P1 Case Studys And Statistic (E) Flashcards
Statistic - Carbon in the atmosphere is higher than it has been in the past ……years
Carbon in the atmosphere is higher than it has been in the past 20 million years
Seismic hazard case study 1- Japan, Tohoku
2011
Between Sea of Japan and Pacific Ocean in E Asia
Magnitude 9 earthquake under Pacific Ocean
400-500km N American plate being subducted under pacific plate (destructive boundary)
Plate slipped upwards 5-10 meters= huge water displacement
Resulted in tsunami
Tsunami system did warn 3000km stretch of coastline but only minutes before
10 waves about 1km before reached shallow water= pile up and reached 10m in height
Went over tsunami defence walls= 10km surge inland
Killed at least 20,000 people
700 after shocks
500,000 people homeless
Flooded area= 500km
Seismic hazard case study 2- Haiti (2010)
Caribbean and N American plate meet (conservative)
2008 scientists find plates are jammed= pressure building
2010 stress released magnitude 7 earthquake
Epicentre= 24km away from capital city (Port-au-Prince)
Shallow focus earthquake of 13km
Killed 230,000 people
180,000 homes destroyed and 1.5 million homeless
600,000 evacuated
6.1 magnitude aftershock
Cholera killed 1500 people
Received $11.5 bition for reconstruction (aid)
Most economic activitios moved to less earthquake prone areas
Sheltered homeless in 1100 camps
16,000 troops and police broughtin to restore order and help with rebuild
Volcanic hazard case study 1- Monserrat (1997)
Found in east Caribbean between Antigua and Guadeloupe
Island arc formed by South American continental plate subducts beneath Caribbean plate- oceanic
Most volcanoes here are composite- viscous lava, high silica content (disitic or rhyolitic)
Lava built up and dome collapsed= explosion and pyroclastic flow on
25th June 1997
In 1995, ash and dust erupted- scientists monitored it for seismic activity, gas and change in shape and size
2 months after capital (Plymouth) evacuated
After eruption south of island covered in pyroclastic flow, hot ash, rocks, boulders and lahar
Fires from pyro flow= 19 people dead
Burns and inhalation wounds from ash
Houses buried or flattered
Volcanic hazard case study 2- Eyjafallajokull (E15) (2010)
- In Iceland, on Mid-Atlantic Ridge (constructive plate boundary)
- Many volcanoes here but covered in ice caps
- When eruption happens ice caps melt= flooding and large ash clouds
- Fishervolcano= basaltic and andesitic tava- tow silica, low viscosity, effusive
- Minor eruption beforehand nearty 1000 people evacuated
- Large amounts of ash picked up in plane stip streams» many
European flights cancelled - Estimated around £130 million lost for 6 days of flights cancelled
- Knock on effects globally and millions effected
Storm hazard case study 1- Hurricane Katrina (2005)
- Hit SE America
- Category 3 hurricane
- Formed over Bahamas
- Went northwest strength ened over warm Gulf of Mexico waters
- Winds of 250km per hour
- 200-250mm rainfall in Louisiana
- Storm surge of 8.5m in Mississippi
- 80% New Orleans flooded because storm levees broke by storm surge
- 1836 people killed
- 300,000 houses destroyed
- 3 million people no electricity
- 5 people dead from water contamination
- 230,000 jobs lost due to damage to businesses
- 30 oil platforms in Gulf of Mexico damaged/destroyed
- Total cost= $125 billion
Storm hazard case study 2- Cyclone Nargis (2008)
- Formed over Bay of Bengal and hit coast of Myanmar
- Category 4 cyclone
- 215km per hour wind speed
- 5m sea level rise+ 2m top of waves= 7m storm surge
- Flooded 14,000 km2 land (just above sea level)
- 140,000 dead
- 450,000 homes destroyed
- 2.5 million with no shelter
- Total cost= $4 billion
- No hurricane monitoring centre
- Warning came out only 48 hours before
- No plans for what to do in this emergency
- Government initially refused foreign aid= delays causing more death
- 40% of food stored destroyed
Wildfire hazard case study 1- California (2018)
Affected town of Paradise and 40,000 people
50,000 people fled
Fire travelled 80 football pitched per minute In 4-6 hours whole of Paradise destroyed
30,000 homes lost
85 deaths
Wind speed= 45mph
Red fire warnings due to conditions
Burned total of 153,000 acres
Caused by a PG&E powerline breaking
This fire was so big it could be seen from space
Initially thought that Paradise wouldn’t be at risk, so authorities didn’t give them warning
Paradise therefore had no evacuation plan
Wildfire case study 2- Australia (2019-2020)
Started in central Queensland
Burnt estimated 24.3 billion hectares
Destroyed around 3000 buildings + homes
Killed at least 34 people
Caused by a lightning strike, discarded cigarette butts, alleged arson and an Australian Defence Force (ADF) mishap
445 deaths indirectly through smoke inhalation etc
Cost $920 million
80mph winds
More than 400 people evacuated
New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia all effected
Worst hit state was New South Wales
8100 left homeless or displaced
Multi-hazardous environment case study- Haiti
- This is when there are 2 or more natural hazards occur (aka a disaster hot spot)
- Haiti near Caribbean and on conservative plate boundary
- In 2010 had magnitude 7.2 earthquake
- Very vulnerable due to national debt, personal poverty, poor housing / conditions, proximity to an active plate boundary
- Has overall population of 10 million
- The earthquakes here lead to liquefaction and landslides and hurricanes that occur here lead to flooding and landslides again
- In 2016 storm Matthew killed 1600 people, 140,000 homeless and water supplies contaminated
- This storm was category 5 with wind speeds of 165mph
- Human impact in Haiti could be deforestation
- Has poor governance, lots of gang violence, violence, crimes and lots of corruption
Water cycle and carbon cycle near case study- The Eden Basin
- This drainage basin is in Cumbria, Northwest England between the Pennines
- Closest city is Carliste, otherwise very rural
- Upland areas of basin impermeable rock= high amount of runoff
- Very long and narrow basin with steep sides= water moves quickly through basin
- Land use for farming, construction and deforestation
- High orographic rainfall- low pressure system
- Between 200-2009, 30% more cattle
- 10,000 new houses proposed (per 1 house=75 tonnes of carbon)
- Birkshead mine- removes 250 tonnes of gypsum per day= 1 tonne of concrete= 900kg of CO2
- Solutions being handled by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
- Impermeable surfaces cause excess surface runoff and so does compaction from livestock= flooding
- Storm Desmond in 2015 caused major flooding
Water and carbon cycle far case study- The Amazon
Rainforest
- Found in south America- 60% in Brazil but passes through 8 other countries (including, Bolivia and Columbia)
- Annual rainfall= 2000+ mm
- 28C throughout year- Low diurnal temps allow for ideal plant growth conditions
Home to 200 million people
Greatest biodiversity on earth
Forest canopy intercepts around 75% of rainfall 25% of rainfall is evaporated
- Due to most rainfall being absorbed, intercepted or evaporated, not much waterinto rivers
Rainfall levels high due to ITCZ
Convectional rainfall- low pressure systems
- Long growing season
-Is a carbon sink
- Should not completely rely on Amazon - deforestation occurring
- Deforestation for timber and room for cattle
- Amazon had severe droughts in 2005, 2010, 2015-2016
- Animals have adapted to wet climate so when there is a drought they die
- Predicted if temp rises by 4C, 85% of Amazon could die, lots of CO2 released and less can be absorbed by photosynthesis (positive feedback)
- Replanting in Peru= 115 acres between 2016-20197
-Now bans on excessive logging and landowners have to keep 50-80% land as forest
-Amazon absorbs 1/4 of earths emissions
Deserts case study- Sahara Desert
- Found in Africa and covers nearly all of Northern Africa
- Is the world’s largest desert and covers 10 countries
- Formed here due to atmospheric circulation between equator and tropics
- Air losses moisture before reaching tropic of cancer meaning low rainfall, high pressure and high diurnal temps
- Rocks at risk of thermal fracture and frost shattering
- Receives 100m on average peryear
- Average temp in day 30C but can be 50C and 0C at night as there is little cloud cover to hold heat in at night
-Very strong winds- prevailing wind from NW
- Soil infertile/dry/little organic material
- Desert pavements make up 70% of Sahara
- ¼ covered by sandy plains and dunes
- Deflation hollows, wadis, yardangs and playas all in Sahara- fluviat processes intermittent but powerful due to ephemeral rivers
-Soil unconsolidated= easily moved by wind
-Some natural causes for climatic and environmental shift could be tectonic movement or Milankovitch cycles
Desert case study- Atacama Desert
Found on pacific coast of South America in N Chile
Consists mainly of salt pans (playas)
Hyper-arid due to 4 causes of aridity here!!!!!
West of the Andes mountains (orography/rainshadow effect)
South of desert is forests where trees absorb moisture occurring as fog due to cold ocean currents (Humboldt current) meeting hot arid air
Fog capture and nets used in this desert (metal mesh net between 2 poles catch fog that can be used as drinking water or for irrigation)
Because of deserts location, most moisture in air is released over the Pacific Ocean before reaching land (continentality)
Atmospheric circulation also here because Chile sits on the Tropic of Capricorn
Desert case study- The Badlands
These are in western south Dakota and are a national park- spread across 244,000 acres
- These landforms are formed through deposition and erosion
- Lose soil and lack of plant cover= easy for water to flow over causing gullies and ridges etc
- Rockies rose up and deposited sediment on eastern slopes after deposition started around 75 million years ago
- Deposition= clay, silt, mud and volcanic ash
- Rivers Cheyenne and White, started to carve through Badlands, Cheyenne intercepts sediment from Rockies so no or little sediment now reaches the Badlands
- No deposition= more erosion (from rain)
- Average rainfall= less than 500mm per year (80% in spring)
- Hot summer and cold winter
- Little rain= little vegetation
- Made up of lots of sedimentary rocks (chalk, limestone etc) so at high risk of erosion
