Monday, 17 March 2008

Salt Marsh Ecosystems & Succession


LVI Geographers have to study salt marsh succession (haloseres) for the last part of Unit 1. Here is a useful link to the Field Studies Council website on salt marshes. Follow it through, and make notes, making sure you can identify a couple of typical plants at each of the development stages, and explain their adaptations to that environment.

AS Geography Unit 1 revision


I stumbled across this great website, created by St Ivo School in Cambridgeshire. It has a lot of super material on it, which should help you with your revision over the Easter holiday.




Thursday, 13 March 2008

Shanty towns in LEDCs

We have been studying the growth of urban areas in LEDCs. You are to complete a short project on the shanty settlements in Rio de Janeiro (known in Brazil as favelas). You need to include the following information:



            • Intoduction and map of Rio
            • Details of the problems, including:
            1. Housing - growth of favelas and periferia
            2. Crime
            3. Traffic
            4. Pollution
            • Attempts to address these problems, including:
            1. Self-help schemes - Rocinha, Bairro Project
            2. New towns

            Use your textbook as your primary source and then use the web. Other sources of information include: a photo essay from the Washington Post, an article from BBC.

            This is an image of Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro


            View Larger Map

            AIDS in Africa

            HIV / AIDS is the biggest challenge facing the African continent. Create a colourful and informative poster explaing the issue. Include information such as:


            • What is HIV / AIDS?

            • How does it spread?

            • Africa facts and figures

            • A case study of an African country particularly affected

            • Possible solutions to the problem


            The BBC web site is a good place to start. Also try the Guardian newspaper site.

            Friday, 22 February 2008

            Mount St Helens

            '...the worst volcanic disaster in the recorded history of the United States.'

            Use the USGS site publication to complete the worksheet on the eruption of Mount St Helens in 1980.

            Wednesday, 23 January 2008

            If it keeps on raining...


            The Geographical Association have created a fantastic new resource on flood management. It has a number of excellent case studies with considrabel detail including hydrographs for specific events.

            Scotland's changing population


            Both the Shell and the LVI study changing populations - in particular elderly populations and the effect of them on a country. In the Scotsman today was a leader on the changing population in Scotland, with a much higher percentage of elderly people predicted in the future. The article included a great graphic which can be downloaded here.