geog living in the UK

River Tees

137km

893m above sea level at source

begins in Cross Fell in Cumbria Moorland - 2000mm of rainfall

how does climate influence geomorphic processes

• wet and cold climate in upper course means lots of freeze-thaw weathering - this breaks up sharp parts of rock which end up in the river and are used for erosive processes such as abrasion

• high rainfall in mountainous regions (2000mm at source) increases carrying capacity of rivers, results in more downstream erosion and flooding in the lower course, flood deposit materials on the floodplains of the lower course

• high rainfall in upper course causes mass movement as land is saturated and heavy

• summer warmth increases rate of chemical weathering on exposed rocks

how does geology influence geomorphic processes

• more resistant rocks in upper course so therefore steeper sided valleys

• limestone in porous so more infiltration and less surface runoff

• limestone reacts with rainwater - chemical weathering

• different rock hardness at High Force means different rates of erosion

feature - waterfall

• High Force Waterfall - 21m

• Harder Whinstone rock over softer limestone

upper course features along river

v-shaped valleys, interlocking spurs, High Force waterfall and gorge, rapids

middle course features

meanders, ox-bow lakes, meander scars

lower course features

flood plains and levées, estuaries

Reservoirs

Cow Green - upper course

• 9 total along river

• 41 million m3 of water

• stops river flow and therefore transport of material downstream

• sediment builds up in rivers

• prevents fertile alluvium being deposited on the lower course

meander cut off

Stockton - Mandale Loop meander cut off - shortens the river by 4km

• reroutes to a faster and steeper section

• prevents flooding on the wider loop

Tees Barrage

• opened in 1995, cost £50 million

• 70m wide

• stops tidal flow upstream preventing high tides, flooding the lower course of the river

Yarm Flood Defences

• cost £2 million

• for a 1 in 100 year flood event

• earth embankments allow higher discharge in river before flooding and therefore reduce the deposition on the floodplains

• gabions reduce erosive processes along the banks of the river

• concrete walls with flood gates alter the flow

dredging

• SOFT management

• increases bankful capacity of the river

  • means less flooding and less deposition

afforestation

• coniferous forests planted in the upper course

• reduce surface run off

• less surface run off means less eroded material moved into river channels

• tree roots bind the soil so less soil movement

Landform 1 - Stack

Old Harry

• cretaceous chalk stack - found on a headland on a discordant coastline

• chalk is harder than surrounding clays and sands in Studland and Swanage bag so it sticks out - this causes wave refraction which attacks the headland

• as a rock with lots of joints and bedding planes there are places for weathering and erosive processes to exploit, weakening the cliffs

• cliffs were created during a much warmer climate 65m years ago - stormier climate will increase erosion

Landform 2 - Bay

Swanage Bay

• clays and sands - found on a discordant coastline

• softer rock than surrounding geology and therefore erodes at a faster rate

• bay is hence cut further inland and at a lower elevation to surrounding headlands

• as waves are refracted in the bay, they lose energy so the waves are often constructive and it is an environment of deposition

Landform 3 - Arch

Durdle Door

• made of Portland limestone - found on a concordant coastline

• harder rock than surrounding area so has withstood much of the erosions that the rest of the coastline has suffered

• coastline is susceptible to lots of abrasion and hydraulic action

• limestone has lots of joins and bedding planes so weathering

• warming climate means less freeze-thaw weathering but the constant spray from the ocean means there is more wetting and drying

• limestone suffers from carbonation

Landform 4 - beach

Swanage beach

• clay and sands from eroded soft rock - limestone from Durlston Head erosion to the south

• wave refraction of the two headlands created an area of reduced energy leading to deposition of sediment

• sediment is eroded from the two adjacent headlands and deposited in the

  • transportation and LSD move sediment from the southern end of the beach northwards due to a south-western prevailing wind

Landform 5 - tombolo

Chesil beach

• 18 miles long

• sand and shingle from erosion further up the coastline - shape of the coastline allows the lagoon to form behind the tombolo

• prevailing wind determines the direction of LSD

• calmer waters allow deposition across the bend and therefore the formation of the tombolo

Human impact 1

building hotels

• major slip in 2012 meant they implemented drainage pipes to stop a slip plane being created on the impermeable clay

• now hotels and 45 beach huts are supported

Human impact 2

Swanage sea defences

• 18 wooden groynes built in 2005 - limit LSD

• beach replenishment done in 2005 but needs to be redone every 20 years - increases deposition

• concrete sea wall built in 1920 - limits erosion

• protected landscape behind

• groynes are so successful that they are overtopping

• sea defences are expensive

• groynes ‘starve’ areas beyond the protection from sediment so they are more susceptible to erosion

evidence for economic growth in Cambridge

• more than 25 multinational corporations - AstraZeneca

• huge focus on science and biotech sectors

• grown from £10bn to £25bn in last 20 years

• 4% annual increase in employees

influence of Cambridge within it’s region

• most important city in East Anglia

• >40% of workforce have a higher education qualification compared to 20% nationally

• large employers such as university and Addenbrookes

• centre for large events such as the Cambridge Beer Festival

influence within the UK

• Quintessential Britain consumed by international tourists - punting, museums, university

• Cambridge Science Festival

• Top University in the UK

influence within the world

• HQ to AstraZeneca which produces drugs including the Covid-19 Vaccine

• famous scientists such as Isaac Newton and Crick and Watson

influence of migration on the growth and character

• +2% population each year (UK’s highest)

• >25% of the city are immigrants

• drawn to universities, highly specialised jobs, proximity to London

• 25,000 students heavily impact the population pyramid of the city

• covers a much larger area, eats into green belt land particularly in the south - Trumpington

• city can feel more divided - ‘town vs gown’

• city more cultural

• rapid housing developments have led to homogenised buildings which has an impact on the city’s charm

positive consequences of economic growth

• 7% of shops vacant in the city vs 10% nationally

• high average income >£700 per week

• large investments in local area

consequences on inequality

• UK’s most unequal city - 0.46 Gini coefficient

• top 6% of earners take home 20% of income

• huge growth in tertiary and quaternary sectors

• those left behind have lower access to services and green spaces, lower incomes, worse educational attainment

consequences on housing

• 1000 new homes per year

• Trumpington Meadows - green and brown field site - 1200 homes but only 40% ‘affordable’ - very homogenised

• house prices risen by 65% over last 15 years

• avg house price 16x higher than average yearly income - £600,000

• exacerbates inequality, encourages long commutes, lower quality housing, environmental impacts

consequences on traffic

• most congested UK city - historic and narrow roads in the city centre

• +70 mins for a rush hour journey

• 5% of Addenbrookes admissions are air pollution related

• stress for commuters, loss of productivity for businesses

consequences on waste

• Waterbeach Plant

• +5000 tonnes per year so £250,000 extra per year

• better understanding from public of recycling etc.

• highly skilled workforce means lack of workers

• landfills fill up and rubbish builds up at home

Cambridge North Station

• built in 2017

• promotes north of city as a destination for business, job creation

• cost £25m but will have long-term impacts on economy

• will even out inequalities, house prices might rise

• train lines are already too crowded

• solar cells provide 10% of energy needs

Guided bus way

• opened 2011

• £200m and wildly over budget

• 2 deaths from buses - safety concerns

• only runs 7am-7pm

• only 2 routes

• promotes public transport - concrete bad

High parking prices

• £30 for 5 hours in The Grand Arcade

• money charged can be reinvested in the local economy

• might affect businesses

• unfairly affects disabled users and those with young families

• move problem elsewhere?

culture within Cambridge

• dominated by students - 25,000

• liberal city - ¾ voted to remain in the EU

• affluent - high avg house price

ethnicity within Cambridge

• perceived as an international city

• over 85 languages spoken around the Mill Road area

• Arts and ADC theatre put on plays of different cultures

Leisure in Cambridge

• very ‘healthy’ city - rowers, cyclists

• lots of green spaces in the city centre - e.g. 3 tennis courts on Christ’s Piece

• Avg. life expectancy 11 years lower in East Chesterton than Newnham

Consumption in Cambridge

• many of the shops are chains - only big brands can afford to be located here

• online retails plays a big part in consumer habits

How does biomass energy work

waste is collected and burnt to heat water which produces steam which then spins a turbine and generates electricity

alternatively, cow dung is collected in a digester with bacteria which eats the waste and produces methane gas

Biomass mini case study

Drax Power station

• was entirely coal, now 2/3 biomass, 1/3 coal

• produces 6% of the UK energy

• the biomass produces CO2 when burnt but not as much as fossil fuels

• can use natural waste but sometimes forests are cut down

How does wind energy work

the generator in the wind turbine converts the kinetic energy from the spinning turbine into electrical energy

wind energy mini case study

London Array

• was the world’s largest off-shore wind farm when it opened

• produces 630MW annually from 175 turbines

• it is an intermittent energy source

• provides 60 jobs for local workers

• up to 200m tall and makes noise - NIMBYism

how does hydroelectric power work

use the movement of water due to gravity to spin hydraulic turbines which generate electricity, mostly dams that are built on rivers or streams

GPE - KE - EE

hydroelectric power mini case study

Kielder Water

• largest in the UK

• produces 12 MW annually

• environmental affects of area behind dam that has to be flooded

• UK doesn’t have much land suitable for these stations

how does solar energy work

material inside the solar panel (silicon) absorbs energy from the sun to split up the electrons, thus generating electricity

a control device changes the current from direct to alternating

solar energy mini case study

Cleve Hill

• generates 350MW annually

• construction permission has been granted

• intermittent source

• technology is still very expensive and the farms require a lot of space

• silent but NIMBYism over the view

Economic factors affecting the UK future energy supply

• government have pledged to spend 1-2% of their GDP on emission reduction targets

• some forms of renewable energy are very expensive such as biomass and HEP

• very few economically viable alternatives to gas heating

• cost of solar panels has fallen by 2/3 since 2010

political factors affecting UK future energy supply

• Kyoto Protocol - 1997 and Parris Accord - 2015, both looking to decarbonise energy supply

• net 0 by 2050

• ban on sale of electric and hybrid vehicles by 2035

• left the EU so should have more personal freedom over personal targets however still pressure from multi-nationals to use green energy

environmental factors affecting UK future energy supply

• public are more aware now about the environment

• large infrastructures for renewable energy affect the local environment

• concerns over things like birds in wind turbines prevent construction

transport - local strategy

Perse Bus Routes

• 91 students take the bus - only 5% of the school

• cover more SW than NE so not spatially efficient

• reduce cars on the road so CO2 and traffic

heating - local strategy

Ground source heat pumps

• 2 underneath the PAC - underfloor heating is far more efficient than central

• generates 168,000 kWh per year

• will pay back their high initial coast in 10.5 years

energy - local strategy

Solar panels

• 49 located on top of the PAC

• generates 12.5 kWh annually

• most efficient in summer when there are no students here

• will pay back initial cost in 9.4 years

transport - national strategy

Ban on the sale of all electric and hybrid vehicles by 2035

• was 2030 but was pushed back by Rishi Sunak

• transport is the largest contributor to domestic GHG emissions (23%)

• ½ of those come from cars

• government committed to £1.3bn for charging points - but concentrated in urban areas

heating - national strategy

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

• allow £5000 off for cost and installation of biomass heater

• allow £7500 off for cost and installation of an air or ground source heat pump

• altogether around a 30% saving for the homeowner

• only 95m of the 150m budget has been used suggesting not a large uptake of the scheme

• 17% of GHG emissions come from our homes

Electricity - national strategy

increase the offshore wind power by up to 40GW by 2030

• triple the current output

• mostly offshore since we are a densely packed island nation with lots of NIMBYism

• 2022, offshore wind contributed 26.8% to UK energy supply and provided 31,000 jobs

• cost of offshore turbines has already decreased by 50% since 2015

human causes of SLF

• landscape of rivers and wetlands which have been artificially drained and irrigated to allow for productive farming

• Rivers Tone and Parrett had not been dredged properly in 20 years

• Building had developed on the floodplains - most of which was below sea level

Physical causes of SLF

• The Levels span 250 square miles, yet the maximum altitude is only 8m above sea level

• Mid Dec to Mid Feb 2014 there was 200% of the average winter rainfall and 12 major storms

long and short term social impacts of the SLF

Short - paying for the immediate cost of repairs, 165 homes affected, finding immediate accommodation, 81 road closures, 900l of fuel stolen from local pumping station

Long - damage to housing structure, huge emotional devastation, lack in trust of local governments, loss of livelihood e.g. damaged farmland

long and short economic impacts of the SLF

Short - £60m worth of damage, tourism industry lost £200m, 50% of businesses impacted by the flood, flood tourists arrived

Long - loss in housing value by 2/3, insurance prices increased by 5 fold and were set to triple

long and short environmental impacts of the SLF

Short - animals like snakes drowned and animals like owls has nothing to eat

long - fluctuating numbers of wildlife for generations as food chains and local ecosystems were affected

local management strategies of the SLF

• village of Thorney spent £180,000 on embankments to protect 10 houses

• FLAG helped support people emotionally and pressure the government into further action

  • 28 miles of affected road were reopened and repaired

regional management strategies for the SLF

• Somerset Rivers Authority focusing on the maintenance of river channels and flood banks

• two councils raise £1.5m after declaring a ‘major incident’

• list of 10 trigger points made which allow additional pumps to be switched on

• soil conservation for better drainage and less run off

national management strategies for the SLF

• David Cameron says ‘money is no object’ and devises a £100m plan to coordinate a response

• £100m tidal barrage installed across the river Parrett

• Royal Marines deployed to help cut off villagers

• Environment Agency installed 62 pumps which worked 24 hours to remove 1.5m tonnes of water