River Eden Flashcards

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1
Q

Where is the River Eden located?

A

North-West of England, between the Lake District and the Pennines

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2
Q

Give 4 characteristics of the River Eden that affect the Water Cycle

A
  1. Mountainous terrain in the upper course of the Eden leads to large amounts of orographic rainfall resulting in higher than average rainfall in the Basin
  2. The elliptical shape of the River Eden increases lag time
  3. The slopes within the basin are steep which decreases lag time and increases peak discharge
  4. Rock types vary throughout the basin making lag time increase or decrease depending on the specific location
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3
Q

Give 2 natural factors that affect the discharge of a river

A
  1. Precipitation
  2. Temperature
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4
Q

How does precipitation affect the discharge of a river?

A

Antecedent rainfall will make the soil already saturated meaning any further rainfall will not be able to infiltrate into the soil, and will therefore lead to greater runoff

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5
Q

How does temperature affect the discharge of a river?

A
  • When temperatures fall below 0, it is more likely to lead to snowfall, which will not flow into the river, and therefore will decrease discharge. However, in the spring, when the snow melts, there is likely to be greater discharge
  • In Savanna summers, when the temperatures are high for a very long time, the soil hardens becoming impermeable, therefore any rainfall event will lead to a flash flood
  • In temperate deciduous forests, trees drop their leaves in autumn, which leads to less interception and greater runoff. In addition, the litter produced by the falling leaves may get washed into the river and decrease it’s capacity, increasing flood risk
  • Coniferous trees maintain their leaves all year round, however are less effective at intercepting rainfall
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6
Q

Give 2 examples of towns that are in the upper course

A
  1. Appleby
  2. Kirkby Stephen
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7
Q

Give an example of an impermeable rock in the river basin

A

Intrusive Igneous Rocks

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8
Q

Give an example of a town that sits on impermeable rock

A

Ulswater

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9
Q

Give 2 examples of permeable rock in the river basin

A
  1. Perinth Sandstones
  2. Carboniferous Limestone
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10
Q

Give an example of a town that sits on permeable rock

A

Perinth

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11
Q

What is the most populous town in the basin

A

Carlisle

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12
Q

At what 3 rivers is Carlisle at the confluence of?

A
  1. Eden
  2. Irthing
  3. Caldew
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13
Q

Give 3 ways how land use changes have increased flood risk

A
  1. Farming
  2. Urbanisation
  3. Deforestation
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14
Q

How has farming in the upper course increased flood risk

A

Grazing in upland areas e.g. hill farming of sheep reduces the amount of vegetation that can intercept rainfall, increasing runoff

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15
Q

How has farming in the middle course increased flood risk

A

More intense farming has caused soils to become compacted e.g. by heavy machinery or trampling by livestock which reduces infiltration, and increases flood risk

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16
Q

Between 2000 and 2009 how much did the number of cattle in the Eden valley increase by

A

30%

17
Q

How has construction in the lower course increased flood risk

A
  • Plans to build up to 10,000 new homes in Carlisle increases impermeable surfaces, which reduces the size of infiltration flows and greatly increases the size and speed of surface runoff flows
  • New developments near Carlisle have been built on flood plains that has required the construction of flood defences to protect homes being built here, and also increased the chances of flooding lower down in the course, as water that would naturally infiltrate in floodplains flow downstream instead
18
Q

How has deforestation in the upper and middle course increased flood risk

A

There is less vegetation cover which leads to less interception, and therefore more runoff increasing the likelihood of flood risk

19
Q

How is climate change predicted to change rainfall patterns in the UK?

A

Western UK could get up to 35% more winter rainfall by 2080

20
Q

When was Storm Desmond?

A

December 2015

21
Q

How much rainfall was there

A

341.4mm in 24 hours, 55mm more than the avreage for the whole of December - making the national record

22
Q

Give 3 examples of flood defence strategies that were implemented following Storm Desmond

A
  1. Dredging of gravel from river near Appleby which increased river capacity
  2. Raised swift embankments in Carlisle
  3. Raised Dacre Road in Carlisle (25 million pound budget for Carlisle)
23
Q

Why may the flood defence strategies not be effective?

A

Storm Isha in 2024 led to flooding in the region again displaying how no matter what flood defence strategies you implement, increasing storm intensity brought on by climate change will lead to further flooding in the future