Climate change

• Causes of Climate Change

  • Burning fossil fuels
  • Deforestation
  • Emitting methane
  • Nitrous oxide
• Consequences of Climate Change

  • Aggravate erosion
  • Decline in organic matter
  • Salinisation
  • Soil biodiversity loss
  • Landslides
  • Desertification
  • Flooding
• Impacts of Climate Change

  • Higher temperatures
  • More severe storms
  • Increased drought
  • Rising ocean levels
  • Loss of species
  • Not enough food
• Burning Fossil Fuels


  
  
• A significant contributor to climate change through the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere.
• Deforestation

  
  
• A major contributor to climate change through the release of stored carbon from cut down or burned forests.
• Emitting Methane


  
  
• A potent greenhouse gas released through human activities like agriculture, natural gas systems, landfills, and coal mining.
• Nitrous Oxide (N2O)


  
  
• Aggravate Erosion


  A type of climate change consequence where soil erosion increases due to changing weather patterns and rainfall.
• Decline in Organic Matter

  A climate change consequence where the amount of organic matter in soil decreases, affecting soil structure and fertility.
• Salinisation


  A climate change consequence where salt levels in soil increase, making it less suitable for plant growth.
• Soil Biodiversity Loss


  A climate change consequence where the balance of soil biota (living organisms) is disrupted, affecting soil health and ecosystem function.
• Landslides


  A climate change consequence where increased rainfall, droughts, and thawing of permafrost lead to more frequent and devastating landslides.
• Desertification


  A climate change consequence where changes in temperature and precipitation patterns cause deserts to expand, affecting vegetation and ecosystem function.
• Flooding


  A climate change consequence where changes in precipitation patterns, sea-level rise, and intense storms lead to increased flooding, causing infrastructure damage and disrupting ecosystems.
• River source


  Where the river begins
• Watershed


  The area of land where the precipitation or rain collects and drains off into the river
• Tributary


  A smaller river that runs into the main river
• Confluence


  The point where the tributary meets the river
• Estuary


  The tidal part of the river
• River mouth


  The part of the river where it meets the sea
• Stages of a river

  • Youthful stage
  • Mature stage
  • Old stage
• Youthful stage


  • Steep slope
  • Fast moving water
  • Often forms a v-shaped valley
• Mature stage


  • Gentle slope
  • Forms a valley with a wide floor and reasonably gentle sides
• Old stage


  • Almost flat slope
  • Runs very slowly through flat lowland
• Processes of river erosion

  • Hydraulic action
  • Abrasion
  • Attrition
  • Solution
• Hydraulic action


  The force of moving water eroding the riverbed and river banks
• Abrasion


  Rocks and stones carried by the river are dragged and scraped off the floor, making it deeper
• Attrition


  The river's load collides and breaks down into smaller pieces
• Solution


  Chemicals in the river dissolve the rock on the riverbed
• Modes of river transport

  • Rolling and dragging
  • Bouncing
  • Suspension
  • Solution
  • Floatation
• Interlocking Spurs


  • Occur where the stream is not strong enough to erode the interlocking Hill so it is forced to flow around the hills
• 1. shaped valley


  • Forms when the river erodes a valley through vertical erosion, with steep valley sides
• Waterfall


  • Forms when the youthful River flows over a Hard Rock which is next to a softer rock, with the softer rock eroding faster and creating a plunge pool
• Meanders


  • Bends or curves in a river, with stronger erosion on the outside of the bend and deposition on the inside
• Oxbow lakes


  • Horseshoe shaped lakes formed when a river cuts through a tight meander during a flood, leaving the old meander cut off
• Levees


  • Long narrow ridges of alluvium found along the banks of many old rivers, formed by deposition during floods
• A case study of human interaction with rivers is dam building in Ireland, such as the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power plant on the River Shannon