Geography Unit 1 case studies (coasts, rivers, population, health)

3 Gorges Dam, China

• 100 villages resettled (1.2 million)
• 25% farmland immersed in river basin 
• 320,000 killed from floods
• cost aproximately $37 billion
• landslides- sediment transported reduced by 50% = more erosion downstream 
• ecological deterioration 
• 70% of China's fesh water is now polluted 
• located on the Yangtze river 
• generates hydroelectricity for central and Eastern China 
• reduced flood risk for 15 million and improved navigation along the river 
• 660km long resveoir behind it 
• dam is 2.3km wide, 100m high 

Abingdon, Thames

• Gravel soakways on the A34
• planning restrictions; tesco had to install permeable tarmac for new extension
• low value land allowed to flood i.e sports ground, park
• trees lining the river bank
• hard engineering too expensive and possibilty of flooding downstream
• July 2007 660 properties flooded 
• Built on flood plains of the River Ock and the Thames

Pakistan 2010 floods

• A 5th of Pakistan flooded
• floooding lasted 3 weeks- prolonged rainfall 
• monsoon rainfall conditions
• deforestation in himalayas 
• urbanisation increased = more impermeable surfaces = increased run off
• many live near river for fertile soil
• $230 given to returning families along with food packaged for a month 
• 11,000 schools damaged 
• only 56% of the 1.96billion given in aid was used as aid
• 2000 deaths
• 20 million homeless
• 1.2 million livestock lost 

Boscastle Floods, Cornwall, 2004

• Heavy thundery down-pours
• 200mm of rain fell in 24 hours 
• most intense between 3pm-4pm
• Heaviest to east of Boscastle on high ground 
• Land already saturated due to previous wet weather- infilitration limited
• village in a valley- rapid run off
• 60 properties submerged by 4pm
• 70-80 cars swept away 
• 100 people airlifted to safety 
• significant damage to roads, property, bridges and services

Barton-on-sea, Hampshire

• Cliffs of soft clay 
• section battered with waves with a long fetch 
• longshore dirft South East 
• 1999 ad-hoc (only protected parts of the coast) now all areas protected 
• cliffs erode at 1mm per year 
• landslides/rotational slumping 
• loss of defence (beach and hard engineering) 
• houses lost, one already demolished
• pressure for costly coastal defence schemes

1953 Storm Surge

• deep depression moved south from Shetlands, low pressure caused by a rise in sea level 
• spring high tides
• North sea narrower in the South; high water concentration 'funnel effect'
• strong winds generated 6m high waves
• low lying land prone to flooding
• Netherlands below sea level, much marshland drained in UK to increase coastal population, bad defences, no warnings
• widespread flooding, sea defences breached, fast flowing flood water carrying debris
• deaths: UK; 307  Netherlands; 1835
• 250,000 acreas of farmland devestated
• £20 million for UK 
• Thames Barrier and Delta projects were products

Wheelers Bay, Isle of Wight

• ageing sea walls collapsing which trigger landslides
• property behind becoming unstable 
• 15,000 tonnes of rock revetments placed seawards of existing defences
• coastal slopes regraded to make shallower profile
• cliff drainage to prevent landslides
• cost of £1.6 million
• in attempts to make the defences astetically pleasing Granite rock revetments used
• Groyns to build up beach by preventing longshore drift

Studland, Dorset

• Dune contruction and regeneration by planting and encouraging the growth of Marram grass
• Fences around the dunes to allow succession and prevent destruction by trampling 
• Beach stabilisation 
• Beach nourishment- imported sand (also to aid the dunes) 
• cliff drainage to reduce the risk of landslides
• 'hold the line' management 
• Managed realignment - allowing natural physical processes to act on a stretch of shoreline by removing existing defences altogether or moving them to higher ground.

Thailand

• 1969 women had on average 6.5 children 
• 16% of population used contraception
• growth rate was 3% a year

• 1970 nationwide family-planning programme 
• free contraception
• trained family planning specialists
• By 1999 contraceptives used by 77% of population
• fertility rate dropped to 1.7
• population growth at 0.8%
• community based policy rather than coercive

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

• oil reserves
• no income tax- favoured destination for Britons wishing to 'work and play'
• 10 million foreign workers mostly unskilled work in the Gulf States
• Migrants comprise 90% of workers in UAE
• Dubai has 1 million migrants within a 1.5 million population
• come from over 160 countries- mostly south and south east Asia
• average pay for unskilled worker is $4 a day- attracts impoverished people of e.g India, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc

The Isle of Purbeck, Dorset

• Corfe Castle biggest village, Swanage is the only town, total population of 44,416
• popular area for retirement 
• out migration of younger adults in search for economic oppurtunities
• 2001 birthrate was 10.1/1000 deathrate was 11.9/1000; natural decrease in population
• 49.27% of the population above the age of 45 compared to UK as a whole which is 39.64%
• house prices risen because of out-of-area comuters, retirees, second omeowners and in-migrants
• local employment oppurtunities are limited and wages are low
• 38 rural post offices had closed by 1991, along with 35 petrol stations
• public transport limited; only few buses with extra mini bus that is volunteer run, one available trainline 

Lewisham, Inner City London

• high immigration to the city for jobs and better quality of life
• 2011 population was 275,885
•  approximately 200,000 businesses with around 2,000,000 employees in Inner London. 56% of all private sector jobs in Greater London are located in Inner London.
• increased employment
• high population density, 78.5 per hectar
• hig hmigration from other countries; only 64% have England as country of Origin in Lewisham
• 6.2% unemployed

Aids, Botswana

• total population of 1.6 million with 24% infected
• In Northeast of the country among expectant mothers in urban areas rates are as high as 50%
• 2002 first African country to supply anti-retrovial drugs because of higher income per capita than Sub-Saharan average because of diamond mines
• life expectancy in 2004 under 34 years
• Aids destroying workforce effecting the economy; predicted to be one third smaller by 2021 (the economy) than it would have been without AIDS, while gov expenditure increased to 20%
• Deaths due to AIDS is around 5,000 - 6,800

Coronary Heart Disease, UK

• Nearly one in six men and more than one in ten women die from coronary heart disease
• CHD is responsible for almost 74,000 deaths in the UK each year, an average of 200 people each day
• More than 25,000 people under the age of 75 in the UK die from CHD each year
• There are nearly 2.3 million people living with coronary heart disease in the UK
• There are nearly 1.4 million men and almost 900,000 women with CHD in the UK
• Death rates from coronary heart disease are highest in Scotland and northern England and lowest in southern England
• The UK spends nearly £2 billion each year on the healthcare costs of treating coronary heart disease.
• Risk factors; tobacco use, alcohol use, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity

Famine, Ethiopia

• 1984-84 bad drought, then another again in 2000 where it affected 43% of the population
•  Live Aid Concerts of July 1985 which raised more than £50m.
• migration of people to search for water meant too much pressure was put on areas with sufficient water and pasture
• lack of food and water led to death of livestock and in 1984 over 1 million died
• food prices rose- many families abandoned their land and headed for the cities
• rate of malnutrtion was estimated over 50% in camps set up e.g Denan

Charles Dicken Inner City Ward and Drayton and Farlington, Portsmouth

Drayton and farlington:

• Cosham, Queen Alexandra Hospital (NHS Trust)
• 22.3 people per hectar
• 2% unemployed
• 48.8% very good health

Charles Dickens:

• 42.4% have very good health
• 7% unemployed
• 55.1 people per hectar
• fewer doctors surgeries