Geography A-Level
Adaptation
What Adaptation means in Geography A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Adaptation
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Reference: AQA
A characteristic human response, alongside adjustment, prediction and fatalism, related to hazard incidence, intensity, magnitude, distribution and level of development.
A feature such as the shedding of leaves in autumn, which allows dominant tree species to conserve moisture and survive winter frosts.
Tundra plants grow close to the ground to avoid wind chill and have shallow roots to survive above the permafrost.
Risk management designed to reduce the impacts of the hazard by changing lifestyles to cope with residual risks.
Adjusting lifestyles or systems to cope with the hazard, such as changing building codes to live with it.
Adjusting lifestyles to live with the risk, such as modifying agricultural practices in ash-prone areas.
Topics that use Adaptation
- Ecosystems in the British Isles over time (AQA A-Level)
- Seismic hazards (AQA A-Level)
- Storm hazards (AQA A-Level)
- The concept of hazard in a geographical context (AQA A-Level)
- The nature and distribution of cold environments (AQA A-Level)
- Volcanic hazards (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Mitigation
- Nutrient cycling
- Preparedness
- Spatial distribution
- Risk management
- Case Study Application
- Climatic climax
- Development and Vulnerability
Using Adaptation in the exam
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