Case Studies Flashcards
Where is the most deforested area in the Amazon?
South-East, as it the closest to densely populated cities eg. Rio de Janerio and Brazila
Where experiences El-Nino events?
The equator and coasts of South and Central America
What are the two reasons for Amazon deforestation?
Industry - wood, and farming
New Hydro-electric Dams
Which area of the Amazon is most diverse, and why?
The north-west, as a very rare dry season occurs every 10 years.
How much of the Amazon has been deforested already?
17%
How much Carbon is stored within the Amazon?
100PgC, this being 17% of the worlds biospheric carbon.
How much rainfall occurs within the Amazon, per annum?
6000mm
Where is the river Exe located?
Exeter, originates from the Exmoor highlands
What accounts for 65% of the Water balance?
Surface runoff
How much of exmoor is impermeable rock?
84.4%
What is the land used for across Exmoor?
67% farming, 15% woodland.
Where is Mount Ontake located?
Japan, on the subduction zone of the Philipean Plate.
What was Mount Ontake, explosivity index?
3, it erupted without warning
What was the most significant part of the eruption? MO
A large amount of Tephra was ejected into the atmosphere, at 300km an hour
What was the most significant part of the eruption? MO
A large amount of Tephra was ejected into the atmosphere, at 300km an hour
How many people died in the Chile earthquake?
521 people
How large was the Chile Earthquake?
8.8 on the Richter scale.
How many people died in the Haiti earthquake?
200,000
How large was the Haiti earthquake?
7 on the richter scale.
Why did more people die in the Haiti earthquake?
Chile had spent lots of money developing strong infrastructure that could withstand an earthquake.
How many people died in the Boxing Day Tsunami?
300,000.
What area was worst hit by the boxing day Tsunami?
Indonesian Island of Sumatra.
How quickly did the boxing day Tsunami hit the island?
within 15 minutes of the original earthquake.
How far did the fault line slip in the Boxing Day earthquake 2004?
15 meters.
How much does runoff account for in the water balance on Exmoor?
65%, this is very high in comparison to other UK rivers.
What are the reasons for runoff being so high in Exmoor?
Impermeable geological area, which reduces the ability for water to percolate.
Drainage ditches have been built in the peat bogs, meaning that less water can be stored in the biosphere and water can flow over it easily.
What has been built on the River Exe, and when?
The Wimbleball Reservoir, in 1979.
What are the physical characteristics of the upper catchment of the River Exe?
It is 601km, and sits at an elevation of 514 meters.
An estimated 84.4% of the land has impermeable rock lying below it.
67% is agricultural grassland.
Why is the Wimbleball Reservoir an issue on the River Exe?
It blocks the flow of the rivers discharge, meaning that peaks and troughs to hopefully prevent extreme weather conditions. This affects the appearance of a flood hydrograph.
Where does the Wimbleball Reservoir supply water to?
Exeter and parts of east Devon.
What percentage of the Amazon is used for Cattle Ranching?
80%
How much of the Amazon has been lost since 2005?
17%
What is the issue with the Rio Madeira river?
It s nutrient rich, taking away nutrients from the soil.
How much had carbon sequestration decreased since 2015?
33%
How much do dead trees in the Amazon emit vs the amount the rainforest sequesters?
dead trees emit 1.7 billion metric tonnes, with the rainforest sequestering 2 billion.
What was the Exmoor mires project?
2000 hectares of peat bogs, through re-saturating them.
How many tributaries does the River Exe have?
5
How much of the Exmoor basin is used for agriculture?
67%
How many acres were burnt in the paradise wildfire?
150,000
How many people died in the paradise wildfire?
85
When did the earthquake hit Kobe?
17th Jan 1995
What magnitude was the Kobe earthquake?
6.8 on the richter scale
How many people died in the Kobe earthquake?
6,000
How many people were injured in the Kobe earthquake?
35,000
How many people were left homeless due to the Kobe earthquake?
250,000
What increased the risk of the Kobe earthquake?
People didn’t accumulate sufficient emergency supplies.
What was the total cost of economic recovery in Kobe Japan?
$100 billion
How far away from the city was the Kobe epicentre?
20km
Where is Paradise located?
90 miles north of Sacremento
How many people were evacuated due to the paradise wildfire?
52,000
Why was the Paradise wildfire hard to fight?
Rough terrain
What sparked the wildfire in Paradise?
Strong winds pulled over powerlines.
How many people died in the Paradise wildfire?
85
How many homes were destroyed due to the Paradise wildfire?
9,000
How many people were made homeless due to the Paradise wildfire?
30,000
When did Mount Ontake erupt?
September 2014
How many people were injured due to Mount Ontake eruption?
40
What caused Mount Ontake to erupt?
Water entered the volcano, which was then heated. In turn this violently erupts ash from the volcano.
What type of plate boundary does Mount Ontake lie on?
Destructive- conversion of the Eurasian and the Philippian plates.
What was a significant consequence of the Mount Ontake eruption?
Ecosystems were heavily polluted.
How much did it cost to rebuild after the Haiti earthquake?
$7.8 billion
How many were left homeless after the Haiti quake?
1.5 million
What occurred as a secondary impact of the Haiti quake?
Cholera outbreak
How many people died from the outbreak of cholera in Haiti?
1,500
How many people died in the Haiti earthquake?
230,000
How much did the Haiti Relief Fund give in aid?
$11.5 billion
How large was the aftershock in Haiti?
6.1 on the Richter scale
How many peacekeepers were sent to Haiti?
16,000 from different institutions.
When did Hurricane sandy occur?
October 2012
What was one of the reasons for Hurricane Sandy?
The Gulf stream was 3 degrees warmer than usual.
How many homes were destroyed in Cuba, as a result of Hurricane Sandy?
15,000
How many died in the US due to Hurricane Sandy?
160 people
How many people lost power in the US due to Hurricane Sandy?
8.1 million
How much did Hurricane Sandy cost?
$75 billion
What were short term impacts of Hurricane Sandy?
Prevented Obama and Romney from campaigning for the presidency.
The NY stock exchange shut down for multiple days.
70% of Jamaica lost power.
Where are the Sundarbans?
Bangladesh
How many species live in the Sundarbans?
453
How high are sea levels predicted to rise in the Sundarbans?
4cm in the next 10 years.
How were the Sundarbans created?
Sediment is deposited from the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna, due to flocculation creating the stream appearance.
What are the consequences of higher sea level on the Sundarbans?
The wood resources would decrease, due to being offshore.
Loss of animal habitat.
Shoreline erosion happens at a faster rate.
sediment dropped by the rivers will disappear.
Higher tides will engulf protection from offshore sand dunes.
What occurred due to the Hurricane Sandy storm surge?
Damaged Prime Hook, a natural wildlife park.
Sewage leaked onto streets and rivers- 1.5 billion tonnes.
When did Cyclone Winston hit?
February 2016
Where did cyclone Winston hit?
Fiji
Where does Fiji rank in overall development?
90th
How many people were impacted by Cyclone Winston?
350,000
How many people died due to Cyclone Winston?
44
How many homes were destroyed during Cyclone Winston?
40,000
How much of fiji lost power in cyclone Winston?
80%
How much damage did Cyclone Winston create?
$1.4 billion
What was a long term impact of Cyclone Winston?
$54 million lost in agriculture
Food prices rose drastically.
Where is a MHZ located?
California.
What makes California important?
Top 10 GDP, meaning it is technologically advanced.
