Geography Unit 1 Case Studies

Location

• Located in Washington state on the destructive plate boundary

Effects of the volcanic eruption

• Blew 400m short in May 18, 1980
• 5.1 magnitude earthquake erupted
• North of mountain collapsed within 10 seconds forming a landslide
• Led to pyroclstic flow which reached 30 miles 
• Environmental habitats destroyed due to landslide and proclastic flow- 200sq of forest destroyed
• Area was buried under several feet of ash which caused breathing problems and caused buildings close to collapse
• Led to lahars 30m high which destroyed infrastructure aswell as some houses
• 57 people died 
• Largest eruption in north America after 100 years 

Social Impacts

• 12,5000 homes were destroyed by lava flows and earthqaukes and as the earthquake was predicted, 400,000 people were safely evacuated and many people had to move to overcrowded refugee camps and 500,000 people were made homeless and 220,000 people fled to Rwanda during the Rwandan genocide
• 1,700 people suffocated from breathing in too much carbon dioxide.100 people died and 20% of houses in Congo were destroyed

Economic Impacts

• Lots of forests were wiped out which was a source of income for many people
• Long term effects such as loss of business and housing effected many people 
• 80% of Goma's economic area was destroyed 
• Poisonous gases caused acid rain which affected farmland and cattle and caused many famers especially subsistence farmers to lose their source of income 

Responses

• Monetary system was set
• Immediate responce form UN scientists prevented high death rate as it allowed 400,000 people to be succesfully evacuated which decreased the death toll significantly
• UN supplied 220 tonnes of aid to refugess in the refugee camps 
• OVG (Goma Volcanic Observatory) updated the volacanic activity from international countries 
• Aid agencies, including Christian Aid and Oxfam, were involved in the distribution of food, medicine and blankets.
• Many neighbouring countries sent rescue services so that people who sustained injuries could be given medical attention as soon as possible

Location: In California which has a fault line called the San Andreas fault running through it. This is where the Nazca plate and the N.American plate meet

Effects 

• Main damage caused was to the Bay Bridge which collapsed- busy bridge
• Gas pipes erupted which caused fires which spread into forests, damaging habitat
• 60 people died, 12,000 people were left homeless, 4000 people injured 
• Pillars of Bay bridge collapsed, meaning people were trapped underneath highways
• The total cost of damage from earthqauke was $10 billion
• Small business owners lost their business 

Responces

• Quick emergency responces, in which the public helped as were trained which reduced death. Fire crew used heavy lifting equipment to rescue people trapped on bridge
• Media helped emergency services co-ordinate areas with huge impacts
• TV was used to notify the public and keep them updated about the earthquake
• Field hospitals were set up to help the injured as hospitals became too full

Location : The three plates which meet at the Indian Ocean is the Indian,Plate, the Eurasian Plate and the Pacific Plate

Impacts 

• 250,000 people died which was a huge death toll. Main reason why death toll was considerably very high because the tsunami affected 12 countries e.g. affected Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other countries near the India Ocean. Tsunani affect 5 million people.
• 1/2 of the deaths were in Indonesia as the tsunami first arrived in this country 
• Tourists from countries such as the America were hugely affected 
• Mostly elederly and children amoungst the fatalities as it was harder for them to escape
• Stopped the Earth from rotating for a split second due to the magnitude of the earthquake - 9.1 
• Destroyed crops which led to food shortages increasing famine and disease in the countries
• Diseases such as chloera and malaria widely spread due to decaying bodies in water suplly
• Long term impact - fishing industries and tourism decreased 

Composite - Mount St. Helens, USA

• Most commonly form at destructive plate boundaries
• Produces pyroclastic flows and ash bombs
• Steep sided volcano, composed of different layer
• Produces thick, viscous magma that explodes and cools quickly to form steep sides
• Produces huge ash clouds

Shield - Mauna Loa, Hawaii

• Most commonly form over hotspots (not on plate boundaries)
• Produces long rivers of lava which flows at high speeds and for long distances
• Shallow sided 
• Runny lava that does not explode because it is hot as comes from deep down in mantle

Responces

• US, Australia, India and Japan main countries who worked with relief effort to help people worsely affected by tsunami by offering food, water and other supplies
• Emergency services couldn't cope due to lose of/ damage to facilities such as hospital which increased death rates as people requiring emergency help due to their injuries couldn't be given help as hospitals were also affected
• Government didn't do anything which was the main reason tsunami had a huge impact as many people were relying on the government to do something about the issue 
• India helped by sending helicopters, aircrafts , ships and troops to help rescue people who were stranded 
• Aid pledges made in countries such as Britian which increased aid given to people poorely affected
• Charities such as Oxfam recieved lots of donations which were given to families/ people in camps
• £8.6 billion pounds raised in total, worldwide 

Duration: Between the years 1150-1460 and 1560-1850. From14th-19th century in NW Europe

Effects on people

• Farmers produced very little food as farming land was damaged which resulted in food shortages. It also meant that food became more expensive. Upto 20% of peasant farmers died of hunger
• Trade stopped because of sea ice, which people hugely relied on as most goods and food were imported using ships
• Wheat and oats did not ripen which failed harvest, leading to food shortages and famine
• Led to black death and bubonic plague which caused a number of deaths during ice age
• People learnt to adapt
• Led to net migration as glaciers became bigger

Effects on environment 

• Led to deforestation and soil erosion as growth of glaciers increased
• Valley glaciers fromed which destroyed villages and valuable farmland 
• Hybernation patterns for animals changed and so did migration patterns for birds
• Less crop growth, and some crops were destroyed due to parasites which kills crops

Effects 

• Ice age (Pleistocene) period finished around 10,000 years ago
• This caused temperatures to rise, ice to melt and glaciers to retreat
• The retreating glaciers meant that there was less water available for the plants and animals
• The lack of water and rise in temperature meant lots of plants died as they could not adapt to change
• The lack of plants meant herbivores began to die
• The lack of herbivores meant carnviores began to die as they had less prey 
• The overall rise in climate caused a huge change in the food chain, which meant many animals became extinct
• Some animals became extinct because they were hunted by humans as the number of people increased

Precipitation

The NORTH and the WEST of the UK are wetter than the SOUTH and EAST because:

• These areas such as Glasgow are more hilly areas which means that warm air masses rise which form clouds which condensate to form rainfall and therefore increasing precipitation
• The tropical maritine comes from the south west and brings in a lot of warm moist air from the water which brings cloud, rain and mild weather, which then rains on the west of the UK first

Temperature

The SOUTH of the UK is warmer on average than the NORTH because:

• Colder air masses such as the polar continental affects the north more than the south. This is why areas such as Cambridge are more colder on average. Wheras the south is affected more by warmer air masses which are coming from the Sahara Dessert such as the tropical continental 
• The further away from the north you go, the less concentrated the sun's energy is 

Costs

• Sea levels rise which means low lying areas such as Norfolk in East Anglia could become flooded
• Scotlands ski resorts will not exist by 2050
• Tropical diseases such as malaria will become more prevalent
• Extinction of some plants and animals as it gets too hot
• Farmers change crops to those that need less water and more sun
• Extinction of some plants and animals 
• Forest fires can be more common
• More extreme weathers which is hard to predict and costly

Benefits

• Hotter summers could boost tourism in places such as Oxford and Cornwall
• Winter heating bills and the costs of gritting the roads falls
• More land can be famed at higher altitudes 
• Fewer deaths in winter especially the elderly from the cold due to warm winters

Costs 

• The first water wars could happen between Egypt and bordering countries such as Sudan as they may fight over water from the River Nile due to water shortages
• The Sahara dessert will grow (desertification), reducing the amount of living space 
• Cities such as Alexandria will be partly under water and 10% of the Nile delta will be flooded
• The Nile delta is where most of the country's food is grown. If it is flooded due to sea levels rising,less food will be produced possibly leading to famine
• Heatwaves so long and hot they could cause death and serious illnesses
• An increase in the prevalence of tropical insects and extreme weathers

Causes for Deforestation

• There are 13 National Parks in England & Wales 
• The aim of NP's are to protect the wildlife and the people that live there by stopping development in these areas
• Activities people can do in NP's include rock climbing, hiking, swimming, bird watching,
• NP's can protect the environment because they prevent development and make people raise awareness of the area
• NP's can benefit all people because they are accessible for holidays and recreational purposes

Lake District

• The National Trust and other conservation groups have undertaken footpath maintenance- paths have been rebuilt or access restricted to reduce the effects on paths and vegetation.
• Restricted parking zones have been set up in some villages, for example in Elterwater. Parking on grass verges and near houses has been restricted.
• Raising awareness of conservation issues for visitors with posters/leaflets at tourist information and visitor centres.
• Public transport has been improved and visitors are encouraged to use the buses instead of bringing their cars into the national park.

• The aim of CITES are to protect endangered species from extinction by discouraging poaching
• CITES protects a range of species from plants and animals
• CITES often fail to reach agreements because they are easily blocked by other governments and TNC lobists
• CITES have recently been focusing on the blue thin tuna fish and polar bears
• Another reason why CITES do not work is because not every country agrees with the agreements made and not many countries are members such as Pharoah Island. Only signed by 166 countries
• The reason why trade in endangered animals countinues patricularly in poorer countries is because there is a high demand for them which brings in a lot of money which helps develop the economy of the country therefore they support poaching 
• CITES has an advantage as it includes all the coutries in the UN

• Average rainfall annually 4,500mm a year due to heavy cloud cover
• Rainforest gets warm moist air from the Carribean sea
• Moist air gets trapped by mountains in the west
• 50% of rain comes from trees from transpiration where trees soak up water from roots
• Supplies itself with nutrients as the soil gains nutrients from rotting trees which decompose and add nutrients to the soil, helping with plant growth 
• Clouds protect the trees from extensive sunlight by blocking out the sun so that the rainforest only recieves 6 hours of sunlight per day
• Rainforest supports life by releasing huge amount of oxygen into atmosphere. 

How Costa Rica Rainforest is Sustainable 

• Most of the Cost Rica's ranforest have become national parks
• Locals are finding different ways of earning money from the forest without cutting trees down
• The forest attracts a lot of tourism. Costa Rica mostly focuses on Eco-tourism which focuses on protecting the wild life and people in area.  However is small scale - brings little profit
• Methods to ensure the forest is farmed properly include:
  • Planting crops around trees which helps to minimise deforestation and allows forest to grow naturally and is an attempt to copy the way the rainforest grew
  • People are also using buffalos to transport fallen trees, instead of using machinery, which is a more sustainable method as by using machinery they would be further polluting the area. 
  • Finding trees that have naturally fallen down and using them for building loggings for tourist industry

• Droughts have led to death of lifestock e.g. cattle
• Some cotton farmers were unable to grow for 6 years due to lack of water 
• River Murrey dried up and was America's main river supply
• Led to increase of bush fires due to increase in temperatures
• Interior regions reached upto 50 degrees - heat waves were severe
• 100 homes destroyed in a region due to bush fires

Location: In the horn of Africa, next to Indian Ocean. Surrounding countries : Kenya, Ethiopia 

Causes 

• Energy supplies come from burning wood, which reduces the number of trees and disrupts the water cycle
• Some areas recieved as little as 5mm of rain in one week
• Somalia has a moonson rainy season from July- September - never came in 2005 & 2006
• Civil war has meant no international investment in farming or water supplies
• Rapid population growth as girls stay at home with little or no education 

Impacts 

• Leads to famine as food production comes to a halt
• Increase in environmental refugees as families fleeing areas worstly affected
• Animals such as cattle died which were often main source of income for families
• 1.5 thousand people coming to refugee camps per day
• Lakes dried up, making families travel further in attempts to obtain water
• Farmers lost their farms and housing 
• Wildlife such as giraffes affected - cannot obtain their food as can't grow due to drought

Location: In sub-saharan Africa, south of the Sahara desert

Physical causes 

• Rainfall in the region has been declining, and becoming more unreliable sinch 1970's
• Naturally dry climate with prolonged droughts
• Persistent high temperatures, and soil is dry and loose- easily eroded by wind
• Soil has naturally low water storage

Human causes 

• Overgrazing of cattles, exposing loose soil to more erosion
• Deforestation disrupts water cycle, and overpopulation leads to overabstraction of groundwater

Effects 

• Crop failure as exposed soil is easily eroded, leading to fewer nutrients
• Biodiversity is reduced- animals die out due to lack of plants to carry on food chain
• Led to severe droughts which led to famine in Euthopia
• Many people become homeless and become refugees

Location: SE of Spain, on the stretch of coast known as Costa Blanca

Causes of disruption of water supply

• Water is a key resource for the major tourist industry, especially for its largest resort
• There are over 30,000 swimming pools
• Golf courses consume 45,000 litres of water per day
• Tourism in Spain, on average, uses 880 litres of water per day compared to 250l per local person
• Area is in driest part of Spain
• As a result, water for human use is being extracted from underground aquifers at 2-3 rate at which it naturally recharges 

Effects 

• Local people's access to water is less so have to pay more for access and therfore their water bills are usually very high 
• Irrigation farmers are having problems growing crops and salt water is poisoning crops
• Leads to subsidence due to removal of water from underground usually through mining

Location: Borders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in western Asia. Was 4th largest lake in world covering an area of the siza of Ireland

Causes of disruptance to water supply

• 90% of Aral sea has dried up and disappeared
• Rivers that flowed in were diverted to provide water for cotton farmers which required a lot of water for growth 

Effects 

• 11,000 fishermen lost their source of income as there was a big fishing industry that relied hugely on the Aral Sea
• It was work and living for 30,000 people - many people depended on it
• Most people have migrated from area - lost their homes and farm land
• Where lake has dried up, there is a lot of polluted soil
• Wind that blows is polluted by chemicals, killing people and crops, resulting in reduced life expectancy
• Diseases are prone, doubling infant mortality rates 

Location: Located in SW of the USA. River starts off at Wyoming and ends in the Gulf of Mexico

Causes of disruptance to water supply

• Growth of cities such as Los Angeles - urban sprawl
• 10 major dams built along the river, which disrupted river flow
• Increased irrigation due to higher good demand caused by increase in population
• Inappropriate choice of crops being grown which require a lot of water such as cotton and rice
• 90% of all water in the Colorado basin is extracted before it even reaches Mexico
• Increased need for energy in cities, and therefore more water is used to generate electricity
• High level of water wastage due to inappropriate irrigation schemes

Effects 

• Reduction in water levels of reservoirs, such as Lake Mead and Lake Powell
• Political tension between the USA and Mexico
• Salinisation of lakes due to evaporation and over-abstraction, damaging lake ecosystems
• Salt water is poisoning crops, making crops harder to grow due to salinisation 

South Africa

• Provides clean water for lots of people including Johannesburg and people living in the poorer townships who now have access to clean water which is main purpose of the dam
• The dam can be used by Industries in many ways such as to generate electricity
• Costs a lot of money to build aswell as maintain leading Johannesburg to borrow huge sums of money from the World Bank

Lesotho

• Lesotho can earn a lot of money by selling the water to Johannesburg 
• Has provided 7,000 jobs and reduced unemployment 
• Many people have been forced to leave their homes because the land has been flooded to make space for the reservoir
• Subsistence farmers have been forced out of their lands and therfore farmers have lost money
• Local people have to travel further just to get basic amenities like clean water
• Natural ecosystems destroyed and habitats disrupted due to flooding of large areas

• WaterAid supplys technology, information and advice by working with local NGO's who the villagers liaise with
• Through commitees the local village decides where the well will go and organise the work
• The well is built by the villagers using appropriate technology that they are able to maintain and some villagers are giving training to look after the well and carry out any repairs in the future

How it helps the villagers

• Now have access to clean water which wasn't accessable before which means less time wasted on fetching water and fewer sick people unable to work
• With this clean water, crops can be grown which can later be sold for a profit
• This increased income in the family that people can then afford to send children to school
• These children gain qualifications and get better jobs which can improve the economy of Tanzania
• Increased life expencancy as reduced water realted diseases such as chloera, meaning people can go to work 

Background Information

• Largest engineering project in Australia and one of the most complex in the world
• Built to provide farms in SE Australia with irrigation and cities such as Sydney and Canberra with water and power

Benefits 

• Has allowed the development of farming allong the Murray river
• Provided employment to over 100,000 people
• Energy produced and water supllied by scheme has allowed cities like Sydney to develop and improve economy
• Plays a vital role in the growth and the development of Australia's economy. Crops produced due to irrigation are worth £1 billion
• Influx of workers from abroad leads to increase in workforce and cultularism

Problems 

• Creation of storage lakes has detroyed valuable wildlife habitats
• Issues between farmers and city dwellers competing for falling water supplies
• Water in the Snowy River has become more saline, affecting farms further downstream in the Murray floodplain
• Flow of the Snowy River has fallen to 1% of its original level 

Soft Rock

• Very few rocks, some sand and loose pebbles
• Erodes more easily
• May be high but rugged and not so steep due to erosion
• There may be piles of mud and clay which have slipped down the face of the cliff

Hard Rock

• High steep and rugged
• Cliff face is often bare, with no vegetation and little losse rock
• A few boulders and rocks which have fallen off from cliff

Example - Lulworth Cove, Dorset

• Concordant coasts occur where the bands of hard and soft rock are parallel to the coast
• This formes a coast of high cliffs and small coves
• At Lulworth, a small bay (cove) has formed due to hydrolic action and abrasion which have punched through the band of the rock and eroded the soft rock away

Example - Swanage Bay, Dorset

• Discordant coasts are made up of both hard and soft rocks
• Hard rocks stick out as headlands and the soft rock are easily eroded to form bays
• At discordant coasts these diffrent rock types are at right angle to the coast - layers of rock are perpendicular to coast

• Erosion here has led to the formation of a series of caves, arches and stacks, 
• Wave action eploits weaknesses at cracks in the cliff
• This continual erosion widens the cracks and they become caves
• As the sea continues to erode the back of the cave, eventaully the cave is eroded through which leaves an arch 
• Further, hydraulic action and abrasion weakens the pillars of the arch which then collapses to form a stack. 

Example - Kimmeridge Bay Dorset

• Continual erosion by processes such as hydraulic action and abrasion have led to the formation of wave-cut notches 
• This undercutting of the cliff (overhang) means that there is little support for the heavy materials above and therfore it eventually collapses
• The collapsed material is further eroded and dragged out to sea, leaving a wide, flat expanse of rock which is exposed at high tide, known as a wave- cut platform
• This process repeats so the cliff slowly retreats backwards, making the wave-cut platform longer and longer

• A spit is an accumulation of sand with one end attached to the land and the other reaching out across the estaury or into the sea
• They are formed when large amounts of sediments are transported by longshore drift and where the coastline suddenly changes direction to leave a sheltered, shallow area of water
• Due to an increase in friction, more deposition can occur in the water sheltered by the headlands and the spit slowly builds up to the sea levels and extends in length
• When the wave changes direction, it causes the waves to alter thier direction and may result in some of the material at the end of the spit being forced inland to form a curved end
• Salt march often develop behind the spit and spits cannot grow across an estuary as the river current carried material out of the sea.