Water on the land

Question 1

What is the river valley like in the river Tees:
Upper course - shape, what is the water like? (3)
Middle course - valley shape, what’s here? (3)
Lower course? - shape and what’s here? (2)

Answer 1

Steep sided V shape, interlocking spurs, fast water flow, lots of erosion so lots of sediment furthering abrasion so more erosion, moors feed the tributaries
No valley, 10km flattened either side of the river, meanders constantly moving, so lots of erosion and oxbow lakes formed
No valley, over 100km of flat land

Question 2

What is the river channel like in the river Tees:
Upper course - shape, what’s in the channel (3), (2)
Middle course - shape, what happens because of this? (3)
Lower course? - shape and what’s here? (3)

Answer 2

Many tributaries joining the narrow, shallow river, solute load (dissolved substances), suspended load (dirt and sand), bed load is angular, lots of pebbles and rocks
Wider, deeper channel, 95% energy lost in friction with the river bed and walls, so it can’t carry the bed load, this is deposited, so only smooth and small bed load is carried
Artificial river channel is very deep for ship access, can only carry the finest bed load as the water is going so slowly, no energy, so alluvium, sand and silt is carried into the sea.

Question 3

What is the land use like in the river Tees:
Upper course - what 3 things is it used for?
Middle course - 2 things are here, what’s one problem?
Lower course? - the particular things under what heading?

Answer 3

Nature reserve, a reservoir used to store water for a low rainfall area, a deficit. Th eland is used for pastures for sheep and for farming.
Settlements as there’s easy boat access, agriculture is easier here, low altitude, and there’s higher temps, so 95% of the land is used for farming, Rape Seed oil produced here, hard to move ships through meanders
Industry and factories, iron and steel works, a nuclear power station, oil power stations, because of the sea and ships

Question 4

River’s long profile

List the key features of the upper course river and channel…. (7) try to get 4

Answer 4

Tributaries
Narrow and shallow river channels
V shaped valleys and interlocking spurs
Gorges
High above sea level
Waterfalls
Large bed load
Vertical erosion

Question 5

River’s long profile

List the key features of the middle course river and channel…. (7) try to get 4

Answer 5

Wide river valleys
Meanders
Smaller more rounded bed load
More tributaries
Lateral erosion
Oxbow lakes

Question 6

River’s long profile

List the key features of the lower course river and channel…. (9) try to get 6

Answer 6

Oxbow lakes
Alluvium is silt sand and clay, small and light
Tidal
Load mostly suspended
Vary flat valleys, flood plains
Levees
Deltas
River mouth
Lateral erosion

Question 7

Describe the shape of the River Tees’ long profile….

Answer 7

Concave curve going from high at the left to low at the right. Showing the steep gradient of the river to then level off at the end

Question 8

Explain how the shape of the river and valley changes downstream…
Upper course
Middle course
Lower course

Answer 8

Erosion is caused by gravity, so vertical erosion here
Some gravity causing vertical erosion, meandering caused by lateral erosion, the winding river trying to find the shallowest point
The water spreads laterally to find the lowest point, lateral erosion

Question 9

What is hydraulic action (define):

Answer 9

The force of the water hitting the bed and banks, most effective when the river is flooding

Question 10

What is abrasion (define):

Answer 10

When the load in the river hits the bed and dislodges some material, breaking it off

Question 11

What is attrition (define):

Answer 11

Stones and boulders carried by the river crash into each other causing them to become smoother and rounder, and smaller

Question 12

What is solution (define):

Answer 12

Some types of rock e.g limestone can be dissolved by the river because of chemicals dissolved in it, like acids

Question 13

What are the four forms of transportation?

Answer 13

Traction, saltation, suspension and solution

Question 14

What is traction?

At which energy level of the river does this happen?

Answer 14

When the largest material is rolled along the river bed

High energy levels

Question 15

What is saltation?

At which energy level of the river does this happen?

Answer 15

Small stones and sand are bounced along the river bed

Medium to high energy

Question 16

What is suspension?

At which energy level of the river does this happen?

Answer 16

Very fine material floats in the water as it moves

Medium/high energy levels

Question 17

What is solution?

At which energy level of the river does this happen?

Answer 17

The dissolved substances in the river

Medium/low energy

Question 18

What is discharge?

Answer 18

The discharge of a river is the volume of water which flows through it in a given time.

Question 19

What are three factors that could increase river discharge to do with the actual river and channel, or nature?

Answer 19

Steep relief of channels means water flows through faster
Rock type, impermeable rocks let it all run off into the river
Rainfall, increase the amount of water in the river

Question 20

What is a factor that could increase river discharge to do with the human infrastructure surfaces?

Answer 20

An increase in impermeable surfaces means the water cannot infiltrate into soil or be absorbed by roots so it increases the surface runoff into the river, increasing discharge

Question 21

What is a factor that could affect river discharge to do with the human impact on the environment?

Answer 21

Higher temps decrease the surface run off as more water is evaporated so less water in the river and in the ground so more infiltration into the soil from the river so discharge levels fall further.

Question 22

What is a factor that could increase river discharge to do with the demand for trees?

Answer 22

Deforestation can increase the discharge because their roots are not absorbing lots of the rainfall increasing the surface run off and increasing discharge

Question 23

What do hydrographs do?
What does the lag time show?
What is the rising limb?
What are the axes labelled as?
What is the falling limb and why is it doing this?
What is the bankfull discharge line and what does it look like, where is it?

Answer 23

Show the link between rainfall and discharge of a river
The amount of time between the heaviest rainfall and the peak discharge
The slope on the graph that is increasing exponentially, showing the increasing discharge of the river
Y- discharge in cumecs, x - time in hours across two days
The negative slope on the diagram showing the decrease in discharge due to all the surface water reaching the river and flowing away
A dotted line across the peak of the graph showing where the river floods over its bank s due to the high discharge

Question 24

What is one waterfall?
What is it’s top resistant rock layer?
What is the weaker rock layer?
What is the over hang made from?

Answer 24

The River Tees waterfall called High Force
Whinstone
Limestone
The Whinstone, resistant rock

Question 25

How is a waterfall plunge pool made?
What is turbulence?
What is undercutting?

Answer 25

Abrasion or hydraulic action, deeper than the surrounding water as when the overhang collapses the rock falls in and the turbulent waters cause the abrasion, deepening the pool.
Water with lots of energy crashing around the plunge pool
Where water erodes the cliff so that an overhang is created.

Question 26

Why is the rock eroded on the waterfall (lat vs vert)

Answer 26

Vertical erosion is caused by gravity making the water want to get to sea level

Question 27

Describe how the High force water fall is formed…

Answer 27

The water flows down the river over the resistant rock, Whinstone, and then with high velocity over the cliff onto the softer rock, Limestone, where abrasion creates a plunge pool. As the water falls in here it is turbulent as it has a lot of energy and this undercuts the soft rock with hydraulic action and abrasion using the broken rock in the plunge pool.

Question 28

Describe how the gorge at High Force would be formed…

Answer 28

The abrasion from rock in the pool undercuts the soft rock forming a platform of hard rock to jut out, eventually it cannot support itself and collapses, due to gravity, collapsing into the plunge pool. This makes it deeper and the process continues.
This means the waterfall is retreating back up stream forming a steep sided gorge in the rock.

Question 29

Picture a C shaped meander with the river coming off both ends..
1. Describe how the meander begins to become cut off (to form an oxbow lake)

Answer 29

The thalweg cuts away at the neck of the meander (the tips on the C) through lateral erosion. Hydraulic action and abrasion speed up the erosion and flooding also narrows the neck. While the slip off slopes grow.

Question 30

Picture a C shaped meander with the river coming off both ends..
2. Describe how the meander is cut off (to form an oxbow lake)

Answer 30

When there is a high discharge or a flood the thin neck is breached and collapses, the water breaks through, as the river flows the easier route, which is now straighter, deposited material gradually builds in front of the entrance and exit to the old meander, and cuts it off.

Question 31

Picture a C shaped meander with the river coming off both ends..
3.. Describe what happens to the meander after it is cut off (to form an oxbow lake)

Answer 31

Deposition closes off the old meander, sealing it off so that the water inside is now stagnant. This is now an oxbow lake. After a while the water evaporates and the lake dries up leaving a meander scar.

Question 32

Explain the formation of a meander…
Movement and erosion
Deposition
Undercuts?

Answer 32

The river moves downstream to wear it begins to laterally erode. It moves from left to right across the valley as it tries to fin the shallowest point. Hydraulic action and abrasion erode the outside of the bend, the river cliff, pushing the meander out wider.
The water is fastest on the outside, the thalweg, as it is deeper so there is less friction, on the inside where it is shallow there is lots of friction so the material is deposited and a slip off slope is formed.
The thalweg undercuts the river cliff moving it laterally wider across the valley.

Question 33

Explain the formation of a levee...
1. What are levees?
2. How are they formed? Heaviest first, example?
3. Now what's deposited?
What is this process called?

Answer 33

1. Natural embankments of silt along the banks of a river. Often several meters higher than the floodplain. e.g the Mississippi River
2. When the river floods the heaviest material is deposited on the flood plain closest to the river due to increased friction, for example gravel and sand.
3. This makes the start of the levee, the finer materials are deposited further away, for example, silt and clay.
   Sequential deposition.

Question 34

What is a floodplain caused by? (2 - 3 points)

Answer 34

Erosion and deposition, meander migration widens the plain. When a river floods it overflows its banks, so now the river flows much slower over the land due to the increase in friction and deposits its suspended load.

Question 35

What are the human causes of flooding in Boscastle 2004?

4

Answer 35

Impermeable tarmac car park at the top end of the village caused rapid surface run off.
Global warming causes more hot weather, so more water is evaporated and a hurricane in the US was formed, contributing to the thunderstorm that caused the flood.
Paved roads and increased infrastructure means more surface run off and no infiltration
Deforestation reduces infiltration and increases surface run off

Question 36

What were the physical causes of flooding in Boscastle 2004?
(4)

Answer 36

A torrential thunderstorm of 50mm of rain falling between 4 and 6 pm. 8 inches fell in 8 hours.
The valley floor is narrow and there is no flood plain for the water to spread across so it went into the river that flows through the middle of town.
Impermeable rocks and thin soil mean rain water runs off
Higher than average rainfall between July and early August meant a high water table and saturated ground

Question 37

What were the effects of the Boscastle flood 2004? (5)

what was the river called?

Answer 37

The river Valency
No deaths
115 cars swept away causing damage
Raw sewage contaminated the water causing public health concerns, after 300m of sewage pipes were blocked or washed away
A bridge was damaged as it acted as a dam with cars piling against it.
The river burst its banks

Question 38

What were the immediate responses to the flood in Boscastle? (2)

Answer 38

Over 100 people rescued by helicopters

Emergency services responded speedily and efficiently

Question 39

What were the long term responses to the flood in Boscastle? (4)

Answer 39

£10 million flood defense scheme implemented in 2008.
84 wrecked cars recovered from the harbor, 32 could be out at sea
Homes were dried out and repaired, business flooded.
Bollards placed around the car park to stop cars floating away and the tarmac was taken up to make the car park impermeable.

Question 40

What were the causes of flooding in Bangladesh 2004? (4)

Answer 40

Monsoon season rains, exceptionally heavy
Flat relief of land, most of Bangladesh is on a delta where there is mostly deposited sediment from where the river meats the mouth.
An uncompleted action plan for flood control
50% of Nepal’s forest cover has been deforested in the last 50 years rapidly increasing discharge

Question 41

What were the effects of flooding in Bangladesh 2004? (2)

Answer 41

750 people dead, 30 million homeless
Roads and bridges destroyed
Rice growing and fish farming disrupted
More than 1 million children suffered from malnutrition and disease over the following months

Question 42

What were the responses to the flooding in Bangladesh 2004? 
Short term (2)
Long term (2)

Answer 42

1. Emergency food and aid sent from the USA, and when the waters had receded medical centers were set up
2. Water Aid charity appealed for money to buy water purification tablets
3. Action plan to build 7 large dams, and new flood embankments along the Ganges and the Brahmaputra
4. New flood warning systems and provision of food and shelter have proved successful

Question 43

Compare and contrast the effects and responses to the two floods…

1. Diff or similarities in effects
2. Diff or similarities in short term responses
3. Diff or similarities in long term responses

Answer 43

1. More people died in the under developed country, but less infrastructure was damaged
2. Emergency rescue was used and effective in England when there was none in Bangladesh but they received aid from other nations, but their conditions were worse
3. More action plans had been set up in Bangladesh but better long term solution were found in England, e.g unsurfacing the car park means there won’t be so much surface run off in a future flood.

Question 44

Describe a hard engineering strategy to manage river flooding that creates good drinking water and water for agriculture…
What are the benefits? (2)
What are the costs? (2)

Answer 44

Dams and reservoirs are built along a river to control the amount of discharge as the water is released in a controlled way.
Provides HEPower, (and a recreational area)
Regulates the run off from peak rainfall flooding times and disperses a controlled amount during drought
Increased surface area of water increases evaporation
40-80 million people have been displaced due to the building of dams

Question 45

Describe a hard engineering strategy to manage river flooding around agricultural areas…
What are the benefits? (2)
What are the costs? (2)

Answer 45

Raising levees, a structure on each side of the river either deposited material or a man made one out of rubble, acts as a barrier against flooding.
A huge amount of rain needs to fall for them to be breached
Doesn’t cost very much
If they are breached during a flood it will be more catastrophic
Causes the river to flow faster

Question 46

Describe a hard engineering strategy to manage river flooding in a certain spot…
What are the benefits? (2)
What are the costs? (2)

Answer 46

Straightening the river using dredging machines.
Channels water away from prone area or settlement
Long term solution
If the original meander dries up there will be a loss of an ecosystem
Increases flooding downstream and river speed

Question 47

Describe a soft engineering strategy to manage river flooding in a shallow river…
What are the benefits? (2)
What are the costs? (2)

Answer 47

Increases the capacity of the river by deepening the channel and removing deposited sediment.
Increases capacity, decreasing the flood risk
Allows boats to move more easily
Dredging must take place after every severe flood and it costs a lot to dredge
Habitats are dug up and destroyed, and dumped

Question 48

Describe a soft engineering strategy to manage river flooding effects in a populated area…
What are the benefits? (2)
What are the costs? (2)

Answer 48

Warning people, using TV and radio
Can save people’s possessions so reduces the impact of flooding
People know what’s going on and it’s cheap
It can be altered by social media increasing panic
A risk of being wrong, or people can easily miss it.

Question 49

Describe a soft engineering strategy to manage river flooding in a rural environment…
What are the benefits? (2)
What are the costs? (2)

Answer 49

Aforestation, planting trees so increasing interception of water and the soil is not as saturated
Looks good and is great for habitats and their environment
Is very effective at reducing surface run off through increased infiltration due to the trees absorbing so much
Takes a while to grow and take effect
Not effective in flash floods

Question 50

Describe a soft engineering strategy to manage river flooding in flood plain area…
What are the benefits? (2)
What are the costs? (2)

Answer 50

Land use zoneation where the land is organised and structures aren’t built in areas at risk of flooding
Good for the environment and reduces risk of littering after flood and pollution
Very cheap and good for residents and farming as they save money for no having to repair damage.
Doesn’t actually stop flooding
Unpopular in LEDCs as they need all available land and rules are more relaxed, it stunts economic growth too

Question 51

Describe a soft engineering strategy to manage river flooding anywhere…
What are the benefits? (2)
What are the costs? (2)

Answer 51

Do nothing, change use of flood plains upstream to allow flooding naturally.
Reduces erosive power downstream
Cheap and spreads out the flooding instead of it being awful in just one spot
Flooding occurs in farming areas destroying produce.
Bad effects on the economy of the few affected areas.

Question 52

What does the UK have? Why?

Answer 52

An increasing water demand. Due to a rising population and an increase in use of appliances and expansion of industry

Question 53

Where is the UK’s water deficit? Why?

Answer 53

South East England because of a low level of annual precipitation and a high population

Question 54

Where is the UK’s water surplus? Why?

So what is the solution?

Answer 54

Areas on the West of the island, like the lake District, due
to a high precipitation rate and low population density.
Water must be transferred from the west to the east

Question 55

Where is the Kielder Water dam and reservoir?

Answer 55

Close to the Scottish border in north East England, north of Newcastle and in the River North Tyne Valley, the lake is 10km long.

Question 56

What is the Kielder Project?

1. When?
2. What happens to the water to do what?

Answer 56

It was opened in 1982 to satisfy the expected demand for water from the steel industry down stream in Teeside. Water from the reservoir is pumped into east flowing rivers to serve the deficit.

Question 57

What were the environmental effects of the Kielder dam? However….
What were the negative social effects?
What was the one flaw?
What was the cost of it?

Answer 57

1.5 million trees were cut down, there was a limited variety of habitats that would be lost
A few houses needed to be re-housed
When they finished building it it turned out they didn’t need all the water for steel, but it was good for distributing to areas with a deficit.
£167 million

Question 58

What are the positive social and economical impacts of the dam?

Answer 58

Jobs have been created as the tourist industry has boomed here. Water sports and walking and hiking here are now more popular with the newly built dam.