geography theme 2 case studies

key facts 

• 1987
• south east england most violent storm for over 100 years
• £1 billion of damage 
• power lines damaged and shares stopped 
• deep depression came from bay of biscay in France 

East anglia 

• oil rig workers lifted to saftey , coast gueards helped, lorries flipped on bridges

Hampshire, Dorset and sussex 

• hit at 01:00, every major road cut off 
• Isle of white shanklin pier washed away and man died from tree hitting car 

London and Kent 

• hit at 03:00, over 1 million houses damaged, no trade, main roads closed, 94 mph gales

south east USA, 29th August 2005 

prep.

• - sophisticated monitoring system- people were warned
• 70%-80% new orleans evacuated 

effects 

• SOCIAL- 1800+ people killed 
• ECONOMICAL- $300 billion of damage 
• ENVIRONMENTAL- sea flooding destroyed coastal habitats 

resonses 

• SHORT-TERM- coastguards, police, fire service, army and volunteers offered help and temporay shelter at louisiana superdome 
• LONG TERM- government $800 million rebuilding flood defences and $34 billion rebuilding schools and houses 

threats

• sea flooding - ice caps melting - increased salt concentration on plants - coastal protection 
• loss of area - factories and docks - removes ecosystem- SSI 
• overgrazing - rabbit population - plants outcompete others - control rabbit numbers 
• litter
• fires 
• footpath erosion 
• dogs 
• vehicles - visitors - small mammals die - litter bins and signs 
• oil and chemical spills - industrial accidents - poisons enter food chain - gov. fines 

facts

• one of the largest underwater reservoirs in the world 
• 22% of Australia 
• 1.7 million square km 
• 1915- flowing bores drilled throughout basin 

stages in formation 

• ice age and tectonic movement cause area in dip to flood 
• continuous flooding meant sediments left of permeable sandstone and impermeable mudstone

management 

• struggle drilling for water - heat and capped bores to save water and pressure
• great artesian basin sustainability initiative (GABSI) funded landowners to cap bores 

river mole / river lambourn 

• hydrograph is spikey (lots of flooding)/ smoother (floods less ofter)
• smaller channel (floods quicker)/ bigger channel (floods slower)
• steep slope and little vegetation/ flatter land and lots of vegetation 
• weald clay permeable (faster lag time- no infiltration)/ chalk permeable (infiltration)
• urban area (gatwick, tarmack- impermeable)/ rural area (trees - permeable)
• most rainfall december (145 mm 22 rain days)/ december (135mm 24 raindays)

good place for project :

• place where lots of rivers meet and damn built where low pop.
• steep slopes, little vegetation and no industry to be affected 

aims:

• need for water and electricity in bigger areas
• bigger growth = bigger needs 

viewpoints 

• rich- safer water but water bills risen 
• Gov. - acheived what set to do 
• poor farmers- lost crops, lands and homes 

 short term/ long term 

• lesotho- water shortages, loss of farmland, all water pumped to rest of SA/ developed country but 10 million lost homes
• SA - water bills rise for damn and repairs/ % of people safe water 83 1990 to 87 2002 cost $8 billion 

background:

• 9 african countries 
• drought since 1968 1 million died and 50 million affected
• 2/3 of people in rural areas depend upon agriculture for income 

climate

• soil dry, no rain water, trees die and desert scrub grow, less roots to protect top soil

causes

• increase in pop., grazing, drought, deforestation and wind erosion 
• desertification - increase in pop. and in cattle 

solutions

• trees planting schemes, small rock damns built, collect rainwater from roofs

upper course (young stage)-  altitude 600m

• pennines hills - V shaped valley, 1200mm annual rainfall, load in solution and suspension 

middle course- altitude 350m

• reservoir- industry HEP 
• high force waterfall and gorge- limestone soft rock and winstone hard igneous rock 
• meanders (Yarm)- through fertile farm pasture 

lower course (old stage)- 

• oxbow lakes (Yarm and Stockton)
• reclaimed land and flood plains as load gets dropped 
• warmer climate and fertile soil 
• estuary (Middlesborough)- near docks export and imports oil, petrochemicals, iron and steel