Hydrological cycle - Case studies Flashcards
1
Q
El Nino 1997/98
A
- 1997-1998 the biggest El Nino in recorded history
- 2100 Deaths
- $33 billion in damages
- US received major weather events (tornadoes, hurricanes)
- Categorised by very hot temperatures in America, Australia and South East Asia
2
Q
El Nino 2015
A
-6 million tonnes of imported crops in South Africa
In Africa, the rainfall season was 50 days late
-150 million had to leave due to flooding in Latin America
-£68 million was requested by the WHO for the 7 worst affected countries in order to contain health risks
-22 Million east Africans were threatened with acute malnourishment
3
Q
Forest Ecosystems- South West USA- Drought
A
- Between 2000-2003 a combination of severe drought and unusually high temperatures led to a die off of the Pinon Pines species
- heavily susceptible to pine bark beetle attacks, in some areas more than 90% of them died
- forests store 0.73 tonnes of carbon per hectare each year, important for regulating climate change.
4
Q
Storm Desmond
A
-Hit Cumbria in December 2015
-prolonged and heavy rainfall through a mechanism known as a warm conveyor
-5200 homes were flooded
61,000 homes lost power as an electrical substation was flooded
-405mm of rainfall at Thilmere in 38 hours
-major railroads were disrupted
5
Q
Everglades and Kilimanjaro, climate change is destroying world wonders- The Guardian
A
- IUCN, (International Union for Conservation of Nature), world heritage sites at risk from damage due to global warming has doubled to 62 in the past 3 years.
- Coral reefs in the Seychelles are badly affected by ocean temperatures
- Australia has 10 natural heritage sites where climate change is at high or very high risk.
- Destruction can be overcome, elephant and chimpanzee population in Ivory Coast have recovered due to better management and international support.
6
Q
Congos basin peaty swamps are new front in climate change battle. - The Guardian
A
- peat sequesters carbon and slows down global warming
- peatlands in congo contains 1/3 of hte worlds tropical peat
- 56,000 sq miles, an area larger than england
- African peatland contains over 30 billion tonnes of carbon accumulated over 10,000 years, equivalent to 3 years of the worlds fossil fuel emissions.
- two months of intense fire in Indonesia released an estimated 884 million tonnes of co2
7
Q
Pacific Islands could lose 80% of their fish because of climate change - The Independent
A
- local extinction of marine species exceeded 50% of current biodiversity levels, at times reached 80%
- Pacific islanders rely on them for protein and economic oppurtunities
- change relies on the actions of all countries to materialise their commitment to limit greenhouse gases.
8
Q
Climate Change is turbocharging the growth of trees in cities - and it could help reduce storm water flooding
A
- urban and rural trees have undergone accelerated growth since the 1960s
- urban trees are growing faster than rural trees due to the urban heat island effect- this involves higher temperatures in cities compared to the surrounding landscapes, this may stimulate photosynthesis and help plants to grow
- sequesters more carbon and provides moe ecosystem services such as reduced storm water run-off
- air pollution reduction and storm water run off
- more rapid tree ageing and earlier replacement and replanting.
9
Q
Cape Town- Drought
A
- they want residents to save water but they’re not
- 36.8% down
- Saving 20 million litres of water a day
- 82 million litres above 500 million litre target
- looked at strategic planning- city will fund 7 water projects desalination plants, aquifer projects, water recycling
- The same physical factors that encourage drought conditions can also lead to water scarcity in countries
- Mayor Patricia de Lille
- 51 % of Cape Townians put tremendous effort into saving water.
- significant progress but still a long way to go
10
Q
The Ogollalla Aquifer
A
- largest body of water in mainland America
- it used to have a depth of 240 feet but now it only has a depth of 80 feet
- Farmers in Happy are completely running out of water
- Many Farmers are having to hand over their land to the governments conservation programme in exchange for grants
11
Q
Water Usage Facts
A
- McKinsey and Company by 2040 water demand will be 40% greater than todays accessible and environmentally sustainable supply
- 71% of total water supply today goes towards irrigating our food.
- subsidies given to farmers which need an excessive amount of water.
- Subsidies are also handed out to turn food into fuel, this means that food costs go up and also wastes precious water resources
12
Q
The Mekong River
A
- There is a dam (Xayaburi Dam, Laos)
- 40 Dams in the upper course
- It flows through 7 countries
- The mouth of the Mekong is in Laos
- home to 1200 fish species
- 2 million people rely on fishing in Cambodia from the Mekong.
- 70% of the protein diet of people is fish
- 70% of the entire diet is rice in areas surrounding the Mekong, difficult to grow
13
Q
The Mekong, Economist
A
- According to NGOs 20 million have been moved/displaced due to dams being created.
- In 2014, lower Mekong countries produced more than 100 million tonnes of rice, 15% of the worlds supply.
- 20,000 plant species and nearly 250 animal species
- 282 Gigawatts of hydroelectric capacity has been produced in 2014.
- The 11 dams proposed in Laos and Cambodia could block migration of around 70% of the Mekongs commercial fish catch.
- In the lower basin of the Mekong the average persion eats 60kg of freshwater fish per year which is more than 18 times what is on the Menu in Europe and America
14
Q
The Mekong, Economist Continued
A
- The 3.5 billion dollar Xiayburi Dam
- Laos wants hydropower to be its main source of revenue by 2025, The thai have agreed to buy 95% of it.
- Power demand in the region is expected to double between now and 2025.
- The Mekong River Comission estimates that the Mekong yields around 2.6 million tonnes of wild fish per year, 2 billion dollars in dockside sales
- Mekong fisheries are estimated to be 5 to 9.4 billion dollars.
- Mekongs Delta is home to 18.6 million people, 1/5 of Vietnams population, 3/4 work in agriculture.
- Up to 70 % of the deltas agriculture land could be subject to saline intrusion.
15
Q
Water Transfer Projects- China’s South-North Water Transfer
A
- North China is suffering from water scarcity and the problem is most severe in the Hoi basin.
- 1/2 of Chinas people and 2/3 of the farmland are in the north.
- 80% of the water supply is in the south (Yangtze River Basin.)
- The water table of of Beijing has fallen 300m since 1970.
- 60% of the river is poor quality as a result of pollution
- China has designed the largest water transfer scheme in the world.
- Has the capacity to deliver 25 million m3 of freshwater from the Yangtze River
- many farmers claim that the water will be too expensive and therefore their only option is to exploit groundwater.
- more than 300,000 were displaced during the construction of the central route.
