Paper 1 Case Studies

Question 1

What factors turned Haiti’s earthquake into a disaster?

Answer 1

• Haiti is a poor country, so the money it had was being spent on more immediate issue such as healthcare and combating disease
• Haiti has a high level of corruption which has led to a lack of resources
• A lack of training for emergency services meant they didn’t know what to do when the earthquake struck

Question 2

What were the impacts of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake?

Answer 2

• Infrastructure destroyed- The only airport and most of the countries main roads were destroyed. This made it difficult to get aid to the people who needed it
• 25% of government officials were killed making it hard to organise rescue efforts
• Poor sanitation caused be the earthquake lead to an outbreak of Cholera

Question 3

What factor lead to the Chinese earthquake in 2008 becoming a disaster?

Answer 3

• China had a high amount of amount of corruption, meaning buildings that didn’t meet code were built to save costs.
• When the earthquake struck these buildings collapsed resulting in over 5000 school children dying

Question 4

How did China’s earthquake response differ to Haiti?

Answer 4

• China is a rich country with a large population and abundant resources.
• Troops were quickly bought into help restore the region
• The Chinese government saw the rebuild as an opportunity to start from scratch, corrupt officials were arrested and the area was rebuilt properly, improving the economy and resilience to future earthquakes.

Question 5

How did Japan prepare for an earthquake like the one seen in 2011?

Answer 5

• A strict building code meant 75% of buildings were designed with earthquake proofing, a low level of corruption also meant that the rules were enforced
• A disaster plan is in place for natural disasters, for example public spaces are equipped with emergency supplies such as drinking water and medical supplies
• An early warning system alerted the population the earthquake was coming, everyone knew what to do as schools and businesses hold drills every 3 months.

Question 6

How did Japan responded to the 2011 earthquake?

Answer 6

• 110,000 troops were immediately mobilised
• Public broadcast channels switched to earthquake coverage telling people what to do
• Japan quickly accepted aid from other countries, whereas Haiti had to wait longer because of its damaged infrastructure and China didn’t have systems in place to accept foreign aid

Question 7

What were the impacts of the 2010 eruption in Iceland?

Answer 7

• supply chains were affected as important parts couldn’t be flown in. The Nissan car plant experienced delays as a sensor couldn’t be flown in from Ireland.
• The economies of Zambia, Kenya and Ghana were affected as fresh fruits and flowers couldn’t be flown into European markets.

Question 8

What are the values of the Lake District?

Answer 8

Cultural:
-the natural beauty attracts visitors
Economic:
-16 million visitors per year spending over £1 billion
-traditional Businesses have diversified to attract more tourists, boosting the local economy
Environmental:
-Provides a unique ecosystem for plants and animals to thrive in

Question 9

What are the values of Sagamartha National Park in Nepal?

Answer 9

Cultural:
-Mount Everest sit in the national Park which is significant as the highest point in the world
-Sherpas worship the mountains in the national park as they believe Gods and Demons live in the mountains
Economic:
-Mount Everest attracts climbers from around the world bringing large amounts of money into the area
Environmental:
-The park is a place of natural beauty and is protected as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Question 10

What is the value of Greenland?

Answer 10

Cultural:
-Inuit people continue to live traditionally by hunting a fishing
-The ice sheet is an important scientific resource as it can be analysed to see the state of the worlds atmosphere over a long period of time
Economic:
-Meltwater powers HEP stations
-Tourists bring money in summer months as Greenland is a popular cruise destination
Environmental:
-Provides a habitat to a wide range of wildlife
-Greenland’s ice sheet contains about 10% of the global ice mass

Question 11

What is the Yamal peninsula’s value?

Answer 11

Cultural:
-Nenet people live traditionally with reindeer that they farm. They live sustainably within the fragile ecosystem
Economic:
-The peninsula contains a large gas reserve with investment for planned exploitation
Environmental:
-The permafrost in the region acts as a carbon sink and capture large amounts of CO2 and methane

Question 12

What threats are facing the Lake District?

Answer 12

Physical:
Erosion to the natural landscape, footpath erosion caused by tourists can scar the landscape and cause fragile plants damage.
Human:
-Jobs in the area are low paid and revolve around the tourist season
-People buying second homes in the area inflate house prices causing residents to be priced out

Question 13

What threats are facing Sagamartha National park?

Answer 13

Physical:
-Glacial outburst floods cause large amounts of water to be released uncontrollably, causing erosion and damage to the landscape
-Avalanches occur during earthquakes and cause large amounts of destruction
Human:
Tourists that come to climb Everest cause large amounts of pollution as they leave equipment, food and human waste behind. Limits have now been put in place for the number of tourists allowed to visit.

Question 14

What threats are facing Greenland?

Answer 14

Physical:
-Ecosystems are under threat due to climate change
-Ice sheet melting is causing sea level rise, increasing flood risk around the world.
Human:
-Overfishing is depleting fish stocks
-Ships dumping ballast has introduced invasive species

Question 15

What threats are facing the yamal peninsula?

Answer 15

Physical:
-Permafrost is melting and releasing greenhouse gases back into the atmosphere creating a positive feedback loop
-Permafrost melting is causing sink holes in the region
-Overgrazing has become a problem as herders are being displaced causing them to graze the same area for longer.
Human:
Infrastructure being built to extract gas has displaced herders and there are worries over how the extraction will impact the environment

Question 16

Define the Alpine convention

Answer 16

-Convention signed by the EU as well as countries which the alps lie.
-It’s aim is to protect the alpine environment while encouraging economic development.
The Swiss are yet to ratify the bill as the mountain cantons fear their livelihoods will be taken away

Question 17

How does Zermatt damage an active glacial landscape?

Answer 17

• Located in the Alps Zermatt attracts over 2million visitors a year.
• The tourist industry creates high demand for resources and threatens degradation caused by urbanisation and increased air and noise pollution.
• Maintaining the resort causes damage as the large amounts of water and chemicals are sprayed on the mountain by energy intensive snow cannons

Question 18

How does Zermatt try to protect the natural environment?

Answer 18

• Zermatt has won multiple awards for sustainable design of its buildings.
• The resort employs an environmental expert to oversee all building work
• The resort is trying to replant forests
• however critics say that Zermatt could be doing more like restricting visitor numbers and stopping any further expansion to protect forests

Question 19

Define the Antarctic treaty

Answer 19

• Came into affect in 1961 and by 2015 63 countries had signed up
• the agreement prevents any military activity on the island and also inhibits any exploration for mineral reserves on the continent
• Tourism is heavily monitored to prevent damage occurring to the continent. Travel companies must have a permit to operate

Question 20

How has climate change affected the climate in the Sahel?

Answer 20

• Rainfall in the Sahel mainly falls during July, making up 90% of annual precipitation.
• The climate in the Sahel in recent years has been wetter allowing for re-greening to occur
• re-greening is a restoration technique that involves trapping water to increase crop yield and increase the number of plants in an area.

Question 21

What problems has climate change caused in California?

Answer 21

-From 2000 to 2015 11 of those years were in drought
Problems included:
-Surface runoff rates declining
-Forested areas have reverted to scrub and grassland
-Ground water, often used to make up deficit, has fallen by 30m
-Snow pack on top of mountains has melted
-reservoir levels has fallen

Question 22

What are examples of meteorological causes of flooding?

Answer 22

• UK jet stream and low pressure weather
• Indian monsoon
• Siberian-Ice melt

Question 23

How does the jet-stream cause flooding in the UK?

Answer 23

The UK sits near the boundary between the polar and tropical air masses. Sometimes high pressure blocks the jet-stream form moving, bringing consistent low pressure, increasing precipitation and flood risk.

Question 24

How can an Indian monsoon cause flooding?

Answer 24

Around 70% of annual rainfall occurs in 100 days from July to September. The monsoon affects Bangladesh particularly as 50% of the country is bellow 12m in elevation.

Question 25

How does Ice melt cause flooding in Siberia?

Answer 25

Increasing spring temperatures cause ice melt, increasing the amount of water in river channels and flood risk.

Question 26

What were the primary physical causes of the Cumbrian flooding in 2015?

Answer 26

Location: Cumbria is located in the Northwest of England next to a mountain range, Storms from the Atlantic come from the west and collide with the mountains causing orthographic rainfall.

Position of Jet-stream:
The jet stream stayed over the north west for longer than usual casing low pressure systems to stay over Cumbria

Question 27

Explain how the warm conveyor caused flooding in Cumbria

Answer 27

• Warm moist air from the Caribbean came to the UK transported by the jet stream
• The Cumbrian fells created orthographic rainfall
• the moist air stayed over cumbria for up to 48 hrs
• There was too much rain for the already saturated ground to absorb
• Impermeable surfaces and blocked drains meant surface water flowed rapidly in to over flowing river channels

Question 28

What were the human causes of the Cumbrian flooding?

Answer 28

• Replacing permeable soil with hard architecture like buildings and concrete increases surface runoff and the likelihood of flash flooding
• Over grazing by livestock removes vegetation, reduces the chance of tree growth, levels of interception evapotranspiration.
• Mismanagement of rivers- hard engineering defences were put up, however sediment that had built up on the river bed hadn’t been dredged which made the defences less successful.

Question 29

What were the social costs of the Cumbrian flooding?

Answer 29

• 5200 homes were flooded in 2015
• local services were forced to temporarily close
• Many residents suffered mental health problems after the event

Question 30

Economic costs of the Cumbrian floods?

Answer 30

• Businesses closed, and transport and infrastructure were damaged
• insurance claims exceeded £6billion
• House prices fell in risk areas
• Flooding deterred tourists from visiting

Question 31

Environmental costs of Cumbrian flooding

Answer 31

• Many river banks were eroded, which added to future flood risks
• Rivers were choked with debris and contaminated with sewage
• saturated ground increased decomposition of dead animals, releasing noxious gases.

Question 32

Human causes of drought in the Sahel

Answer 32

-Human factors don’t cause drought, however they act like a positive feedback loop
Causes:
-over abstraction of water from rivers and groundwater
-building large reservoirs
-Anthropogenic climate change
-Changing land use and interfering with hydrological cycles

Question 33

Impact of drought on Florida’s wetland Everglades

Answer 33

• Areas of open water dry up resulting in progressive loss of habitat
• Soil moisture is reduced and extended drying causes soil erosion this decreases the ability to store water in times of flood
• Organic soil may oxidise, releasing carbon into the atmosphere.
• Bird life is affected as aquatic birds lose their habitat and others lose nesting sites and find it harder to find food.

Question 34

Describe the UK energy mix

Answer 34

• Because of a focus on becoming more efficient the UK consumed less energy in 2015 than 1998
• Declining North Sea oil reserves have meant that the UK has become more reliant on imported fossil fuels. This makes the UK energy insecure
• Most of the UK’s fossil fuels come from Norway

Question 35

Compare the availability of the UK and Norway’s energy

Answer 35

UK: Historically dependant on coal found domestically. Was a world leader in nuclear energy from 1950-70. However momentum was lost due to discovery of North Sea oil and gas

Norway: Norway’s topography allows it to be reliant on HEP. Much of its fossil fuels are exported

Question 36

Compare the cost of energy in the UK and Norway

Answer 36

UK:The cost of extracting North Sea oil is high, this means when prices drop it becomes less viable. Stocks are also declining forcing the UK to import more.

Norway:HEP is low cost once the initial investment is made. However transporting energy from remote regions is expensive.

Question 37

Compare the technology needed to extract energy in the UK and Norway

Answer 37

UK: there is 150 years worth of coal under the UK however the cost and amount of technology needed is too high

Norway:Deep water drilling enabled both the UK and Norway to extract North Sea oil and gas

Question 38

What are the political considerations of the UK and Norway’s energy security?

Answer 38

UK:

• The increased reliance on imported energy has affected the UK’s energy security
• Proposed fracking and nuclear energy sites have met public opposition

Norway:Money from fossil fuel exports has increased living standards in the country. Some of the money is also being used to invest in projects to be energy secure without fossil fuels

Question 39

What are the environmental priorities of the UK and Norway?

Answer 39

UK: plans to broaden its energy mix and cut carbon emissions by 40%

Norway: Plans to cut emissions by 40% from 1990 levels. However is now the 3rd largest fossil fuel exporter.