Year 10 - Geography
Factors affecting flood risk
River landscapes
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit teaches pupils about river processes and landforms. Pupils will learn about the physical processes operating in rivers and about the formation of distinctive landforms of river erosion and deposition. Pupils will also learn about the importance and options of river management.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain the physical and human factors that affect flood risk, and why flood risk is increasing.
Key Notes
- Physical and human factors increase flood risk.
- Increased flood risk is due to several factors including increased storm frequency (and intensity) and land use change.
- Increased river flooding threatens people and the environment.
Vocabulary To Learn
- flood risk: the probability of a flood event occurring and its potential impact
- relief: physical shape or features of the land's surface
- urbanisation: the increase in the proportion of people living in cities and towns, often impacting natural land
- climate change: long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, often linked to human activity
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The only factor affecting flood risk is rainfall.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
Physical and human factors increase flood risk. Increased flood risk is due to several factors including increased storm frequency (and intensity) and land use change.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'flood risk'
the probability of a flood event occurring and its potential impact.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: The only factor affecting flood risk is rainfall. Correction: Whether a river floods in response to heavy rainfall also relates to many other factors, especially how quickly and in what volume rainfall enters the river.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Changes in river landscapes along the course of a river Study Guide
- Costs and benefits of managing flood risk Study Guide
- Example of a river flood: River Eden, Cumbria (2015) Study Guide
- Interaction of human and physical factors in river landscapes Study Guide
- River landforms caused by erosion and deposition Study Guide
- River processes of erosion, transportation and deposition Study Guide
- The storm hydrograph Study Guide
- Using GIS to analyse river catchments and profiles Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 10 Geography guide library.