Edexcel GCSE Geography B Key Terms

A spatial coordination tool used by aid agencies to visualise 'Who is doing What, Where' to prevent overlaps or gaps in disaster relief.

The process by which the temperature of an air parcel decreases as it rises and expands due to lower atmospheric pressure in the upper atmosphere.

The horizontal transfer of heat or moisture by the movement of air (wind).

The reflectivity of a surface, where light surfaces like ice reflect high amounts of solar radiation and dark surfaces like oceans absorb it.

A positive feedback loop where white ice reflects solar radiation; as ice expands, it reflects more heat away from Earth, causing further global cooling.

The breakdown of organic material by bacteria in the absence of oxygen, which releases methane gas.

Sticky, high-viscosity, high-silica magma that traps gases and leads to highly explosive eruptions.

Changes in the Earth's climate caused specifically by human activity, primarily fossil fuel combustion.

Upward folds or peaks created in rock layers during mountain building.

The phenomenon where the Arctic region warms two to four times faster than the global average.

A climate characterised by a severe lack of available water, typically defined as receiving less than 250mm of rainfall per year.

Building construction techniques designed to withstand earthquake shaking and reduce primary impacts on property.

The theory that massive space debris impacts trigger sudden climate shifts by blasting reflective dust into the stratosphere.

The semi-molten, ductile layer of the upper mantle sitting directly below the lithosphere.

Specific information linked to a point on a GIS track, such as the exact air pressure or wind speed at that location.

A dense, dark-coloured volcanic rock rich in magnesium and iron that forms the oceanic crust.

Runny, low-silica magma with a low gas content that produces gentle volcanic eruptions.

An aseismic technique where rubber or lead shock absorbers are placed in a building's foundations to dampen tremors.

An inclined zone of deep seismic activity (up to 700 km) that follows the path of a subducting tectonic plate.

The total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by a person, organisation, or product.

An industrial process where heating limestone releases large quantities of carbon dioxide as a chemical byproduct.

Thin, wispy clouds found at the very top of the cyclone canopy where air flows outwards.

The scientific process of determining the extent to which human-induced climate change contributed to the probability or intensity of a specific weather event.

A combined graph showing average monthly precipitation as a bar chart and average monthly temperature as a line graph.

The submerging of normally dry, low-lying coastal land by seawater during an extreme weather event.

A type of convergent plate margin where two continental plates crash together, with neither subducting.

Steep-sided volcanoes built from alternating layers of ash and viscous lava, known for explosive eruptions.

The process where rising water vapour cools and turns into liquid water, forming clouds and releasing heat.

A tectonic boundary where plates move apart and new rock is formed at elevated mid-ocean ridges.

The thicker, less dense, and older part of the Earth's crust, primarily made of granite.