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Case study Revision Booklet for Physical Geography Unit: You MUST know all of the following case studies for the examination in DETAIL.
Ice on the Land Tectonics Coasts
Retreat of a glacier: Mer De Glace
- Causes of the retreat.
- Evidence of the retreat.
Case Study for range of Fold Mountains: Alps
-The ways in which they are used – tourism/farming/HEP/
mining.
- How well people adapt to limited communication, steep re-
lief, and poor soils.
Coastal Flooding: Bangladesh / UK
Alpine Area used for winter sports and glacial sight see-
ing: Chamonix
- Winter attractions in the area.
- Social, economic and environmental impacts of tourism.
- Management strategies in the area.
- Success of these strategies.
A case study of a volcano: Mount St Helens
Primary and secondary effects.
Positive and negative impacts. Immediate and long
term responses.
Monitoring and predicting eruptions
Coastal Erosion and cliff collapse: Holderness Coast
LEDC Earthquake – Haiti, 2010
Specific causes
Primary / secondary effects
Immediate and long term responses.
The need to predict/protect and prepare.
Coastal Management: Holderness, East Yorkshire
MEDC Earthquake – Tohoku, 2011
Specific causes
Primary / secondary effects
Immediate and long term responses.
The need to predict/protect and prepare.
Coastal Habitat: Studland Bay
Case Study of Tsunamis: 2011 Japan
Cause/ effects / responses
Case study for retreat of a glacier since the mid-nineteenth century: Mer De Glace
Location of the Mer De Glace (3)
Located in the French Alps close to the Italian
border.
It is on the north side of Mont Blanc.
It extends along the Chamonix valley.
What is the little ice age?
1550 – 1850
Period of cooler global temperatures.
Reduction of approximately 5 degrees Celsius.
What is the history of the Mer De Glace
1550 – 1850
Little Ice Age
Cooler global climate.
Glacier extends to the village of
Chamonix.
Length -13KM
Depth -550 m in Mid-section
1850 -1940
Natural increase in global temper-
ature.
Glacier retreats as ablation is
greater than accumulation causing a
negative balance.
1940 - 1970
1970 - 1980
1980 - Present
An increase in greenhouse gases
causes global warming. An increase
in global temperatures accelerates
the retreat of the glacier e.g. 1996
– 2005 loss of 370 m.
Cooler period causing a slowing of
the retreat of the Mer de Glace.
Accumulation begins to increase.
Cooler period caused a temporary
150m advance of the glacier as accu-
mulation begins to increase due to
less melting and more precipitation
falling as snow. This causes a positive
annual balance.
Causes of the retreat of the Mer De Glace.
A natural increase in temperature as the LIA ends in 1850, and temperatures further increase
from 1980’s due to global warming.
Changes in climate alter the balance of a glacier by changing the temperature and precipitation.
Increased temperatures reduce the accumulation (inputs) of the glacier as warmer winters mean
less precipitation falls as snow and a warmer climate means a greater melting period increasing
the ablation (outputs) due to melt water and calving.
Greater ablation than accumulation = negative annual balance (retreat)
Evidence of the retreat of the Mer De Glace .
Glacier has been painted and photographed and mapped over the last 150 years from Chamonix –
a popular tourist resort showing it retreating.
Ridges of terminal moraine left by the glacier shows the retreat.
Terminal moraine has acted like a natural dam and has created 2 glacial lakes from the increased
melt water from the glacier from 2004.
The entrance to the tunnels under the glacier are constantly altered due to the retreat.
The major tributary of the glacier has little input.
There is a noticeable drop in the height of the ice since the 1980’s.
Example Exam Question: Describe the retreat of a glacier which you have studied.
Chamonix, French Alps: a case study for tourism in an Alpine area used for winter sports and glacial sight seeing.
Background of Chamonix (3)
South of the French Alps.
Lured tourists since 1750’s
Winter season is between December
and May
Winter numbers grow to 60,000
Winter Attractions of Chamonix
(Link to scenery)
- Steep glaciated valley provides
good Intermediate (blue) and expert
(black) ski runs around the town.
- No runs directly into town but
there is good access to 354 runs via
49 ski lifts/cable cars.
- Access to the Mer De Glace via the
“little red train” in central Chamonix.
Access to the tunnels underneath
the glacier.
-The Aiguille de Midi cable car- takes
passengers up towards Mont Blanc.
Top observation tower, see summit.
- Large variety of accommodation.
- Good range of shopping facilities,
including a range of food and drink
outlets.
Management Strategies and Success.
1.Tomorrows Valley
- Bury services such as electricity cables SO
reduces visual pollution connected to resort.
- Limit the number of ski resorts in Chamonix
SO it does not exceed the carrying capacity and
put too much pressure on services/create ten-
sion between tourists and locals.
- Planting Trees scheme SO the effects of de-
forestation are reduced and there is less chance
of avalanche.
2. Sustainable Building Methods
- Use local materials – local stone and timber in
construction SO visual pollution is reduced as
the resort will blend more into the local environ-
ment.
- Hotels in Chamonix must include energy saving
techniques e.g. energy saving bulbs/solar panels
SO reduce CO2 emissions in the valley.
3. Transport
- Free buses to all visitors staying in the resort
via a pass SO encourages use of public transport
instead of cars, reducing Carbon emissions.
- All buses are fixed with carbon filters SO
they give out less CO2 reducing the amount of
pollution.
Impacts of tourism on the Chamonix area.
Social Environmental Economic
Rise in population of
the village to just
under 10,000 in 2010,
putting pressure on
services.
Expansion of ski re-
sorts has affected wa-
ter levels of lakes and
streams as demand
grew beyond capacity.
Chamonix is depend-
ant upon tourism for
a source of income.
Foreign investment
is crucial.
Heavy traffic, espe-
cially with the opening
of the Mont Blanc
tunnel.
Increase in CO2
Deforestation to cre-
ate ski runs and facili-
ties. This increases the
risk of avalanches in
the valley e.g. Montroc
1999
75% of income is
due to skiing
Chamonix is a modern
town – some “Alpine
charm” remains, but
needs of tourism has
begun to erase local
culture and identity.
Damage to mountain
wildlife through de-
struction of habitat,
noise and pollution e.g.
marmot
Low unemployment
(3.7% 2007) mostly
in service industry
Expensive housing as
investors and foreign
buyers seek holiday
homes and rental
properties.
High number of accom-
modation accounts for
half of carbon emis-
sions in the valley.
Investment in public
services and infra-
structure which lo-
cal people can bene-
fit from.
Rural-urban migration
is prevented. No age-
ing population as peo-
ple stay for jobs.
Snow cannons consume
thousands of gallons of
water, which reduces
water levels in feeder
lakes.
Example Exam Question:
Using a case study of an area that is covered by snow and ice,
explain issues resulting from tourism.
Case Study for an MEDC volcano: Mount St
Helens.
Timeline of events:
March 1980: Mount St Helens began to become active, shown by an earthquake which measured 4.0 on the
Richter scale.
March – May: 3 months of seismic activity. The crater began to grow in size due to small explosions of ash.
The bulge on the northern flank began to appear.
Sunday May 18th 1980: The day of the eruption. 8.32 an earthquake which measured 5.2 on the Richter scale
dislodged the cryptodome creating a landslide which released the pressure on the magma underneath.
Primary Effects:
- 57 people died in the erup-
tion.
- Loss of wildlife, including
7000 big game animals.
- Mount St Helens decreased
in size by 400m due to the
initial blast.
- The mountain was stripped
of topsoil and 24 ha of trees
were blown over by the pyro-
clastic flow.
- Spirit Lake was filled in by
ash deposits.
- 1.5 million trees blown.
Secondary Effects:
-27 bridges destroyed by the land-
slide.
- Columbia River reduced from
40ft to 17ft due to ash washed
downstream.
- 150 mile of road and 15 miles of
railway were destroyed.
- The total cost came to approxi-
mately $2 billion.
- 150 houses destroyed.
- Symptoms of depression arose in
the area putting pressure on exist-
ing health services.
- tourism and agriculture suffered
in the following years.
Cascade Mountain Range
-North West of USA
- Washington State.
-Cascade Mountain Range.
-Destructive Plate margin.
- Juan de Fuca Plate meets the North American Plate.
- Causes subductionand the formation of the volcanic Cascade Mountain Range.
Immediate Responses
- Houses were re-built + people were
rehomed.
- Removal of ash ($2million) from major
transport routes.
- Ash removed is placed into old quar-
ries and landfill, and then landscaped
over.
- Columbia River was dredged and re-
stocked with fish.
- Strewn trees are recovered and used
by loggers for timber to rebuild houses
etc.
Long Term Responses
- Encouraged tourism with new visitor centres
e.g. Johnston visitors centre, and a new tour-
ist information centre.
- They continue to actively monitor the volcano
for further action.
- 100 acre monument was set up in the blast
area to protect it for the future.
- 10 million plants were replanted in the blast
area.
- A large part of the area has been left to
grow back naturally.
Positive and Negative Impacts
+ve -ve
Tourism boosted in the
Long term more visitor
centres .
Monitoring methods have
improved e.g. use of satellites rather than people.
Long-term, land more
fertile due to ash
deposits
Logging industry contin-
ued as trees not dam-
aged, just blown over.
Landscape dam-
aged, it will take
years to recover.
Loss of family
and friends,
people require
counselling
Damage to national
and local economy
Case Study for range of Fold
Mountains: The Alps
Location of the Alps:
The Alps is a fold
mountain range that
runs across central
Europe.
Formation of the Alps:
They were formed 30 million years ago
when the African plate collided with the
Eura-
sian
plate
Issues Facing the people there
FARMING
The steep upland areas are used to farm goats, which provide milk, cheese and meat.
Some sunnier terraces, which have been carved into the mountains, have vineyards which produce grapes for wine.
HEP
The narrow valleys are dammed to generate HEP [Hydro-Electric Power] in the Berne area in Switzerland.
Switzerland gets 60% of all its power from HEP in the Alps.
The electricity produced is used locally to power homes and businesses. Its also exported to towns and cities further away.
MINING
Salt, iron ore, gold, silver and copper were mined in the Alps, but the mining has declined dramatically due to cheaper foreign sources.
FORESTRY
Scots pine is planted all over the Alps because its more resilient to the munching goats, which kill native tree saplings. The trees are logged and
sold to make things like furniture.
TOURISM
•100 million tourists visit the Alps each year making tourism a huge part of the economy.
•70% of tourists visit the steep, snow covered mountains in the winter for skiing, snow boarding and ice climbing. In the summer tourists visit for
walking, mountain biking, paragliding and climbing.
•New villages have been built to cater for the increasing number of tourists e.g. Tignes in France.
•Ski runs, ski lifts, cable cars, holiday chalets and restaurants are all over the landscape.
PROBLEMS AND ADAPTA-
TIONS
STEEP RELIEF: Goats are
farmed there because they’re
well adapted to live on steep
mountains.
POOR SOILS: Animals are
grazed in most high areas as the
soil isn’t very good for growing
crops.
LIMITED COMUNICATIONS:
Roads have been built over pass-
es [low points between moun-
tains] e.g. The Brenner pass be-
tween Austria and Italy. It
takes a long time to drive over
passes and they can be blocked
by snow and so tunnels have been
cut through the mountains to
provide fast transport e.g. Mont
Blanc Tunnel
Case Study for an MEDC earthquake: Tohoku, Japan
11th March 2011, 14:46
Magnitude: 9.0
Located 130 KM east of Sendai.
Destructive plate margin: Pacific Plate and Eurasian
Primary Effects:
Up to 15,800 people died, 27,000 people in-
jured and 5960 still missing.
The earthquake caused approximately $200-
300 billion in damages.
Approximately 135,000 buildings were com-
pletely destroyed, including 11 hospitals.
Approximately 1 million buildings affect-
ed in some way.
4 trains were derailed, and 20,000 people
were stranded.
The Tohoku Shinkansen was hit, with an esti-
mated 1,100 sections of the line, varying
from collapsed station roofs to bent
power pylons, needing repairs.
Secondary Effects
Fujimuna dam fractured, and washed away 5
homes killing 12 people.
4.4 million homes without electricity, and phone
lines were down meaning people could not
contact emergency services for assistance.
300,000 people were made homeless.
All Eastern ports were closed but later re-
opened. 10% of Japan’s fishing and export
industry damaged due to a loss of ships and
key infrastructure e.g. Sendai port.
Caused a tsunami wave which devastated entire
towns.
Hospitals were over-run so operations were con-
ducted in corridors.
Example exam question:
Compare the responses of an earthquake in a rich part of
the world to those of a poor part of the world.
Must talk about both immediate and long – term respons-
es.
Immediate Responses
- Japanese government organise 1,350 shelters in schools
for more than 215,000.
- The shelters were poorly equipped, not having enough
food, water and medical supplies.
- A "state of emergency" is declared after the Fukushima
reactor, suffers a cooling system failure. Around 3,000
people are evacuated from a 6.2-mile exclusion zone
- Earthquake warning system alerted people of the tsuna-
mis wave.
- Japan's government launches a massive rescue mission
mobilising thousands of troops, 300 planes and 40 ships
- A team of 59 UK search and rescue specialists and med-
ics flies out. 11 tonnes of bottled water, and medical
equipment.
- Japanese government organise 1,350 shelters in schools
for more than 215,000 stranded people.
Long-term Responses
- Japanese stocks nosedive. The Bank of Japan moves to stabilise markets by injecting £114.4 billion
into the stock markets.
- NGO Architecture for humanity collaborate with locals to rebuild the area. Generate jobs and
business e.g. Hikado Market place.
- Japanese government start the clean up of the nuclear plant and restore the cooling system.
- Save The Children launches an appeal to raise £1 million for Japan's youngsters.
- Government builds temporary prefabs to house people in shelters, including 10,000 in Miyagi and
19,000 in Fukushima.
Case Study of a Tsunamis: Tohoku, 11th March 2011 14:46
-The earthquake happened 130KM East of Sendai, the capital of Miyagi ( the worst hit area).
-The earthquake lifted the sea bed by 5-8 m.
-Wave heights reaching as high as 10 m.
- Destructive plate margin – Pacific plate subducting under the Eurasian plate.
Economic Effects: Effects on money.
- Overall cost of the damage could be between $200 – 300 billion.
- Infrastructure was damaged, including the flooding of Sendai airport, slowing the provision of aid and at a
massive expense.
- Damage to the ports including Sendai port, this had a negative impact on Japan’s import/ export business.
- Companies such as Sony halted manufacturing due to power cuts and boats which had been washed ashore.
This impacted negatively on the local economy.
- Due to the radiation leak at Fukushima, countries such as the US stopped al food imports from Japan,
impacting on the country’s GDP.
- 90% of the fishing industry in Tohoku was gone, as boats and key infrastructure washed ashore.
Social Effects: Effects on people.
Approximately 15,800 people died, and it was estimated that 90% was by drowning.
Whole coastal towns disappeared, over 135,000 buildings completely destroyed including 11 hospitals.
Over 500,000 homeless.
Missing people e.g. 9,500 missing from one town called Minam.
People who lived within 20KM of the Fukushima plant were evacuated out after radiation leaked from the
plant.
Immediate Responses.
Government issued a tsunamis warning 3 minutes after the earth-
quake, allowing people to try to get to tsunamis walls.
91 countries offered aid, including the UK who sent 59 search and
rescue specialists with 11 tonnes of food, water and medical supplies.
Repairs began on the damage to infrastructure – 6 days to fix the
damaged motorway.
Government mobilised the self-defence force to search for survivors.
Long-term Responses:.
The government is improving the tsunamis defences as 40% were too
low to stop the wave.
Japanese stocks nosedive. The Bank of Japan moves to stabilise mar-
kets by injecting £114.4 billion into the stock markets.
NGO Architecture for humanity collaborate with locals to rebuild the
area. Generate jobs and business e.g. Hikado Market place.
Japanese government start the clean-up of the nuclear plant and re-
store the cooling system.
Save The Children launches an appeal to raise £1 million for Japan's
youngsters.
Government builds temporary prefabs to house people in shelters,
including 10,000 in Miyagi and 19,000 in Fukushima.
Physical Effects: Effects on the environment.
Fukushima I and II suffered hydrogen explosions due to a cooling failure causing radiation to leak out.
Radiation affected local food and water sources.
It was advised that people do not drink the local water as there were higher radiation levels which could
harm young children.
23,000 ha of farmland were flooded. Salt left behind could affect the yield for years to come.
PRIMARY EFFECT
•About 220 000 people were killed 300
000 injured.
•The main port was badly damaged,
along with many roads that were
blocked by fallen buildings and smashed
vehicles.
•8 hospitals collapsed and many govern-
ment buildings as well as 100 000 homes
destroyed. 1.3 million Haitians were dis-
placed.
SECONDARY EFFECT
•Over 2 million Haitians were left without food or water. Looting
became a serious problem.
•The destruction of government building made it difficult for the
government to control the situation.
•Damage to the port and roads made it difficult for critical aid
supplies and immediate help to get to the places it was needed.
•Displaced people moved into tents and disease became a huge
problem with outbreaks of Cholera by November 2010. This was
partly due to the dead bodies being left in the collapsed buildings
and streets.
PREPARE AND PROTECT
•Haiti wasn’t prepared for the earthquake be-
cause none had happened in living memory.
•The weak government had very little money.
•The capital Port-au-Prince was overcrowded
home to more than 2.5 million, the homes were
crammed together and poorly built and not
specifically designed to withstand an earth-
quake.
LONG-TERM RESPONSES
•Two years later Haiti was still dependent on over-
seas aid.
•Huge amounts of foreign investment was needed to
rebuild homes [which needed to be earthquake re-
sistant], roads, railways, hospitals and government
buildings.
Foreign governments worried about supplying money
as the government was unorganised.
SPECIFIC CAUSE
An earthquake measuring 7.0 struck close to Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. January 10th 2010
The earthquake occurred at a destructive plate boundary between the Caribbean and North
American Plate.
•Half of Caribbean island of His-
paniola
•Population of 10 million people
•Most live on less than $2 a day
•History of violence, instability
and dictatorship
•Democratic rule restored in
2006
•Economy in ruins and unemploy-
ment is chronic
•Massive deforestation has left
just 2% forest
•Prone to natural disasters e.g.
hurricanes in 2008 left almost
800 dead
Haiti Earthquake—LEDC Example
Holderness Coast—Coastal Management
THE STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN VERY
SUCESSFUL LOCALLY BUT HAVE
CAUSED PROBLEMS ELSEWHERE
•Groynes protect local areas but cause
narrow beaches to form further down
the Holderness coast which increases
erosion at these points e.g. Cowden Farm
to the south of Mapleton is now at risk
of falling into the sea.
•The material produced from erosion of
the Holderness coastline normally is
transported south into the Humber Es-
tuary and down the Lincolnshire coast.
Reducing the amount of material that is
eroded and transported increases the
chances of flooding in the Humber estu-
ary because there is less material to
slow flood water down.
•Spurn head is at risk of being eroded
away entirely as there is not enough ma-
terial now being added to it.
•Bays are forming between the protect-
ed areas effectively making the protect-
ed areas headlands which are then more
exposed to erosion. Keeping them safe is
becoming more and more expensive.
A case study of an area of recent or threatened cliff collapse, rates of coastal erosion, reasons
why some areas are susceptible to under cutting by the sea and collapse and how people may
worsen the situation and the impact on peoples life's and the environment.
MAIN REASONS FOR EROSION
•The ‘boulder clay’ rock is easily eroded and slumps when wet causing the cliffs to collapse.
•The area has naturally narrow beaches; beaches reduce and slow down waves so having narrow beaches
gives less protection.
•People are worsening the situation building groynes up the coastline which traps beach material there mean-
ing other places further down the coastline are left with less protection.
•Powerful waves travel from the north east all the way from the Arctic Ocean, they have a long fetch. As
they travel they build in power and so batter the coastline by the time they arrive.
AREA DETAILS
•The Holderness coastline is a 61km long stretch of coastline from Flamborough Head [headland] to Spurn
Point [spit].
•Erosion is causing cliff collapse along this stretch of coastline and the waves are washing material away
causing the cliffs to retreat.
•About 1.8m is lost to the sea each year, however at Great Cowden erosion has occurred at 10m per year in
recent years.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
•Some SSSI’s [Sites of Specific Scientific Interest] are threatened e.g. the lagoons near Easington are
part of an SSSI. The lagoons are separated from the sea by a narrow strip of sand and shingle [a bar]. If
this is eroded it will connect the lagoons to the sea and the habitat will be lost.
Holderness Coastal Management 2
BRIDLINGTON
Protected from flooding
by a 4.7km long seawall
as well as wooden
groynes.
HORNSEA
There is a sea wall as well
as rock armour and wooden
groynes that protect the
village from erosion and
flooding.
WITHENSEA
There are groynes to create
a wider beach and a sea wall.
Some rock armour was
placed in front of the sea
wall after it was damaged by
severe storms in 1992.
MAPPLETON
Two rock groynes were built
in 1991. They cost £2 million
and were built to protect
the village and main road
from coastal flooding and
erosion.
SPURN HEAD
Is protected by groynes and
a rock armour. This also pro-
tects the Humber Estuary
behind Spurn Head.
HARD ENGINEERING STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN
USED IN HOLDERNESS
IMPACTS ON PEOPLES LIVES
•Homes near the cliffs are at risk of col-
lapsing into the sea.
•Property prices along the coastline have
fallen for those homes at risk of erosion.
•Accessibility to some settlements along
the coastline has been affected because
roads near the cliff top are at risk of
collapsing into the sea.
•Businesses are at risk from erosion so
people will loose their jobs e.g. the cara-
van park at Ulrome is loosing on average
10 pitches a year.
•The gas terminal at Easington is at risk
[it’s only 25m from the cliff edge]. This
terminal accounts for 25% of Britain’s
gas supply.
•80 000m² of farmland is lost every
year. This has a huge impact on farmers
livelihoods.
Studland Bay
A case study of coastal habitat, its environ-
mental characteristics, resulting habitat, spe-
cies which inhabit it and reasons why. Strate-
gies to ensure the environment is conserved
but also allows sustainable use of the area.
LAND USE CONFLICTS AND THE NEED FOR CONSERVATION
•Lots of people walk across the dunes which damages and erodes them. So the National Trust
have –
1] Put boardwalks down to guide people over the dunes and protects the sand below.
2] Some sand dunes have been fenced off and marram grass has been plated in them to help sta-
bilise and protect them.
3] Information signs have been put up to let visitors know how important the sand dune habitat is
and how they can enjoy the area without damaging it.
•Hundreds of boats use Studland bay and their anchors damage the sea grass where the sea hors-
es breed. Seahorses are protected by law and so boat owners are told how to avoid damaging the
grass.
•The heathland behind the dunes is also a very important habitat and yet this area can easily be
damaged by fires caused by cigarettes e.g in 2008 a fire destroyed 6 aches of land. The National
Trust is educating visitors on the dangers of causing fires and has provided fire beaters to extin-
guish flames.
STUDLAND BAY
•Studland Bay is in Dorset in the south west of
England.
•It’s mostly sheltered from highly erosive waves
but the southern end is being eroded.
•There are sandy beaches around the bay with
sands dunes and heathland behind.
•The heathland is a Site of Specific Scientific Re-
search [SSSR] and a nature reserve.
•Studland Bay is a popular tourist destination.
HABITAT CHARATERISTICS
•Reptiles like adders, grass snakes, sand lizards and slow worms are found here.
•Birds like Dartford warblers [a rare bird], Shelducks and Grebes are found here.
•Fish like seahorses – Studland Bay is the only place in Britain where the spiny
seahorse breeds.
•Plants like marram grass and lyme grass are found on the sand dunes and heather
on the heathland.
ENIVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATIONS
•Marram grass has folded leaves to reduce water loss from tran-
spiration because the dunes are dry and windy which would in-
crease transpiration. It also has long roots to take up water and
stabilise them within the shifting dunes.
•Lyme grass has waxy leaves which reduces transpiration.
•Grebe birds dive underwater to find food and have feet far back
on their bodies to make diving easier.
•Snakes and lizards have scaly skin which reduces water loss in the
very dry climate and also protects them in the rough undergrowth
of the heathland.
Bangladesh flooding, the effects of climate change.
Causes of Coastal Flooding
Storm surges = storm winds push water up and create huge waves. Forming in low pressure
systems. As global temperatures rise, severe cyclone frequency increases. Cyclones can gen-
erate waves and surges up to 7m high. These surges can travel up to 30 miles inland due to
the low topography.
Sea level rise from Global warming, leading to:
ice caps melting
and thermal expansion of ocean water.
Facts about Bangladesh
Bangladesh has approximately a 160 million people population.
An estimated 50 million people live below the poverty line.
Approximately 25% of the country floods every year in the monsoon season.
The average person in Bangladesh lives on £250 pounds a year.
Bangladesh is widely recognized to be a country most affected by global climate change.
Most land is below 12 meters in elevation
How can the effects of coastal flooding be limited in Bangladesh? (Solutions)
Better warning systems.
Grow mangrove swamps into the sea.
Build dams in the upper course of the rivers.
Build coastal sea defences.
Inhabitants have had some form of adaption, in the form of approx. 2100 cyclone
shelters that can house up to 2000 people each.
What are the causes of coastal flooding in Bangladesh?
Cyclones are common in The Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh has very few sea defences as they are expen-
sive
Bangladesh is a low lying country.
Coastal inundation due to sea levels rising.
Three major rivers flow through Bangladesh: Ganges,
Brahmaputra, Maghna.
What are the effects of coastal flooding in Bangladesh?
Crops are destroyed by the floodwaters creating food shortages.
Many people are made homeless by the flood.
The floods cost millions of $ of damage.
Diseases such as Malaria and Cholera develop in the warm damp conditions.
Extreme coastal flooding can cause saline intrusion into aquifers.
Many people drown in the floodwaters.