Somerset Levels 2014 Flashcards
what is the geographical location of Somerset
Somerset is a low lying area of south west England , bordered by the British Channel and counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire
what were the cause of the Somerset floods
Record rainfall, tidal rivers, the fault of the Environment Agency
Why record rainfall a major cause of the Somerset floods?
Record rainfall in January and February 2014 saturated the land. Rivers and drains also overflowed as a result of the rainfall
why was Tidal Rivers a major cause of the Somerset floods?
Tidal rivers go up and down with the tide. High tides made the flooding worse
why was the fault of the Environment Agency a major cause of the Somerset floods?
the rivers hadn’t been dredged in 20 years
what is dredging?
when you take out mud from the bed of a river, to give it more capacity and hold a greater volume of water
what was the social impact of the Somerset Levels Floods?
Over 600 houses were flooded
what was the economic impact of the Somerset Levels Floods?
there was an estimated £10 million of damage
what was the environmental impact of the Somerset Levels Floods?
floodwater was polluted with waste, which was deposited when the floods receded
what were the immediate responses to the Somerset Levels Floods?
people were evacuated from villages like Moorland and there was support from community groups and volunteers
what were the long term responses to the Somerset Level Floods
The Environment Agency announced a £20 million flood action plan which resulted in 8km of rivers being dredged
when was the Somerset Level Floods?
2014
The Uk’s weather has been becoming increasingly what in recent years?
extreme
what is the evidence that UK weather has been becoming more extreme in recent years?
temperature increases, rain increases, flooding has increased
what is the evidence of temperature increases?
The UK’s 10 hottest years on record have been since 2002.
The winter of 2010-11 was the coldest winter since early records in 1659
