AQA GCSE Geography Case Study Revision Guide

Section A:Natural Hazards

Haiti A tectonic hazard in a LIC

Location & Plate Boundary:

● Date: 12th January 2010

● Time: 16.53 local time (5pm)

● 7 on the Richter Scale

● Conservative plate boundary where the Caribbean and North American plates move past each other. Primary Effects:

13 of the Government’s 15 ministry offices were destroyed 316,000 people killed (220,000 initially)Half of Haiti’s schools collapsed90% of the town's buildings were destroyed.

Secondary Effects:The main road linking Port-au-Prince with Jacmel remained blocked ten days after the earthquake, hampering delivery of aid to Jacmel. The main prison in Port-au-Prince was also destroyed, allowing around 4,000 inmates to escape.Cholera and dysentery due to dirty waterImmediate Responses:

● $100 million in aid given by the USA and $330 million by the European Union

● 115,000 tents and 1,000,000+ tarpaulin shelters provided

● 4.3 million people provided with food rations in the weeks following the earthquake

Long Term Responses:

● Temporary schools created and new teachers trained

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● Support for people without jobs, which equates to nearly 70% of the population, through cash/food-for-work projects

● 200 health representatives from the American Red Cross going to shelters teaching people how to prevent the spread of cholera

ChristchurchA tectonic hazard in a HIC

Location & Plate Boundary:

● New Zealand is located in the Pacific Ocean in the continent of Oceania.

● 6.3 on the Richter Scale.

● 12:51 on 22 February 2011.

● The epicentre was 6 miles South East of Christchurch

● The focus was very shallow at 3.1 miles.

● Conservative plate margin where the Pacific Plate slid past the Australian Plate in the opposite direction. Primary Effects:

Part (size of 20 football fields) of the country’s longest glacier was broken off creating a large iceberg181 people were killed and around 2,000 people were injured50% + of Central City buildings severely damaged including the city’s cathedral which lost its spire

Secondary Effects:Damage to roads through liquefaction made it difficult for people and emergency services to move aroundChristchurch could no longer host Rugby World Cup matches so lost the benefits, e.g. tourism and income, they would bringBusiness were put out of action for long periods causing losses of income and jobs

Immediate Responses:

● Chemical toilets were provided for 30,000 residents

● International aid was provided in the form of money (around $6-7 million) and aid workers

● Cared for the most vulnerable people and ensured people were safe from dangerous buildings

Long Term Responses:

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● Paid $898 million in building claims

● Water and sewerage was restored for all residents by August

● Roads and houses were cleared of silt from liquefaction by August and 80% of roads/50% of footpaths were repaired

Typhoon HaiyanA tropical storm – effects and responses

Location and background:

● Affected the Philippines

● November 2013

● Category 5

● Waves as high as 15m and winds up to 170 mph.

Primary Effects:● 6300 people killed.

● 600,000 people displaced

● Tacloban airport badly damaged

● Buildings and crops damaged by strong winds

Secondary Effects:● 14 million people affected

● 6 million lost their source of income

● Flooding caused landslides and road blockages cutting off aid supplies

● Ferry services and airline flights were disrupted for weeks, slowing down aid.

Immediate Responses:

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● US aircraft carrier George Washington and helicopters assisted with search and rescue and delivering aid.

● Over 1200 evacuation centres were set up.

● UK government sent shelter kits.

● The Philippines Red Cross developed basic food aid e.g. rice and canned food.

Long Term Responses:● The UN countries (UK, Japan) donated financial aid

● Roads, bridges and airports were re-built

● Thousands of homes have been re-built away from areas at risk of flooding

● Oxfam has helped provide more fishing boats to help income.

Section B:Living World

Freshwater Pond EcosystemProducers:Organisms that get their energy from a primary source such as the sun.

● Examples: marsh marigold, algae, reed mace. Consumers:Organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms.

● Examples: pond snail, tadpole, rat tailed maggot. Decomposers:Organisms such as bacteria that break down plant and animal material.

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● Examples: bacteria and fungi. Food Chain:

Food Web:

Nutrient Cycling:The recycling of nutrients between living organisms and the environment. Interrelationships:Climate, soil, animals and vegetation all have impacts on each other. Impacts of Change:There can be humans causes and natural causes of change. Example: agricultural fertilisers can lead to eutrophication. This is where nitrates increase the growth of algae which decreases oxygen supplies and fish can die.

The AmazonCauses of deforestation:

Subsistence and commercial farming:

● Farmers in the Amazon stay on the same land and attempt to farm the land year after year. Nutrients in the soil quickly run out as there is no longer a humus layer to provide nutrients.

● The soil becomes infertile and nothing will grow. 70% of deforestation in the Amazon was caused by commercial farming between 2000 and 2005.

Logging:

● 2-3% of deforestation was caused by logging between 2000 and 2005.

Road Building:

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● The Trans-Amazonian Highway was built in 1972 and is 5,000 km long. This destroyed a massive amount of rainforest. Research has shown that 95% of deforestation occurs within 7km of a road.

Mineral extraction:

● The mining of iron ore, bauxite, gold, oil and other minerals have benefited Brazil, however, it has also devastated large areas of the Amazon Rainforest.

Energy development:

● An unlimited supply of water and ideal river conditions have led to the development of hydro-electric power stations (HEP Stations).

Population growth and Settlement:

● Transmigration from urban to rural areas has been encouraged by the government. This means that more areas have had to be developed as settlements.

The AmazonImpacts of deforestation:

Economic Development:

● Deforestation has brought a lot of wealth to countries that are poor.

● This means that they can become more developed and improve their infrastructure.

Soil Erosion:

● With no trees to hold the soil together, heavy rain falls washes away the soil. As the tree canopy has gone, more water reaches the forest floor and washes away the nutrients in the soil.

● Brazil is losing 55 million tonnes of top soil a year due to soil erosion caused by soy farming.

Contribution to climate change:

● The Amazon stores around 100 billion tonnes of carbon. As trees are cut down, this carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and contributes to global warming.

● When vegetation is burnt to clear forest areas, this produces even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

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The Thar DesertDevelopment opportunities and challenges in a hot

desert:

Opportunities:1. Mineral Extraction- gypsum (making plaster for construction and

cement), Kaolin (whitener for paper).

2. Energy - Coal- there has been a thermal energy plant built at Giral. Wind- Jaisalmer Wind Park was constructed in 2001- India’s largest wind farm.

3. Farming - subsistence farming. Animals graze on grassy areas and fruit trees are grown.

4. Tourism - the Thar Desert has beautiful landscapes and tens of thousands of tourists visit each year from Pakistan. Desert safaris on camels are popular. Local benefit by providing accommodation and acting as guides.

Challenges:1. Extreme temperatures - Temperatures sometimes exceed 50

degrees. This can make it hard to work outside all day (eg farmers). It can also lead to high levels of evaporation which causes water shortages affecting people and animals.

2. Water supply - As the population and industry has grown, demand for water has increased. There are only a few rivers that flow into the Thar, eg River Luni, but this is intermittent and only flows after rainfall.

3. Inaccessibility - Due to the extreme weather, there is a limited road network. The high temperatures cause the tarmac to melt and strong winds often blow sand over the road. Many places are only accessible by camel.

Section C:Physical Landscapes in the UK

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The Purbeck CoastlineDistinctive landforms of erosion and deposition:

● Located on the South Coast of England● Stretches from Lyme Regis in the west to Bournemouth in the east● The Dorset Coast is part of an area of coastline known as the Jurassic

Coast ● 2001 – designated a World Heritage Site in recognition of the variety of

spectacular geological and geomorphological features● Some rocks, especially Portland Stone, very resistant to erosion

(differential)● Weaker sands/ clays e.g. Oxford Clay, easily eroded, can retreat 1

metre+/year

Distinctive Landforms:1) Chesil Beach - stretches 18km, made of pebbles and shingle and Britain’s longest tombolo. Tombolo is spit that connects mainland to an island (the Isle of Portland) by longshore drift. Behind Chesil Beach is shallow lagoon – The Fleet.2) Durdle Door - an excellent example of a sea arch. Erosion by waves has opened up a crack in the outer wall of Portland Stone (limestone) headland, becoming a cave, and rapidly eroded the Purbeck Bed behind, developing into an arch.3) Lulworth Cove - is a cove formed after a gap was eroded in a band of limestone. Behind the Portland Stone is band of softer clay, eroded away to form the cove. The same process is occurring further west along the coastline, at Stair Hole.4) Bays – 2 bays with beaches called Swanage & Studland Bay, both areas of softer sock (sandstone/clay). In between is headland called The Foreland formed of hard rock (chalk). Heathland behind Studland is a haven for many rare birds/ wildlife.5) Old Harry Rocks - eastern end of Jurassic Coast towards Studland Bay, chalk headland of The Foreland has been dramatically eroded at the end into a stack (Old Harry) and a stump (Old Harry’s Wife).

The Holderness CoastlineA coastal management scheme in the UK:

What are the problems of Coastal Erosion at Mappleton?

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▪ Property prices are falling (who would want to buy a house which might fall over the edge of a cliff!!?)

▪ Villages are hard to access now due to roads (the B1242) and train lines collapsing into the sea.

▪ Businesses are at risk of losing business as their premises fall into the sea. For example, Seaside Caravan Park loses 10 pitches per year!

▪ Easington gas terminal is at risk of falling into the sea- its supplies 25% of Britain’s Gas supply.

▪ Many homes and farms are at risk of being lost into the sea. (Withernsea population- 6,000, Hornsea population-8,000)

▪ 80,000 metres squared of farmland is lost every year. This is having a dramatic effect on farmer’s livelihoods.

Attempts at Coastal Management along the Holderness Coast include:

▪ Two rock groynes to trap sand and create a beach to absorb the power of the waves.

▪ Placing rock armour at the base of cliffs to absorb the power of the waves.

▪ At Hornsea there are is a sea wall and groynes ▪ At Withernsea there is a sea wall, groynes and rock armour. ▪ In 1991, 450 metres of coastline was protected at a cost of £2 million. ▪ A sea wall has been built to protect Easington Gas Station at a cost of

£4.5 million. Conflicts Created

▪ Great Cowden Farm under threat of erosion.▪ The operation of lifeboat and coastguard services is under threat at

Spurn Head.▪ Habitats are being destroyed at Spurn Head. ▪ Bays are forming between the protected areas and the protected areas

are becoming headlands and therefore more prone to erosion. ▪ Maintaining the defences is proving expensive and might cause further

conflict in the future.

RiversSevern

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Longest river in UK Two hundred and twenty miles (354 km)‘Severn breaks its neck’ waterfall!Shrewsbury is inside a meander!Estuary at BristolSource in Wales Plynlimon hillsA curious phenomenon associated with the lower reaches of the Severn is the tidal bore,which forms somewhat upstream of the port of Sharpness.

It is frequently asserted that the river's estuary, which empties into the Bristol Channel, has the second largest tidal range in the world—48 feet (15 m). During the highest tides, the rising water is funnelled up the Severn estuary into a wave that travels rapidly upstream against the river current. The largest bores occur in spring, but smaller ones can be seen throughout the year. The bore is accompanied by a rapid rise in water level which continues for about one and a half hours after the bore has passed.

A Flood Management scheme in the UKBoscastle:

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