AQA GCSE Geography key terms

The background river flow maintained between rainfall events, largely by groundwater.

An inlet where the coastline curves inland, often formed by erosion of less resistant rock.

An accumulation of sand or shingle deposited along the shore.

Adding sand or shingle to a beach to replace sediment lost through erosion.

Redistributing beach sediment to change the beach's shape and improve its protection against waves.

A direction expressed as an angle measured clockwise from north.

Sediment moved along a river bed, including material transported by traction and saltation.

Aid provided directly by one country to another.

The variety of living organisms in an area.

Fuel made from biological material, such as crops, which can be used to provide energy.

Organic material, such as wood, crops or animal waste, used as a source of energy.

A large-scale ecosystem characterised by its climate and dominant vegetation, such as tropical rainforest or coniferous forest.

The use of technology to modify living organisms or biological processes, for example by genetically engineering crops.

The living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, fungi and bacteria.

The number of live births per 1,000 people in a population per year.

Data containing paired values for two variables, such as river width and river depth measured at each site.

The loss of skilled or highly educated workers from a country through emigration.

Land that has previously been developed.

Land that has previously been developed. It may be available for redevelopment, but it is not necessarily derelict or contaminated.

The pushing of loose rock and sediment ahead of a moving glacier's snout.

An area of land containing a cluster of businesses, often on the edge of an urban area.

The energy obtained from the food a person eats, commonly expressed in kilocalories (kcal) per person per day.

The upper layer of overlapping tree crowns in a forest.

The amount of traffic, freight or passengers that a transport facility or network can handle.

Capturing carbon dioxide from an industrial source before it enters the atmosphere, then transporting and storing it underground.

The total greenhouse gas emissions associated with a person, activity or product, including indirect emissions from producing goods and services, usually expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent.

A store that takes in more carbon than it releases. Growing rainforest vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and stores carbon.