Theme 2 Flashcards
Population of Christchurch?
39000
When and where did the earthquake occur?
4th of September 2010, it’s epicentre was 40 km west of the town.
What magnitude was the earthquake?
7.1
What plate movement caused the earthquake?
Pacific plate subducts under indo-Australian plate.
What were the impacts of the earthquake?
- It was early which caused more damage as people were asleep.
- 80% of sewers and water pipes were broken.
- 75% of the city’s power was disrupted.
- The airport closed.
- 185 people died.
- Liquefaction in the eastern suburbs of 400,000 tonnes of silt.
- 11,000 aftershocks.
What were the responses to the earthquake?
40 rescue teams and 3 dogs were sent from the North Island.
Rebuilding will cost $33 billion.
What opportunities does the river Ganges present?
- fertile land from alluvium deposits and easy irrigation for good production of tea, jute, and rice. (34 million tonnes of rice was produced in 2017)
- water supply for the large population
- fishing industry: 20kg of fish is eaten per person per year.
- transport to markets like Barisal.
- possibility of HEP: up to 130000 megawatts per year.
- building is easy as the land is flat.
What are the causes of flooding of the river Ganges?
- the area is a floodplain.
- it’s low: 70% is less than 1 meter above sea level.
- snow melts from the Himalayas.
- 10% of Bangladesh is covered by lakes or rivers.
- cyclones from the Bay of Bengal cause storm surges.
- urbanisation.
- deforestation.
- flood defences prevent the back flow of water.
What hazards are caused by the river Ganges?
- Flooding.
- Pollution (100 x the IndiN Government’s official limit).
What are the impacts of a River Ganges’ past flood?
- 10.5 million people were displaced.
- 959 deaths.
- 14000 schools were flooded.
- 16000 km of roads were damaged.
- 2.2 million tonnes of rice was ruined.
- 57% of land was flooded.
- $290 million worth of crops was destroyed.
- 27000 livestock were killed.
- over 5000 industrial factories were destroyed.
How is the Ganges River being managed?
The National Flood Action Plan:
Short term: boats were deployed to rescue people, water and food supplies were distributed, tents and blankets were given to the homeless, foreign aid was accepted, and basic repairs were made to houses.
Long term: reduced rate of deforestation, $40 million was spent on making 7 dams (e.g. Tehri Dam), 5000 flood shelters and 350km of levees were constructed, and flood warning systems were introduced.
What is the climate of the Sonoran Desert like?
- Parts get ~72mm of rain per year.
- Mild winter and hot summers: over 49°C
What are some plant adaptations in the Sonoran Desert?
- The saguaro cactus: stores water from the winter wet season to use in the summer dry periods, it’s stem reduces wind speeds, it has shallow roots to catch water from rainfall before it evaporates.
- The Palo Verde: It loses it’s leaves in dry periods to reduce surface area, it has green bark so can photosynthesise without leaves, and the leaves are small and dark.
What are some animal adaptations of the Sonoran Desert?
- Kangaroo rats and kit foxes are nocturnal and small.
- Jackrabbits have large ears filled with blood vessels near the surface.
- Pack rats get water from their prey.
- Couch’s spadefoots sleep until summer rains.
What are the soil characteristics of the Sonoran desert?
- thin, relatively infertile, and alkaline.
- salts are drawn up in the summer by evaporation making concentrations toxic for some plants.
- flash flooding can compact soils making them impenetrable.
