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New
New
Year 10
AQA

Factors affecting flood risk

I can explain the physical and human factors that affect flood risk, and why flood risk is increasing.

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New
New
Year 10
AQA

Factors affecting flood risk

I can explain the physical and human factors that affect flood risk, and why flood risk is increasing.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Physical and human factors increase flood risk.
  2. Increased flood risk is due to several factors including increased storm frequency (and intensity) and land use change.
  3. Increased river flooding threatens people and the environment.

Keywords

  • Flood risk - the probability of a flood event occurring and its potential impact

  • Relief - physical shape or features of the land's surface

  • Urbanisation - the increase in the proportion of people living in cities and towns, often impacting natural land

  • Climate change - long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, often linked to human activity

Common misconception

The only factor affecting flood risk is rainfall.

Whether a river floods in response to heavy rainfall also relates to many other factors, especially how quickly and in what volume rainfall enters the river.


To help you plan your year 10 geography lesson on: Factors affecting flood risk, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

To ensure pupils have a full understanding of these factors it is useful to link it to the storm hydrograph - thinking about the impact on lag time and peak discharge.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which river process involves the wearing down of the river's bed and banks?
Transportation
Correct answer: Erosion
Deposition
Infiltration
Q2.
Which landform is created by deposition in a river's lower course?
Correct answer: Floodplain
Meander
Gorge
Waterfall
Q3.
What does a storm hydrograph show?
The amount of rainfall over a period of time
The shape of a river's valley
How a river changes along its course
Correct answer: The river's discharge in response to a storm
Q4.
What happens to a river’s velocity as it moves from the upper course to the lower course?
It decreases
Correct answer: It increases
It stays the same
It fluctuates
Q5.
Which of these river landforms is typically found in the upper course?
Oxbow lake
Meander
Delta
Correct answer: Waterfall
Q6.
What is the term for the process where materials carried by the river are dropped when the river slows down?
Correct answer: Deposition
Erosion
Transportation
Hydraulic action

4 Questions

Q1.
How does urbanisation increase flood risk?
By increasing vegetation
By decreasing impermeable surfaces
Correct answer: By increasing impermeable surfaces
By reducing river flow
Q2.
How does deforestation contribute to flood risk?
Correct answer: Fewer trees mean less water is absorbed by the soil.
Trees absorb more water, reducing the risk of flooding.
Trees block water flow, causing flooding.
Deforestation has no impact on flooding.
Q3.
Which human activity can help reduce flood risk?
Building more dams
Over-exploiting river resources
Correct answer: Afforestation and reforestation
Increasing urbanisation
Q4.
What role does geology and soil type play in flood risk?
Sandy soils increase flood risk.
All soil types absorb water equally.
Correct answer: Clay soils absorb water more slowly, increasing flood risk.
Rocky soils increase flood risk.

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