Case studies

• case study: River Tees

  - north east England

  - upper course:

  - valleys are steep and have thin soils

  - climate is cool with heavy rainfall

  - land uses: farmland, reservoirs and coniferous plantations

  - landforms: v-shaped valleys, high waterfall, tributaries

  - middle course:

  - wider valleys and more gently sloping

  - land uses: farming and settlements

  - landforms: meanders

  - lower course

  - wide flat valleys

  - land uses: large towns, industrial areas, transport, port

  - landforms: ox-bow lakes, levees and a mudflat estuary
• case study: flooding in Cumbria, 2015

  - happened in Cockermouth, in Cumbria, North West of England

  - physical factors that caused flood: heavy rainfall from December 3rd to December 8th, the igneous rock there is impermeable, has steep sloped from valleys and mountains, has thin vegetation and therefore little interception and has thin soils so little infiltration
• case study: Holbeck Hall Hotel in Scarborough

  - a rock slide occurred and the hotel was destroyed

  impacts:

  - social: loss of a landmark, residents feel uneasy about their homes safety

  - economic: loss of tourism, was the only 4 star hotel in Scarborough, the owners had no insurance and therefore lost the business

  - environmental: permanently changed the coastline, brown sludge in the sea
• case study: the Holderness coast

  - is found on the east coastline of the UK

  - is prone to erosion: has a steep cliff profile that promotes formations of wave cut platforms in Bridlington, in Mappleton slumping occurs, in Spurn Head there is a spit, whole coast faces the North Sea (destructive waves)

  - Mappleton used rock armour, beach nourishment and sea walls ~ was expensive and although it worked in the short term in caused even faster erosion in the long term

  - Withernsea used hard engineering like a sea wall, rock armour and groynes as it worked for there coast

  - Spurn Head used managed retreat as the lack of sediment would mean it wouldn't be replenished if hard engineering was used
• deforestation case study: amazon rainforest

  - is home to 1000 different animal species and 60000 different plant species

  - rate of deforestation in the area has increased massively over the years
• case study: Svalbard

  - an island that is a part of Norway

  - has extremely low temperatures

  - is very remote and can only be accessed via plane or ship

  - short growing season
• challenges of cold environments, specifically Svalbard

  low temperature

  - can cause hyperthermia or frost bite

  infrastructure

  - can only be built for 2-3 months in the summer

  - due to permafrost being extremely difficult to build foundations on

  - needs perfect conditions for infrastructure to be built on it

  access

  - 4-5 months of the year no one can come due to ice

  - this is due to the plane runway being coated in ice (unsafe) and the ocean being covered in ice (no boats)

  polar bears

  - only species to actively hunt down humans

  - dangerous
• opportunities for economic development in Svalbard

  mining

  - has rich reserves for coal

  - provides jobs (300)

  - is a fossil fuel (bad for the environment)

  fishing

  - the Barents Sea is one is of the richest fishing grounds in the world (around 150 different species)

  - can be sold elsewhere

  tourism

  - 70,00 visited Longyearbyen in 2011

  - most by cruise (caused harbour to get extended)

  - provides jobs for locals

  energy production

  - some of the coal mined in used to generate electricity in Longyearbyen power station

  - likely to soon go to geothermal

  - meets all of Svalbard's energy needs
• impacts of economic opportunities

  mining

  - ruins water, makes it toxic

  - is a blot on the landscape

  fishing

  - trawler nets catch wildlife and are particularly harmful to animals like whales that can only breath underwater for a set time period

  - parts of trawler nets wash up on the coast, take hundreds of years to decompose

  tourism

  - cruise ships break apart the ice and their engines pollute the water

  - hikers or people on quadbikes ruin the vegetation (footpath erosion and tire tracks)

  energy production

  - pipe lines are not pretty to look at and are a barrier to animals ( can trap them in certain areas)

  - pipe lines are vulnerable in earthquakes (easy to break)

  - crude oil is toxic and poisons water
• conservation and management of cold environments

  use of technology

  - pipelines retain oil heat and prevent melting permafrost

  - pros: maintains oil supply, protects permafrost

  - cons: blot on landscape, expensive

  international agreements

  - when treaty's are signed to protect these areas

  - pros: peaceful purpose, right use of power

  - cons: unclear sanctions, countries may ignore / not follow

  conservation groups

  - eg. WWF

  - pros: raise awareness, educate others

  - cons: has no power, can't enforce real change

  actions by governments

  - making it law that must be followed

  - pros: has power behind it, consequences if laws are broken

  - cons: laws can still easily be broken, government priorities can change
• case study: Haiti earthquake

  - occurred on January 12th 2010

  - Haiti lies on the boundary of the North American and Caribbean plates

  - magnitude 7.0

  - impacts: 316,000 were killed, 1 million homeless, 3 million injured, 250,00 buildings destroyed, 1300 schools were destroyed, 1 in 5 lost their jobs due to destroyed buildings, people were squashed into shanty towns as they had nowhere to live

  - responses: Dominican Republic provided emergency water and medical supplies, emergency rescue teams arrived from other countries, temporary field hospitals were set up, governments globally assisted in rebuilding (took time)
• case study: Christchurch earthquake

  - located in New Zealand

  - occurred on September 4th 2011

  - magnitude 6.3

  - impacts: 181 were killed, 30000 homeless, 2000 injured, the central city was badly damaged, additional 1200 were injured in the aftermath, business put out of action for a long time which resulted in unemployment

  - responses: prioritised care for the vulnerable, areas were zoned (green, orange, red) to classify damage and cost of repairs, international aid was provided in the form of money, provided temporary housing for the homeless, by August 80% of roads were repaired
• case study: Typhoon Haiyan

  - travelled in a west direction, was it's strongest when it hit the Philippines, was it's weakest when it hit Vietnam

  - wind speeds of 195mph ~ was classified a super typhoon

  - impacts: 6300 were killed, power lines and crops were damaged, 30000 fishing boats were destroyed, shortage of food, many jobs were lost and many schools were destroyed, flights were disrupted for weeks which limited amount of aid available

  - responses: people moved to areas of more shelter, international governments provided food and water, over 1200 temporary evacuation centres were set up, UN countries donated financial support, rebuilding of roads and airports took place, thousands of homes built away from areas of flood risk
• case study: Summerset levels floods

  - occurred in Somerset, south-west England, 2014

  - was the wettest January since records began in 1910

  - brought a period of wet weather that lasted for several weeks

  - high tides and storm surges swept water up the rivers from the Bristol Channel and caused water to spill over the river banks

  - impacts: 600 houses flooded, many people's power was cut off, the cost of the damage was more the £10 million, floodwaters were heavily contaminated with sewage and other pollutants, huge amount of debris had to be cleared

  - responses: villagers used boats to get to school/work, local community groups provided help and support, communities vulnerable to flooding have since gained flood defences, river banks have been raised and strengthened, more pumping stations were built