case studies Flashcards
Haiti Earthquake
2010, Earthquake of magnitude of 7
shallow focus - more destructive
death toll - 220,000 - 300,000
economic cost - 14 billion
- physical factors-
shallow focus
liquefaction (causing buildings to sink)
epicentre near the main port au prince (2 million population)
-social economic factors-
developing country
high levels of corruption - leading to less regulated infrastructure and human rights violations
lack of disaster preparedness
many people lived below the poverty line (about $2 a day)
- impacts on Haiti -
airports roads and port damaged - Aid was hard to supply
government officials died so it was hard to organise response
cholera outbreak still ongoing in 2016 - Haiti recovery-
still recovering, aid has stopped Haiti becoming self sufficient
too aid dependant
2015 80,000 still lived in temporary housing, aid still being supplied to Haiti
Nepal Earthquake
2015, magnitude 7.8
the epicentre was close to Katmandu
shallow focus
death toll - 8633
three million being left homeless
it happened at midday so reduced deaths because people were out in the fields
has a fairly low population density
Nepal is one of the worlds poorest country - low GDP making the earthquake worse
many buildings not built to withstand earthquakes
- Physical factors of the disaster -
earthquake released
aftershocks which caused further damage
Nepals location is in the Himalayas - made rescue and aid very difficult and other factors such as landslides
- Economic problems-
tourism reduced so drop in national income
lost 5 billion
highly likely there will be another Earthquake due to the pressure between the plates
Eyejokulufull Iceland
2010, volcanic eruption
- social and economic costs of the Volcano-
- 100,000 flights were cancelled
- 10 million passengers were stranded
- airlines lost 1.7 billion in revenue
- 30% of global airline capacity was cut
- the European economy lost $5 Billion
Montserrat
island arc in the pacific, where the Atlantic plate is sub-ducted under the Caribbean plate
1995 - 2000
pyroclastic flows
serious environmental and social impacts of the volcano
- dozens of people lost lives and 7000 people were moved
- the capital “plymouth” was destroyed
- two thirds of infrastructure and houses were destroyed
- unemployment rose
- fields and agriculture land was abandoned or destroyed
- top heavy population problem as younger people moved away
Indian ocean Tsunami
happened in 2004
magnitude of 9 - 9.3
5 million people affected and 300,000 people died
and 1.7 million left homeless
WHY WAS IT SO BAD
- the earthquake that caused it was really big
- the epicentre was close to densely populated coastal communities
- low nature of the Indian ocean countries meant the swell could travel far inland
- there were no early warning systems in the indian ocean
- many of the counties affected were low income countries
- in places such as sry Lanka, many mangroves were removed to make way for tourist buildings leading to reduced coastal defences
THE IMPACTS
- in some coastal villages 70% of the population were killed
- in Sumatra 1500 villages were destroyed
- fishing economies and tourism were destroyed
- Thailand lost 25 million a month and unemployment rose
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
- ecosystems were destroyed
- vegetation and topsoil was removed
- freshwater supplies were contaminated with salt water
- the overall economic cost was $10 billion
Chile 2010 Earthquake
Magnitude 8.8 on richter scale
cuased earths axis to move by 8cm
caused aftershocks
occured due to destructive plate margin - drive by convection
80% of population affected
521 people killed 12000 injured
damage to infrastructure - buildingd damaged and road blockage
1.5 million homes destroyed
communication was brought down
- over all cost was estimated around 20 billion
420 schools and hospitals damaged
caused a Tsunami
Haiti killed 220,000 people compared with 521 in Chile
redesigned building code
immediate military intervention
Aid from international countries and aid from TNCs
- long run - government set about fixing schools/hospitals
japan 2011 earthquake/ tsunami
magnitude 9
earthuake wasnt sucha problem more afteraffects
Tsunami - 40 m high wave (133 feet)
Fukushima nuclear disaster - contamination
wave and flood destroyed a lot of infrastructure and caused loss of life
16,000 deaths
developed country - even hard enginering damm walls and sea walls could not stop the tsunami
Coastal management examples
US east coast - barrier islands
- dissapates wave energy due to waves breaking further out
- dissapates cyclone energy
- low impact tourism
TUVALU
- increasingly vulnerable due to eustatic change
- migration to New Zealand
KIRIBATI
- low lying country/islands
- less than 5 metres above sea level
destuctuion of mangroves
- threat to human wellbeing
affecting both - more frequent natural disasters (cyclones)
- thermal expansion
- climate change
- eustatic change
- cultural tension due to migration
Bangladesh
- removal of mangoves
- mangoves prevent coastal erosion
shrimp farms
- 2001 idian ocean tsunami
40% of population live less than 10 metres above sea level
Holderness - hard engineering
ICZM
CBA - cost benifit analysis
DELTAWERKEN project netherlands
- series of damms and flodd gates
- cost 5 billion
- 1 billion a year to maintain
- made after 1953 storm surge
-
2013 - 2014 north sea storm surge
2013 - 2014
- Uk
- Netherlands affected
- breach of sea walls, dykes
- increased erosion rates
- thames barrior shut
economic impact for post clean up
- more developed country has protected coasts
-
Cyclone Sidr
2007
-bay of BENGAL
- 3,500 deaths
- houses and infrastructure destroyed
- due to extreme winde of 200+ mpH
- drinking water contamintaed
- risk of spread of disease
- coastline mostly uncosolidated sediment
- deforestaion of mangroves
- no dissapation of energy of waves
- population density
- climate change increasing the freuquency of these natural disasters
-
examples of beach profiles and landforms
Concordant coastline
- dalmation coast croatia
DISCORDANT
- headlads bays
- lulworth cove
- durlston point
- flambourough head
depositional landforms
- weymoth spit
spurn head - recurved spit
- dungerness - cuspate foreland
dorset coast is due to issostatic and euastatic change - fossil beaches post glacial adjustment
- scotland east coast scotland
-emergent coastline
Water conflict case study
River Tigris and euphates
- supply syria and iraq
- however source is in turky
- reduced water flow by 80%
- syria built dams which them led to less water in iraq
- almost led to war in 1975
- in iraq, lack of freash water supply has led to saltwater encroachment
- decreased agricultural yeild
- threatened to take case to the UN
- political leverage
- increasing demand
- ——increases potential conflict
