Theme 2- Case Studies

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  • Created by: sgfrancis
  • Created on: 29-10-16 10:34
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  • Theme 2 - Case Studies
    • Cyclone Nargis
      • Causes
        • A storm surge was created due to winds of 200 km/h and low pressure
        • The area of impact was one of the lowest lying areas of Burma
        • The Cyclone had the chance to pick up more energy when it travelled over the Irrawaddy delta, it could then travel much further inland.
        • Cyclone Nargis formed in the Bay of Bengal's water which was above 26 Degrees Celsius, the water was also over 28 Degrees Celsius which would then allow the cyclone to move.
      • Effects
        • The cyclone caused the death of roughly 84,000 people and 90,000 people lost their homes and properties.
        • $10,000 billion worth of damage was caused.
        • estimated between 40-50 km inland from the coast farmland, livestock and fisheries were destroyed.
        • The Irrawaddy delta had its rice fields flooded.
      • Responses
        • The military in Myanmar did not want foreigners entering their country and destabilising their political views, Therefore, aid was refused despite the damage.
        • 6 days after the cyclone had struck the government had their United States representative ask the UN for aid.
        • The Myanmar government would still not allow international aid. This meant it took a full week after until the government would accept any form of outside aid, even then the aid they accepted was very basic.
        • On the 23rd of May the government finally allowed international aid workers to enter the country and help give aid to the victims of the cyclone.
    • Amazon Rainforest
      • Features
        • Structure
          • Rainforests are made up of four layers.
            • Emergent Layer
              • Canopy Layer
                • Undercanopy Layer
                  • Shrub Layer
        • Location
          • Rainforests are equatorial meaning they are usually very humid and damp
        • Climate
          • Hot and Humid
      • Human Impacts
        • Logging
          • Trees are cut down, leaving the surrounding ground infertile.
            • This means the carbon cycle is then broken
            • Interception is also then gone.
        • Mining
          • The Miners use mercury which will then end up polluting the rainforests rivers and streams. The fish will then get poisoned which can lead to the indigenous tribes getting poisoned by the mercury.
      • Management
        • Afforestation
          • End goal is to plant one billion trees.
          • Aims to turn damaged, deforested land back into forested land.
        • Shifting Cultivation
          • This is when the trees are burnt, cultivated and then left to grow naturally
      • Sustainability
        • Organistaion
          • Amazon Conservation Assosciation
            • They help Indigenous people find sustainable ways of maintaining their land.
    • Mali
      • Causes
        • Lack of Precipitation
          • The soil then becomes dry, infertile and loose.
            • A dam was built, the Kafin Zaki dam and another one is also planned.
              • After 1965 up to 1990, there was 5 years with -50 mm of rainfall.
        • Overgrazing
          • Plants do not have enough time to grow.
            • Free range farming and limit number of animals per person.
        • Farming
          • The land is used too much and the soil gets worn out.
            • The management of this problem is afforestation.
    • River Ouse
      • Causes
        • Before the heavy rainfall there had been a longer period of wet weather, therefore the catchment land was already saturated.
        • The Foss Barrier prevented large areas from being flooded but two pumps failed leading to flooding in the north of York.
        • York has recently been undergoing new building developments, especially riverside residential developments.
        • River flow in the Upland Areas is fast with lots of sediment and experiences lots of relief rainfall.
      • Effects
        • Trains were cancelled as the station and tracks were waterlogged.
        • Two out of ten city centre roads remained open.
        • More than 350 homes were flooded and 3,000 people put on evacuation alert.
        • The Foss Barrier prevented large areas from being flooded but two pumps failed leading to flooding in the north of York.
        • 1,600 bridges had to be checked following the floods across North Yorkshire.
        • Some businesses had to be closed during the floods and many buildings required repairs after the floods were over.
        • It is estimated that the total cost of the floods was about £4 million.
        • The A19 at Fulford was unusable for 9 days, restricting access to the south of the city.
        • The rural areas outside of the city was destroyed and some of the fields were under water for days on end.
      • Response
        • More than 5,000 sandbags were used to prevent homes from flooding.
        • The Environment Agency identified that York had sufficient protection however other areas downstream required more defences.
        • October 2001 the governmnet granted an extra £1.5 million towards defense in the region.
    • Ouse Catchment
      • Hard Engineering
        • Dams
          • Good points
            • The dams are a long-term solution
            • They can provide Hydro-Electric Power
          • Bad Points
            • The cost can be extremely high
            • Flooding upriver can occur due to the dams.
        • Barriers
          • Good Points
            • They are effective
            • They are long-lasting
          • Bad Points
            • Their initial cost can be quite expensive
            • If they fail then the cost for repairs will be expensive and also any damages from the failure of the barriers.
      • Soft Engineering
        • Warning Systems
          • Good Points
            • It gives people a chance to save any valuable possessions
          • Bad Points
            • People may not always be able to be contacted
        • Washlands
          • Good Points
            • The river is not affected by humans
          • Bad Points
            • Land can't be built on
        • Land Use Zoning
          • Good Points
            • It floods low risk areas instead of high risk areas.
            • The river isn't affected that much
          • Bad Points
            • Land can't be built on
        • Afforestation
          • Good Points
            • The river isn't changed physically
          • Bad Points
            • It takes a long time to grow the trees
    • Holderness Coastline
      • Responses
        • The Local Council will have to pay for repairs on public areas.
        • Insurance Companies will have to pay for insurance on damaged properties.
      • Causes
        • The Holderness Coast is the fastest eroding coastline in Europe.
        • The bed rock is made of till therefore the rock is much less stable than other parts of the coast
      • Effects
        • The average annual rate of erosion is around 2 metres per year.
        • Lots of land will be lost
        • The products will be lost from many different businesses.

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