IB ESS SL 4.1.5 Human Activity Impacts Questions
Evaluate how extraction, land use and pollution alter water stores and flows.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Course
- ESS SL
- Level
- SL
Exam points
- explain how urbanization, deforestation, agriculture, industry and water extraction alter hydrological stores, flows and freshwater quality
- analyse cause-and-effect links between human activity and runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge, pollution, river flow and marine ecosystems
- evaluate the relative impacts and management trade-offs of human activities on freshwater availability, water quality, ecosystem health and downstream communities
Learn this topic
IB ESS SL 4.1.5 Human Activity Impacts Questions question 1
[Maximum number: 4]
Outline four ways in which urbanization may influence processes in the hydrological cycle.
urban (paved) surfaces/reduced veg cover will lead to increase in run-off; ...and thus increase stream-flow/flooding;
urban (paved) surfaces/reduced veg cover will reduce infiltration of water into soils; ...and thus reduce inputs to groundwater/aquifers/water table level;
urbanization can increase heat/local temperature leading to greater evaporation/downwind precipitation;
urbanization will reduce vegetation cover and thus reduce evapotranspiration/regional precipitation;
urbanization will increase local water extraction reducing river flows/increasing outputs from groundwater storages/aquifers;
urbanization may lead to increased emission of greenhouse gases/global warming /climate change that may result in multitude of changes in hydrological cycle eg increased melting of glaciers/shifting precipitation patterns/increased evaporation etc;
urbanization may lead to increased emissions of NOx/SOx leading to acid precipitation;
Note: Ensure that each markpoint includes an explicit link to a direct consequence of urbanization and how this influences a process in the hydrological cycle. Award [1] max for changes associated with global warming.
All question bank results loaded