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Droughts can have severe consequences in some regions.

Drought

Drought happens when rainfall is much lower than normal. This GCSE Geography quiz explores causes, impacts, and ways people try to manage long dry periods around the world.

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Fascinating Fact:

In some regions, drought can lead to food shortages, higher food prices, and even famine if it continues for several years.

In GCSE Geography, pupils study drought as a natural hazard linked to changing rainfall patterns, climate change and human water use. They explore how long dry periods affect rivers, reservoirs, farming, ecosystems and communities in both richer and poorer countries, and compare different strategies used to prepare for, manage and reduce the risks of severe drought.

Key Terms

Drought: A long period of much lower rainfall than normal, leading to reduced water in rivers, reservoirs and soils.
Water stress: When the demand for water is close to or greater than the amount of water available in an area.
Desertification: The process by which land in dry areas becomes increasingly dry, less fertile and more desert-like, often linked to drought and human activity.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is drought in geography GCSE?

In GCSE Geography, drought is defined as an extended period of unusually low rainfall that causes water shortages in rivers, reservoirs, groundwater and soils, often affecting people, farms and ecosystems.

What are the main causes of drought?

Drought can be caused by persistent high-pressure weather systems, changes in wind and ocean currents, climate change, and overuse of water for farming, industry and cities that reduces supplies.

What impacts can drought have on people and the environment?

Drought can lead to crop failure, water restrictions, dust storms, wildfires, loss of habitats and migration. In severe cases, long-lasting droughts can contribute to malnutrition and famine.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Which of these is a secondary hazard of drought?

Water shortage

Desertification

Warmer weather

Hurricanes

Drought can lead to desertification which in turn leads to surface run off and lower levels of precipitation

2 .

Why is drought worse in areas that are considered marginal land for farming?

There is no margin of error, as the land is already difficult to grow crops on

People will give up sooner since the margin for profits are much lower

Being on higher ground, they will dry out sooner

Marginal land is less prone to desertification

Marginal land is much more prone to desertification. Imagine it as a balancing act, with a drought being enough to tip things over the edge

3 .

How does the UK ensure the population have a continuous supply of water?

By pumping water out of rivers

By desalination of sea water

By recycling water from sewage

By using reservoirs to store water and boreholes to reach the water table

Some nations recycle water for drinking but the UK uses it for industrial purposes. In the UK a series of reservoirs and the use of the water table ensure that a continuous supply can be provided. After a series of droughts in the South East there were calls to provide desalination plants near London to provide fresh water, but this is a costly method. With the average rainfall remaining high across the UK there are plans to move water from the North to the South

4 .

How is climate change likely to affect the number of occurrences of drought?

Droughts will reduce, as the warmer air is able to hold more moisture

It's unlikely to change to any great amount as the drought hit areas are already an extreme environment

It's unlikely to change to any great amount as an increase in floods will compensate

Drought will become more common as extreme weather becomes more common

The predictions are that droughts and desertification will become much worse in the parts of the world that can least afford to have the conditions deteriorate, for example, the Sahel

5 .

What is a drought?

A period of highly variable rainfall

When rivers fall below particular levels

A period of below average precipitation in a specific region

When there is no water for human or animal use

Average precipitation is the criteria by which a drought is measured. This means that even wet countries can have a drought

6 .

Which of the following is a primary hazard of drought?

Lack of water

Reduced tourism

Damage to crops

Damage to wildlife

The lack of water will lead to the failure of crops and damage to the ecosystem

7 .

Do all droughts have the same effect worldwide?

Yes, since droughts are measured by their effects

No, since average rainfall differs between countries, so below average is a different measurement depending on the climate

Yes, since drought is measured by a specific amount of rainfall

No, since drought is measured on amount of water in the rivers and water table and so can be influenced by a variety of factors

Britain has suffered from several years of drought, specifically in the South East of England. However, compared to droughts in parts of Africa, there is a huge difference in the impact. Hosepipe bans were introduced and some rivers ran dry in England. At the same time there was a greater than average rainfall in parts of the North of England, meaning there was no serious threat to human life

8 .

Which of these areas is prone to dangerous droughts?

The Lake District

Canada

Sahel, in North Africa

Bangladesh

Sahel, in North Africa, is one of the regular case studies on drought. As well as the seasonally wet and dry seasons, there is a real risk that the rains will fail to appear in what should be the wet season. There have been droughts on and off for many years now

9 .

Why does high atmospheric pressure lead to periods of drought?

The descending air moves too fast to rain

The air is descending, which inhibits the formation of cloud

The high pressure forces the rain clouds away

The winds in an area of high pressure blow rain clouds through too fast

Clouds form as warm, moist air rises and cools, so in high pressure systems, where the air is descending, the moisture in the air does not condense. No clouds, no rain!

10 .

In the UK, droughts can reduce the water table, leading to small and seasonal rivers running dry, water having to be regulated by hosepipe bans, fish struggling due to increased concentrations of pollutants and low oxygen levels in the slow moving waterways. Which of the following is not a way that households can reduce water use?

Having a water meter fitted

Using a hosepipe more

Reducing the size of the toilet cistern

Taking showers rather than baths

In areas of drought, reducing individual household water consumption can help to stop a drought becoming a more serious issue

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Droughts

Author: Ruth M