Paper 1 - Physical Flashcards
Tectonics, Water Cycle, Carbon Cycle and Glaciation (TBC)
What magnitude earthquake, off the Sumatra Coast triggered the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami?
9.1 Magnitude
- caused seafloor to uplift and displace billions of tonnes of water
What was the direct death toll of the Indian Ocean 2004 Tsunami?
250k died from Tsunami
What were the 2 indirect impacts that affected recovery from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami?
- Cholera spread in refugee camps (150k more died)
- Fishing industry collapse due to saltwater intrusion
What were 3 main short term responses to the Indian Ocean 2004 tsunami?
- $7bn of emergency aid (gov’t + NGOs)
- Mass graves to prevent disease
- 5m relocated to temporary camps - allowing for debris clearance
What were 2 main long term responses to the Indian Ocean 2004 tsunami?
- Resettlement plans - moved displaced refugees into new-build homes
- $20m early warning system installed
How many flights were disrupted in the worst air travel disruption event since 9/11 - Eyjafjallajokull?
More than 100,000 flights
- made the event high-profile internationally
How many people died in Eyjafjallajokull 2010?
0 - despite extensive media coverage
Why are disruptions to air freight - such as in Eyjafjallajokull 2010 - so economically damaging?
Though air freight accounts for a tiny AMOUNT of world trade, it accounts for a HUGE value
(e.g UK air freight is worth 25% of all trade)
Why were many African producers economically vulnerable to the effects of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010?
Big exporters of perishable goods (e.g vegetables) - these goods simply rotted whilst airspace was shut down
What was the most high-profile impact of the Tohoku, Japan 2011 tsunami?
Damage caused to Fukushima Nuclear Plant
- coolers failed and caused radioactive material release
How many people died in total from the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami combined in Tohoku, 2011?
15,000
Why was the demographic of Tohoku particularly vulnerable?
Large Elderly population
- 63% of the dead were 60+
What international action was prompted by the 2011 Tohoku tsunami?
Stricter nuclear safety measures
- Germany and Italy even shutdown many reactors they now considered ‘unsafe’
What is the most damaging hazard in the Phillipines (MHZ)?
Typhoons - they occur 5/6 times per year
How much of the Philippines annual GDP is spent on typhoon clear up?
2%
- infrastructure never fully recovers
What 4 hazards does the Phillipines posses to make it a MHZ?
- Active Volcanoes (e.g Pinatubo)
- Earthquakes
- Regular Cyclones (5-6x per year)
- Flooding (after cyclones)
What is the GDP per capita of a) Haiti b) Christchurch ?
a) $350
b) $28,000
What 4 pre-disaster conditions made Haiti vulnerable?
- Poor quality infrastructure (road network, airports)
- Informal settlements
- 1/2 rural population (harder to communicate/access)
- Poor Governance (disaster mitigation not a focus)
What 3 pre-disaster conditions made Christchurch more resilient?
- Stringent Building codes
- Gov’t investment in monitoring/response
- Stable Economy
How many people were killed in a) Haiti b) Christchurch?
a) 220k
b) 181 (80 from TV tower collapse)
What were the magnitudes of a) Haiti b) Christchurch?
a) 7.0
b) 6.3 - however shallow (5km) under surface
How many homes were entirely demolished in Haiti 2010?
105k homes
- 1.5m made homeless
How many companies within Christchurch CBD were affected by the shock in 2011?
80% (many TNCs)
What was the total damage in a) Haiti b) Christchurch; and what is interesting about these figures?
a) $8bn
b) $40bn
- Christchurch higher damage cost due to more expensive infrastructure
- NZ stable economy can cope - Haiti ecionomy cannot
What was the crucial difference in response strategies between Haiti and Christchurch?
- Haiti much more reliant on slower international support (e.g NGOs, US Army)
- NZ able to respond rapidly with domestic forces
How many Haitians were fed by the World Food Programme (NGO) following the 2010 shock?
2.5m
How much did the NZ government pledge to the initial recovery effort in Christchurch 2011?
$5bn - much more financially equipped
How many local medical teams were deployed to respond to Christchurch 2011?
300 teams; treated 2,000 people in hospitals across the city
What main logistical (infrastructure) challenges slowed aid into and around Haiti?
- Only 1 airport terminal operational
- Major roads blocked by debris
What disease killed 8k people during the unsanitary conditions following Haiti 2010?
Cholera
What % of Haiti had electricity after the 2010 earthquake, affecting communications?
Just 12%
How many properties were damaged by liquefaction in Christchurch 2011?
Over 10k
What was the impact of the CBD in Christchurch closing for several months?
Local and National Economy faltered
- Tourism took a big hit; Rugby World Cup game was CANCELLED
What hindered recovery efforts in Christchurch in the summer of 2011?
Several aftershocks
What % of the Amazon has already been destroyed?
20%
What are the 4 main causes of deforestation in the amazon?
- Cattle Ranching
- Commercial Agriculture (e.g Biofuels)
- Logging
- Urban development
What are 3 main impacts of deforestation in the Amazon?
- Reduces ‘carbon sink’ CO2 storage
- Soil degradation
- Variable rainfall (less evapotranspiration)
What 2 rivers were most affected by the UK Floods of 2007?
Thames and Severn
What were the total damages caused in the UK by Floods in 2007?
£6m
In the village of Upton-upon-Severn, how high did river levels rise?
4.5m higher than usual
Where is the Sahel region?
On the edge of the Sahara (semi-arid), stretching across Africa
How many people needed food aid following the Sahel Drought (1999-2000)
10m
- high rural poverty, less resilient to drought
What 2 factors had already worsened soil fertility in the Sahel?
- Overgrazing (cattle)
- Deforestation
What demographic issue in the Sahel had already strained food supply?
Population doubling every 20-30 years
What human factor in the Sahel (1999-2000) further limited food access for civillians?
Ethiopia-Eritrea War
Typically, what % of Australia’s land mass is affected by annual drought?
30%
‘The Big Dry’ (2006) was considered a one-in-1000-year event linked to long-term climate change.
What was concerning about this compared to other droughts in the past in Australia?
Usually major droughts linked to ENSO cycles
Why was the Murray-Darling Basin (affected by ‘Big Dry’) critical to Australia?
Produces 50% of national agricultural output
Why was the city of Adelaide particularly vulnerable to the ‘Big Dry’?
Got 50% of its water supply from River Murray (heavily affected)
- Developed city with high per capita water usage
How many countries does the Nile Basin support?
12 countries
- Key countries include Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan
How many people are set to depend on the Nile water by 2050?
600m - 2x current population
How did the 1929 Anglo-Egypt Treaty allocate Nile water?
Egypt - 48bn cubic metres
Sudan - 4bn cubic metres
- NO allowance to 12 other upstream nations
How did the 1959 Egypt-Sudan allocate Nile Water?
Egypt - 55bn cubic metres
Sudan - 18bn cubic metres
- STILL entirely excluded upstream nations
How did a) Egypt b) Ethiopia feel about the GERD project?
a) Feared reduced water flow downstream
b) Key infrastructure for national development
- Clear conflict in opinion
What did Ethiopia do in response to the 1959 Egypt-Sudan allocation?
Rejected it’s legitimacy - felt unrepresented
What is GERD and why is it significant?
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Largest in Africa
Egypt’s leaders has long warned of a ‘water war’
Despite this, what was the ratio of co-operation : conflict actions regarding Nile Water use between 1945-99?
2:1 (co-operation : conflict)
What is the main function of the Nile Basin Initiative (1999)?
Set up a platform for nations to co-operate over equitable water use in the Nile
What is the main function of the Nile Basin Discouse?
To involve local stakeholders (e.g fishermen, farmers and even women) in Nile water-use decision making
What 4 factors may threaten co-operation regarding Nile water-use?
- Climate change (flow variability)
- Population growth (more demand)
- Lack of legal agreement on fair use
- National economic interest (e.g GERD)
What 3 solutions must be considered to reduce future water tensions in the Nile?
- Legal agreement on water-sharing
- More efficient technology (e.g modern irrigation)
- Use global bodies (e.g World Bank) to fund projects that benefit all stakeholders
Singapore is a tropical micro-state, receiving a substantial 2,400mm of rainfall per year.
What are the 3 natural problems Singapore faces?
- Small land area (limits rainfall collection/storage)
- High evaporation (warm climate)
- Small groundwater reserves
How many km of drains and collection channels have been installed in Singapore for more effective rainfall collection?
8,000km
What is the NEWwater scheme in Singapore?
High-Tech programme of methods used to purify water
(e.g reverse osmosis, microfiltration)
How much of total water supply do Singapore’s 3 desalination plants contribute?
25-30%
What agreement was made with Malaysia in 1962 to ensure water security in Singapore for the next century?
Singapore allowed to take 250m gallons per day from Johor River
What is the name of the public campaign in Singapore that aims to raise public/household awareness of water usage?
‘10-litre challenge’
How many people are served, across the US and Mexico, by the Colorado River?
40m
What did the Colorado River Storage Project (1961) propose?
Mass infrastructure - 29 dams built (e.g Hoover Dam)
How much has the flow of the Colorado river been reduced by since 2000?
20% - due to climate change
Despite 12.4 MAF currently flowing through the Colorado River annually, how much of it’s water has been allocated to states?
16.5 MAF
- Unsustainable use; depleting reservoirs
What has been the main impact of overallocation of water from the Colorado River?
Major reservoirs at reduced capacity - e.g Lake Mead (35% full)
Las Vegas relies on the Colorado River for what % of it’s water supply?
90%
What did the Minute 323 Agreement (2017) decide on the Colorado River?
Mexico gets allocated more water
In return Mexico will:
- store it’s water in low capacity US reservoirs
- fund new waste-reducing infrastructure
What is US energy consumption per capita, compared to France (3,800 kgoe)?
6,900kgoe - almost double
Whose energy mix is this?
82% Fossil fuels
10% Renewables
8% Nuclear
USA
- US varied climate requires more energy (e.g Aircon, Heating)
How much energy does the US import?
Only 15% (more energy secure)
How much energy does France import?
46% (less energy secure)
Why did Russia see the Ukraine as a potential disruption to Gas flow to Europe?
3/4 main pipelines to Europe flow through Ukraine
Whose energy mix is this?
50% fossil fuels
10% renewables
40% nuclear
France
- has over 50 active nuclear reactors
What has been the reaction (in terms of energy demand) from many European nations post-Russian invasion?
They sought to meet energy demands through other sources (diversify)
Similar to Japan in 2011 (post-Tohoku), what energy source have EU countries become increasingly reliant on post-Russian invasion?
LNG
- from suppliers such as Qatar
What are 3 examples of unconventional fossil fuels that are starting to become exploited?
- Tar Sands (Canada)
- Shale Gas (USA)
- Deepwater Oil (Brazil)
How much of Canada’s total oil output is made up by Tar Sands?
40%
What is the production of Canadian Tar Sands damaging?
- Large-scale deforestation
- Energy intensive (extraction)
What has been the increase in Shale gas as a % of total US gas supply between 2000 and 2015?
1% (2000) to 25% (2015)
What process does the extraction of Shale gas depend upon, and why is this damaging?
Fracking
- contaminates groundwater and releases methane from earth
How many barrels of Deepwater Oil were being produced by Brazilian Firm Petrobras in 2020?
500,000 barrels per day
What 2 main reasons is Deepwater Oil considered damaging?
- Pollutes coastal waters (threatens ecosystems)
- Releases toxic/explosive gases (potential for accidents)
Compared to 1970, how much less energy do a) households b) industry in the UK use? (%)
a) 12% less
b) 60% less
What service has seen a huge spike in demand (in developed countries such as the UK) since 1970, limiting environmental improvements?
Plane Journeys
- exacerbated by more affordable fares being offered
Despite population growth, how many less tonnes of energy does the UK consume today, compared to 1970 levels?
6.5m tonnes less
What % of new passenger vehicles in Brazil contained ‘Flex-fuel’ engines?
90%
- engines that work using any combination of petrol and sugar cane ethanol (biofuel)
What is the main benefit of consuming biofuels?
They don’t produce CO2 emissions
What common biofuel ‘energy crop’ has Brazil become the leading producer and exporter of?
Sugar Cane Ethanol
Explain how Deforestation is indirectly caused by the increased use of Biofuels in Brazil?
More land demanded for biofuels > cattle farmers displaced > forced to clear Amazon for new pastures
- In reality, this is cancelling out the reduced CO2 benefits of using Biofuels in the first place
How much water does the Amazon rainforest pump into the atmosphere daily - acting as a global regulator?
20bn metric tonnes
-3bn MORE than the Amazon river discharges itself!
Explain how the Amazon redistributes moisture around the entire SA region?
- Forest humidity creates lower atmospheric pressure
- Lower pressure allows moisture from Atlantic to reach further inland
- Winds transport moisture West (Andes) and to the drier South (Buenos Aires)
Why Brazilian city now suffers regular water crises (droughts) due to changes in the Amazons ability to regulate?
Sao Paulo
