Sommerset Levels Flood Case Study

Question 1

Where is the Somerset levels?

Answer 1

Is south west England below wales in the north center of Somerset

Question 2

How low lying is the area?

Answer 2

No more than 8m above sea level

Question 3

When were the most serious floods?

Answer 3

Winter 2014

Question 4

How long did the flood leave some homeless for?

Answer 4

10 days

Question 5

How many rivers drain into the levels?

Answer 5

7

Question 6

Give some future problems with the flooding

Answer 6

Climate change will bring greater storminess, higher tides will result in more storm surges and river flooding in the UK will become twice as likely

Question 7

What was located over southern England in winter 2014?

Answer 7

Jet streams ( high winds)

Question 8

How many major storms were there in winter 2014?

Answer 8

12

Question 9

Give some physical causes of the flood

Answer 9

There was 235% more rainfall than an average winter, jet streams were located over southern England in winter 2014 and there were 12 major storms in winter 2014

Question 10

Give some human causes of the flood

Answer 10

Landscape was changed from wetlands to farming and housing, current levees made it worse as the river adjusted to its new channel banks and, there was less dredging of the river channels that year leading to increased flooding