3.

2 Upland and lowland landscapes

On this spread you will compare the distribution of upland and lowland
landscapes in the UK and how they were affected by glaciation.

Relief map of the UK

The relief map of the UK can be divided into upland and lowland areas
(map C). Uplands, including mountainous landscapes like the Grampians
and Pennines, are found mainly in the north and west, particularly
Scotland, Wales and northern England (photo A).
Lowlands, including flat and rolling landscapes like the Cotswolds and Shetland
Islands
Shetland
South Downs (photo B), are found mainly in England, below an imaginary Islands

line from Flamborough Head in Yorkshire to the Bristol Channel.

Key
Land height (metres)
Orkney Upland
Islands
Orkney
Islands 1000
500

lan nds
300

ds
Lewis

a
Lewis 200

Hi ighl
Lowland
gh
We est H
Isle of 100
Skye
Isle of
Cuillin 0
st

Skye
Hills orms –5
Nor rth-W

Cuillin
irng
Hills Ca gorm
s
ir n
Ca a i n s
th-

t
un ns N o r t h
Mo untai
No

i an M o N o r t h
Mull
p n
a
S e a
pi S e a
G ram

Mull
m
G

A The Cuillin Hills on the

ra

Isle of Skye, Scotland Islay

s
Islay nd
la s
Arran Up land
Arran e rn Up
h n
ut her
o
S ut
o
S

Cumbrian
P

Mountains
Cumbrian North
P
e n

Mountains Yorkshire
North
Moors
e n

Yorkshire Flamborough
Isle of Moors Head
n n

Man
Isle of Flamborough
Head
i n

Man
Irish Sea
i n
e s

Irish Sea
Anglesey
e s

Anglesey
The
Wash
The
Wash
M a omubn b r i a n
n t a i aa inn s

The Fens
ins

The Fens
rt
CM a m
C

ou

s
old
Brecon
otsw olds ns
er s
Beacons
Brecon C tsw n
er
Ch hilt

Celtic
Beacons Co
C
ilt

Celtic B r i s to
l Channel
North Down
Sea B r i s to
s
North Down
Sea Exmoorl Channel s
B The South Downs in Exmoor South D ns
ow Romney
Sussex, England South D ns
ow Marsh
Romney
A t l a n t i c Isle of Marsh
A t l a n t i c Dartmoor Wight
O c e a n Dartmoor Isle of
O c e a n N Wight
English Channel
0 N 100
C Relief map of the UK 0 km 100 English Channel
km

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 What makes a landscape distinctive?

Glaciation in the UK D Quaternary period glaciation in Britain

The UK landscape has not always looked like it does
today. During the Quaternary period (see Chapter 2), N
0 200
much of Britain went through periods of glaciation,
km
when the land was covered in ice. Over the 2.6 million
Key
years of the Quaternary period, the climate alternated Glaciated areas of
between cold ice ages (glacial periods) and warm upland Britain
Glaciated areas of
interglacial periods. The ice grew thicker and advanced lowland Britain
over the land during the ice ages. It thinned and Unglaciated areas
(periglacial)
retreated during the interglacial periods (map D). Limit of last ice age,
10 000 years ago
Glaciation made a lasting impression on the landscape. In Limit of maximum glaciation,
upland Britain, the ice carved huge, U-shaped valleys 500 000 years ago
Advancing ice
and eroded steep mountain peaks and ridges. In non-
glaciated lowland areas, periglacial conditions during
the ice ages had an impact on the landscape (diagram E).

E Impact of glaciation in the South Downs

During the ice age (periglacial conditions)

Permafrost
Activities
1 Look at map C.
◆ Water below ground in the chalk remains frozen a Name at least five mountainous upland
throughout the year (permafrost). landscapes in the UK.
◆ Rivers flow over the surface of the chalk, which b Name five lowland landscapes in the UK.
is 03.02c
normally
GCSEpermeable
Geog OCR B (allows water through). 2 Look at photos A and B. Compare the two
Barking Dog Art landscapes in upland and lowland UK. Mention:
◆ Water in the river erodes chalk to form a valley.
• the height and shape of the land
After the ice age (present day) • any surface water (or lack of it)
• any vegetation cover (or lack of it).
3 Look at map D. Describe the distribution of:
Water table a glaciated areas
b unglaciated areas.
4 Compare map D and panel E with photos A and B.
a Were the Cuillin Hills or South Downs ever
covered by ice?
b Explain the impact of glaciation on the
Chalk, containing water landscape in each photo.

◆ Permafrost thaws out and the chalk becomes Practice question

permeable again.
03.02d GCSE Geog OCR B Describe the distribution of upland and lowland
◆ Rainwater percolates into (moves through) the
Barking Dog Art landscapes in the UK. (4 marks)
chalk and no longer flows over the surface.
◆ The river disappears, leaving a dry valley on
the surface.

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4.10 Life in the Arctic
On this spread you will explore the Arctic to find out how
different parts of the ecosystem are interdependent.

Arctic location Key 0 2 000

Winter sea ice ALASKA
The Arctic is the region north of latitude 60°N around Tundra (USA)
km
70°N
the North Pole. It gives its name to the Arctic Ocean, RUSSIA
which occupies most of the region. In winter the ocean is Arctic
CANADA Ocean
covered by sea ice (map A).
80°N
The Arctic marine ecosystem
NORTH
Some people might think that nothing lives in the Arctic POLE
except polar bears, but polar bears must depend
on other forms of life. They provide evidence of the
Arctic ecosystem. In fact, polar bears sit at the top of a

K) D
food chain that is part of the Arctic marine food web

N
LA R
(diagram B). E E NMA
GR(DEN

60
°N
Most of the species in the marine food web live in the FINLAND
ocean. The producers at the bottom of the food chain NORWAY
ICELAND SWEDEN
are microscopic plants called phytoplankton. They
take energy from the Sun to convert carbon dioxide in A The Arctic
the atmosphere into food. This energy is then passed
up the food chain, via the consumers. On land, tundra leaves to reduce moisture loss because there is low
supports another food web. When the snow melts, rainfall (see spread 4.3). The plants and insects that
summer provides a short growing season. Plants are emerge provide food for migrating animals like caribou
low-growing because of poor soils and have small and birds such as geese and ducks.

Polar bear Sea birds

Seals
Phytoplankton
(microscopic plants)

Whale
Fish

Zooplankton
Jellyfish (microscopic sea
creatures)

Krill (small
crustaceans)

Squid

B The marine food web in the Arctic

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 Is there more to polar environments than ice?

Arctic soils To the To the

North Pole Arctic Circle
In those parts of the Arctic where there
is any soil at all, it is generally thin and Active layer
of poor quality. Low temperatures mean
that the underlying rock weathers slowly
and few nutrients enter the soil. Permafrost

Permafrost is another feature of Arctic Bed rock

soils. This is the part of the ground that
remains permanently frozen all year.
Even in areas of the Arctic where air Continuous permafrost Uncontinuous permafrost
temperatures rise above 0°C in summer,
parts of the ground can remain frozen.
The upper layer of soil that thaws in C Permafrost in the Arctic
summer is the active layer. Further from
the pole, as temperatures rise, this active 04.10c GCSE Geog OCR B
layer becomes deeper (diagram C). Barking Dog Art

Arctic homes
Living in the Arctic presents many challenges for people. Traditionally,
Inuit – the indigenous people of the Arctic – lived in tents when they
were hunting in summer and built igloos in winter.
Now people live in modern buildings, adapted to Arctic conditions
(photo D). Homes are built on stilts a metre or so above the ground.
This is to prevent heat from the building melting the permafrost. If that
happened, the ground would become soft, the foundations would
collapse and the building would sink into the ground (photo E).
D Modern homes in the Arctic
Activities
1 Look at map A. Name the countries that surround the Arctic Ocean.
2 Look at diagram B.
a Name one example of each of these types of creature in the
Arctic marine food web:
• producer • secondary consumer
• primary consumer • tertiary consumer.
b Draw a diagram of the species in a food chain with the polar
bear at the top.
c Suggest why people might get the idea that nothing lives in the
Arctic (apart from polar bears).
3 Identify the ways in which water is interdependent with the following.
(Clue: remember ice is also water.)
a Plants and animals b Soils c Human activity E The effect of melting permafrost
4 Look at diagram C.
a Describe what the terms ‘permafrost’ and ‘active layer’ mean.
b Explain why they get deeper or thinner moving further from the Practice question
North Pole.
5 Look at photo D. Try to explain each of these features of the Describe the ways in which climate
buildings: and soils are interdependent in the
Arctic or Antarctic. (4 marks)
a Buildings are on stilts. b Roofs slope steeply.
c Windows are small.

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