River Environments - 1.3 (Case Studies)

-

Case Study: The River Tay (UK)

Use of land and river:

  • Delta on the Tay is used as a gold course.
  • Flood plain transformed from farming to settlements; the land is flat but benefits need to be weighed against the risk of flooding.
  • Port still has ships sailing into it.
  • Fertile soil is ideal for arable and mixed farming.
  • Rivers provide a transport route for inaccessible areas
  • Water wheels used to power surrounding industries
  • Water wheels are a tourist attraction
  • Sheep farming
  • Forest of pine trees
  • River Tummel (one of Tay's tributaries) provides water and hydroelectricity

Water Shortages

✩ Area of deficit - Location where rain doesn't fall enough to provide enough water on a permanent basis
✩ Area of surplus - Areas that have more water than needed
✩ Water stress - Occurs when the amount of water available doesn't meet the required amount

How can water demand be met in a more sustainable way?
  • Increase awareness
  • More efficient housing design
  • Taking shot showers instead of baths
  • Recycling water in homes

Variations in Water Quality

Agriculture

  • Liquid from farm silage and slurry from animals enters rivers
  • Fertilizers and pesticides seep into groundwater
  • Deforestation - run-off carries soil and silt into a river

Industry

  • Cooling water for a power station is returned to the river at a higher temperature
  • Spillage like oil can enter rivers
  • Toxic substances like metallic minerals find their way into rivers

Domestic

  • Discharge of untreated sewage - even treated sewage
  • Use of the river for washing clothes and bathing contaminates water
  • Emptying highly chlorinated water from swimming pools into rivers

Case Study: 3 Gorges Dam (China)

Why was it created?

  • To prevent flooding downstream
  • Generated hydroelectric power
  • Provides water to urban areas and to agriculture
  • Improves river transport upstream

Intro Facts

  • Sources from the Himalayas
  • The Yangtze River flows into the East China Sea at Shanghai
  • Floods regularly, unpredictable, prone to severe flooding
  • In the 20th century, over 300,000 people were killed by the river
ProsCons
- Controls flooding downstream
- Provides water to urban areas and agriculture - irrigation
- The hydroelectric power generated will provide 15% of China's electricity
- Thousands of construction jobs were created
- China will be able to bring ocean-going vessels all the way inland
- Will become a tourist attraction
- The electricity generated will help the economic development of cities such as Chongqing		- Several large towns upstream will be flooded, with ancient and historic sites flooded as well
- Over 1.3 million people will have to be relocated
- Much of the land used for farming can barely supported it
- The pressure on the dam from the water could trigger earthquakes
- The human and industrial waste will pollute the river
- Areas downstream will be deprived of fertile sediment
- It will divert money from other developments

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hazardous Environments - 3.1 (Tropical Cyclones, Hurricanes and Typhoons; Earthquakes and Volcanoes)

-
Image
Tropical Cyclones, Hurricanes and Typhoons What is the difference between the three? Cyclones are formed in the Indian Ocean, hurricanes in the Middle Atlantic and typhoons in the Pacific Ocean.  Cause:  Start when high temperatures cause air to rise from the surface of the sea. The rising air causes local thunderstorms, and sometimes these storms come together and create a strong flow of warm, rapidly rising air, creating an area of increasingly low pressure. (Applies to hurricanes + typhoons as well) Ocean water must be 26 degrees celsius and at least 50 metres deep to form a cyclone/hurricane/typhoon. Characteristics Have very low pressure Often 600-900 km across Bring torrential rain, thunder, lightning, and strong winds Can cause widespread damage On average last for 10 days, but can last for up to 4 weeks Have to form on large bodies of water Don't remain where formed. They follow the direction of prevailing winds and ocean cur...
Read more

Nazi Germany

-
Hitler's Early Role in the Nazi Party 1919 - Hitler joined the German Workers' Party (DAP), a right-wing group led by Anton Drexler. 1920 - Hitler became the Party's leading public speaker and propagandist. 1920 - Name changes to National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) 1921 - Hitler is elected Party Chairman and leader of the Nazis. Nazi Ideology Fuhrer The idea that there should be a single leader with complete power rather than a democracy. Autarky The idea that Germany should be economically self-sufficient. A strong Germany The Treaty of Versailles should be destroyed and all German-speaking people united in one country. Germany was in danger Communists and Jews were a 'threat' that needed to be dead. Lebensraum The need for 'living space' for the German nation to expand. Social Darwinism The idea that the Aryan race was superior and Jews were 'subhuman'. Changes to ...
Read more

Weimar Republic

-
Weimar Republic On November 9th, 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm 2 abdicated his throne after people revolted and he refused to make Germany more democratic. The next day, Friedrich Ebert (who was socialist_ became the new leader of the Republic of Germany, and the next day signed an armistice. Strengths of the Weimar Constitution A Bill of rights guaranteed every Germany citizen freedom of speech and religion, and equality under the law. All men and women over the age of 20 could vote. There was an elected president and an elected Reichstag. The Reichstag made the laws and appointed the government. Weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution Proportional Representation Weimar Germans voted for a party, not an MP. Each party was then allocated seats in the Reichstag exactly reflecting the number of people who had voted for it, which meant that there were lots of tiny parties and no one got the majority, Article 48 In an 'emergency', the president didn't need t...
Read more