Physical Geography: Case studies
What is an example of a raised beach?
Isle of Arran, Scotland
What is an example of a ria?
The Kingsbridge Estuary, Devon
Where can fjords be found?
Norway
What is an example of a management in a coastal environment?
The Holderness Coast
What is an example of a region where 'risk v opportunity' is considered?
Odisha
Haiti 2010: What was the earthquake's magnitude?
7.0
Haiti 2010: What depth was the focus?
13km
Haiti 2010: What percentage of people in Port-au-Prince lived in slums before the event?
80%
Haiti 2010: Where is the population concentrated?
Flood-prone coastal areas
Haiti 2010: What contributed to Haiti's vulnerability before the event?
Constant political instability and corruption
Haiti 2010: Name some primary effects.
250,000 lives lost
50% of densely populated and poorly built buildings collapsed
Over 18 million homes damaged
1.5 million homeless
5,000 schools damaged/destroyed
Port and airport unusable
Haiti 2010: Name some secondary effects.
6.1 magnitude earthquake followed a week later
Main prison and police force destroyed = high crime rates
Cholera killed 1,500 people up to a year later
Estimated final cost was $8 billion (70% GDP)
Landslides
1 in 5 people lost their jobs due to building collapse
Haiti 2010: Name some short-term responses.
US sent 100,000 troops who cleared the airport for more aid to access
810,000 people put in camps
Bottled water and purification tablets provided
UN launched 'Flash Appeal' for $575 million
Haiti 2010: Name some positive longer-term responses.
The new hospitals, schools etc were built to a higher standard
Local people employed as construction workers
High risk areas were avoided when rebuilding
'Save the Children' helped 1 million people
Haiti 2010: Name some negative longer-term responses.
Slow: 6 months later and 98% of rubble still not cleared
Only 2% of all money raised ($1.1 billion) reached Haiti
Red Cross claimed to build homes for 130,000 people but only 6 permanant homes were built
Japan 2011: What magnitude was the earthquake?
9.1
Japan 2011: How deep was the focus?
32km
Japan 2011: How tall was the tsunami generated?
14m
Japan 2011: What gave the people an advantage over those in Haiti?
People had been educated on how to react at coasts when an earthquake warning was given.
Japan 2011: Name some primary effects.
Ground shaking caused buildings to collapse
Buildings set on fire due to broken gas and petrol pipes
Tsunami flooded 500 square km
25,000 died
Nuclear power station in Fukushima Daiichi exploded and leaked
Japan 2011: Name some secondary effects.
1/2 million homeless
150,000 in temporary homes
Shortages of food, water, petrol and medical supplies
Over 700 aftershocks followed
Radiation leaks spread fear worldwide = panic selling across global stock markets
Japan 2011: Name some immediate responses.
Helicopters rescued people who were stranded
100,000 soldiers mobilised to organise rescue work and distribute supplies
Aid offered from internationals e.g. USA and China
Exclusion zone around Fukushima Daiichi: homes evacuated and iodine tablets given out
Nearly all nuclear power plants shut down on orders from the government
No violence/looting reports
Japan 2011: Name some longer-term responses.
2013 - new tsunami warning system
Juvenile thyroid cancer may increase as seen in Chernobyl
100,000 still not home 5 years later
Exclusion zones removed in 2017
Radioactive rubble still awaiting disposal
Estimated cost was $300 billion (most expensive in history)
What are the stages of the Park Response Model in order?
Pre-disaster, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction
Where was a sea wall installed along the Holderness Coast?
Bridlington
Where were groynes installed along the Holderness Coast?
Mappleton
The Great Green Wall: What was the budget?
$2 billion
The Great Green Wall: How many jobs created?
350,000
The Great Green Wall: After $200 million was invested, how much was completed?
4%
The Great Green Wall: Why does no one know where the money is going?
No good monitoring system
Sea Level Rise: What is an example of a project at a national scale?
Thames Estuary 2100 Project
Sea Level Rise: What is an example of action at an international scale?
Maldives: floating homes
China: 'Sponge Cities'
Fiji: relocating villages
Venice: mobile barriers
Food Supply & Agriculture: What would an increase of 2 degrees cause in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Central/South America and small islands?
Malnutrition
Water Supply: Most drought related deaths occur where?
Africa
Amazon Rainforest: How much net carbon stored?
0.3 billion tonnes
Amazon Rainforest: How much primary forest has been lost from the Amazon basin in the last 50 years due to cattle ranching in particular?
17%
Amazon Rainforest: How much carbon does it absorb in a typical year?
2.2 billion tonnes
Amazon Rainforest: In Indonesia, how many hectares were burnt in 1997-1998?
8 million
Amazon Rainforest: What percentage of logging is illegal?
90%
Amazon Rainforest: How many trees cut down per year?
15 billion
Amazon Rainforest: As of September 2023, how much national debt did Brazil have?
$1564 billion
Mt. Nyiragongo, Congo: How much of Goma was destroyed?
30%
Mt. Nyiragongo, Congo: How many died?
147
Mt. Nyiragongo, Congo: What disease spread?
Cholera
Mt. Nyiragongo, Congo: What was destroyed by the lava?
The runway of the airport
Mt. Nyiragongo, Congo: How many were evacuated?
400,000
Mt. Nyiragongo, Congo: What is being done in schools to prevent such a disaster again?
Education on volcanic activity
Mt. Nyiragongo, Congo: Lava entered the lake causing what?
Poisoned water
Mt. Nyiragongo, Congo: What did WHO do?
Administered emergency measles vaccinations to the 28,000 kids in camps.
Mt. Nyiragongo, Congo: What levels are now monitored to predict an eruption next time?
CO2
Indonesia 2018: How many people died in the tsunami?
More than 1,000
Holderness: What rock is Flamborough Head made of?
Chalk
Holderness: What rock is the area between Bridlington and Spurn Head made of?
Boulder clay
Holderness: What direction does longshore drift operate in?
From north to south
Holderness: How far has the area between Bridlington to Spurn Head retreated since Roman times?
5km
Holderness: What are the rates of erosion from Bridlington to Spurn Head?
More than 1m per year
Holderness: What were added to Spurn Head to stabilise the spit?
Groynes and revetments
Odisha: What is Odisha known as due to the six rivers?
Hexadeltaic
Odisha: How large are the mangroves?
1435 square km
Odisha: Opportunities for human occupation and development?
- The coastal zone has a wide variety of marine and coastal flora and fauna (e.g. mangroves, salt marshes, lagoons etc)
- Large amounts of fish, marine mammals and reptiles
- Potential for offshore wind, tidal and wave power
- 35% of the coast is rich with sediment minerals and heavy metal deposits. There are important clay and limestone resouces for the north of the state
- Potential for offshore oil and natural gas
- Many locals employed in coastal fishing and aquaculture
- Cultural and archaeological sites for tourism
- Wildlife sanctuaries and beaches for tourism
Odisha: Risks for human occupation and development?
- Majority of population live on the coastal plain
- Erosion rates increased in recent decades
- 36.8% of coastline is eroding (mostly in the south)
- Only 14.4% is stable
- Risk of sea level rise (climate change) and tropical storms, storm surges and tsunamis
Odisha: Cyclone Phalin (2013) windspeeds reached 200km/hr. What effects did this have?
Power lines torn down and trees uprooted
Odisha: How many people died during Cyclone Phalin (2013)?
44
Odisha: How many hectares of agricultural crops were destoyed during Phalin?
500,000
Odisha: What were economic losses estimated as after Phalin?
US$700,000
Cyclone Winston: What category was it?
5
Cyclone Winston: Where did it hit?
Fiji
Cyclone Winston: What did it cost?
US$1.4 billion (30% of GDP)
Cyclone Winston: How many were killed?
44
Cyclone Winston: What was done in the relief stage?
- State of emergency declared
- Airport reopened after 2 days
- Waste and debris cleared
=> very effective
Cyclone Winston: What was done in the rehabilitation stage?
- International support coordinated by France, Aus and NZ
- NZ supplied personnel and relief
- 'Help for Homes' launched
=> relied on international aid
Cyclone Winston: What was done in the reconstruction phase?
- Evaluation of education to improve disaster preparedness
- Policies formalising schools as evacuation centres
- 96km of cables replaced
Hurricane Sandy: What was done in preparation?
- Hurricane centres opened
- Schools closed
- Evacuation from flood prone areas
Hurricane Sandy: What were the impacts?
- 233 killed
- Streets, tunnels and subways in NYC flooded
- Fires from ruptured gas pipes
Hurricane Sandy: What was done in response to the hurricane?
- Power companies restored electricity
- Federal agencies and emergency services provided support
- Red Cross supplied 4,000 volunteers
- Emergency supplies of petrol for NY
Hurricane Sandy: What were longer term responses?
- Live telethon concert raised US$20 million
- Government approved a relief aid package worth US$50 billion for the worst areas
- Stricter building regulations in some areas
Black Saturday Bushfires: What were the impacts?
- 173 people died
- 400 injured
- 450,000 ha burnt
- Power supplies cut off for 60,000 people
Black Saturday Bushfires: What was the total cost?
$4.4 billion
Black Saturday Bushfires: What were political impacts?
- Govt criticised for instructions given to the public
- Approach was deemed inadequate
- Blamed on cuts made to fire services and lack climate change action
Black Saturday Bushfires: What was done in preparation?
- Warnings of extreme heat
- Ban on open fires
Black Saturday Bushfires: What was done in response?
- 4,000 firefighters from Aus
- Firefighters from NZ and US
- Appeal raised $372 million
- Red Cross raised $315 million
- Cricket Australia used a match already scheduled to raise money for victims
Black Saturday Bushfires: What was done for recovery?
Government established National Bushfire Recovery Agency
Black Saturday Bushfires: What was done for mitigation?
- More testing of cars in heat
- Improvement to forecasting
- Review of 'Stay or Go' policy
- 67 recommendations made to improve responses
River Exe: What percentage of the catchment is underlain by impermeable rock, Devonian Sandstone?
84.4%
River Exe: What was the name of the reservoir created in an upland tributary?
Wimbleball Reservoir
River Exe: How large is the Wimbleball Reservoir?
150 hectares
River Exe: What does the Wimbleball Reservoir do?
Regulates water flow to reduce flood or drought risk
River Exe: What does the Exmoor Mires Project do?
Restore peatland by blocking drainage ditches. This increases the water content of the ground
River Exe: What is the link between peatland and the carbon cycle?
As the peat surface has dried out, decomposition has released carbon dioxide and methane
River Exe: Benefits of the Exmoor Mires Project?
- More water storage in upper catchments
- Improved water quality
- More carbon storage
- Improved opportunities for education, leisure and recreation
- Improved grazing and water supply for animals
River Exe: Achievments of the Exmoor Mires Project?
- Over 1000 hectares restored
- 100km of ditches blocked
- Water table risen by 2.65cm
- Reduced water draining from the area by 2/3
Eden Valley: How much did cattle farming increase from 2000 to 2009?
30%
Eden Valley: How many houses are being built in Eden Gate?
10,000
Eden Valley: What storm caused flooding in the Eden Valley?
Storm Desmond, 2015
Eden Valley: How many properties flooded in Carlisle due to the 2015 storm?
2,000
Eden Valley: How much rain fell in 48 hours at the start of the storm?
260mm