** [This part of the document contains a map of Russia. The map shows distribution of population density. The map also indicates the location of some major cities in Russia.] #### **Map A divides the density of population across Russia into categories, with different colours for each. This type of map, which uses different colours to show variations between places, is a choropleth map. Places that are crowded are called densely populated areas. Places that that have only a few people living there are called sparsely populated.** - Russia is by far the largest country in the world by area, but is ranked only ninth largest worldwide by population. For instance, Russia is 70 times the size of the UK, but its population is only 2.5 times greater than the UK. Despite having 144 million people, for its area Russia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. ### **Reasons for population distribution** People usually choose to live in places that have positive features that make life easy and mean communities can grow and prosper. These include rich soils for farming, good communication options such as ports, and temperate weather conditions. People are less attracted to live in places that have negative factors that make life harder, including difficult landscapes such as mountains or deserts, harsh climates and risks of floods or earthquakes. But even where climate and landscape are extreme, people sometimes decide to live if the economic gain makes this worthwhile. Seventy-seven per cent of Russia’s population live in the European part of the country, west of the Ural Mountains. #### **• Farming on the North European Plain** [This is an image of a farm field located in a plain. The image also shows a river on the edge of the field.] ## 5.5 Does geography help or hinder the Russian economy? ### Learning objectives: - To classify economic activity. - To understand Russia’s economic structure. - To understand how the size and physical geography of Russia affects economic growth. #### **Russia has an abundance of natural resources. It produces 20 per cent of the world’s natural gas and is the world’s leading producer of oil. Russia is self-sufficient in all major industrial raw materials, and contains the eighth largest crude oil reserves. Russia also exports steel and aluminium. About 20 per cent of the world’s forests lie in Russia, supplying much of the world’s timber: pine, fir, spruce and cedar. This is not surprising considering that Russia is the largest country in the world. But it is the vastness of the country coupled with its harsh physical geography that creates problems for economic growth. As you can see on Map A, much of the natural resources are in the north and Siberia.** #### **A Russia’s natural resources** [This section contains a map of Russia. The map shows the distribution of natural resources in Russia, including: Reindeer (2), Sheep (2), Hunting & Gathering (2), forests (3), Manufacturing & Trade (2), Commercial Fishing (1), Little or No Activity (1), Commercial Farming (3), Subsistence Farming (1) and Livestock Raising (1), Coal (2), Petroleum (2), Natural Gas (1), Iron Ore (1), Nickel (1), Bauxite (1), Manganese (1), Tungsten (1), Platinum (1), Gold (1), Copper (1), Lead (1), Zinc (1), and Tin (1). The map also shows locations of some major cities including: St Petersburg and Moscow. The map also shows Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea.] #### **B Russia’s economic structure** | Economic Sector | % of Jobs | Rank | Country | Crude oil production: barrels per day | | ---------------- | -------- | ---- | ------------- | ------------------------------------- | | Primary | 9.4 | 1 | Russia | 10,550,000 | | Secondary | 27.6 | 2 | Saudi Arabia | 10,460,000 | | Tertiary | 63 | 3 | USA | 8,853,000 | | | | 4 | Iraq | 4,452,000 | | | | 5 | Iran | 3,981,000 | | | | 6 | China | 3,679,000 | | | | 7 | Canada | 3,106,000 | | | | 8 | United Arab Emirates | 2,924,000 | | | | 9 | Kuwait | 2,515,000 | | | | 10 | Brazils | 2,277,000 | #### **C Global production of crude oil** [This is an image of a pie chart that shows the global production of crude oil. The chart shows the most significant exporters of crude oil.] ## 5.8 Why did Russia plant their flag on the seabed of the North Pole? Part 1 ### Learning objectives: - To locate the Arctic. - To consider different points of view about the future of the Arctic. #### In 2007, Russian explorers carried out scientific research on the ocean floor, 4,200 m below the North Pole. In a record-breaking dive, the two mini submarines planted a one metre-high titanium Russian flag on the underwater Lomonosov ridge, which Russia claims is directly connected to its continental shelf. In this double lesson you will investigate the reasons for, and implications of, this from a variety of viewpoints. #### **The Arctic is a region of great importance, it will provide for the future of our Russia. With certainty, we can say that our power and opportunities will grow with the expansion into the Arctic. Natural resources, which are of paramount importance for the Russian economy, are concentrated in this region.** #### **A President Putin speaking about the Arctic** [The image shows President Putin of Russia, speaking.] #### **What is the Arctic like?** - The Arctic is a region surrounding the North Pole that consists of a large ocean, the Arctic Ocean, surrounded by land. Most commonly, the Arctic is defined as the region north of the Arctic Circle, a line of latitude. The Arctic is the northernmost region of Earth. Most of the Arctic is liquid saltwater. Some parts of the ocean’s surface remain frozen all, or most, of the year. This frozen seawater is called sea ice. Often, sea ice is covered with a thick blanket of snow. This is a very hostile environment, with winter temperatures averaging -40°C. #### **Who owns the Arctic?** - The countries that border the Arctic are shown on Map B. As with other regions of the world, international law states that Arctic countries are allowed an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles bordering their coastline. Each country can also increase its claim up to 350 nautical miles from its shoreline for areas that can be proven to be an extension of that country’s continental shelf. To make this claim, a nation must collect geological data that shows the geographic extent of its continental shelf. This is then submitted to a United Nations committee who make the final decision. If successful, it gives that country control of all the resources on or under the region of the continental shelf. This is why Russia is conducting scientific research on the seabed and why they have planted a Russian flag there. #### **B The Arctic borders** [The image of a map shows the borders of the Arctic. It also shows the North Pole, Lomonosov Ridge, 200-nautical mile line, Russian-claimed territory and disputed area.] #### **1. North Pole: Russia leaves its flag on the seabed, 4,000 m (13,100 ft) beneath the surface** #### **2. Lomonosov Ridge: Russia argues that is underwater ridge is actually connected to the Russian landmass** #### **3. 200-nautical mile (370 km) line: Shows how far countries agreed.** #### **4. Russian-claimed territory: The bid to claim a vast area is being closely watched by other countries** [A caption underneath the image of the map explains what each of the four labelled points on the map represent, in detail.] ## 5.9 Why did Russia plant their flag on the seabed of the North Pole? Part 2 #### **Russian tanker sails through Arctic without icebreaker for the first time** - The northern sea route between Siberia and the Pacific is still closed to conventional shipping for much of the year. But the Christophe de Margerie has been specially designed to carry a cargo fron, the new Yamal Megaproject gasfields to Asia. It is the first in a fleet of 15 tankers built to serve the Yamal plant. The ships can carry shiploads of up to 172,600 cubic tons of liquefied natural gas. This new ship allows transportation along the northern sea route all year round instead of just for four months. Bill Spears, spokesperson for the company that owns the tanker. 'There's always been trade along this route but it's been restricted a lot by the ice. It's exciting that this route presents a much shorter alternative than the Suez route. It's a major saving. #### **G Article from The Guardian, 24 August 2017** [The image includes a map showing Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Alaska(US), and Asia. It highlights key features including the Suez Canal route, North Central Pole Arctic route, Northern sea route, Possible Northwest Passage and the current extent of the Arctic sea. It also shows a key explaining potential oil and gas fields and the extent of the Arctic sea ice.] #### **What is the environmental impact?** Environmental pressure groups, such as Greenpeace, are very concerned about the potential environmental damage that these economic developments will have on the fragile Arctic environment. They have begun a world campaign, Save the Arctic, to make people aware of the issues of opening up this environment. - Arctic oil drilling is a dangerous, high-risk enterprise. An oil spill under these icy waters would have a catastrophic impact on one of the most pristine, unique and beautiful landscapes on Earth. The risks of such an accident are ever present. While Russia produces 12 per cent of the world’s oil, it is responsible for roughly half the world’s oil spills. #### **What is the impact for local people?** Survival is a global pressure group that protects the rights of tribal peoples around the world. One of their campaigns supports the rights of the Nenets, the indigenous population of Arctic Russia, who live on the Yuıal Peninsula. Nenets herders have always moved seasonally with their reindeer. - The Yamal Megaproject was developed here in the 1990s to extract the large gas reserves of the region. The Nenets’ migration routes are now affected by the gas and oil pipelines, making it difficult to move the reindeer herds. Pollution also threatens the quality of the pastures. #### **K Nenets herder** [The image shows a Nenets herder, speaking.] ### **Activities** You are going to conduct a geographical enquiry using the geographical data in Lessons 5.8 and 5.9. You will also find it useful to think back about what you have learnt in Units 1-4 as well as in this unit about Russia. 1. a) Where is the Arctic? b) At which lines of latitude is it located? 2. What is the Arctic like? 3. Think back to Unit 4 and write a paragraph to explain why the Arctic is so cold. 4. Look carefully at Map B and Diagram D. - Which countries border the Arctic? - How can these countries claim right of ownership in the Arctic? - What is Russia claiming about the Lomonosov Ridge? - How will this help Russia claim rights in the Arctic? 5. Study Article E and Map F. - Why do the countries that border the Arctic want to claim increased rights of ownership in the region? - Write a paragraph describing the location of minerals that have been discovered in the Arctic. 6. Look at the cartoon (C). What is the message of the cartoon? 7. Study Map G and Article H. - What is the purpose of this new class of icebreaking tanker? - What type of cargo has it been designed to carry? - What is the Northern Sea route? - Why is it now possible to use it for more of the year? - Why is the route important for Russia’s exports of gas? - What are the advantages of this shipping route compared to the traditional Suez Canal route? So far in this enquiry you have focused on the economic advantages of Arctic developments for Russia. However, these projects do have environmental risks. Other groups of people have different views to those expressed by Vladimir Putin in Lesson 5.8, Image A (page 96). 8. a) What is Greenpeace? b) What concerns do they have about oil and gas developments in the Arctic? 9. a) What is Survival? b) Who are the Nenets? c) What is the Yamal Megaproject? d) What concerns do the Nenets have about this development? Write a concluding paragraph to this enquiry about the Arctic. Answer the following big questions: 10. a) Why did Russia plant their flag on the seabed of the North Pole? b) What are the economic gains for Russia in the Arctic? c) What are the environmental costs? 11. Reread the vision statement for Progress in Geography on Map-flap A. Identify how these two lessons have supported you in making progress towards becoming a geographer. ## 6 Why are rivers important? ### 6.1 How does water flow into rivers? ### Learning objectives: - To understand what the water cycle is. - To understand how water flows into rivers. #### The water cycle is the journey water takes between the hydrosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere. At its most simple this involves: - **evaporation** - when the Sun heats water it changes into water vapour and rises into the air - **condensation** - as air rises it cools and the water vapour forms clouds - **precipitation** - water droplets form and fall to the ground as rain, hail or snow - **rivers** - water flows in rivers to the sea. This simple cycle is shown in Figure A. #### **A The water cycle** [This section of the document shows a diagram of the water cycle, explaining the process of condensation, interception by plants, stemflow through plants, surface storage, surface run-off, throughflow, soil water percolation through rock, groundwater and groundwater flow.] #### **What happens when water reaches the ground?** If you go outside your classroom and pour water on different surfaces you can see what happens. It may: - be intercepted by plants - be stored on the surface in a puddle - soak in - infiltrating into the soil - run off down a slope - evaporate immediately. These processes are all part of the water cycle, but if you add them to a diagram like the one in Figure A it gets much more complicated, as Figure B shows. This is why geographers use systems diagrams like the one in Figure B to clearly show a range of stores and how they are linked by transfers. #### **B A water cycle systems diagram** [The image shows a systems diagram of the water cycle, explaining how water moves from the sea to the atmosphere, then to the ground and back to the sea again.] #### **C What happens when water hits the ground? Give it a try!** [This is a simple instruction for a practical activity.] #### **D A more complicated water cycle diagram** [This section shows another diagram of the water cycle process, with more steps.] #### **How does the water get from the source to the mouth?** - A drainage basin is an area of land which feeds a river, see Diagram E. All of the precipitation that falls in this area will flow into the river through surface run-off, throughflow and groundwater flow, as shown in Diagram D. There is a divide between one drainage basin and another, called the watershed. This is marked with a dashed line on Diagram E. #### **E A river’s drainage basin** [This section of the document includes a diagram of a river drainage basin, showing the source, confluence, river, channel and the drainage basin.] #### **F A hydrologist at work** - Hydrologists study how water flows across the land. They research and measure groundwater, and the drainage basin processes. It is important that hydrologists study these processes to better understand river floods and droughts. ### **Activities** 1. Look at the simple water cycle in Figure A. Make a copy of this diagram and add labels to show evaporation, condensation, precipitation and rivers. 2. Draw a table with columns labelled: ‘Surface type’ and ‘Observations’. Go out of your classroom and pour water on different surfaces (grass, soil, concrete, etc.) as is shown in Photo C. Record your findings in your table. 3. Write a paragraph to explain how the water cycle works. 4. a) Make a copy of the water cycle systems diagram shown in Figure B. b) Add the following terms in the blank boxes: precipitation, evaporation, infiltration and river. c) Add all the key terms shown in Diagram D to your copy of the water cycle from Question 1. 5. Look carefully at Diagram E. - What is a drainage basin? - Make your own copy of Diagram E. - Label the following on your diagram: watershed, source, mouth, tributary. 6. Write definitions of all the key terms introduced in this lesson, using the Glossary (page 302) to help you. 7. a) What does a hydrologist do? b) What do you think the hydrologist is doing in Photo F? c) Why do you think it is important we understand how water gets into rivers? d) Compare what you have learnt about hydrologists with the vision statement for Progress in Geography on Map-flap A. Explain why you think hydrologists are excellent geographers? ## 6.2 What work do rivers do? ### Learning objectives: - To know the terms erosion, transportation, deposition. - To understand how rivers erode, transport and deposit material. #### How do rivers erode landscapes? River erosion is the wearing away of the banks and bed of the river by the power of the flowing water in the channel. Rivers flow downhill from higher land due to gravity. Where the gradient of the river in upland areas is steep, the river is fast-flowing, providing more energy to erode landscapes. The river channel is full of bits of rock and finer material, which is called bedload. This bedload is eroded, transported and deposited by the river. There are four ways that rivers erode, shown in Diagram A. - **Abrasion** - the material being carried by the river hits the sides and bed of the channel, each impact breaking pieces off the bed and banks. - **Attrition** - rocks and stones in the river bang against each other, chipping bits off so the rocks become more rounded and smaller. - **Hydraulic action** - the force of the water pushes into cracks in the rock at the bed and banks, breaking bits off. - **Corrosion** - rocks such as chalk and limestone are dissolved in the river water and carried away as dissolved material. #### **A Types of river erosion** [This section shows a diagram about different ways in which rivers erode, showing the following types of methods: Attrition, Abrasion, Hydraulic action, Corrosion and the role of the material being carried by the river.] #### How do rivers transport material? As rock is eroded by rivers it is then transported. If a river is flowing fast, either where it flows across a steep gradient, or after heavy rain when there is a greater volume of water in the channel, the river can transport or carry more material. Transportation happens in four different ways, as shown in Diagram B. #### **B River transportation processes** [This section of the document shows a diagram with detailed explanations of different ways in which rivers transport the material.] ## 6.3 Why do rivers deposit their load? #### **Deposition takes place when a river slows down and no longer has the energy to carry the material it is transporting, so it drops some. The larger rock fragments are dropped first due to their greater weight; finer materials are deposited later, when the river has even less energy.** #### **The energy of a river decreases, leading to deposition if:** - the gradient of the river or the volume of water decreases - the water slows down on the inside of a bend in the river - the river channel becomes shallower - the river enters a lake or the sea. #### **C Bedload below the surface of the river** [The image is a simple representation of the river bed showing the bedload deposited near the river bed and the water moving above the bedload.] #### **D A bend in the River Tees** [Image shows a bend in the river where the water erodes the bank on the outer part of the bend.] ### **Activities** 1. Write definitions of erosion, deposition and transportation, using the Glossary (page 302) to help you. 2. What is the bedload of a river? 3. Write a paragraph to explain how a river erodes landscapes. You can draw diagrams as part of your explanation. 4. Which process of erosion has likely caused the following? In each case explain your choice. - This has made rocks smoother, smaller