UK Environmental Challenges

How do Air Masses impact UK weather

the uk is underneath where air masses meet. Polar maritime, polar continental, tropical maritime, tropical continetal.

How does the North Atlantic drift impact uk weather

it is an ocean current that begins in the gulf of mexico. it raises the UK temperature by around 5 degrees eery year, and the water also brings moisture and rainfal to the UK

how does continetality impact UK weather

the sea takes longer to heat up and cool down than land does, as it has a much higher thermal capacity. temperatures on land close to the sea are moderated by the sea.

extreme wind weather events

a.     The Beast from the East (2018), brought cold and wintery conditions as a result of easterly winds. Thousands of schools were closed, 10 people died. Rural areas experienced lows of up to -12c. Gale force winds 116mph, led to damage of properties. Worst effects in North Scotland.

extreme temperature weather events

     Heatwave (2022), highest ever UK temperature recorded at 40.3 degrees. Spiked NHS calls, fatalities due to open water swimming, train tracks melted. CUBG.

human and physical causes of somerset levels flooding

Somerset Levels are mainly below sea level, making it vulnerable to flooding. The River Tone and the Rive Parrett had not been dredged properly in 20 years. The tidal range is the second highest in the world. In early 2014 Somerset received 250% of its usual winter rainfall. Farming practices have become more intensive which means land is less able to retain water.

effects of the somerset levels flooding

81 road closures. Tourism industry lost 200 million. 900 litres of fuel were stolen. Fluctuations in wildlife numbers. Lack of trust in government. Loss of livelihoods. Insurance prices went up fivefold after flooding.

management of the flood

FLAG formed to help support people, a list of 10 trigger points are going to allow additional pumps to be switched on to remove water from a given area. Royal Marines deployed to help villagers cut off by floodwater. £100m tidal barrier across River Parrett by 2027.

mechanisation of farming

the increase in chemical fertilisers can cause chemicals to wash into the water. Soil becomes overworked and can lead to soil degradation. Hedgerows have been destroyed to allow for larger fields, but this has effected a lot of wildlife.

commercial fishing

sea bed has become damaged from bottom trawling, as it is constantly trawled so has no time to recover. Animals become bycatch which impacts ecosystems. North sea cod have been overfished. Aquaculture produces a lot of co2.

reservoirs and water transfer schemes

  in the UK, the higher population densities are where there is little water, so water must be transported. Creating dams has lead to habitat loss and the death of the water voles. Also, many homes had to be destroyed.

wind farms

offshore wind farms are decreasing, which is good except that wind turbines are not always reliable as they only turn when it is very windy.

fracking

fracking can increase methane emissions from boreholes and it produces toxic water which could leak into water supplies.

local sustainable management energy

Perse School Cambridge. 49 Solar Pannels. Pay off initial cost in 10 years, and then make a profit. Round source heat pumps, no carbon emissions, cost effective. However only 10% of energy comes from this strategy. Bus routes, reduce total emission, saving 1898km of journey a day, however only 5% of pupils impacted.

national management of energy

ban sale of all non-electric vehicles from 2035, these cars make up 50% of emissions, however removing them may make it inaccessible for people who cannot charge cars anywhere. Increase off-shore wind power up to 40GW by 2030, this is sustainable energy and the UL has the greatest wind energy potential in Europe, however even though this is true, wind farms often produce scepticism as they are unable to produce energy when the wind doesn’t blow.

economic factors

Wind farms are the cheapest form of renewable energy. Some renewable energy sources are very expensive. There are still few economically viable alternatives to gas heating.

political factors

Russia-Ukraine war and Brexit have forced the UK to make decisions surrounding future energy supply. Russia was a major oil source. The decision the leave the EU allows the government to freely make these decisions.

environmental factors

Fracking can lead to earthquakes. NIMBYISM particularly surrounding wind energy. Worries about birds flying into turbines. UK is worlds windiest country per square kilometre.