geography

• Nepal earthquake


  25th April 2015
• Epicentre


  50 km NW of Kathmandu
• Boscastle Flood


  16th August 2004
• River Severn


  • Longest river in UK
  • Source in mid Wales in Plinlimon Hills
  • Estuary near Bristol and Gloucester
  • V-shaped valley = rapids/waterfalls in upper course
  • Meanders/ox-bow lakes in the middle course
  • Estuary 2nd largest tide in world (19m) in lower course
• Urbanisation


  Increases flood risk on River Severn
• Dams and reservoirs have been built on River Severn
• Monitoring systems have improved on River Severn
• Western Desert


  California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico
• Chile earthquake- 2010 HIC
• Plate margin- destructive plate margin
• primary impacts- 500 deaths, 12,000 injuired, 800,000 affected
• primary impacts- cost $30 billion, santiago airport destroyed (prevented aid)
• secondary impacts- 1500km roads damaged (landslides), tsunamis, fires
• immediate responses- power restored to 90% (10 days), US raised $60 million, emergency shelters, aid, emergency services
• long term response- reconstruction plan for homes, years to fully recover
•  Causes: collision zone boundary: Eurasian and Indian plates
• Primary effects: 1 million homes and, 7000 schools destroyed
• Secondary effects: 9000 deaths, 20,000 injured
• Immediate responses: Emergency aid arrived quickly from US and UK, 500,000 tents provided for homeless
• •  Long term responses: Roads repaired and landslides cleared, 7000 schools rebuilt
• Typhoon Haiyan: November 2013
• category 5 storm, 170mph winds
•  Primary effects: 40,000 homes damaged, 90% of Tacloban destroyed – mostly by 5m storm surge
•  Secondary effects: 6300 killed – most drowned in storm surge, 600,000 displaced
•  Immediate responses: 1200 evacuation centres set up, US Aircraft carrier George Washington helped with search and rescue,
• • Long term responses: Cash for work programmes – people paid to help clear debris, Oxfam – helped to replace fishing boats in order to help people work again
• Boscastle Flood: Cornwall, 16th August 2004, £500m damage
• cause- steep relief, heavy rainfall, urbanisation (car parks- impermeable), deforestation (more surface runoff)
• • impactstourism decreased, 50 cars into sea, 80 homes destroyed, businesses destroyed, sewage,
• • responserebuilt bridge, £10m repair, river Valency (deeper/wider- increase carrying capacity), new flood defence wall, raised car parks
• Cockermouth: Causes: Wettest winter on record (around 300mm of rain compared to 100mm average) urbanisation caused an increase in impermeable surfaces and inadequate sewer capacity caused blockages
• Social impacts: 600 homes damaged and destroyed – 12.9m
•  Environmental impacts: Waste contaminated overflowing water whilst historical and natural environment was damaged - £98m
• Economic impacts: businesses and trade was damaged - £129.2m
• •  Management: 120-metre-wide self-closing flood barrier was built – a first in the UK. Regional funds helped locals plan for the future.
• opportunities- farming (high temperatures, high sunlight if irrigation is possible), tourism (natural parks attracts 2m a year, Las Vegas 37m), energy (solar energy for 100,000 homes/ 360 jobs, HEP water storage and electricity, Oil 100 jobs and $50m), mining (Copper, zinc, uranium, coal for energy)
• • challenges- Water (Rising temperatures mean evaporation so dams used to store water), Accessibility(1 person per square mile increases vulnerability when travelling), Population growth (Double national average means risk of water insecurity as demand exceeds supply), Extreme temperatures (50C in July. Temperature increase with climate change + evaporation)