Friday, 23 April 2010
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Montserrat Volcano LEDC Cast Study
When the volcano in Montserrat erupted it destroyed most south side of the island were most of the people lived. This meant that most of the island had to evacuated.
Secondary Effects
Secondary effects are effects of the volcano after the eruption. One of the secondary effects was loss of homes because pyroclastic flows (fast-flowing currents of hot gas, ash and lava) which move at 100 miles per hour demolishing people’s houses. These flows are so hot they can incinerate any person who is unfortunate to be in the area. There was also lack of food for the inhabitants of Montserrat because of the eruption destroying people's farms & crops. The transport and normal services were disrupted because of the panic throughout the city and people knowing there could be another eruption any time soon. Finally another secondary effect of the eruption was loss of jobs because more & more people were leaving the island which obviously meant tourists wouldn't want to go to Montserrat knowing their lives are at risk.
Short-term responses
These are the immediate action taken during the eruption:
evacuation of airports and homes, emergency announcement, fire and ambulance service to those who could be reached, helicopter search for survivors, emergency food and medical supply and animal evacuation.
Long-term responses
These are the action people took after the eruption:
Rebuild homes and airports, Government fund a programme to take action to develop the north of the island, Health, education and communication investments, Emergency service investment and upgrading the hospitals, Emergency housing, medical supplies.
Friday, 16 April 2010
Kashmir Earthquake LEDC case study
When: 8.40am 8th October 2005
Where: Kashmir
Magnitude: 7.6
Focus: 26km
Epicentre: Muzzafarabad
Lasted: 60 seconds
Why: Collision plate boundary - Indo Australian Plate and Eurasian Plate. The two plates have the same densities and are both continental crust, therefore when they meet there is NO subduction, the two plates buckle upwards to form fold mountains, in this case the Himalayas. Pressure builds up in the crust that is released suddenly, this is the earthquake.
Primary Effects
Buildings collapsed, windows shattered, roads cracked and bridges collapsed.
79 000 people were killed
100 000 injured
3.3 million were made homeless
Massive landslides occurred burying villages and cutting remote areas off completely.
The time of day meant that lots of children had just started their school day, many schools collapsed in the quake killing thousands of school children.
Secondary Effects
Fires broke out as gas pipes cracked.
Diseases such as cholera and typhoid spread quickly from dirty water and dead bodies.
The cold meant people caught pneunomia.
People died as a result of the cold because they only had tents to live in.
Long Term Effects
Rural areas were less badly effected as the crops and animals mainly survived.
Urban areas needed to be rebuilt, this took time and cost a lot of money, many people lost their jobs.
Electricity lines were bought down and this hampered the rebuilding of the cities.
3.3 million people were initially made homeless, 1 million people were still homeless 1 year on from the disaster.
Cost of the damage was estimated to be $5 billion.
Short Term Responses
Local people rescued those trapped.
Indian Red Cross distributed 21,500 blankets, 300 kitchen sets and medical supplies.
The military deployed helicopters.
Peoples' injuries were prioritised using a numbering system, the lower the number, the sooner you got rescued.
The border between Pakistan and India was opened to allow emergency supplies in.
Rapid UK worked alongside Muslim Aid in helping to rescue the trapped.
Military hospitals were opened for civilian casualties,
Long Term Responses
The Red Cross established water supplies in Muzaffarabad.
The Army and Red Crescent (Aid organisation) build makeshift shelters.
Schools are being rebuilt.
Teachers are being trained to counsel the traumatised childtren.
Builiding laws have been tightened on public buildings so that they should withstand future quakes.
Monday, 12 April 2010
Boscastle floods of 2004
The Boscastle floods were an example of flash flooding - an immediate response by a river to a period of intensive heavy rainfall. They occured on August 16th 2004 as a result of heavy rainfall that began at 12.30pm and dropped over 1.400 litres of water in just 2 hours. You can see the imapct the flooding had by looking at the images here and comparing the before and after shots of the bridge in the village centre. The catchment of the river Valency is small, (about 23 squared km) and includes the impermeable highland area of Bodmin moor. Steep sided valleys converge as they run down into Boscastle, creating a funnel effect, directing all the runoff into the main village. The ground was already saturated as a result of a very wet Auguast so the water flowed straight into the river Valency and made the water levels rise over 3m in less than 1 1/2 hours. This rise in water levels created a tide of water which flowed down through the village of Boscastle at speeds of up to 64km hour. Cars were swpt away, buildings destroyed and several peopel had to be rescued by the RAF.
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Kobe Earthquake - MEDC Case Study
This is an excellent case study for an earthquake in an MEDC. There are links to videos that show how bad the quake was and some of the photos show the impact of this natural hazard.
When: 17th January 1995 at 5.46am
What: 7.2 earthquake occurred 20km south west of Kobe. Lasted for 20 seconds. The ground moved 18cm horizontally and 12cm vertically. This video shows footage from the actual earthquake:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJPS4lokxtw
This earthquake occurred at a DESTRUCTIVE PLATE BOUNDARY Three crustal plates meet near to the coast of Japan. Close to Kobe, the denser oceanic Philippines Plate is being subducted beneath the lighter continental Eurasian Plate at a rate of about 10 centimetres per year. The Japanese island arc has been formed from the molten magma released by the melting Philippines Plate. Earthquakes are very common here and happen because of the friction resulting from the two plates colliding along this destructive margin. [In 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake killed 140,000 people in this area.] The great destruction which resulted from the 1995 Kobe Earthquake was due to the shallow depth of the focus which was only about 16 kms. below the surface and the fact that the epicentre occurred close to a very heavily populated area. Seismic shockwaves travelled from Awaji Island (the epicentre) along the Nojima Fault to the cities of Kobe and Osaka.
What were the effects of the earthquake?
SHORT TERM
* 5477 people dead
* 35000 injuries
* 172000 homes collapsed
* 35 schools destroyed
* 3 hospitals destroyed
* 7500 further homes destroyed by the fires that started when the gas pipes fractured.
* Lack of water made fire fighting difficult
* 316000 evacuated from their homes
* shortage of blankets, food and water for the first 24 hours
* transport network devastated - five bridges collapsed, 130km section of Bullet train track destroyed. 1km section of Hanshin Expressway collapsed
* 196 berths at the port of Kobe were destroyed
* 1 million homes without gas, electricity and water.
* 285000 phone lines destroyed
LONG TERM
* hundreds of businesses had to close down
* extra jobs created in the construction industries to rebuild the city
* damage was estimated to be 10 billion Yen
* Kobe's population fell by 33,000
Some videos that will help you.......
Southampton: site settlement factors and CBD redevelopment
We know that before the Romans there has been a settlement in Southampton; what factors make it such a good place to build a town:
· Proximity to the New Forest for building materials.
· Abundance of fresh water supply from 2 rivers.
· Abundance of natural food supply in the forest and the sea.
· Moderate to flat relief making building easy.
· Excellent natural port facilities, 2 major rivers and sheltered from the prevailing wind by the Isle of Wight.
· Easy communication links to the mainland of Europe.
Modern Southampton
· During the war Southampton was the location for a number of German targets, including the Spitfire factory. It was therefore bombed heavily.
· In the Post war period until the 1970’s there was rapid period of council house and industrial rebuilding, often with little thought to the layout or the ambience.
· The main industry of the city has always been docks, and much of this also became quite heavily mechanised, meaning high unemployment.
· The city therefore experienced a negative multiplier effect, wherby people had little or no disposable income and therefore shops and services shut down. Also the CBD was relatively unpleasant with unsafe pedestrian access and high crime rates.
· Any shopping that did occur was generally in out of town shopping centres such as Hedge End and Whitely Village.
· During the early 1990’s the City council in order to tackle all the above problems began a process of redevelopment to breathe life back into the city.
· They realised for people to come back to the city, they needed shops and services people would use, as well as jobs for unemployed. They also recognized that much of the city was quite unattractive and needed rebuilding with more careful consideration.
The following video gives us an insight into the 'atmosphere' of a typical UK CBD in the mid 1980's, as well as some of the causes for it's decline:
What have Southampton City Council done to try and redevelop the CBD?
For a redevelopment project to be successful and sustainable (i.e last into the future) the city needs to have a prosperous core. Therefore as well as getting people back into the CBD for shopping and entertainment, there also needs to jobs that will last and opportunities for enterprise. This will then cause a 'positive multiplier effect' as if local people can make money and be successful they will spend their money on local services.
• Unlike a lot of modern regeneration projects Southampton's strategy has had to incorporate much of the light manufacturing and dock facilities that remain within the CBD fringes. With other similar cities (e.g. London, Bristol) the docks have been relocated further downstream to the estuary mouths and the former dock sites gentrified.
• Two of the most notable aspects of the regeneration has been the West Quay shopping centre which opened in 2000 and claims to be the largest town centre shopping mall in Europe. The success of this project was secured by ensuring favourable rates for high profile tenants such as John Lewis and Abercrombie and Fitch. As well as this on the adjacent West Quay retail park IKEA opened a branch in 2009, this has ensured a continual flow of visitors to the area from all over the central south and south west region.
• Redevelopment has also taken place in some of the old dock sites, most notable being the ocean village marina development where penthouse style apartments exist above wine-bar and upmarket eateries. Town Quay has also been redeveloped alongside Ocean Village in a similar manner, and each year plays host to the Southampton International Boat show.
• Former Brownfield industrial sites have been remediated to house leisure and entertainment complexes such as the Quays Swimming and Leisure centre, Leisure World Cinema and St. Mary’s Southampton FC Stadium.
p.s you will get all of this on a hard copy from your geog teacher, cheers Mr.B.
South Wales: Iron and Steel industrial location and industrial decline/ redevelopment
Background:
South Wales has experienced both growth and decline as an industrial area.
During the 19th Century Southern Wales became a vitally important industrial area, for both iron and steel production. The steep valleys, with their fast flowing rivers, provided power and transport. The hills were rich with raw materials, such as coal, iron ore and limestone, and the area was close to the ports of Cardiff and Swansea. In 1860 there were over 30 iron works in the valleys of South Wales. They provided vital employment for the local villages, which became almost solely dependent on the new industries.
NB: This image will be given to you on a case study card by your teacher (Mr B)
The modernisation of the iron and steel Industry
During the next 40 years improvements in the smelting process, meant that the production of iron was replaced by steel manufacture, which was more profitable.The natural resources needed were the same.By the 1990's only two steelworks were left in South Wales, and both of them were on the coast. The coal and iron ore deposits of South Wales have long since run out or become too costly to get at, so both of these raw materials are imported from places such as Africa and South America. The closure of the mines in the Valleys of South Wales caused huge social problems.
The new works were integrated steel works, which imported their raw materials from abroad. These aimed to make the industry more efficient and competitive in a growing world market. Not only is there competition form other countries but also form other materials that are increasingly being used instead of steel. Materials, such as aluminium and plastics.An example of one is the integrated steel works at Port Talbot. Opened in 1954, it is an integrated steelworks, which is one in which all processes of the steel making industry occur under one roof. It has created employment opportunities in the area, and has encouraged further investment and growth.
Locational Advantages of Port Talbot:
· There is a large area of flat land at the coast
· Proximity to the sea for importing and exporting purposes.
· Near by is a large workforce
· access to the entire British market through the excellent motorway links.
Hi-tech Industries and the future of the Valleys:
·Following the closure of the coal mines in the valleys of South Wales, there arose many social problems. The lack of jobs led to the negative multiplier effect; people had no money to spend so the shops and service shut down.
·The Welsh Development Agency was set up in 1976 with the aim of encouraging business to locate in the area.
·The organization worked to secure entrepreneurial growth in Wales by increasing the number of startup businesses and by persuading multinational companies to relocate or open subsidiary facilities in Wales.
·Part of their remit was also to develop infrastructure to tempt industry into the area.
·At the time there was a growth in Hi-tech Manufacturing industry, which could be considered ‘footloose’ in the fact they didn’t need to locate near raw materials but only needed to be near to decent communication links like airports and motorways.
·In order to encourage such industries further down the M4 than where they would have traditionally looked the WDA used cheap land rates, grants for businesses, tax breaks and a large workforce as attractions to multinational businesses.
·Companies such as Sony, Bosch, HP, LG and Toyota have all re-located to South Wales.
·In its 20-year history, the Welsh Development Agency has helped more than 1,000 companies establish operations in Wales.
·Although only 5 percent of the UK population in Wales, it has attracted about 12 percent of the nation's international investment.
TNC example: Lucky Goldstar (LG)
Lucky Goldstar (LG) is a South Korean multinational (MNC), or transnational corporation (TNC). Transnational corporations are companies that have operations in several countries and they dominate the hi-tech industry.
Why locate in Newport South Wales:
·Proximity to the market (good for UK and Europe)
·Low wages costs and a large workforce nearby ready to work
·Excellent communication links: M4 nearby as well as large port (Cardiff) in order to import components and export finished goods
·Subsidies from the WDA OF £180 million ( which works out as about 30 000 per job created)
Impacts of LG Locating in South Wales:
6100 Jobs created for local people directly in the new LG plants and further indirect jobs through links with LG, i.e. suppliers, contractors etc. As well as this the area has become a more attractive place for people to live: disposable income for many households has gone up therefore meaning a positive multiplier effect on the surrounding area as shops and services will flourish.
Hope this helps
Mr B
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a low lying country, (most of the country lies 30m above sea level) created by the rivers Ganges and Bramaputra that have created a delta in their lower courses. As these mighty rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal they deposit silt which has built up to create new flat land. The land is unstable as the rivers constantly change their course as they head towards the sea. This land is also incredibly fertile and allows a population of 120 million people to live in a country the size of the UK. Bangladesh is prone to flooding, about 20% of the country floods each year. This is due in part to snowmelt in the Himalayas which travels through other countries such as India and Nepal before entering Bangladesh, and the monsoon climate that this country is subjected to. As well as this flooding Bangaldesh is hit by cyclones which cause severe flooding and damage to parts of the country. A major flood was caused by cyclones in 1998 when over 2/3 of the country was flooded and 2007 when most of the country and other areas of Asia were flooded, displacing 5 million people, and over 2000 people lost their lives. The flooding was caused by a combination of a cyclone named 03B and snowmelt. The toll from Cyclone Sidr, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane Nov. 15, 2007 casused even more death (3447 people)and destruction (US$ 1.7 million)from flooding and high winds.
Migration: A case study: Mexico to the USA
rural to rural: this is generally small scale and might be the farmers who move from one arear to another, or perhaps someone marrying into another farming family.
rural to urban: this is typical of what happened in the UK as we industrialized 100-200 years ago. People moved from the villages to the major cities due to employment opportunities, this is also typical of any N.I.C (Newly Industrialising Country) now, such as Brasil or China. We call the rapid growth and development of cities in this way Urbanisation
urban to rural: Think MEDC country where people are escaping the city for a cleaner lifestyle. This is typical in the UK where company directors, proffessionals and senior managers who are able to afford to commute or with flexi-time able to work from home. (think Kirsty and Phil Relocation Relocation...I can't believe I just admitted to that...Mr B)
urban to urban: when people move from city to city, again relatively smaller scale, but typical when a business relocates from somewhere like London to another town or city like Oxford or Bristol.
Below is a case study of Migration from Mexico to the USA (This is an example of migration from rural LEDC to an urbanised area of an MEDC):
The reasons people leave a place (Mexico in this case): PUSH factors These might be:
• Poor medical facilities - 1800 per doctor
• Low paid jobs - (GNP = $3750)
• Adult literacy rates 55% - poor education prospects
• Life expectancy 72 yrs
• 40% Unemployed
The things that attract someone to a new place (USA): PULL factors These might be:
• Excellent medical facilities - 400 per doctor
• Well paid jobs - GNP = $24,750)
• Adult literacy rates 99% - good education prospects
• Life expectancy 76 yrs
• Many jobs available for low paid workers such as Mexicans
There are a number of Postive and Negative impacts of the migration on both the Host economy (USA) and the donor economy (Mexico) You should be able to not only describe positives and negatives of the migration, but also to say whether is is an impact on the Host or the Donor economy.
Impacts on the Host economy:
• Illegal migration costs the USA millions of dollars for border patrols and prisons
• Mexicans are seen as a drain on the USA economy
• Migrant workers keep wages low which affects Americans
• They cause problems in cities due cultural and racial issues
• Mexican migrants benefit the US economy by working for low wages
• Mexican culture has enriched the US border states with food, language and music
• The incidents of TB has been increasing greatly due to the increased migration
Impacts on the Donor economy:
• The Mexican countryside has a shortage of economically active people
• Many men emigrate leaving a majority of women who have trouble finding marriage partners
• Young people tend to migrate leaving the old and the very young
• Legal and illegal immigrants together send some $6 billion a year back to Mexico
• Certain villages such as Santa Ines have lost 2/3 of its inhabitants
The video on the blog also outlines some of the reasons why people do the risky border jump, as well as some of the background information. Cheers Mr B