Geography AS Level Case Studies Rivers, Floods and Management Unit

Case Study How a river changes its course River flooding in LEDC

Example Rive Ouse, Yorkshire Brahmaputra, Bangladesh, 2007

Facts

River Flooding in MEDC

Boscastle, August 2004.

Flood management in different areas of the world

Colorado, USA Brahmaputra, Bangladesh

75% of Bangladesh is less than 10m above sea level and 80% is flood plain On August 1, there was flooding on the Padma and Brahmaputra rivers 500,000 people had been marooned more than 150,000 people had diarrhoea or other waterborne diseases more than 400,000 people were in temporary shelters Five million people were displaced The estimated death toll was nearly 2,500 August 16th 2004, the monthly average of rain fell in just 12 hours. Steep sided valley with only one narrow river for water to run into the sea. No fatalities 100 homes and 75 were destroyed Local tourist industry affected for the following year as well. Colorado: Approx 1,500km 16 dams Over 45% of water is used for irrigation in the USA Significantly lower discharge in Mexico, cause for tension Fish species dying due to saltation of lake reservoirs. Brahmaputra: Approx 2,900km 1 dam built by the Chinese to supply southern china with water for irrigation Limited embankment strengthening projects due to the river tendency to flood, which helps the rice famers, keep their rice paddies fertile, which therefore make such schemes unpopular.

Coastal Environments Case Study Coastal erosion Example Holderness Facts The highest rate of coastal erosion in Europe: 1.5 m a year on average or 2 million tonnes of material a year. Some of this is transported by longshore drift with about 3% of material being deposited at Spurn Head spit, to the south. Since the Roman era, including at least 23 towns/villages, have been lost. There have been three areas of life in Holderness that have been affected by erosion. Agriculture is the traditional employment of the area and as more coastal land is lost people are turning to agriculture as a stable alternative. In 2010 agriculture employed 8.5% of the working population Industrial activity the main employer in the area is the Easington and Dimlington gas terminals on the east coast (costing 8 million each). These terminals process gas from the North Sea gas fields. The British Petroleum chemical works at Saltend uses condensates from the gas refining process and is a major employer in the area. A 14 million sea wall defence system was built to protect these areas from coastal erosion. Tourism makes a significant contribution to the economy of Hornsea, Withernsea and Freeport attracting around a million visitors each year. However as seaside campsites have started to fall into the sea as a result of erosion, the number of tourists year on year fall, due to lack of accommodation.

Coastal flooding in an MEDC and an LEDC

Bangladesh 1953 Storm surge

Bangladesh: Floods due to storm surges in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, which are generated by tropical cyclone, cause extensive damage to life and property. These cyclones are predominant during the post-monsoon (October and November) and pre-monsoon (April to June) period.

In 1998 10,000 deaths 30 million people homeless Causes: Increasing population pressure in Bangladesh itself has resulted in the sinking of many new wells resulting in the lowering of the water table and the subsequent subsidence of land making it even more prone to flooding; Bangladesh is an LEDC and its lack of money and heavy national debt means that little money is available to spend on flood protection methods / defences and many existing defences lack upkeep and are of questionable use. 1953 Storm surge: Hard engineering Holderness Over 1,600 km of coastline was damaged, and sea walls were breached, inundating 1,000 km. Flooding forced 30,000 people to be evacuated from their homes, and 24,000 properties were seriously damaged. 38 died at Felixstowe in Suffolk when wooden prefabricated homes in the West End area of the town were flooded. In Essex, Canvey Island was inundated with the loss of 58 lives In 1991, the decision was taken to protect Mappleton. A coastal management scheme costing 2 million was introduced involving two types of hard engineering - placing rock armour along the base of the cliff and building two rock groynes. Mappleton and the cliffs are no longer at great risk from erosion. The rock groynes have stopped beach material being moved south from Mappleton along the coast. However, this has increased erosion south of Mappleton. Benefits in one area might have a negative effect on another. The increased threat of sea level rise due to climate change, means that other places will need to consider the sustainability of coastal defence strategies for the future.

Soft engineering Holderness

Soft engineering options are often less expensive than hard engineering options. They are

usually more long-term and sustainable, with less impact on the environment. There are two main types of soft engineering. 1. Beach management o This replaces beach or cliff material that has been removed by erosion or longshore drift. o The main advantage is that beaches are a natural defence against erosion and coastal flooding. Beaches also attract tourists. o It is a relatively inexpensive option but requires constant maintenance to replace the beach material as it is washed away. 2. Managed retreat o Areas of the coast are allowed to erode and flood naturally. Usually this will be areas considered to be of low value - eg places not being used for housing or farmland. o The advantages are that it encourages the development of beaches (a natural defence) and salt marshes (important for the environment) and cost is low. o Managed retreat is a cheap option, but people will need to be compensated for loss of buildings and farmland.

Population Issues: Case Study Example 2 case studies of China managing Singapore population change at different stages of development Facts China (Stage 3): One child Policy The one-child policy refers to the one-child limitation applying to approximately 35.9% of China's population in the population control policy of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It officially restricts married, urban couples to having only one child, while allowing exemptions for several cases, including rural couples, ethnic minorities, and parents without any siblings themselves. After the introduction of the one-child policy, the fertility rate in China fell from over three births per woman in 1980 to approximately 1.8 in 2008 and 1.54 in 2011. The Chinese government estimated that it had three to four hundred million fewer people in 2008 with the one-child policy, than it would have had otherwise. Chinese authorities thus consider the policy as a great success in helping to implement China's current economic growth. The reduction in the fertility rate and thus population growth has reduced the severity of problems that come with overpopulation, like epidemics, slums, overwhelmed social services (such as health, education, law enforcement), and strain on the ecosystem from abuse of fertile land and production of high volumes of waste. Even with the one-child policy in place, China still has one million more births than deaths every five weeks. There has been criticism of the policies heavy-handed tactics to persuade people from not having more than one child, including forced sterilisation and couples having to pay for a second child. Singapore (Stage 4): Population limitation policy The government also added a gradually increasing array of disincentives penalising parents for having more than two children between 2000- 2011.

Population indicators, structures and change for countries at different stages of development (including stages of DTM)

Ethiopia: Stage 1 Canada: Stage 4

Workers in the public sector would not receive maternity leave for their third child or any subsequent children Hospitals were required to charge incrementally higher fees for each additional child. Income tax deductions would only be given for the first two children Large families were penalised in housing assignments. Third or fourth children were given lower priorities in education; Top priority in top-tier primary schools would be given only to children whose parents had been sterilised before the age of forty. The policy has been dubbed a success as the average births per couple have been reduced to just over 2 per family. Population Structure and Demographic Change: Stage 1 e.g. Ethiopia: Because of the high birth rates the bottom age group of the graph is full with a large percentage of living people there while higher up it tapers off. This is due to the high mortality rate from birth upwards and also due to the short life expectancy in these countries.

Population Structure and Demographic Change: Stage 4 e.g. Canada: Stage four would be a convex graph shape because there are about as many deaths as births and more people are reaching middle age as mentioned in stage 3 but here the population is stable.

Heath Issues unit: Case Study Case study of an infectious disease Example HIV/AIDS Facts

Different approaches to healthcare

UK USA

HIV/AIDS is a major public health concern and cause of death in Africa. Although Africa is home to about 14.5% of the world's population, it is estimated to be home to 69% of all people living with HIV and to 72% of all AIDS deaths in 2009. HIV and AIDS affects economic growth by reducing the availability of human capital. They will not only be unable to work, but will also require significant medical care. The forecast is that this will probably cause a collapse of economies and societies in countries with a significant AIDS population. In some heavily infected areas, the epidemic has left behind many orphans cared for by elderly grandparents. The increased mortality in this region will result in a smaller skilled population and labour force. This smaller labour force will be predominantly young people, with reduced knowledge and work experience leading to reduced productivity. An increase in workers time off to look after sick family members or for sick leave will also lower productivity. Increased mortality will also weaken the mechanisms that generate human capital and investment in people, through loss of income and the death of parents The UK has a National Health Service that is based on the principle of free health care for all based on free at the point of service. All childrens and old age pensioners prescriptions and glasses eye tests are free. The health service is payed for by taxpayers as an additional tax on earnings. The USA health is funded by each individual via insurance contributions often as part of their employment contract often with the employer providing a percentage of the premium and the employee having the other percentage deducted from their salary . It should also be noted that most insurance schemes require a payment by the person at the point of service this includes doctor visits , prescriptions , blood tests, and most other health related needs.

The disadvantage to this system is that only those with sufficient money receive the full medical cover and many of the poorest sections of society are left with little or no cover. There are 2 systems in place that cover old age and the poorest sections of society Medicare and Medic-aide, but both require the person to apply for them and coverage mostly only provides the basic cover and little choice in service supplier. There are in addition many charities that provide help to the most needy.