Regeneration

Projects in Allerdale are a priority to regenerate the region:

Workington Town Centre:
- Re-establish the town as a major shopping destination
- Widen the town's retail catchment area
- Create a development which co-exists with and improves the existing town centre
- Attract quality high-street retailers to the town
- Improve the environment of the town centre
- Act as a catalyst for future economic growth
- Provide opportunities for job creation
- Improve long term prosperity

Derwent Forest
Proposals have been made for the former Royal Navy armament disposal facility at Broughton Moor (the largest brownfield site in the north-west) to be turned into a premier leisure destination.

AIMS:
- Economic Benefits through raising the profile of West Cumbria at regional and national level; attracting inward investment to the area, creating a tourism magnet between the Lake District and the Coast; creating jobs and training opportunities.
- Environmental Benefits through the removal of dereliction, maintenance of habitats and biodiversity, developing sustainable environmental enterprises.
- Community Benefits by ensuring that economic and environmental benefits to West Cumbria impact positively on local communities.

The Synoptic

For the synoptic unit, I am trying to find useful resources about Cumbria and related issues, so watch this space for anything that I may find that might be useful.

Following this link displays a colour copy of the resource booklet, which might be useful especially for the chloropleth maps for instance.

These websites are recommended for further research:

• visitcumbria.com - an extremely comprehensive site but you'd better get reading as there are over 1000 pages!! Much of the information is tourist-orientated, but some links are well worth a look, especially the introduction for general background info.


• westlakesrenaissance.co.uk is particularly useful as the West Lakes Renaissance features in figures 6 and 9. The urban regeneration company is helping the economic revival of Furness and West Cumbria. Over the next 10 years £200 million will be invested into a series of projects, and used to create 5,000 new jobs, encourage substantial private sector investment and open up new opportunities for businesses


• cumbria-investment.co.uk has some really useful information including some key facts on the regions and industries (applicable to figure 2) the workforce and education (applicable to figure 5b) transport and communications.

According to the UK's Hadley Centre and University of East Anglia, 2007 is the seventh warmest year on record, despite the cooling influence of La Nina. So what is La Nina? Take a look...

...also, the Met Office has some good links from their climate change page that are worth a look too.

Savanna Ecosystems

Savannas are extensive tropical grassland areas that cover more than 10 million square kilometres of the Earth. The largest expanses are found in Africa (nearly 4 million square kilometres), South America, and, to a lesser degree, Asia and Australia. The dominant vegetation in savannas is usually grasses, intercalated with shrubs and trees. In some cases, savannas evolve into other ecosystems.

Tackling Climate Change

At the UN climate convention meeting in Bali, discussions have taken place concerning possible solutions to climate change, including biofuels. But who is responsible, and who emits what? Also, what can be done to help reduce emissions in the UK? Could wind power be an option?

Climate Change

What are the consequences of global warming and how do we know? Climate change will have a severe impact across the globe. However, according to the BBC, climate change targets are 'unreachable' , as it is unlikely that levels of greenhouse gases can be kept low enough to avoid a projected temperature rise of 2C. Despite the fact that many nations will fail their targets, it is thought that goals should made for developing countries to reduce their emissions.

Global Warming

Global Warming occurs as a result of the enhanced Greenhouse Effect, and has impacts all over the planet, including the UK. and India.

Also, take a look at what has been predicted for the UK by 2080.

Adaptations to ITCZ Migration

This site discusses savanna grasslands, and how species have adapted to the movement of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). Adaptations include:

• Xerophytic characteristics in plants to cope with dry season drought:
  - deep tap roots
  - rapid life cycling
  - waxy leaves to reduce water loss


• Migratory instincts in grazing animals


• Species co-operation

Water Scarcity in the 21st Century

Water scarcity is likely to become more and more of a problem throughout the 21st century due to population growth and climate change. Global water use is already growing at twice the rate of population growth, and climate change is expected to raise the stakes, accounting for 20 percent of the global increase in water scarcity. According to the BBC, a third of the world's population lives in water-stressed countries now, but by 2025, this is expected to rise to two-thirds. Water scarcity can be classified into two categories: physically scarce or economically scarce.

Teleconnections

Teleconnections means that weather changes at one location might be related to weather changes at other remote locations. El Nino, which are focussing on in our A2 course at the moment, links in with this idea, so why not take a look...

Also, this site has in-depth information about teleconnections, and gives examples.

The Coriolis Effect

Follow this link for clear information and diagrams on the Coriolis Effect upon the Earth, and keep pressing NEXT for more information.

Major polluter plans climate change strategy

As the planet hots up, India is likely to be affected, particularly by the increase in river levels. The major polluter has just taken the first steps towards developing a national plan on tackling the effects of climate change.

Wettest June on record

This article, published on the 30th June 2007, reports that it has been the wettest June on record in England. Also, this article explains the damage caused by the recent weather events and the impacts that this could have.

I have been looking through the Met Office's monthly summaries for the last few months.

• April 2007 was the warmest April since 1943, the driest April since 1980 and the sunniest April since 1942


• May 2007 was the wettest May since 1967


• June 2007 has proved to be the wettest June on record with 134.5mm of rainfall, the second wettest being in 1980 with 121.2mm

So why has June 2007 been so wet? The UK's weather has partly been attributed to the La Nina system, which has lead to areas of warm water developing in the western Pacific, making the ocean surrounding Australia warmer than usual. This has a different impact on weather systems across the world. It is helping to change patterns for us by driving the Atlantic jetstream a bit lower than normal. This means that instead of low pressure being driven towards Iceland, it is coming towards the UK which has become the focus for areas of rain. Why not take a look at the BBC's explanation and, in particular, the weather maps?

Climate Change

The BBC Weather Centre concisely looks at the evidence for and the impacts of climate change. They also look at the adaptions we will need to make, and the policies in place in an attempt to reduce climate change. For more in-depth information, follow the links from each of these areas.

Heatwaves will 'boost death rate'

This article related to the subject that we are currently studying: weather and climate. The BBC reports that there is likely to be an increasing number of deaths caused by heatwaves. The BBC also has another link on how climate change could affect our health, as reported by the Department of Health.

Torrential Rain

After yesterday's torrential rain, when a month's worth of rainfall fell in just 24 hours, devastation is widespread. As well as thousands of people being affected by the flooding, the tragedy includes three deaths; a 68-year-old man and a teenage boy died in separate incidents in Sheffield and a 28-year-old man was killed after becoming stuck in a drain in Hull. Although weather conditions are easing after severe flooding across England, hundreds of people in South Yorkshire have fled their homes amid fears a dam is about to burst after the extreme rainfall. The extent of the flooding in Yorkshire is clearly shown by these images. In Shropshire, 20 homes have been evacuated, more than 70 people have been rescued from the area and a collapsed bridge has caused the gas mains to be cut off.

The Times explains why this June has been so wet. Also reports say that it is likely that we will experience another spell of bad weather following the next few clear days.

Icebergs

US scientists have discovered that minerals released from the melting icebergs triggers blooms of CO2-absorbing phytoplankton according to the BBC. The findings of this interesting discovery were published in the online journal Science Express.

Population

I have just found this fantastic website, Geohive, which contains loads of information and statistics on world population. I recommend that you take a look at the links below, especially the ones in bold, as they contain some really useful and interesting information.

• Population today (ranked)


• Population today


• Population prospects 1


• Population prospects 2


• Population by continent, region, country


• Pop. growth, life expectancy, fertility


• Population by continent


• Male/female distribution


• Urban/rural by country


• Urban/rural by continent


• Graph: urban/rural development 1950-2030

The Weather and Us

The Met Office has this interesting article on the effect of the weather on people, as does the BBC, and has some interesting ideas similar to those that we touched on in class.

Tackling Climate Change

This report explains about the G8 summit and outlines the leaders' plan to tackle climate change, and this article examines this particular aspect in more detail. The aim is to cut emission by 50% by 2050 in a new climate deal that will follow on from the Kyoto agreement.

Carbon Cycle

I found the following information on the Met Office website, which explains about the carbon cycle, which is related to climate and climate change. It simply explains about the global carbon cycle, the ocean carbon cycle and the terrestrial carbon cycle.

Climate Models

I have stumbled across this article, which explains he importance of climate change models, which you may find interesting and relevant.

Climate System

The Met Office webpage has some really useful information on the components of the climate system , on climate change and on climate change models. Well worth a look!

Europe's seas face 'bleak future'

Although it's been over two months since my last post, I'm now back to blogging again after the exams!! This interesting article highlights the dangerous human impacts on Europe's seas, including coastal development, overfishing and eutrophication.

Tsunami in the Solomon Islands

The BBC reports that at least 12 people have died in the Solomon Islands after a tsunami swept ashore following a strong undersea earthquake in the South Pacific, which struck at 0740 local time on Monday 2nd April 2007 and measured 8.0.

The main town in the western Solomons, Gizo, was hit by waves several metres high that swamped buildings and washed people out to sea, officials said.

S-Cool Revision Resources

This is a great revision resource, which contains basic definitions of key words and processes needed for bith Human and Physical Geography for AS. Why not take a look?

Ainsdale Dunes

The Ainsdale Dunes, Sefton, are under pressures, which could lead to the destruction of this important ecosystem. This is a very detailed link, which explains the pressures and strategies.

Skyhouses

Skyhouses are a proposed solution to the housing shortage in the UK and have been designed to provide affordable housing for all. The Skyhouses were originally proposed several years back, but the designs have since been modified to make them more suitable. Original plans called for a 72 floor tower of 305m but this was cut back due to economic considerations. It was planned for Skyhouses to be built on the Greenwich Peninsula with parkland linking every Skyhouse together with tramlines and no roads.

Psammoseres

This is a link to a powerpoint about coastal sand dunes as psammoseres. It is well worth a look, as it covers interactions within an ecosystem, formation of sand dunes, saltation, different types of dunes and dune migration. There is also a case study on Studland Bay, the problems experienced there and the management options they have. Overall, I think that this is a great resource, as it covers many points in a detailed but clear way.

London Docklands

This is a useful revision resource for the redevelopment of the London Docklands, outlining the key facts.

Coastal Sand Dunes

This is an in-depth description of sand dunes, their formation, location and vegetation. Here are the objectives and targets of the Action Plan and the costs.

The Norfolk Coastline

Detailed information on the Norfolk Coastline is available from the Norfolk Coast Area of Natural Beauty Management Action Plan 2004-2009, however, it is very in-depth. Also, it might be worthwhile taking a quick look at Marinet, who oppose the SMP. I have summarised some of the ideas below.

The strategy of 'managed retreat' or 'coastal realignment' is the theory that the loss of 'low value' areas of the coastline will cause new areas to develop naturally from the sedimental material freed. This approach will be taken in many areas along the North East Norfolk Coast, as the government has concluded that the benefits of coastal protection do not outweigh the costs.

• Concrete sea walls cost over £9,000 per metre (£9m/km), and are also considered unattractive. As sea levels rise, the current walls were being undermined at the base, so needed maintaining, as there was a high risk of collapse in high storm periods. The plan is now to allow “nature to take its course” in many areas along this stretch of coastline.


• One of the main causes of the losses of sand and shingle is offshore aggregate dredging off East Anglia, as it has reduced sediment transfer by interception. The knock-on effects of dredging include the erosion of sand dunes, beach steepening and it has reduced formerly protective offshore sand bank height that previously served to break the more powerful eroding waves. On the other hand, the SMP suggests that the main loss of shoreline is due to the restriction of littoral sediment flow by the imposition of existing flood defences.


• The thermal expansion of the sea and the melting of icecaps and glaciers are causing the sea to rise by 6 millimetres per year, and this is increasing. Increasing periods of stronger and more frequent northerly winds, a further component of global warming, are also taking their toll by increasing the degree of erosion.


• Villages and communities have been refused defence, compensation and reimbursement, and the loss of the tourist trade would also effect the area’s economy.


• Salt Marshes and the soft cliffs will be lost in the future. They provide a unique ecosystem and form the habitat of internationally important communities of rare insects, spiders and other invertebrates. The loss of these habitats will reduce biodiversity.


• The Norfolk coast is rich in historical and cultural heritage, which will be lost without sea defences. It supports a major tourist and holiday industry, a precious wetland system, a valued natural habitat, numerous vital wildlife sites and the remains of a previously thriving fishing industry. These are by far the main source of external income for the area.


• Campaigners against the SMP argue that the Broads and tidal rivers will become salinated, valuable agricultural land destroyed and many low lying inland villages lost to the sea, and that the economic cost of losing all this is far greater than the cost of sea defences.


• Overstrand, North Norfolk -The SMP survey stated that the value of the property due to be lost would be £7.7m and that the cost of defences would come to £8.6m, but the locals calculated the loss to be £89.5m and the cost of defence £4.5m, so disagree with the recommended abandonment of the sea defences and a policy of 'managed retreat'.

Coastal Geography

Although quite plain, this website from the National Parks is full of really useful information on coastal processes and coastal environments. I recommend that you take a look.

Indonesian Earthquake

A strong undersea earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck 315km north of Ambon in the Moluccas islands in eastern. A tsunami warning was later issued but the country's meteorological agency has said the threat has passed.

Urban Land Use Models

This website explains the urban land use models for both LEDCs and MEDCs. It includes information on the Burgess Model and the Hoyt Model for MEDCs and about the development of the Zomba Model for LEDCs.

Disappearing Coasts

The BBC reports that Wales has been urged to take "urgent action" to prepare for the impact of coastal erosion and flooding. The National Trust says three-quarters of the Welsh coastline it owns could be badly affected over the next century.

Megacity

Wikipedia has this information on megacities, and also has links to each of the megacities, giving detailed information on each city. Also, it has information on world cities and their characteristics.

This super website allows you to investigate into the major world cities, including New York and Tokyo. The site contains information on the city's history and future, and statstics on employment, housing, education and the environment.

Ganga Action Plan

The Indian Governmwent launched the Ganga Action Plan in 1985 in an attempt to control and monitor the pollution of the river.

This excellent link about the river summarises the key facts and issues with the Ganga. It contains some great information and discusses the need for preservation and conflicting views about the river itself.

This link gives clear information about the scheme and has other links with more detailed information, such as about the Second Phase of the GAP.

Kissimmee River

The Kissimmee River, Florida has been affected by hard engineering, but work is now begun to return the river back to its former state. This link is a thorough site that gives in-depth information about the Kissimmee River. I particularly recommend the sections about the past, the present and the FAQs. Why not take a look?

Bangladesh: Floods of 1998

This BBC report from 1998 includes information about the Bangladesh floods and this website has a useful summary on the event.

This link, published in December 2001 provides interesting information on how the 1998 floods affected the people of Bangladesh and the progress that they made in the three years.

This link has good information on flood management in Bangladesh and is well worth a look.

Common Agricultural Policy

Recently in Human Geography, we have been studying the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which is a system of European Union agricultural subsidies and programmes. It represents about 44% of the EU's budget and these subsidies work by guaranteeing a minimum price to producers and by direct payment of a subsidy for crops planted. The system has changed since it's formation 50 years ago, as the introduction of the Common Agricultural Policy led to food mountains. Also, take a look at what the future holds for the Common Agricultural Policy.

Green Revolution

The Green Revolution was an attempt to increase food production in LEDCs since the 1960s by introducing new high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of wheat and rice.

Why not visit Wikipedia for their information on the Green Revolution, or India.One. Stop for further details?

Plus, this link is well worth taking a look at, although it may take a minute or so to download.

(This one's for you Mrs Craig!!!)

Sustainable Development

In preparation for the sustainable development competition at Plymouth University, I have been researching into sustainable development, both on a small scale and on a larger scale.


Ways of reducing energy loss from the home include:

• cavity wall insulation
• solid wall insulation
• floor insulation
• loft insulation
• draught proofing
• tank and pipe insulation
• double glazing and secondary glazing

All of these ways can not only help the environment, but also save money. Many solutions are inexpensive, with grants offered to help with the costs of some techniques.

Alternatively, on a larger scale, it is possible to generate your own electricity:

• biomass
• ground source heat pumps
• small scale hydro
• small scale wind
• solar photovoltaic (solar PV)
• solar water heating

Colorado RIver

The Colorado River in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, and drains a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The natural course of the river flows into the Gulf of California, but the heavy use of the river as an irrigation source for the Imperial Valley has dessicated the lower course of the river in Mexico such that it no longer consistently reaches the sea.

Here are some interesting facts about the Colorado River:

• it is approximately 2,330 km long
• it drains 629,100 km²
• the total flows of the river range from 570 m³/s in droughts to 28,000 m³/s in severe floods.
• the Colorado River basin is home to fourteen native species of fish

Wikipedia has some excellent background information on the Colorado River, and includes some information on the importance of the river to the wildlife.

The ecosystems were damaged by the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. The construction of the dam has not only affected the river's physical characteristics, but has adversely affected the ecology of the Grand Canyon.

Flash floods that would at one time scour the canyon clean and deposit fresh sand along the beaches no longer occur. The water temperature, which used to get as warm as 80 degrees F, is now icy-cold all year and averages around 42 degrees F, which has caused some of native fish that used to inhabit the river tobecome extinct and still others are endangered. The introduction of the Rainbow Trout, a non-native species has caused problems, as it thrives in the colder waters and makes it even more difficult for the native fishes to survive.

Other changes, including the extraction of water from the Colorado's channel, have also had an impact on the river. In the upper Colorado River basin states, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico, 90% of the water used is spread on land irrigated for crops, leaving 10 % for urban and other uses. Of the 1.6 million acres irrigated in the upper basin, feed for livestock is raised on 88% of the irrigated land. In the lower basin states, California, Arizona, and Nevada, 85% of water goes to agricultural purposes. Rapidly growing cities such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, and areas of southern California, all of which use some Colorado River water, still only account for less than 15% of these three states' water use.

I've also tracked down this site, which has some really detailed and useful information about the Colorado River.

Global methane rise slowing down

The rise in concentrations of the greenhouse gas methane in the atmosphere has slowed down considerably in recent years, this article reports.

Definitions

I stumbled across this link, which you might find useful, as it is a list of key words and their definitions, and covers many areas of the topics we have studied so far in Physical Geography.

Ecosystems

At the moment in our geography lessons, we are studying ecosystems. Towards 1950, the ecologists elaborated the scientific notion of ecosystem, defining it as the unit of study of ecology. The ecosystem is a unit formed by biotic factors (or alive members like vegetables and the animals) and abiotic factors (components that lack life, like for example minerals and water), in which vital interactions exist, energy flows and the matter circulates.

S-cool! have useful revision information about ecosystems, including key terminology, energy flow, and the nutrient cycle.

Also, why not take a look at the section on food webs and ecosystem interactions, containing info on material cycling and of course, food chains and webs.

You may also be interested in looking at this section, which compares deciduous forest ecosystems with coniferous forest ecosystems; or this section on seres; or these on the tropical rainforest and its management.

Some definitions are also provided by this section on ecosystems.

Climate threat to mobile species

This article reports that some of the world's most spectacular migratory animals will be severely affected by climate change.

Monitoring deforestation

Here is an article that reports a new technique for measuring the state of the world's forests has been developed, and shows the future may not be as bad as previously feared.

Here are some interesting forest facts:

Forests cover 30% of the world's total land area
Deforestation rate: 13m hectares per year
Iceland has three native tree species, Brazil has 7,780
The world's trees store 283 gigatonnes of carbon, 50% more than there is in the atmosphere

Titan

A cave believed to have the biggest chamber in Britain has been unearthed in the Peak District in Derbyshire, according to reports. Titan's main shaft is 460ft (140m) deep, as high as the London Eye, sculpted out of limestone by rain water over millions of years.

Coral reefs and climate change

Coral reefs and mangroves are being degraded by global warming, pollution and coastal developments, according to this report. To help vulnerable marine ecosystems survive the impact of climate change, stategies have been published by conservationists.

Greenhouse gas emissions rising

The UN has released new data showing an upward trend in emission of greenhouse gases, and called for urgent action from rich countries, according to this report. The data showed a 2.4% total increase in emissions across 41 industrialised countries between 2000 and 2004.

Lebanese Oil Slick

Here are some photos and information on the oil slick in Lebanon. The information includes clean up methods and the effects of the oil slick.

Up to 15,000 metric tonnes of heavy fuel oil spilled into the Mediterranean when Lebanon's Jiyyeh power plant was bombed in mid-July by the Israeli military.

The oil slick drifted north for 150km. The clean-up operation only began a month after the bombing, when the conflict ended.