Context 82.7km long Source in the hills of Exmoor Runs south to coast of Devon Physical Upper Catchment is 60km² Highest Elevation is 514m on Exmoor Lowest Elevation is 26m Total descent in upper catchment is 488m Geology 84.4% underlain by impermeable rock (quick run-off and through flow) Land Use Agricultral grassland (67%) Woodland (15%) Moors and peat bogs (3%) -> high store for water … Continue reading Case Study: River Exe
Climate Change is a major issue in 21st century geography. The Earth’s climate is changing, with recent decades having a pattern of accelerated warming of average global temperatures. Natural Impacts Human Impacts – Change in solar activity – Meteorites – Volcanic Activity – Plate Movement – Variations in Earth’s tilt (affects amount of solar radiation reaching the surface) – Changes in oceanic circulation – Changes … Continue reading Climate Change Impacts
Why do people put themselves at risk? Hazards events are unpredictable It is hard or impossible to predict factors about the hazards Lack of alternatives Due to social, political, economic and cultural factors people cannot always have the capabilities to move Changing levels of risk Areas can have their area change risk. For example, deforestation can result in more flooding. Cost/Benefit Some hazardous areas that … Continue reading Risk, Vulnerability, Management and Response
Context 17 January 1995 Magnitude 6.8 Cost: $100 billion (2.5% of Japans GDP) 6000 killed 35000 injured Nearly 250,000 made homeless Only 3% of city buildings insured Risk and Vulnerability Kobe had not experienced a serious earthquake in the last 400 years The Japanese felt they had reacted well to the disaster. There were many traditional houses in the city which had heavy tiles on … Continue reading Case Study: Kobe Earthquake, Japan 1995
Nature and distribution Focus – The point where the stress is released within the crust Epicentre – The point immediately above the focus Shallow Focus (0 – 70km deep): These tend to cause the greatest damage and account and for 75% of earthquake energy released. Imtermediate Focus (70 – 300km deep) Deep Focus (300 – 700km) A large amount of seismic activity occurs along plate … Continue reading Seismic Hazards
Orographical/Relief Rainfall Where the physical landscapes pushes the air up until it condenses to form clouds and precipitates. Prevailing winds from the sea blow towards land The topography of the land means the air is pushed upwards The vapour then condenses due to the cooler temperatures and forms clouds The clouds precipitate. The air on the other side of the hill/peaked land is dry and … Continue reading Types Of Rainfall
Context One of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. Originated from an area of low pressure in the Federated States of Micronesia (western Pacific Ocean) on 2nd November. Tracking westward it gradually developed into a tropical storm by 4th November By 6th November it was assessed as Category 5 with wind speeds over 250 km/hr. Struck land on 7th November, wind speeds reaching 315km/hr Tacloban … Continue reading Case Study: Typhoon Haiyan
Wildfires are natural processes and can be a necessary and even beneficial process in some cases. They can be major events and result in widespread destruction. The nature of the fire will depend upon several factors: Type of plants Strength of winds Topography of the area Behaviour of the fire Humidity Causes of wildfires and their spread Natural Lightning – The most common cause of … Continue reading Wild Fires
Context The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rainforest and covers 40% of the South America landmass. 5.5million km2 300 billion trees Hot, wet climate and the vegetation is very dense Water Cycle The Amazon is very wet due to the high amount of evaporation that occurs over the Atlantic Ocean and then gets blown towards the Amazon Average rainfall is approximately 2,300 mm annually. … Continue reading Case Study: The Amazon Rainforest
Key Terms Condensation – The process by which water vapour changes to liquid water. Drainage Basin – Area of land drained by a river and its tributaries. Water Balance – The balance between inputs (precipitation) and outputs (run-off evapotranspiration, soil and groundwater storage) in a drainage basin. River Regime – Changes in river’s discharge throughout the year Inputs Precipitation – Rain Flows Groundwater flow = The … Continue reading Drainage Basin Systems
Jack Williams Geography 