1.1 Little Case Studies

Question 1

Mississippi-Missouri Basin

Answer 1

2230 miles long, 3.5km2 land.
20,000 cumecs/s
Mouth at Lake Itasca middle Mississippi section begins at confluences of other sources
170 bridges 40 dams

Question 2

Niagara falls:

Answer 2

50km river, falls 108 metres in this time, 2km wide channel 1km above the falls.
Falls into a narrow 40m wide gorge, 75m deep and 11km. Within the gorge it falls another 30m

The river spills over highly resistant rock, retreating 11km per year.

Question 3

Types channel

Answer 3

Meander - Severn

Braided - Eyjafjordur

Question 4

Types of delta:

Answer 4

Arcuate - Niger
Cuspate - Ebra
Bird’s foot - Mississippi

Question 5

Nile Delta facts

Answer 5

• Very fertile but eroding at rates of 100m per year due to erosion. Home to 50m people at densities of -4000p/km2, stretching 25000km2 and responsible to 60% of national food supply.
• 270km of coastline is at a dangerous low level and a 1m rise would drain 20% of the delta
• Flooding, erosion, salinization, pollution and urban encroachment. Population set to increase and crops are being destroyed threatening, water level loss due to climate change reaching the delta due to demand and evaporation upstream.
• Yields down 40% losing money
• Egypt only contribute 0.5% of emissions - 9 times less than the US per person
• People now believe the future should be further inland creating canals and pumping stations to draw water from the Nile into valleys and turning the desert green as the delta may be lost