Cambridge O Level Environmental Management: Natural Hazards — Revision Notes (5014, 2027-2029)

Syllabus edition note. These notes follow the Cambridge O Level Environmental Management 5014 syllabus for exams in 2027, 2028 and 2029.

Topic 6 of Cambridge O Level Environmental Management (5014) deals with four natural hazards: earthquakes and volcanoes, tropical cyclones, flooding and drought. Every hazard is examined in the same order - where and why it happens, what it does to people and the environment, and how its impacts are managed before, during and after the event - so a single answer framework works for all four.

Full explanations: natural hazards study guide. Test yourself: natural hazards practice questions.

Syllabus coverage (5014, 2027-2029)

Sub-topic	Outcomes	Unique content to remember
6.1 Earthquakes and volcanoes	6.1.1-6.1.10	Earth structure; seven continents; plate boundaries; focus and epicentre; eruption features; opportunities
6.2 Tropical cyclones	6.2.1-6.2.4	5-30° latitude; 27 °C; 60 m depth
6.3 Flooding	6.3.1-6.3.5	Five causes; two opportunities
6.4 Drought	6.4.1-6.4.5	Definition; two causes; ways to increase water supply

One framework for every hazard

1. Where and why - location and causes.
2. Impacts - sort into people (deaths, health, homes, money) and environment (habitats, crops, water, land).
3. Before - monitoring and warning, land use zoning, building structure, disaster preparation.
4. During - evacuation, shelters.
5. After - rebuilding, international aid.
6. Judge - benefit and limitation of each strategy; which matters most.

6.1 Earthquakes and volcanoes

Inside the Earth: crust, mantle, core. Heat drives convection currents in the mantle, which move the tectonic plates.

Seven continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America.

Where hazards occur

• Along plate margins, where plates move apart, together or past each other.
• Over hotspots, where volcanoes form in the middle of a plate.

Plate boundary	What the plates do	Result
Divergent / constructive	Move apart; magma rises into the gap	Volcanoes and earthquakes
Convergent / destructive	Collide; one subducts	Earthquakes and a chain of volcanoes
Conservative	Slide past	Earthquakes, no volcanoes

Earthquake vocabulary: energy released suddenly; focus below ground; epicentre on the surface above it; size given on the Moment Magnitude Scale.

Eruption vocabulary: magma → lava at the surface; ash; water vapour, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide; acid rain; volcanic bombs; pyroclastic flows.

Tectonic impacts: buildings and infrastructure; crops, livestock, habitats; evacuation; fire; tsunamis; landslides; contaminated drinking water; water-related disease; financial losses; health.

Why people live near volcanoes: fertile soils; minerals; building materials; geothermal power; tourism.

6.2 Tropical cyclones

• Also called storms, hurricanes or typhoons.
• Conditions: 5° to 30° latitude north or south of the Equator; sea at least 27 °C; ocean at least 60 m deep.
• Impacts: buildings and infrastructure; crops, livestock and habitats; evacuation; flooding; landslides; contaminated water and disease; financial and health effects.
• Management: monitoring and warning; building structure; disaster preparation; evacuation; shelters; rebuilding; international aid. (Land use zoning is not listed for cyclones in 6.2.3.)

6.3 Flooding

Cause	How it increases flood risk
Land relief	Low-lying land and flat floodplains collect water
Saturated, compacted or eroded soil	Water cannot infiltrate, so run-off increases
Deforestation, farming practices, urbanisation	Less interception; impermeable surfaces
Climate change	Sea-level rise; more extreme rainfall
Storm surges and tsunamis	Sea water pushed inland

Flood opportunities: fertile silt on farmland; recharge of surface and ground water stores.

6.4 Drought

Drought = a period of dry weather that is longer or more severe than normal. Causes: lack of rain; climate change (higher temperatures, more extreme weather).

Impacts chain: rivers and wells dry → crops and livestock die → famine and financial loss → soil exposed → soil erosion and desertification → dust lowers air quality; vegetation dries → wildfire risk; organisms die; human health suffers.

Management: monitoring and warning; emergency water supplies; water conservation; increasing supply (dams and reservoirs, aquifers and wells, desalination, rainwater harvesting); international aid.

Benefits and limitations at a glance

Strategy	Benefit	Limitation
Monitoring and warning	Saves lives through early action	Needs equipment and communication; earthquakes give almost no warning
Land use zoning	Fewer people in high-risk areas	Pressure on land; informal settlements ignore rules
Building structure	Buildings withstand shaking or wind	Costly to build and retrofit
Disaster preparation	Faster, organised response	Drills need repeating; supplies expire
Evacuation and shelters	Removes people from danger	Not everyone can or will leave
Rebuilding	Restores communities	Slow, costly; may repeat the risk
International aid	Resources beyond local capacity	Delays; may not reach remote areas
Emergency water and increasing supply	Keeps people alive in drought	Costly; over-pumping lowers water tables

Worked example: classify the strategy

A source lists: “seismometers installed”, “schools retrofitted with cross-bracing”, “families given emergency kits”, “rescue teams flown in from abroad”.

• Seismometers → monitoring (before).
• Retrofitting → building structure (before).
• Emergency kits → disaster preparation (before).
• Rescue teams from abroad → international aid (after).

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Calling the epicentre the place where the earthquake starts.
• Writing “hurricanes form over warm water” without the 27 °C, 60 m and 5-30° figures.
• Claiming droughts are caused by deforestation: the syllabus gives lack of rain and climate change.
• Mixing impacts on people with impacts on the environment when the question separates them.

Frequently asked questions

Why are there no volcanoes at conservative boundaries? The plates slide past each other without one being destroyed or pulled apart, so no magma is produced.

Which management strategies are listed only for drought? Emergency water supplies, water conservation and increasing water supply through dams and reservoirs, aquifers and wells, desalination and rainwater harvesting.

Are floods always harmful? No. Floods deposit nutrient-rich silt on farmland and recharge surface and ground water stores, which the syllabus lists as opportunities.

Official syllabus

Cambridge O Level Environmental Management (5014) syllabus for 2027, 2028 and 2029 - official syllabus PDF, Topic 6.