CASE STUDIES Flashcards
FLOOD MANAGEMENT SCHEME
Boscastle, Cornwall, 2004
Flooding caused severe damage to over 1000 homes and 90% of the economy damaged when tourism couldn’t happen
-narrow river channels through village and is the confluence of 3 major rivers
HUMAN CAUSES
1- trees cut down for farming
2- dense buildings
3- old bridges blocked by debris (acted like dams trapping water)
SOLUTIONS
1-Bridge widened (less blockage)
2-River deepened and widened (more volume)
3-Vegetation cleared ( won’t block bridges )
4-Car park raised with permeable tarmac
UK RIVER & EROSIONAL/DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORMS
River Tees, North England
Upper Course:
Erosional :
1-interlocking spurs
2-High Force waterfall& gorge
Middle Course:
Erosional & Depositional :
1- Meanders (around Yarm) & floodplains
2- Ox- Bow lakes
Lower Course:
Depositional :
1-Levées
2- Estuaries
Flood Management:
1- Cow Green Resevoir (Upper Course)
2- Yarm flood defences
3- Tees Barrage (Lower Course by the mouth)
EXAMPLE OF UK COASTLINE-EROSIONAL & DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORMS
The Jurassic Coast, Dorset/Devon
DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORM
: Chesil Beach- a beach
-At the end of the last Ice Age the sea levels beagan to rise eroding large quantities of gravel+sand from nearby cliffs.
-longshore drift carried the sediment Eastwards forming Chesil Beach.
The sea carried the sediment until it encountered the LEE of the chesil beach area and deposited it’s load using constructive waves creating a gently sloping beach.
(used for fishing)
EROSIONAL LANDFORM
:Durdle Door- an arch
-created roughly 10,000 years ago and is surrounded by stacks and caves.
-millenia ago a small crack was formed in the cliff, by hydraulic action and abrasion.
-this crack hollowed out to form a cave which ended up eroding to the other side.
-creating the arch
(popular tourist attraction for iconic pictures)
COASTAL MANAGEMENT SCHEMES
Dawlish Warren Devon coastline
They used:
-rip rap
-geo tubes
-inclined sea wall
-groyne
-Dune fencing
Why was management needed here?
-the spit at Dawlish Warren was eroding nearer the distal end and they were worried it would erode all the way through and cause higher risk of flooding further up the River Exe
+ve
-the managements helped curb the erosion and slow down the wave energy
-they were effective at absorbing wave energy and halting LSD
-ve
-some of the hard managements were unsightly
-the inclined sea wall was very expensive
-the geo tubes needed lots of maintenance
Conflicts of people:
-there is a large tourist area next to the spit with restaurants and attractions and the owners were worried what some of the ugly structures would do for business
TECTONIC HAZARDS
Gorkha Earthquake Nepal,2015 LIC
Tohoku Earthquake Japan,2011 HIC
Gorkha Earthquake NEPAL- 7.8 Richter
Primary effects:
-over 8 Million affected
-3 million left homeless
-50% shops destroyed
Secondary effects:
-ground shaking triggered landslides
- 9,000 dead
-an avalanche in the Langtang region left 250 people missing
Immediate responses:
-search and rescue teams, water and med supplies came quickly from UK, India, China
-500,000 tents needed for homeless
-helicopters rescued people trapped in remote villages
Long-term responses:
-roads repaired and landslides cleared
-1000s of homeless to be re-housed and damaged houses repaired
-stricter building codes
Tohoku earthquake JAPAN- 9.0 Richter
Primary effects: it created a tsunami
-the tsunami swept inland damaging boats, building, vehicles
-over 18,000 dead mainly due to the tsunami
-flooded an area of 500sq km!
Secondary effects:
-500,000 left homeless
-explosions and radiation leaks at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant due to the earthquake affected local area.
-meltdowns caused explosions and radioactive leaks that caused the locals to evacuate.
Immediate responses:
-Helicopters saved people from rooftops and flooded farmland
-100,000 soldiers sent to establish order and distribute water, food, petrol
-an exclusion zone was put around Fukishima Daiichi , and iodine tablets were given to prevent radiation sickness to evacuated residents.
Long-term responses:
-most costly natural disaster EVER costing over $300 billion!
-better tsunami equipment
-set up the ‘Reconstuction Design Council’ to promote growth in the Tohoku area.
CLIMATE TYPHOON
Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines, 2013
Primary effects: strong winds, heavy rain,storm surge
ECONOMIC:
-the typhoon destroyed 30,000 fishing boats
-strong winds damaged buildings and powerlines, and crops
SOCIAL:
-6300 people died, most drowned by the storm surge
-600,000 people displaced
-40,000 homes destroyed
-90% Tacloban city destroyed
ENVIRONMENTAL:
-over 400mm rain caused flooding
-Tacloban airport badly damaged
Secondary effects
ECONOMIC:
-6 million people lost their source of income
-ferry services and flights disrupted for weeks, slowing aid
-hospitals, schools, shops damaged, affecting peoples livelihoods
SOCIAL:
-14,000,000 affected many left homeless
-shortages of water, food and shelter, lead to disease outbreaks.
-looting and violence in Tacloban
ENVIRONMENTAL:
-flooding caused landslides and blocked roads cutting off aid to remote communities
-in some areas power supply was cut for weeks
Immediate responses
-International government and aid agencies gave food, water, shelter
-US aircraft assissted with search&rescue and aid delivery
-1200 evacuation shelters set up
-Uk sent shelter kits
-French, Belgium, Israel set up temp hospitals
Long-term responses
-The UN countries gave financial aid and medical supplies
-rebuilding of roads, buildings, airports
-‘cash for work’ schemes to clear debris and re-build
-Aid agencies provided replacement fishing boats
-more cyclone shelters
-1000s home moved away from the coast
RECENT EXTREME WEATHER EVENT IN THE UK
Beast from the East, UK
26 Feb- 8 March 2018
-10 days of blizzards, freezing temp, snow, ice
Caused by: a large area of high pressure dominating Scandinavia and Northern Europe.
SOCIAL IMPACTS:
1-Up to 10 people died
2-snow and ice caused road accidents that meant some people had to wait in the car for over 12hrs!!! = 8000 collisions
3-thousands suffered power cuts
4-more than 300 schools were closed around the country halting education
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:
1-Some areas had 50cm of snow!
2-wind chill factor of -10’C
3-day time temp of -4’C
ECONOMIC IMPACTS:
1-many cars were damaged in the 8000 car accidents due to icy roads
2-British Airways cancelled lots of short haul flights
MANAGEMENT & RESPONSES
1-snow ploughs and gritters sent out to improve the roads
2-warnings issued to advise agianst leaving the house
3-Rail stations and networks closed and warned not to use the facilities = many stranded drivers were provided with food, shelter and foil blankets by volunteers.
4- some rural communities had to receive supplies by helicopter as they were completely cut off.
Small scale ecosystem
Devon hedgerow
CHARACTERISTICS INVOLVE ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC FACTORS!!
links between abiotic and biotic:
-Animals (biotic) leave droppings that add nutrients to the soil (abiotic)
-leaves (biotic) trap energy from the sun through photosynthesis and release oxygen to the air (abiotic)
Biotic:
-fungi and bacteria feed on dead organic matter and decompose it
-weasels eat mice and voles
- plants like hawthorn, blackthorn and ivy
- -supporting animal such as mice, rabbits and insects
Abiotic:
-soil contains minerals, nutrients and water
-rain and sun provide water and warmth for growth
-roots hold soil together and prevent soil erosion
Transfer of energy in an ecosystem:
input of energy through sunlight, photosysnthesis uses the energy to release glucose . primary consumers eat the plants, secondary consumers feed on the herbivores.
Energy is lost between trophic levels due to energy lost in respiration for movement, maintaining body temp, defecation.
If a drought occured less plants grow so fewer berries for birds to eat in winter sparrow numbers reduce less food fr sparrow hawks so less sparrow hawks.
A TROPICAL RAINFOREST
Amazon Rainforest
Main causes of deforestation:
Subsistence and commercial farming:
Subsistence = farmers grow crops on small allotments to meet the needs of themselves and their families not for selling
Commercial = large scale for mass selling also known as ‘slash and burn’ where trees are burnt to mek way for cattle or planting.
logging: to obtain precious woods like mahogany. or to make pulp for paper.
Selective targets one tree type but damages others to move machinery.
clear cutting targets all trees
Road building: to expand cities and create access routes to logging and mining areas, the BR163 is a road that runs 1700km through the Amazon and allows for more development as a tarmaced superhighway
Mining and quarrying for mineral extraction: the soil is soft enough to power wash the dirt away to abtain precious metals creating harmful runoff that pollutes water sources and creates craters. Extract iron nickel tin copper etc
Energy development: Hydro electric power, The dams create electricity for mining. Dams displace many people and the reservoirs they create flood large area of land, which would previously have been forest. 150 new plants planned for the Amazon
Settlement and pop. growth: Many people are migrating to the forest looking for work associated with the natural wealth of the environment.The Brazilian Amazon’s population grew by a massive 23% between 2000 and 2010
Positive and negative impacts of deforestation:
- Every time forest is cleared species are lost we lose BIODIVERSITY
Climate change: trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere so less trees contributes to the greenhouse effect as well as the CO2 released when trees are burned to make way for cattle fields.
The Amazon also helps to drive the global atmospheric system. There is a lot of rainfall there and changes to the Amazon could disrupt the global system. (Polar Ferrel Hadley)
Economic development: Brazil has huge foreign debt and lots of poor people to feed, so they want to develop the forest as there are many natural resouces such as precious wood to exploit.They earn lots in exporting goods to Europe and more money can be reinvested into Brazil an NEE X effect. Brazil has over $700 billion in debt as of 2024
Soil erosion: the soils of the Amazon forest are not fertile (latosol). The farmers now artificially fertilise the soil when in the past the nutrient cycle would have done this naturally. the lack of forest cover means that soils are exposed to the rainfall. This washes huge amounts of soil into rivers and erodes the soil away
The cutting down of trees reduces interception so evaporation decreases so less convectional rainfall occurs
COLD ENVIRONMENT
Svalbard
located in Norwegian territory in the Svalbard archipelago
population of 2700, there are more snow mobiles and polar bears than humans!
60% of land is glacial
DEVELOPMENT OF COLD ENVIRONMENTS CREATES OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES:
OPPORTUNITIES:
Mineral extraction:
-rich reserves of coal
-is the main source of income
-more than 300 staff
Energy developments:
-geothermal energy is the upcoming source but coal is currently mainly used
-coal is burned in power stations for energy
-carbon capture and storage is used for energy rather than water
Tourism:
-2011, 70,000 people visited Svalbard 30,000 of which were from cruises
-the capital’s port (longyearbyen) has been enlarged for more cruises
-many visit from Norway to see the Northern lights
Fishing:
-uses the Barents sea South of Svalbard
-Barents sea is one of the richest fishing grounds on earth with 150 species of fish
-patrolled by Norway and Russia
CHALLENGES:
Extreme temps:
-winter can reach -30’c
-serious risks of frostbite
-outdoor work is difficult with the layers of clothing and gloves
= many layers are worn and ski gear is used for insulation
Construction:
-permafrost melts and foundations can collapse in the active layer
= so houses are raised
-limited light in winter months makes work slow
-most roads are gravel so raised above permafrost active layer
Accessibility:
-Svalbard can only be reached by plane or boat
-there is only one 50km road in Longyearbyen the capital
-many of the rural islands are impossible to reach other than by plane
-only 1 airport
= many cruises dock and tourism is still one of the largest employers
Services:
-water pipes are insulated and water warmed so pipes do not freeze and burst
-pipes are kept above ground to prevent the melting of the permafrost.
