Distinguish between transfers and transformations using examples from the water cycle.

Explain the role of climate in the distribution and relative productivity of a named biome.

Evaluate the sustainability of freshwater use in a named case study and the environmental philosophy(ies) involved in this decision making process for the management of this resource.

transfers (normally flow through a system and) involve a change in location;
eg runoff / precipitation / movement of water bodies / movement of clouds;
transformations (lead to an interaction within a system in the formation of a new end product, or involve a change of state);
eg evaporation / condensation / melting / formation of ice;

[4]

Named biome: eg deserts;
deserts are located around 30° N&S of the equator;
this is an area where dry air descends, limiting the rainfall in these regions;
deserts are also associated with rain-shadows formed from mountains / cold ocean currents, limiting rainfall;
their location ensures that deserts receive relatively high levels of insolation / solar radiation;
due to lack of moisture and cloud formation and the high insolation, deserts are subject to relatively high diurnal temperature fluctuations;
due to lack of water, deserts have low relative productivity;
lack of primary production leads to nutrient poor soils;
this leads to a very simple ecosystem structure with short food chains;

[6 max]

Named case study: eg Jordan and Israel’s use of the Dead Sea;

Environmental Issues Identified:
the water in the Dead Sea is not currently used sustainably;
the Dead Sea is rapidly shrinking because of diversion of incoming water / unsustainable use from the Jordan River to the north;
ground water dropping;
sinkholes appearing as water dissolving underground salt deposits;

Proposed solutions to using the resource:

Management plan proposed by Jordan includes:
take water from Red Sea, desalinize and waste water pumped into Dead Sea;
desalinised water to be used in Southern Israel and Jordan, partly for agriculture;

Possible impacts / evaluation of management plan:
very high costs (4 × normal desalinization) to pump water to Dead Sea;
mineral composition of Dead Sea will change causing unknown effects on the ecosystem and aesthetically;

Links to environmental philosophies:
this management plan is highly technocentric;
ecologists argue that it will not solve the cause of the problem – unsustainable use of the River Jordan which supplies the Dead Sea;
they argue for more ecocentric approaches mainly focusing on water conservation;

[6 max] without evaluation points or mention of environmental value systems.

[8 max]

Most candidates gave a reasonable definition of transfer and transformation with an appropriate water example. Only the stronger candidates gave a clear distinguishing statement which meant they could not obtain full marks for the question.

The candidates approached this question from the biome and they mostly mentioned the climate factors as general conditions for the named biome. So the distribution aspect of the question was often vague. The link to productivity was generally made but lacked details. A few candidates gave more than one biome, in these cases the biome gaining the most marks was considered.

The naming of a freshwater case study was either very well done or extremely vague. The answers showed that the candidates had not really considered this case study from different philosophical viewpoints, so the focus was often on one approach with a weaker comparison. The focus was often not the decision making process but the general approach the environmental philosophy towards managing water resources. The conclusion mark was very difficult for most candidates to obtain.