Case Studies Flashcards
Flooding: Mississippi and Missouri
1993
Flooding: Mississippi and Missouri
Causes 5
Heavily saturated ground 400-750% increase in precipitation over the plains between April and August Building on flood plains Levees collapsing--> downstream Navigation--> dams built on tributaries
Flooding: Mississippi and Missouri
Impacts 7
$15-20 billion in damage 30,000m flooded 32 deaths 15 million acres of farm land destroyed "Ghost Towns"--> depopulation Emotional trauma Levee breakages
Flooding: Mississippi and Missouri
Management 4
People relocated
Dams, dykes, and levees built
River straightening–> moves faster
Dredging
Flooding: Boscastle
Boscastle Cornwall, 16th August 2004
Flooding: Boscastle
Causes 9
Impermeable bed rock upland on Bodmin moor
Thin soil and lack of vegetation –> 70% of vegetation removed in the last 200 years
Steep converging topography
3 fluvial systems joining
High tide
Debris forming dams under bridges
Saturated ground–> wet summer
89mm of rain in one hour–> river rise of 2 m
14 cars trapped debris –> a 3m river rise
Flooding: Boscastle
Impacts 5
75 cars, 5 caravans, 6 buildings and boats washed into the sea 100 + houses and businesses destroyed 150 people rescued from roofs and trees 4 foot bridges washed away £20 million in damages
Flooding: Boscastle
Management 4
River bed lowered by 0.75m
River widened
4.6 million defense scheme in 2008
Routine river clearing
Flooding: Harbertonford 3
River Harbourne
Flooded 21 in the past 60 years
Over £50,000 damage
Flooding: Harbertonford
Management: Palmer Earth Dam 7
2km upstream form the village 60 year lifespan Can hold a 1/400 year flood £850,000 4.1ha reservoir storage Afforestation 600mm drop in river bed level
Flooding: Harbertonford
Management: Storm drain 4
25 year lifespan
£4000
Overflow culvert
Speeds water up
Biomes: grassland
Serengeti, Tanzania
Biomes: grassland
Formation 5
Too much rain to be a desert Too little rain to be a rain forest ITCZ, 21st June tropic of Cancer ITCZ, 21st December tropic of Capricorn Effects convection cells, and therefore precipitation
Biomes: grassland
Characteristics
50-127cm of rain
2 seasons–> long dry winter, wet summer
Lions, zebras, elephants, giraffes, ungulates
Grass, acacia trees
Biomes: desert (warm)
Sahara
Biomes: desert (warm)
Formation 3
High pressure due to convection cells
Increased solar radiation
Little rain and clouds
Biomes: desert (warm)
Characteristics 2
Less than 35 cm of rain
Few plants and animals–> cacti and snakes
Biomes: desert (warm)
Threat of Climate Change 5
Desertification
Extinction of species–> Addax, Barbary sheep
Over the past 25 years 9/12 deserts studied have warmed faster than surrounding areas
Culture loss–> Tuareg Nomads
Temperature increase, water decrease
Causes of Climate Change (Natural) Volcanoes:
Volcanic aerosol reflects solar radiation, reducing the heat the earth receives.
Causes of Climate Change (Natural) Volcanoes:
Mount Tambora 7
1815
Indonesia
VEI-7
Led to the “Year without Summer”
Eruption column reached the stratosphere at 43km
0.5°C decrease in temperature
Sulfate concentration in ice cores increases
Causes of Climate Change (Natural) Oceans:
Long term 5
Laurentide ice sheet
Ice sheet melted in North America adding cold freshwater to the Atlantic
Stopped the convection currents that produce the Gulf Stream
Led to the European ice age–> Younger Dryas
500 years for the Gulf Stress to restart
Causes of Climate Change (Natural) Oceans:
Short term: El Nino 5
Dramatic reduction in trade winds
Convection cell breaks down
Warm water in the western tropical Pacific Ocean shifts eastward along the equator toward the coast of South America
South America receives more precipitation
Rest of the world deviates from the norm
Causes of Climate Change (Natural) Oceans:
Short term: La Nina 3
Trade winds are more intense
More rainfall in the west Pacific
Drought along the South American coast
Causes of Climate Change (Natural) Oceans:
Short term: El Nino Effects 9
1997-98= strongest El Nino in 100 years Heatwaves in India and TExas Floods in Bangladesh and China South Asia= late monsoon season Indonesia= forest fires Harvest failure= Africa Malaria increased Bleaching of coral reefs £50 billion total damage
Causes of Climate Change (Natural) Orbital Variations:
Wobble 3
21,000 cycle
Earth wobbles on its axis in space
Makes the sun closer or further away
Causes of Climate Change (Natural) Orbital Variations:
Tilt 3
41,000 cycle
Tilt of the earth on its axis in space
When tilt increases, summers are warmer, winters are colder
Causes of Climate Change (Natural) Orbital Variations:
Stretch 3
95,000 cycle
Orbit isn’t a perfect cycle
Milankovitvh’s theory fits 14/16 of the warm periods in the past million years
Causes of Climate Change (Human) Burning Coal 6
UK: Coal produces a 1/3 of electricity now, 1990 2/3 Drax Yorkshire 6 Generators 625 employees 7% electricity needs Produces CO2 228.6 pounds per BTU
Causes of Climate Change (Human) CO2 5
Responsible for 60% of global warming through the greenhouse effect
75% from fossil fuel burning
China=largest consumer of coal
Due to industrialization, car ownership, technology and development.
2007 China building a new coal plant every other week
Causes of Climate Change (Human) Methane 4
25% more effective at trapping heat than CO2
Intensification of farming–> paddy rice fields
Produced as bacteria break down organic material in anaerobic conditions
Landfill sites too
Effects of Climate Change: Sea level rise
Carteret Islands 3
First climate change refugees in 2009
Moved to Bougainville, island off Papua New Guinea
Community broken up
Effects of Climate Change: Sea level rise
Tuvalu 9
Highest point= 4.6m
20-40cm rise in the next 10 years, Tuvalu will be uninhabitable
Temperature increasing
Heat days increasing
Ocean acidification increasing–> coral bleached
Cyclones and tropical storms increasing
Evacuation to New Zealand
Storm surges with increased frequency and height
Flooding, salination of coils, crops destroyed, sewers leaking
Effects of Climate Change: Sea level rise
Bangladesh 3
80% of land under 1m above sea level
1m sea level rise effect 15 million people
17,000km of land would be submerged
Effects of Climate Change: Deglaciation
Mount Kilimanjaro 4
5895m above sea level
2000-2011 40% of ice melted
Glaciers thinnning
After 2060 no ice will remain
Effects of Climate Change: Deglaciation
Himalayas 3
15000 glaciers
Glacial retreat could effect 500 million people due to people relying upon meltwater
Effects of Climate Change: Deglaciation
Antarctica: The Peninsula 3
1995 Larsen A ice shelf collapsed
1970 Worldie ice sheet disintegrated
2002 Larsen B disintegrated
Effects of Climate Change: Deglaciation
Antarctica: West Antarctica 2
Warmed by 0.1°C every decade in the last 50 years
Reduction of glaciers especially due to marine influences
Effects of Climate Change: Deglaciation
Antarctica: East Antarctica 4
More precipitation–> tropical convection cell increased in size–> closer to east Antarctic–> effecting the polar cell
Effects of Climate Change: Extreme Weather
Heat Wave 4
August 2003 heatwave
Hottest for up to 500 years
By 2050 could be this hot every other year
38.5°C measured in Kent
Effects of Climate Change: Extreme Weather
Heat Wave Physical Impacts 5
River Danube fell to its lowest level in 100 years exposing ww2 bombs
Reservoirs ran low
Forest fires–> Portugal 215,000ha destroyed
Millions of tonnes of top soil eroded–> river water quality decreased
Deglaciation and snow melt in the Alps–> increased rock fall
Effects of Climate Change: Extreme Weather
Heat Wave Social impacts 7
Over 20,000 dead–> temporary mortuaries in refrigeration lorries in France
Heat stroke, dehydration, air pollution and sunburn
Water supply effected–> hose pipe ban
Cost €13.1 billion to agriculture
Railway lines buckled in the heat, tubes cancelled, road surfaces melting
2 nuclear power plants had to close down–. water for cooling unavailable
Aid from EU
Strategies to Address Climate Change: International 7
Kyoto Protocol 1997
Internationally reduce Greenhouse and gas emissions
Currently 192 parties
Canada withdrew in 2012
USA and Australia not ratified–> 2008 joined
Climate justice
UK target of -8, meet -12.5
Strategies to Address Climate Change: Government
Top Down 7
Nuclear power- invested by Tony Blair in 2006
Hinkley C Somerset, Oldbury Gloucestershire
Gov working with energy companies to invest in wind power
UK has 6691 wind turbines
6th largest producer of wind power
Wind power 2008 1.5% 2015 11%
David Cameron :(
Strategies to Address Climate Change: Government
Bottom Up 4
Solar power
Gov guarantees minimum price for power
Subsides on solar panels
Feed in Tariff earn up to £8,080 over 20years
Strategies to Address Climate Change: Pressure groups 6
Kingsnorth power station
2007 climbed chimney and attempted to write “Gordon bin it”
Caused £30,000 damages
6 protesters
Trying to prevent Climate Change–> were acquitted
Individuals–> solar, Renault Twizy, recycling
Earthquake: Izmit Turkey 2
August 17th 1999
7.4 Richter scale
Earthquake: Izmit Turkey
Causes 4
Conservative margin slipped between the Eurasian and African plate
Occurred on the western portion of the North Anatolian fault zone
Anatolian plate being pushed west about 2.5cm a year between the Eurasian and Arabian plates
Rupture length of 150km
Earthquake: Izmit Turkey
Secondary Hazard 2
Tsunami in the Sea of Marmara
2.5 m high
Earthquake: Izmit Turkey
Demographic effects 4
4500 dead
43959 injured
More males dead due to factory area being nearing to the epicentre
Temporary mass exodus–> potential aftershocks
Earthquake: Izmit Turkey
Social effects 9
Poor building quality–> 600 apartments by the same contractor collapsed
65% of buildings illegal/no regulation
120,000 houses damaged beyond repair
Damage to pipes and power lines=fire
Trapped in houses
500,000 homeless
Lack of clean water + untreated sewage= cholera and diarrhoea
Psychological trauma
5 tunnels, 20 viaducts, multiple bridges damaged
Earthquake: Izmit Turkey
Economic effects 5
Tidal waved flooded farmland damaging crops
$23 billion in damage
Heavily industrialised and densely populated area damaged
Oil refinery, navy base
Trans European motorway damaged
Earthquake: Izmit Turkey
Responses 9
Temporary shelter for weeks with little water and poor sanitation
International response within 24 hours
12 countries assisted rescue efforts
UK pledged £50,000
Engineers from Thames water
Red Cross pledge £4.5 million
12 days to restore electricity
Bodies buried quickly avoiding disease spread
Turkish soldiers given 45 days leave to visit family
Earthquake: Izmit Turkey
Management 5
Building quality increased
Earthquake proof technology and engineering
Evacuation tests
Isolation valves in gas pipes
Istanbul’s airport became largest earthquake proof building in the world
Earthquake: Izmit Turkey
Perception 6
Aid services- 72 hours non stop, under prepared, limited resources
Scientists- accurately forecast, but still under prepared, pattern of earthquakes moving along the fault line
Volcano: Nevado Del Ruiz, Colombia 1
November 13th 1985
Volcano: Nevado Del Ruiz, Colombia
Causes 11
Part of the Ruiz-Tolima massif
Intersection of 4 faults
Pacific ring of Fire
Andean volcanic belt
Stratovolcano
25km ice cap on the top
Subduction of Nazca beneath South American plate
Not erupted for 100 years, pressure build up
Lahars= ice cap melting + pyroclastic flow
Lahars travel down river valleys–> town located
Lahars at 200mph and up to 400°C
Volcano: Nevado Del Ruiz, Colombia
Demographic effects 3
Lahars killed 70% of Armero, 22,000 people
15000 animals killed
45,00 people injured
Volcano: Nevado Del Ruiz, Colombia
Social effects 4
8000 people homelss
Roads blocked by mud–> effected food and communication
Clean water ran out
50 schools, 2 hospitals damaged
Volcano: Nevado Del Ruiz, Colombia
Economic effects 4
$7.7 billion 20% of GDP
58 industrial plants destroyed
343 commercials establishments destroyed
3,400 ha of agricultural land destroyed
Volcano: Nevado Del Ruiz, Colombia
Responses 8
Red Cross, civil defense, military distributed supplies and care
30 countries + offered aid
Public protests in 1986
Red Cross leaflets
Hazard maps
Sirens
Route markers painted on buildings to show exits
Deemed safe on the 12th of November- preventable?
