Exmoor Project

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  • Created by: Yasmetron
  • Created on: 22-12-20 12:31
Where is Exmoor Located?
Exmoor is located in the South-West of England, in West Somerset and North Devon. Exmoor is a county of Somerset and is naked after the River Exe.
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What is Exmoor Covered By?
It is an area covered by 18,810 acres of peatland.
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What are the Land Use Characteristics of The Exe Upper Catchment?
Most of the land is agricultural grassland (67%), with some woodland (15%) and arable farmland. On the high ground of Exmoor, there are moors and peat bogs (3%)
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What are the Physical Characteristics of The Exe Upper Catchment?
The area of the upper catchment is 601km². Its maximum elevation of 514m is in the north. The land is much flatter in the south - the lowest elevation is 26m.
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What are the Geological Characteristics of The Exe Upper Catchment?
An estimated 84.4% of the catchment is underlain by impermeable rocks, predominately Devonian sandstones, which accounts for the extensive drainage network.
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Why is Peatland important
Peatland is important because it removes a lot of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by storing it. It stores around 16364.7 tonnes of carbon a year. This encourages biodiversity and the water table.
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What are the Problems?
The peatland is eroding and losing the water content due to farmers building drainage ditches and artificial tributaries which encourages the water to go into them rather than the peat. This makes the peat drier causing it to release carbon.
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What is the Solution?
They have blocked drainage ditches which has caused the water table to rise by 2.65cm. They are monitoring different transects across the peatland where they placed an electric dip metre in the dip wells to measure the depth.
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What is the Job of the Wimbleball Reservoir?
To supply Exeter and parts of east Devon by releasing water into the river exe. The water is then abstracted at Tiverton and Exeter. Water also supplied by pipeline to Wessex waters Maundown water treatment works.
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What Happens as a Result of the Wimbleball Reservoir?
Peak discharge lowered, regulates and controls discharge throughout the year, helps meet demand and decreases likelihood of flooding.
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What Impact Has the Work Done by the Project Had?
-re-wetted peat bogs slow down the run-off of water from land before steadily releasing it
-floods less likely, reduced soil erosion and the amount of silt entering the rivers
-peat cuttings reduce surges after storm event, minimising ---flood damage - 1/
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Conclusion
The water table has increased, it has been seen as a reflection that the water storage has also increased in the peat.
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Card 2

Front

What is Exmoor Covered By?

Back

It is an area covered by 18,810 acres of peatland.

Card 3

Front

What are the Land Use Characteristics of The Exe Upper Catchment?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What are the Physical Characteristics of The Exe Upper Catchment?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What are the Geological Characteristics of The Exe Upper Catchment?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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