1995 River Rhine Floods (MEDC) Case Study

Question 1

Date

Answer 1

Late January/ Early February 1995

Question 2

River

Answer 2

Rhine

Question 3

Countries affected by the river

Answer 3

1. Switzerland
2. France
3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. Austria
6. Liechtenstein
7. Luxembourg
8. Belgium
9. Italy

Question 4

Length of river

Answer 4

1320km

Question 5

Causes: Swiss Alps

Answer 5

Unusually mild temperatures in the Swiss Alps, melted the snow that ad built up over the winter, produced a lot of fresh water

Question 6

Causes: Rain

Answer 6

Switzerland had 3.5x more rain (on average) in January, causing the soils to become saturated

Question 7

Causes: Groundwater stores

Answer 7

Winter rain in the Rhine had increased by 40% since 1900, because of temperature rises between 1-1.5°C

Question 8

Causes: Buildings

Answer 8

3x more land in Germany has been built on than in 1900. This means an increase in impermeable surfaces, which speeds up the water getting back into the river.

Question 9

Causes: Farming techniques

Answer 9

More intensive, compacting soils and leading to more open land. Soils therefore, store less water and surface run-off increases

Question 10

Causes: Clearing of vegetation

Answer 10

The damage by acid rain in the Black Forest, trees are cleared for development and farmers cut hedges meaning there is less vegetation to soak up the water.

Question 11

Causes: Channel changes

Answer 11

The river channel has been straightened to allow big boats to travel up and down the river. this has sped up flow, so that a flood surge now takes 2/3 days instead of 5.

Question 12

Causes: Embankments (dykes)

Answer 12

Built along the river, closing off former floodplains, creating faster and deeper river flow. It has also led to more building on the former floodplain, as people think they are risk free.