Geography Case Studies Flashcards
Holderness Coast.
Introduction.
Holderness Coast is in East Yorkshire on the coastline and the significance of it being there is that it is susceptible to erosion due to the soft boulder clay. It is also exposed to strong waves from the North Sea.
How does Coastal Erosion work at Holderness Coast?
It works because a combination of strong waves and rock type ensure that the coast erodes very quickly.
How do Mass Movement and Transport work at Holderness Coast?
Mass Movement works because clay often falls from the cliffs after a period of rainfall. Transport works because strong waves move the eroded material away.
What are the human processes that are at work at Holderness coast?
Hard Engineering occurs on parts of the coast.
River Dee
The River Dee is located in Ddualit in Snowdonia in North Wales. Ddualit is an upland area. Annual Rainfall is very high in this area. The Dee flows in a south-easterly direction and erodes the heavily glaciated upland landscape. It is formed of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Near Chester, the river meanders across a wide floodplain. This erodes the sedimentary rocks and deposits sediment.
What are the human factors that are causing change at the River Dee?
Channelisation, Building of reservoirs and building of embankments.
California,
Introduction
In January 2014, California experienced a drought and a state of emergency had to be declared. It was the third drought that California had experienced.
What were the causes of this drought?
Lowe than normal rainfall, snowfall and dependence on the over-used Colorado River had caused this to happen.
What were the main hazards?
Subsidence, Contamination and Wildfires.
What were some of the impacts?
Central Valley was the worst affected area, Water was diverted so wetlands got less, It costs California 2.7billion a year, Increased extraction from aquifers, 542,000 acres was taken out and warm weather lead to Wildfires.
Ethiopia,
Introduction,
IN 2015, Ethiopia suffered its worst drought in 30 years. They have suffered multiple droughts since the 1980s.
What were some of the hazards?
Reduction in crop yields, longer and more tiring journeys to find water and migration to elsewhere.
What were the impacts?
Death of livestock caused a food crisis, loss of crops means maize prices rocket, people eat less, girls have to walk to get water, homes are unprotected, loss of habitats for fish and wildlife, increase in disease for wild animals, migration of wildlife, loos of 20,000 hectares of forest due to forest fires, extinction of some species and wind erosion of soil.
Hurricane Sandy,
Introduction,
Hurricane Sandy travelled across the Caribbean sea affecting Cuba, Jamaica and Haiti before moving to reach America. It reached New Jersey on 29th October 2012 and speeds of 129 km/h were recorded by the time it reached land. The storm surges caused most of the damage.
What were the impacts?
Social: 150 people died, many areas were left without electricity, homes were damaged and schools were closed for days.
Economic: 65 billion worth of property damage, the Government had to pay for petrol and income from tourism affected.
Environmental: Storm Surges caused most of the damage and raw sewage leaked into the waters around New York and New Jersey.
