Cambridge IGCSE Geography Revision : Rivers

Cambridge
(andrewsgeographyrevision.blogspot.com)

IGCSE Geography
Revision case study: the opportunities
presented by a river, the hazards associated with it and their
management
•opportunities, hazards and management of Bangladesh (River Ganges)

•opportunities at the River Ganges:

•fertile land - annual deposits of alluvium from flooding
•agriculture of rice and jute
•irrigation when the climate is unsuitable

•water supply
•cleaning, bathing, drinking
•irrigation
•enough for dense population of 1101 per km2

•fish supply
•trade, boosting economy
•food can feed the dense population
•provides lots of jobs for locals

•building
•flat land means high density can be supported

•economy
•fourth largest producer of rice and the largest producer of jute

•causes of flooding in Bangladesh

•human causes of flooding:
•1101 people per km2 means high density, causing some to live on floodplains
•deforestation: building; cooking; farmland; more flooding
•farming creates silts, silting up the river - shallow river means lower capacity
•urbanisation: decreases infiltration, increasing overland flow
•poor live next to the river
•global warming means glacier melting means sea levels rise

•physical causes of flooding:

•lies in the belt of onshore winds from monsoons from the Indian ocean
•May - September 1 metre of rain a day (a major flood every 5 years)
 •tropical cyclones cause torrential rain, high winds and flooding
•1.7 million km2 of drainage basin means large area affected by rainfall flooding
•exacerbated by meltwater from the Himalayas
•very flat land - 50% of the country is less than 12 metres above sea level

•the impacts of river flooding in Bangladesh in 1998

•physical impacts
•670,000 hectares if crops destroyed
•2 million tonnes of rice destroyed

•social impacts
•1000 killed; 30 million refugees; 50 million without resources; damaged hospitals;
•water mixed with sewage, creating cholera
• 2 million tonnes of rice destroyed

•economic impacts
•land washed away; can’t invest in infrastructure; chars (poor housing) washed away
•$1 billion of damage
•400 factories closed; 20% decrease in production
•higher food prices due to major loss

•management of the River Ganges (aided by Oxfam and Practical Action)

•1. Dhaka Flood Protection Project
•embankment along the western side in response to 1998, increasing water capacity
•pump stations and drainage systems in Dhaka to move water back into the river
•problems: $100 million project; expensive to build and maintain

•2. Flood Preparedness Programme

•cluster villages: raised land with houses and facilities for 30 families in each
•food shelters: 2 hectares of raised land with livestock and facilities for 100 families
•rescue boats: located at flood points and new flood shelters
•raised homestead: home raised 2 metres; grass planted to prevent erosion

•radios: flood warnings, given to the ‘preparedness committee’

Posted by Andrew at 10:43 18 comments:
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Labels: Rivers

explain what can be done to manage the impacts of river

flooding
•management of floods
•hard (man-made)
•dam / reservoir
•increases capacity to hold water
• + provides H.E.P, - ugly and expensive

•channel straightening
 •increases capacity to hold water; water moves faster
• + water moves faster, - coastal issues; greater downstream floods

•flood embankments
•increases capacity of water
• + can be used as footpaths, - spoil views; traps water

•soft (using nature)

•afforestation
•reduces water through absorption and interception
• + no soil erosion, - limits recreation activities

•controlled flooding
•protects people and property because it changes a river’s course
• + cost-effective; little preparation, - damages land; large land needed

•flood warning
•protects people as it gives time for evacuation
• + cheap to run; fast and effective, - accuracy? ; damaged property etc.

Posted by Andrew at 10:38 No comments:

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demonstrate an understanding that rivers present hazards and

offer opportunities for people
•rivers present both hazards and opportunities for people

•the causes of river hazards

•flooding: •heavy rain - needed to cause most floods, increasing likelihood
•snow melting - rapid increase in water levels
•steep slopes - gathers water into one area
•ploughing (in straight lines) - surface runoff is faster
•impermeable rock - the land is left to surface runoff and more absorption
•urbanisation - fast drainage means more water quicker in an area
•deforestation - no water intercepted or absorbed by plants
•hot, dry wether - impermeable soil

•the hazards of rivers

•flooding
•economic: •cost of cleaning; damaged buildings; loss of stock; cost of insurance
•social: •use of services; cleaning; unemployment; death; lack of transportation
•environmental: •ruined habitats; destroys trees; ruins farmland; disease; littering

•short term: •road covered; evacuation; minor injury

•long term: •property damage; death; major stock damage; costs; disease

•river erosion
•vertical erosion of v shaped valleys can destabilise the valley sides, causing
landslides
•lateral erosion and meander migration can undercut river banks and threaten
development

•LEDC: •more deaths due to poor healthcare; few doctors; basic warnings and
preparation; cheap homes; poor infrastructure and services
 •MEDC: •greater economic input; expensive, good property; more valuables lost;
insurance coverage; better services, infrastructure and healthcare, better defences

•the opportunities of living on a floodplain, delta or near a river

•transport: they are large routes, providing communication
•food: are sources of food with fish, growing crops and fertile soil
•water: provide fresh water
•land: they provide large opportunities for construction of houses or industry
•tourism: fishing, kayaking and perhaps other activities
•irrigation: provides pipe water, pumping gas to farms

•power: force means HEP powered by dams

Posted by Andrew at 09:19 1 comment:

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describe and explain the formation of the landforms associated

with these processes
•the forms of river valleys as a long profile and a cross profile
•the long profile is from the side-on view and the cross profile is from head on

•the shape of the valley

•upper section: •a narrow v shaped valley; a narrow channel; the river will fill the floor
•will be full of large boulders; turbulent waters
•rough channel; flowing slowly; dominated by vertical erosion
•traction and saltation
•hydraulic action, attrition and abrasion

•middle section: •channel is deeper and wider; broken ‘u’ shape

•lots of deposits; lateral erosion; smaller load
•discharge increase; velocity increase
•suspension

•lower section: •very wide valley and larger channel; often floodplain
•full of smaller rocks; sand sized; smoother channel

•faster flowing river; lateral erosion

•the formation of waterfalls

•1. a layer of more resistant rock is exposed across the bed of a river channel
•2. differential erosion occurs, the more resistant rock is undercut by softer rock underneath
•3. the harder rock collapses into it’s plunge pool due to the abrasion and hydraulic action
•the process is repeated
•4. the repeat results the waterfall retreating back up it’s valley, it leaves a narrow, steep sided
valley below the waterfall called a gorge
•this results in the waterfall becoming smaller leaving a steeping section which
just produces rapids
•the formation of potholes
•1. a weakness or crack or fault line is exposed
•2. differential erosion takes place, as abrasion and hydraulic action erodes the fault
•3. this produces a pothole
•4. the potholes enlarge until they begin to merge with one another
•5. eventually, the whole river bed is lowered due to vertical erosion of abrasion and action

•the formation of meanders

•the bends on rivers are called meanders
•they are formed by erosion on the outer bend and deposition on the inner bend as water
flows fastest on the outside due to less friction and more depth
•the river cliff is repeatedly undercut by erosion and collapses and has large
sediment size whilst the slip off slope is shallower with smaller sediment size and alluvium

•the formation of oxbow lakes

•1. the meander will develop and enlarge as the outside bank erodes
•2. the neck becomes narrower and eventually breaks, usually from floods due to energy
•3. the oxbow lake becomes slower, increasing deposition and the meander is cut off
during high flow
•4. the oxbow lake is sealed off by deposition on both sides of the channel and the oxbow lake
evaporates, leaving behind a scar

•the formation of deltas

•when a river enters a large body of water, the remaining load will be deposited at it’s
mouth and if there are no tidal currents to the beach, the deposits will form deltas on low flat land
•the deposition of small sediment causes the fine clay to stick together and gain
weight, dropping to the sea bed
•the heavier bedlam material drops first, producing fore-set beds and the
lighter suspended material is carrie further away from the coast, forming bottom-set beds

•on top of the delta the channel may split into several distributaries
•it’s bed fills with alluvium and partly blocks the channel so that the water flows around the
blockage, spreading across the delta
•the growth of vegetation on the delta will help trap more sediment an raise
the delta above sea level
•since it leads to a sea or a lake, the delta has a reduced velocity

the formation of levees

•levees are formed when a river floods because as the water overflows the channel, it slows
 down therefore more of the load, and a coarser part is deposited close to the channel,
making the banks higher
•during normal flows, the river deposits on the bed, making it higher than the plain

•the formation of floodplains

•the meander erodes sideways as it travels downstream
•when the river overflows, it deposits alluvium
•the build up of this flooding creates the floor of the floodplain

demonstrate an understanding of the work of a river in

eroding, transporting and depositing
•the hydrological processes (erosion, transportation deposition) operate within rivers and
drainage basins

•erosion:
•hydraulic action: force of wave hits the rock; the air is trapped by a wave in a crack and cracks
it further due to hydraulic pressure

•abrasion: where rocks are picked by waves and thrown against the cliff

•solution: where the rock is put into solution by weak acids

•attrition: materials in the wave smash each other, becoming smaller and rounder

•transportation:
•traction: where larger, heavier material that makes up the river’s bedlam is rolled along

•saltation: where the lighter material that makes up the river bedlam is bounced along the river
bed

•suspension: where lighter material that makes up the river’s suspended load is carried by the
river

•solution: where dissolved material that makes up the river’s solute load in solution

•deposition:
•when river lose energy, it starts to drop it’s bed-load anywhere
•the heaviest material will be deposited first etc.

•deposition occurs: •a decrease in gradient and smoothness

•a decrease in river flow as water drains away after lots of precipitation
•the river meets a large body of water
•the river flowing more slowly on inside bends
explain the main hydrological characteristics and processes
which operate within rivers and drainage basins
•all the landforms are found within a drainage basin

•tributary rivers
•when two tributaries join together, they form a confluence
•the area of land drained by a river is called it’s drainage basin
•the line that divides one river basin from another is called the watershed
•as more tributaries join the main river channel, the discharge will increase

•there are also many processes which occur in a drainage basin

•evaporation: when liquid changes to a gas
•overland flow: the movement of water across a land’s surface, not in rivers
•through flow: the horizontal movement of water through soil
•groundwater flow: the slow horizontal movement of water through underground
permeable rocks
•interception: precipitation that is temporarily stored on the surfaces of plant leaves.. etc.
•infiltration: the downward movement of water into soil