Landscape And Physical Processes Flashcards
What is the landscape in wales like ?
-mainly a mountainous country located in the south west of the UK
-it has over 1200km of coastline and offshore islands e.g. Anglesey
What is the capital of wales ?
-Cardiff which is the largest city
-situated in highly urbanised south east wales
-population 341,000
What is a lowland area ?
-200m abl or below
-geology is younger sedimentary rocks prone to erosion
-climate generally warmer and drier
-Carmarthen in south wales
What is an upland area ?
-200-500m asl
- cover about a third of the UK
-geology is mainly old, hard rock igneous and metamorphic rocks forming mountains
-climate tends to be cooler and wetter
-Snowdonia
What is a human process that forms upland landscapes ?
-Tourism- humans can alter and damage the landscape with footpath erosion and litter at honey pot sites
-Brecon beacons Pen y fan
What is a honey pot site ?
-location attractive to tourists who, due to their numbers, place pressure on the environment and local people
What is a human process that forms lowland landscapes ?
-Urban development- mining, agriculture, settlements and transport routes
Where are highland areas often located in wales ?
- central and north east of wales
-Brecon beacons, black mountains and snowdonia
Where are lowland areas often located and what are they good for ?
-South and coastal areas of wales
-Flat and ideal for settlement and farming
-encourages urban development and transport links such as the M4 motorway
-flat land in Carmarthen is ideal for arable and cattle farming with fertile soils and warmer weather
What type of landscapes do the coast lines have ?
-it’s rugged and scenic
-Pembrokeshire coastal path
What is a landscape ?
-All the visible features of an area of land
-Can be natural (physical) or man made (human)
What are some features of a coastal landscapes ?
-Cliffs, beaches, caves, headlands, bays, splits
What are some features of lowland landscapes ?
-cattle farming, arable farming (crops), woodland and estuaries
What are some features of an upland landscapes ?
-Hill sheep farming, mountains, mines and quarries
What is an upland landscape example ?
-Brecon beacons, south wales
What is the land used for (brecon beacons) ?
-Mining communities
-Leisure and tourism activities like hiking and cycling
-National parks
What is the culture like (Brecon beacons) ?
-traditional welsh culture
-farming communities
-Small villages with more welsh speakers
What is the geology like (Brecon beacons) ?
-igneous hard rock
What is an example of a lowland landscape ?
-Carmarthen in south wales
What is the land used for (Carmarthen) ?
Arable crop and cattle farming
What is the culture like (Carmarthen) ?
-Modern lifestyles
-less welsh speakers
-multicultural
-city lifestyles
What is the geology like (Carmarthen) ?
-sedimentary softer rocks
What is an example of a coastal landscape ?
-Glamorgan shire heritage coast, south wales
How is the land used (Glamorgan shire heritage coast) ?
-Fishing
-tourism and leisure
-energy generation (wind farms)
-beaches
-docks and ports
-oil industry (Milford haven refinery
What is the culture like (Glamorgan shire heritage coast) ?
-active
-relaxed
-little tradition
-many newcomers to area in search of holiday homes
What is the geology like (Glamorgan shire heritage coast) ?
-Sedimentary soft sandstone and limestone
What is the location like at the Glamorgan shire heritage coast ?
-within the counties of Bridgend and vale of Glamorgan
-14 miles of coastline
-beaches included Ogmore and southern down
What are some physical features of the Glamorgan shire heritage coast ?
-southerndown wave cut platform
-ogmore beach
-rest bay
-Reynards cave
What are some human features of Glamorgan shire heritage coast ?
-ogmore castle
-Porth Kerry park
What is a national park ?
-area of protected scenic and natural beauty
-in wales national parks protect 20% of the land
-need to be careful managed to prevent damage
-eg. Brecon Beacons
How can honey pot sites be harmed ?
-if carrying capacity of an attraction is exceeded
What’s the carrying capacity?
-number of people that can visit an area sustainably without it being harmed
What is the Brecon Beacons ?
-one of three national parks in wales
-located in south mid wales
-home to 32,000 people
-small towns include Hay on Wye and Brecon
What is the landscape like the in the Brecon Beacons ?
-varies from upland slopes to glaciated valleys
-majority of geology is old red sandstone
-to the south geology alters to limestone
-north and west are farmed uplands with small towns with a sparse rural population
How many people visited the Brecon Beacons in 2015?
-4.12 million
-tourism in Brecon Beacons referred to as a double end sword
What are positive impacts of tourism in BBNP?
-creates local jobs in accommodation for local people
-sustain local services and facilities like bus services, shops
-income for local economy, tourism creates £136 million a year
-pressure to conserve habitats and wildlife
-encourages businesses to set up especially those in support of investing in environmental management (Green dragon scheme)
What are the negative impacts of tourism in BBNP ?
-upland erosion- horse riding, walking and mountain biking in areas like Pen Y fan. Land has no time to recover and often walkers and cyclists don’t keep to designated routes and taff trail
-damage to landscape- litter, fires, vandalism, disturbance to livestock. In 2011 experienced worse fire ever destroying 2000 acres of upland grass areas
-traffic congestion and pollution
- demand for holiday homes makes housing too expensive for local people- 86% increase in house prices since 2010
-jobs are mainly seasonal, low paid with long hours
What are some ways in which honey pot sites like BBNP can be managed ?
-local authorities employed teams to rebuild some paths to reduce negative effects on land and vegetation
-bike rides encouraged round park instead of cars- made more safe traffic free cycle routes
-Green Dragon Scheme- promotes a more environmentally aware culture and helps businesses make more money through waste production
-restricted parking zones have been set up in some villages to stop people parking on grass areas
What is a coastline ?
-narrow zone between the land and the sea
What three things determine the size of a wave ?
-Fetch- distance the wind travels
-Strength of the wind-stronger the wind, the bigger the wave
-How long the wind has blown for
What is the UK prevailing (common) wind ?
-South west
-large fetch across the Atlantic Ocean
What is swash ?
-incoming wave
What is backwash ?
-wave going away from the coast
What is a destructive wave ?
-storm conditions
-5-6 m high
-swash weak
-backwash strong
-lots of erosion
-frequency is high so more hitting the beach in a minute
What is a constructive wave ?
-calm conditions
-1m high
-swash strong
-backwash weak
-erosion limited
-involved with transport and deposition of material creating depositional landscapes like beaches
What is a sub Ariel process ?
-land process that shape the coastland
-weathering and mass movement
What is weathering ?
-breaking down of costal material
-caused by mechanical breakdown of coastal material by freeze thaw or chemical breakdown from acids in water
What is freeze thaw weathering ?
-temps go below and above 0 degrees
-water enters cracks in rocks and when temp drops it freezes exerting pressure and forcing it to widen
-when temps rise ice will melt and go further into cracks
-process repeats until rock breaks
What is mass movement ?
-large scale movement of material down a cliff
-mudflow- occurs after periods of heavy rain of slopes over 10 degrees, with no vegetation roots to bind the soil together the soaked mud will flow down the hill like a river of mud. Eg. Amero, Colombia
-land slips/ rotational slumps- rapid movement of rocks/ earth moving along a curved path, weight of the rock pushes down on the clay below causing it to slump eg. Penarth cliffs
-Rockfall- loose rock from a steep cliff falls due to gravity, this can be made worse if freeze thaw loosens the rock. The angular rock fragments will fall to the base of the cliff and form a screw slope Eg. lantwit major
What are the different type of coastal erosion ?
-Hydraulic action- sheer force of water crashes against cliffs/ rocks causing air and water to be trapped and compressed in cracks. Air expands and weakens the rocks causing them to crack and wear away
-Abrasion(corrosion)-coastal material carried on the waves scours the cliffs, sandpaper
-attrition- occurs when rock fragments collide and get warn down into smoother and smaller pebbles
-solution- limestone dissolves in seawater. Chemical action of salt water on coastal rock
What are the different types of transportation?
-suspension- fine sediment is carried in the water, makes it look muddy
-solution- dissolved material is carried, cannot be seen
-traction- large pebbles are dragged along the sea bed
-saltation- material bounced along sea bed, leap frog movement
What is longshore drift ?
-way materials are moved in a zig zag motion along the coast
-direction of LSD decided by direction of prevailing winds
-moves material up the beach (swash) at an angle
-moves it then back down the beach (backwash) at right angles
What is deposition ?
-costal material is dumped
-sea loses energy and constructive waves drop sand and pebbles that it has been carrying
-likely to happen when waves hit a sheltered area like a bay or shallow water
What is a headland ?
-rock that sticks out into the sea
What’s a bay ?
-Crescent shaped indentation in the coastline
What is an example of headland and bays ?
-St David’s bay and Worms headb
How are headlands and bays formed ?
-Soft rock is less resistant and is attacked by hydraulic action and abrasion which causes soft rock to be eroded and retreat forming a bay
-The bay is more sheltered and shallow waters encourage deposition. Constructive waves loose energy and suspended materials build up at the beach
-more resistant rock is not eroded as much as is left sticking out into the sea, headland
-surrounded by deep water and exposed to full force of waves the headlands are also eroded by hydraulic action and abrasion
-eventually they create caves, arches and stacks
What is a beach ?
-build up of sand
-constructive waves deposit material onto the coastline
-due to low energy levels larger material is deposited nearer the coastline and finer sediment is carried further up the beach
-example of a beach is Newport beach, west wales
What is a spit ?
-narrow build up of sand or shingle with one end attached to land and one projecting into the sea
-they look hooked/ curved as a result of deposition
What are the three factors effecting the rate of coastal landform change ?
-weather events
-human intervention
-Geology
What is an example of how weather has caused coastal change in wales ?
-December 2013 and January 2014 Welsh coastline severely damaged due to a powerful storm
-included storm surges, 70mph winds and the highest tides in 17 years
-23% of Welsh coastline was eroded
-cost of flooding £200mil
-farmland lost due to flooding- 360 hectares flooded, worse effected area was Llanbedr
-coastal paths have been damaged from erosion of cliffs- repair cost £340,000
-Railway lines and roads damaged-affects communications and accessibility in Aberystwyth and cardigan
What is an example of how landforms changed due to human intervention (holderness coast )?
-Holderness coast in north east England is the fastest eroding coastline in Europe 2m per year
-soft clay cliffs and strong NE winds and waves cause coastline to change
-retreated 4km in last 2000 years including 29 villages
-waves erode land by hydraulic action and abrasion and mass movement
-council aimed to protect three main towns Bridlington, Hornsea and Withersnea- valuable land with tourism attraction and a gas terminal
-council built sea walls, grounds and gabions (rock boulders)
-this meant less material moving south via LSD
-meant erosion at Mappletown because so great council had to spend another £2 million to rebuild the cliff face to prevent further erosion
-retreating 8m every 6 months
How can geology effect rate of landform change ?
-Hardness of rock on the coastline can determine how resistant the coast will be to erosion and mass movement
How has the geology at the Holderness coast affected it ?
-soft boulder clay making fast rates of erosion
-clay cliff becomes saturated with rain and then gets weakened
-cliff gets too steep and collapses (landslide or rotational slip )
-large destructive waves move loose material
-cycle repeats
What are the parts of a river drainage basin ?
-Source-Where river starts
-Drainage basin- An area drained by a river and its tributaries
-Mouth- the end of a river
-River channel- Where a river flows into
-Confluence- Where a small river joins a large one
-Tributary- A stream or small river that flows into a bigger one
-Water shed- The boundary between two river basins
-Load- material carried by the river
What are the types of erosion in a river ?
-Hydraulic action- River wears away due to sheer force of water hitting the bed and banks
-Abrasion- rocks carried within the river channel wear down the bed and banks (sandpaper)
-Corrosion- small particles like carbonates become dissolved within the river water
-Attrition- rock being carried by river smash together to be smooth
What are the types of transportation ?
-Solution- minerals are dissolved in water
-Suspension- fine light materials carried in water
-saltation- small pebbles and stones are bounced along river bed
-traction- large boulders and rocks are rolled along river bed
How does transportation change throughout the river ?
-when energy levels are high-large rocks and boulders can be transported, energy levels usually higher near river source
-when energy levels are low, only small particles can be transported
What happens when a river loses energy ?
-deposition
-occurs when river enters an area of shallow water, volume of water decreases
What happens during the upper course of the river ?
-Steep gradient
-vertical (downward) erosion
-Main features= source, V shaped valley, waterfalls and gorges
What happens during the middle course of the river ?
-gentle gradient
-lateral (sideways) erosion
-transportation
-river beaches( slip of slopes), meanders and river cliffs
What happened during the lower course of the river ?
-very low gradient
-Deposition
-flood plain, ox bow lakes, levées, estuary
What part of the river are waterfalls found ?
-Upper course
-examples= Niagara Falls
What part of the river are V shaped valleys and interlocking spurs found ?
-Upper course of the river
What are some factors that could affect the passage of water through a drainage basin ?
-Steepness of slope
-Vegetation
-Urbanisation
-Rock type
-Soil type
-amount of tributaries within the drainage basin
What is precipitation ?
-water or ice that falls to earth as hail snow rain or sleet
What is through fall/ stem flow ?
-occurs through the vegetation (trees drip after a storm)
What’s infiltration?
-vertical movement of water into the soil
What is percolation ?
-movement of water into permeable bedrock
What is overland flow ?
-travels across saturated and impermeable land surfaces
What is throughflow ?
-flow of water downhill through the soil
What is groundwater flow ?
-flow of water through porous rocks
What is interception?
process where vegetation and other surfaces above the ground catch falling precipitation.
What is Surface storage?
includes any body of water from a puddle to a lake that stores water on the surface.
Soil water storage is water stored between the soil particles. What is it good for ?
essential for plant growth.
What is Groundwater storage?
-can occur in permeable rocks like chalk or sandstone
What is River runoff?
when water is carried overland to the sea
What is Evaporation?
is water that changes to water vapour and is removed from the DB system.
What is Transpiration ?
-the evaporation of water from the vegetation
-Together evaporation and transpiration are known as evapotranspiration.
What does Permeable mean ?
-a surface that allows water through it (soil).
What does impermeable mean ?
-is a surface that does not allow water through it (concrete).
What is urbanisation ?
-is manmade development of towns and cities.
This can make the land impermeable.
What is deforestation ?
-the removal of forests and woodland.
-This can reduce interception.
What is a river regime ?
-Annual pattern of a river discharge
-shows how much water flows in a river over each month of the year
-vary due to size of DB, vegetation, relief and geology
What does flood risk depend on ?
-how fast water enters the river (lag time)
-how much water enters the river (peak discharge) can be measured on a flood hydrograph
How do flood hydrographs work ?
-show how a drainage basin responds to a rainfall event and shows river discharge passing a given point over a period of time
-shows how river responds to a storm and tracks how long to take for the rainfall to reach the river channel
What is rainfall ?
-amount of precipitation that falls to the ground in one storm event
Whats discharge ?
-volume of water on the river channel at a given time
What’s the lag time ?
-time interval between peak rainfall and peak discharge
What’s base flow ?
-the seepage of groundwater into channel
What drainage basins will have a low flood risk ?
-geology- porous to allow water to seep through or store
-soil- permeable to allow infiltration
-vegetation- interception and root uptake
-relief- flat land allows water to infiltrate into soil slowly
What drainage basins will have a high flood risk ?
-geology- non porous rocks stop groundwater flow
-soil- impermeable encouraging overland flow
-removal of vegetation- encourages overland flow and more soil water
-relief- steep, funnels water to river fast
What is a flood ?
-when a river overflows its banks
What is a flash flood ?
-high volumes of rain falling in a short time
What are some human actions that increase flooding ?
-urban areas use impermeable concrete and tarmac- encourage overland flow and cause increased discharge
-pitched roofs transfer water directly into drains which go straight to river
-deforestation reduces interception, evaporation and water taken up by soil roots and encourages overland flow
How can flood risk be reduced ?
-afforest areas by planting more trees, having gravel driveways and car parks to encourage infiltration
Where is Cumbria ?
-county in North east England
-homes to villages like Cockermouth
What is Cumbria’s flooding background ?
-experiences flooding in 2005 and 2009
-environmental agency invested £38 million in hard engineering defences in city of Carlisle
-flood embankments 6.2 m high and 10km long were build along river
-4km of sewers were replaced
-despite this county still flooded again in 2015
What were some physical causes for the Cumbria floods ?
-heavy rainfall from storm Desmond, 348mm fell in 24hr period
-geology- non porous granite encouraged overland flow
-relief- steed sided valleys and high mountains (scafel pike 978m) encouraged water to flood down to low land
-vegetation- high moorland with moss and few trees which reduces interception
What were some human causes for the Cumbria floods ?
-urbanisation- Carlisle urbanised city has impermeable surfaces and deforestation encourage greater overland flow increasing river discharge and reducing lag time
-deforestation-removal of trees and large crops means less transpiration, soil water root uptake and interception so more water enters the DB
What were some economic impacts of the Cumbria flood ?
-damage to homes and property- £500 mill
-farmland flooded so no income for farmers, livestock killed
-costly insurance claims- £1 billion
-communications affected- roads/ rails blocked
What are some social impacts of the Cumbria floods ?
-homes damaged and people unable to move backs into homes for at least a year
-1000 people had to be evacuated via helicopter
-people without power- 50,000 people
-public services like 40 schools, hospitals and libraries closed
-1 death
-risk of injury to elderly and vulnerable
What are some environmental impacts of the Cumbria floods ?
-landslides in Lake District
-river water contaminated with sewage
-millions of tons of sediment removed from river and deposited on other settlements
What’s hard engineering strategies ?
-uses machinery/ defences constructed by people
-expensive
- can destroy country side
-eyesore
What are soft engineering strategies?
- works with environment, rather than trying to control it
-less costly
-requires less maintenance
What hard engineering strategies were used by environmental agency after Cumbria floods ?
-675m of drains were replaced so water wouldnt stay on roads
-4km of sewers made bigger to hold more water
-49km of flood walls constructed
What soft engineering strategies were used by environmental agency after Cumbria floods?
-afforestation on the river banks upstream to increase interception and soil moisture to reduce river discharge
-land use zoning in cocker mouth which has a green corridor along the river. Hospitals and homes must be developed on higher land away from river
How many people in wales are at risk of flooding ?
-4.6 million in England and wales
-2.3 million properties in areas that could flood
What are some hard management strategies?
-Dams and reservoirs- allows water to be steadily drained at controlled rate over time. But costly, lengthy construction , wildlife destroyed, maintenance
-wider and deeper rivers- river channels are made wider and deeper to increase channel capacity. Doesn’t affect tourism, prevents flooding in time of peak flow. But silt may be deposited in river bed and may need re dredging in future
-Retention basins- overflow areas either side of river that allow water to overspill and collect. Prevent flooding onto urban areas and farmland. But ugly, eyesore, uses up valuable land that could be developed
What are some soft management strategies?
-Green corridor- acquire flood plain land for public use, reduce losses for flood. Good because permanent. But costly, land shortage may result
-Afforestation- plant trees to increase interception a lag time whilst reducing river discharge. Good for wildlife habitats. But costly and time consuming
What is a planners opinion on flood management?
-urban development of flood plains must be planned carefully to reduce overland flow and flood risk
-hard engineering structures should be used in necessary areas
-drains must be bigger to improve removal of water from roads
-impermeable surfaces should be replaced by permeable surface
What is an environmentalist opinion on flood management ?
-protection of habitats essential
-soft engineering schemes allows natural protection and is not an eyesore
What is house builders opinions on flood management?
- hard engineering flood gates and flood walls to reduce likelihood of flood plains flooding
-homes can be designed to be flood proof, built on stilts, with tilted floors and with higher sockets
What is a residents opinion on flood management ?
-hard engineering protects my home and reduces insurance costs and damage
What is a governments opinion on flood management?
-homes are needed for increasing population
-flood plains need to be protected with use of expensive permanent hard engineering structures
-land zoning in high risk areas and greenfield sites
How is the flood risk going to increase by 2080?
-people at risk will rise 1.5-3.5 million as more people live on flood plains
-flood damage will cost more rising to £27 billion by 2080
-climate change will result in more rainfall and stormier weather
-sea levels rising increases risk of costal floods
-2050 15% of homes will be built on flood plains
-health risks will rise due to flood waters containing untreated sewage and farm chemicals
What is a wave cut platform ?
-ledge of rock created. by destructive waves in the intertidal zone
-cliff face is made of concordant layers of horizontal rock
-southern down- Glamorganshire heritage coast is an example
Why are floodplains good for farming ?
-floodplain is flat land either side of a river
-silt is deposited by flood waters which makes the land fertile- good for agriculture
