physical case studies

• Nepal earthquake (LIC) background + primary effects


  -April 2015, 7.8 magnitude

  -tourism is 8.9% of Nepals GDP

  -9000 deaths

  -500,000 homes destroyed

  -26 hospitals destroyed

  -50% schools destroyed
• Nepal earthquake (LIC) secondary effects

  -avalanche on Mt Everest killed 19 people

  -loss of income from tourism
• Nepal earthquake (LIC) immediate responses

  -UK's disaster emergency committee raised $126 million for aid

  -Red Cross= tents for 225,000 people
• Nepal earthquake (LIC) long term responses

  -23 areas in need of rebuilding

  -$274 million allocated to Nepal 8 months later
• Japan earthquake (HIC) background + primary effects


  -dec 2012

  -7.3 magnitude

  -2 deaths

  -14 injured

  -pipes damaged

  -boards in roof of schools shifted
• Japan earthquake (HIC) secondary effects

  -1 metre high tsunami

  -caused one person to sail out to sea to evacuate and died
• Japan earthquake (HIC) immediate responses

  -plumber called to fix pipes

  -carpenter fixed boards

  -search party
• Japan earthquake (HIC) long term responses

  -prepare people, industries, emergency services

  -earthquake resistant buildings
• Typhoon Haiyan background + primary effects


  -Nov 2013

  -category 5 storm

  -6340 killed

  -5m storm surge

  -314 km/hr wind speeds

  -habitats & crops destroyed
• typhoon haiyan secondary effects

  -$14 billion damage

  -water supply polluted

  -130,000 houses destroyed = 4.2 mil homeless

  -33mill coconut trees destroyed

  -flood caused oil spill= affects mangroves
• typhoon haiyan immediate response

  -1069 emergency shelters set up

  -disaster emergency committee helped 3 million people by providing aid

  -uk aid charities provided shelters, food and medical aid
• typhoon haiyan long-term response

  -UN appeal raised $300 million

  -typhoon warning systems improved

  -education
• typhoon haiyan predictions

  -monitoring wind patterns allows path to be predicted- use satellites- so evacuation happens
• typhoon haiyan planning and protection

  -avoid building in high risk areas

  -emergency drills

  -evacuation routes

  -reinforced buildings + stilts

  -flood defences= mangroves, sea walls, levees.
• beast from the east & storm emma (background)


  -it was a larger area of freezing air moving towards Britain from the east

  -feb-march 2018

  -8200 collisions

  -10 deaths= freezing temps- costs £1 billion per day
• beast from the east & storm emma benefits

  -social=winter sports + activities → e.g. snowboarding

  -economic=demand for winter products → e.g. clothes,demands

  -environment= improvised air quality reduces water usage
• beast from the east & storm emma negatives

  -social=disrupt daily routine + social isolation

  -economic= increased energy + transportation disruption

  -environment= air pollution from heating
• summer heatwave & drought background

  -june-aug 2018

  -lack of rainfall=risk of fires → 50 homes evacuated

  -highest temp= 35.5°C → 700 more people died
• summer heatwave & drought benefits

  -social=increased outdoor activities + sunlight exposure

  -economic=demand for products + tourism

  -environment= renewable energy for solar panel + reduced energy demand
• summer heatwave & drought negatives

  -social=discomfort

  -economic=roads melted → £3.6 million + decreased agriculture

  -environment= water scarcity
• the river tees background and info

  -located in the north of england

  -flows 137km from the pennines to the north sea at red car

  -tees are narrow and carry sediments

  -bed load= big, angular rocks which become smoother and smaller

  -tees have a high level of erosive energy (HA+A)
• geomorphic process of river tees (upper course)

  -V-shaped valley, rapids and waterfalls

  -highforce waterfalls drop 21m and is made from Whinstone (igneous) and softer limestones rocks

  -Gradually a gorge is formed
• geomorphic process of river tees (middle course)

  -meanders and ox-bow lakes

  -meander near Yarm encloses town
• geomorphic process of river tees (lower course)

  -greater lateral erosion creates floodplains and levees

  -mudflats at the rivers estuary
• boscastle floods background

  -small village, south west coast to the north of cornwall

  -population= 700

  -90% of income is from tourism

  -river valency and jordan join

  -responding schemes cost £4.6 million
• human causes of boscastle flood

  -impermeable surfaces= prevent infiltration - shortens lag time

  -narrow bridges blocked off by debris - dam effect
• physical causes of boscastle floods

  -heavy rainfall (Aug 16th= 185mm)

  -soil saturated

  -steep sided valley
• social effects of boscastle floods

  -50 homes destroyed

  -150 vehicles swept away

  -jobs lost
• economic effects of boscastle floods

  -£85 million damage = sewage main burst

  -25 businesses closed

  -tourism increased
• soft engineering techniques responding to the boscastle floods

  -widen river channels

  -raising car parks

  -encourage land owners to carry out vegetation
• hard engineering techniques responding to the boscastle floods

  -artificially narrowing the river

  -lower river bed by 0.75m

  -new flood defence walls
• soft engineering at hunstanton

  -sand dunes

  -marram grass - adaptations= woody tissue (tough & strong), stems (grow quickly & elongate)

  -beach nourishment ($15 million)
• hard engineering at hunstanton

  -groynes= dont work (spaces in between gaps), sediments above groyne (works)

  -sea walls
• landform at hunstanton

  -wave cut platform= HA + A

  1)sediments

  2) red chalk

  3) car stone= iron oxide rusts
• amazon rainforest background

  -in south america from the atlantic oceans to andes mountains and covers 60% of brazil

  -it has declined by 3.3 million sq km

  -hot (20-28*C all year)

  -convectional rainfall (2000m per year)

  -tall, evergreen trees=vegetation dense - very little light reaches floor
• Hunstanton background

  -north west coast of norfolk

  -1953= storm surge

  -307 deaths

  -24000 homes destroyed
• geomorphic processes of hunstanton

  -beach widens between hunstanton and heacham

  -deposition at heacham= sand dunes

  -shingles includes white chalk from from hunstanton cliffs

  -LSD travels from hunstanton to heacham
• what is the nutrient cycle

  1)trees shed leaves all year

  2) decaying vegetation decomposes rapidly

  3) nutrients enter soil

  4) shallow roots take up nutrients

  5) trees grow rapidly
• what is the water cycle

  1)heavy daily convectional rainfall

  2) trees intercept rain

  3) some rain reaches the ground

  4) trees take up water

  5) water evaporates
• what are plants and animals adaptations in the amazon

  -buttress roots= tall trees have this to support their trunks

  -drip-tips= plants have thick, waxy leaves with pointed tip which avoid damage to the plant and repel rain

  -parrots= strong sharp beaks to open nuts

  -poison dart frogs= bright colours to warn predators away