Water Security EQ 2 2.6 Flashcards
What are the effects of a flood on livelihood?
Crop and livestock loss can cause economic problems due to increased costs of production to cover losses.
What effect do floods have on food prices?
They can rise e.g. Murray-Darlin Basin
What effect do floods have on local services/businesses?
They are removed from economic action and in most cases are completely damaged so will need to be reconstructed (high costs to start up again with high time period losses)
Are natural ecosystems flood resilient?
Most natural ecosystems are flood resilient and floods can help to distribute water to key ecosystems.
Is flooding bad for biodiversity?
Yes and no. Intense flooding can bring eutrophication and pollutants.
What was the rate of floodwater m/s?
2 m/s, 0.5m deep (washes cars away)
What effect does flooding have on habitats?
Aquatic habitats can be connected as a result of a flood.
Can floodwater bring water-bourne diseases to an area?
Of course and is in fact a major reason in contributing to death tolls.
How can a flood help crops?
Although floods e.g. flash floods can destroy crops, floods can also move sediment and nutrients into fields.
What effect does a flood have on tourism in the localised area?
It decreases tourism as most of the economic agents have temporarily/permanently stopped providing services within the local area.
What can be done to prevent or reduce flood risk?
Using hard or soft engineering to either create physical barriers to prevent flooding or control the amount of flooding and its direction.
What is soft engineering?
Where the natural environment is used to help reduce coastal erosion and river flooding.
What is hard engineering?
Hard engineering techniques are typically used to protect coastal settlements. They are used to deflect the power of waves. These are highly visible solutions which help reassure coastal communities. However, they are are expensive to install and maintain.
Give some examples of floods that are good for distributing sediments.
E.g. Murray Darling Basin.
What factors increase flood risk?
Deforestation and increase in impermeable surfaces… increases surface run off. Steep slopes on rivers.
