OCR GCSE Geography A key terms

A long-term increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature.

Gross national income divided by population: an average measure of income per person, which does not show how evenly income is distributed.

A physical product that can be bought and sold, such as a car, medicine or clothing.

A narrow, steep-sided valley, which can be left behind as a waterfall retreats upstream.

The steepness of a slope, calculated by comparing its vertical change in height with its horizontal distance.

Land that has not previously been built on.

The natural warming of the Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere because greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit outgoing long-wave radiation.

A gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and re-emits outgoing infrared radiation, warming the surface and lower atmosphere. Examples include carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour.

Waste water from showers, baths and wash basins that can be reused for suitable purposes rather than using fresh water.

A barrier built at right angles to the shoreline to trap sediment transported by longshore drift.

An area of land that projects out into the sea beyond the surrounding coastline.

A graph showing the frequency distribution of continuous data grouped into intervals, with adjacent bars touching.

A coastal management policy that maintains defences to keep the shoreline in its existing position.

The median house price divided by median annual earnings. A higher value indicates that homes are less affordable relative to earnings.

A combined indicator of health, education and income, expressed on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher human development.

Erosion caused by the force of water striking rock, including air being compressed in cracks by waves.

A prediction that can be tested using evidence.

A cylinder drilled from an ice sheet or glacier whose layers preserve evidence of past climate and atmospheric conditions.

Rock formed when molten rock cools and solidifies, such as granite or basalt.

Movement into a country to live there.

A good or service bought by a country's residents or businesses from suppliers overseas.

Work outside formal registration and regulation, often without secure contracts or legal employment protections.

Housing built without formal planning permission, often with insecure land ownership and limited access to services.

The basic structures and networks needed for a place to function, such as roads, water pipes and waste collection systems.

The capture and temporary storage of precipitation by vegetation before it reaches the ground.

The reliance of different parts of an ecosystem on one another, so that changing one component can affect others.

A warmer interval between glacial periods, during which ice sheets and glaciers retreat.