geography case studies

Question 1

St Jude Storm

Answer 1

27th and 28th october 2013, 10 million trees lost, 4 deaths, £0.5 billion damage, 99mph winds

Question 2

Typhoon Haiyan

Answer 2

Philippines November 2013, catagory 5, 6300 deaths and 9 million affected, 2 million homeless, £100 million aid sent, 5m storm surge, £2.9 billion damage, 71000 hectares of farmland lost, 5.9 million workers lost income sources, spread of disease, slow response

Question 3

Eyjafjallajokull

Answer 3

Iceland, 14th April 2010, mid-atlantic ridge, 250 million cubic metres of ash, $30 million BA losses, 11000m ash plume, 800 evacuated, jet stream

Question 4

River Tees

Answer 4

137km long, upper course: interlocking spurs & v-shaped valleys, high force waterfall (21m, tallest in England), middle course: meanders & floodplain at Barnard Castle, lower course: ox-bows & levees & estuary & mudflats at Teesmouth

Question 5

tourism in the Lake District

Answer 5

tourists spent over £1 billion in 2014, glacial features create opportunities (eg. ribbon lakes for water sports), conflicting views, 40000 residents, 16.4 million tourists, 2nd home ownership = expensive houses, jobs are seasonal and poorly paid, footpath erosion - ‘Fix the Fells’, pollution from lots of congestion

Question 6

Hitosa Water Transfer Scheme

Answer 6

Ethiopia, water is gravity fed, 140km long pipe, 122 public water points, serves 65000 people, community managed, hygiene education and sanitation still poor, conflict on taps between livestock and people using taps, multiplier effects for poorer communities

Question 7

China’s SNWTP

Answer 7

transfers 44.8 billion cubic metres a year, 3 canal systems (2 completed), cost $62 billion, water insecurity, irrigation/industry, humid south/arid north, 330000 displaced against will for expansion of Danjiangkou reservoir

Question 8

The Western Desert

Answer 8

Sonoran & Mohave & Chihuahuan deserts, settlements like Las Vegas made possible by huge water projects (eg. Hoover Dam on Colorado River), grand canyon, water insecurity, Central Arizona Project (canals taking water to cities), population growth and climate change, tourism is the biggest industry

Question 9

Sahel Desert

Answer 9

desertification, population: 30 million in 1950 but 500 million in 2017, overcultivation and overgrazing and soil erosion - exhausts soil’s fertility = no crops, sahel’s ability to produce food has not kept pace with the growing population due to migration and longer life expectancy, rising temps - one in every 5 years is a drought = crop failure = infertile land

Question 10

London Olympics

Answer 10

East Village and Westfield shoppng centre, stratford international station, 18000 new jobs and 7000 temporary, brownfield sites, multiple deprivation and deindustrialisation, £9 billion investment, cultural diversity, 4000 new trees and 400000 plants planted in Queen Elizabeth country park and Lea Valley environmental improvements, 97% material knocked down reused for new homes, 10000 new affordable homes

Question 11

London

Answer 11

10% of population (8.6 million), largest and wealthiest city, wages are 23% higher, transport and entertainment hub, multicultural society, atmospheric pollution, dereliction and brownfield sites, sustainability, wealthy = Chelsea and Richmond, poorer = Newham

Question 12

Amazon Rainforest

Answer 12

6 million square km (2/3 of Brazil), covers 9 countries, most bio-diverse ecosystem on the planet (16000 tree species), indigenous tribes, cattle ranching - 70% of deforestation, impacts: soil erosion, leaching, loss of biodiversity, climate change, desertification, stopping deforestation: debt reduction, selective logging, eco-tourism, international agreements, rate of deforestation falling since 2004

Question 13

Cambridge Science Park

Answer 13

owned by Trinity College, footloose quartenary industry (research and development), accessibility - good motorway and airport access, lower house prices than London, attractive working environments and semi-rural locations, cambridge phenomenon = a leading technology hotspot, highly skilled workers, pharmaceuticals and bio-technology

Question 14

Reigate Heath

Answer 14

west of Reigate just south of M25/A25, porous sand stone, recreational pressure from golf and trampling, mosaic of habitats - encourages biodiversity, scrub clearance maintains diversity, water table, oak and pine and heather and lichens

Question 15

Nigeria

Answer 15

capital = Abuja, population = 186 million, tropical south and arid north, 49.6% urban population, life expectancy - male = 52 female = 54, 62% in extreme poverty, 43% aged 0-14 years, economic development linked to oil industry in Niger Delta

Question 16

Lagos

Answer 16

major financial and industrial and commerce centre, 90% of jobs in informal sector - no taxes = bad for government, megacity of more than 20 million, Makoko - coastal lagoon with 250000 residents and no basic infrastructure, floating school, threat to squatter settlements with development of Eko Atlantic, major challenges include - population growth, rising sea levels and water/power supplies

Question 17

Nepal (Gorkha) earthquake

Answer 17

25th April 2015, 7.8 magnitude, 9000 killed, 8 million people affected, epicentre only 81km from Kathmandu (capital), continental collision, avalanches hit Everest - climbers killed (secondary impact), oxfam (NGO) provided emergency aid

Question 18

River Mole

Answer 18

surrey, scheme to prevent flooding, £15 million cost - very expensive, flood ponds made around Gatwick - has encouraged birds - plane hazard, river straightening, repaired bridges, de-icing chemicals and oil go into flood ponds from runway = bad for animals

Question 19

Epping Forest

Answer 19

trees are deciduous - adapt to UK seasonal climate, trees grow broad green leaves in spring - maximise photosynthesis in summer, shed leaves in winter - conserves energy, forest floor is a thick layer of leaves by mid-autumn, visitors pick berries and flowers - helps spread seeds