Photo AI
Analyse the data shown in Figure 11 and Figure 12 - AQA - A-Level Geography - Question 6 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 6
Analyse the data shown in Figure 11 and Figure 12. Figure 11 shows the main trophic index which indicates the status of the top sea predators in different areas aro... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Analyse the data shown in Figure 11 and Figure 12 - AQA - A-Level Geography - Question 6 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
Figure 11: Analysis of marine predator changes
Answer
Figure 11 indicates a troubling trend in the marine ecosystem's health, particularly highlighting how the Baltic Sea has experienced a decline in its top marine predators by approximately 11%. Other regions such as the Arctic North Western and the North East also show negative changes, albeit to a lesser extent. The data intuitively suggests a broader issue, as the median percentage change across the illustrated areas is around 4.5% to 5%, signaling a general decline in predator populations across various marine environments.
Step 2
Figure 12: Proportion of stocks within safe biological limits
Answer
Figure 12 complements this data by showcasing the stocks within and outside safe biological limits. The size of the circles corresponds to the stock levels in different regions, where many stocks are shown to be overfished. Notably, while the North Sea shows a healthier status, with many of its stocks labeled as 'safe', other regions are not faring as well. The comparative analysis between these two figures makes it clear that even in areas with some healthy stocks, the overarching trend indicates significant challenges caused by overfishing and ecological changes.