Case study for Coastal flooding Flashcards
1
Q
What is a case study for coastal flooding within the UK?
A
East Anglia Norwich
1953
1
Q
What are the 3 ways coastal regions can flood?
A
- waves and surges generated by the passage of a tropical cyclone (hurricane)
- tsunamis
- low pressure, high tide, high river discharge
3
Q
What were the causes?
A
- On the night of 31st Jan 1953 to the morning of the 1st Feb 1953, the North sea was experiencing spring tides
- The northerly gales on the western side forced the water south at the time of high tide
- The size of the tidal surge exceeded 5.6 meters above the mean sea level
- A combination of spring tides, storm surge, winds and very large waves
4
Q
What were the responses?
A
- The Thames barrier was built to protect London, not opened until 1982
- Environment agency is budgeting 200 million in the next 12 years to spend on extra defenses
- The barrier may not be able to cope with flooding post 2030 with sea levels on the rise
4
Q
What were the impacts?
A
307 people were killed in England, within Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex
- 19 people killed in Scotland
- 1800 people killed in the Netherlands
- 32,000 people evacuated
- Estimated damage was £50 million in 1953 prices, now worth £1.2 billion
5
Q
What is Anthropogenic?
A
Global warming as a result of humans
