Topic Four (1.4): The Human Impact
Introduction
This topic examines the causes and impacts of floods and the human impact on, and response to, flood events.
You will study:
- Modifications to catchment flows and stores, and to channel flows by land-use changes (deforestation, afforestation, urbanisation), abstraction and water storage.
- The causes and impacts of river floods; prediction of flood risk and recurrence intervals.
- The prevention and amelioration of river floods to include:
- forecasts and warnings
- hard engineering – dams, straightening, levées and diversion spillways
- soft engineering – floodplain and drainage basin management, wetland and riverbank conservation and river restoration.
Case Study
Candidates must study a recent river flood event showing the causes of the flood, impacts on both people and the environment, and evaluate attempts to reduce the impact of the flood.
Read and Make Notes
For this topic, you will need to work through pages 17 to 28 of your textbook, completing the Activities at the end of the Section. The textbook is especially detailed for this section.
Download and Print
Download and print out these resources to accompany your notes:
PRINT - Fig.1.25 Flood Frequency Download PRINT - Fig.1.25 Flood Frequency
PRINT - Fig.1.31 River Discharge Download PRINT - Fig.1.31 River Discharge
PRINT - Fig.1.32 Land Use Download PRINT - Fig.1.32 Land Use
PRINT - Fig.1.33 Causes of Floods Download PRINT - Fig.1.33 Causes of Floods
PRINT - Fig.1.34 Flood Intensifying Download PRINT - Fig.1.34 Flood Intensifying
Key Terms
Add the following key terms with definitions to your glossary. You can either add them to your table or make flash cards to help with revision later.
READ – The Human Impact Download READ – The Human Impact
Top Tips
Make sure that you understand the following key points:
- Try to create one single A4 or A3 page per case study that looks at causes, impacts on people, impacts on the environment, and any attempts to mitigate or reduce the impacts. Critically analyse one-by-one if the attempts to reduce the impacts were successful. Case studies need to be specific using statistics and real names of locations and schemes correctly. Use images or symbols to help you remember key points. You may find this framework useful although you will need to adapt the headings to suit your needs.
USE – Case Study File Download USE – Case Study File
Consolidate
Now consolidate your understanding by working through these additional resources.
Compulsory Resources
READ – Geography in the News: The 2022 Pakistan Floods (Royal Geographical Society with IBG) Download READ – Geography in the News: The 2022 Pakistan Floods (Royal Geographical Society with IBG)
Important Resources
READ – The International Rivers Network (International Rivers) Links to an external site. [Try looking under ‘The Basics' for the impacts of dams, or ‘Where We Work’ for a wide selection of Case Studies]
READ - Flood Management in Bangladesh (Geofactsheet) Download READ - Flood Management in Bangladesh (Geofactsheet)
WATCH - Rivers -River Flooding (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.
WATCH - Rivers - River Management (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.
WATCH - Flood Management in the UK - Flood Management (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.
WATCH - The Water Cycle - River Hydrographs and Flooding (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.
Optional Resources
WATCH - Flood Management in the UK - Types of Flooding (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.
WATCH - The Water Cycle - Urban Drainage and Water Management (MASSOLIT) Links to an external site.
Synoptic Links
Although you learn geography in topics there are links with other units in the course which are identified here for this unit:
- 2.3 Weather processes and phenomena (atmospheric moisture processes)
- 2.4 The human impact (human activity on urban areas affecting precipitation patterns)
- 3.1 Plate tectonics (tectonic uplift)
- 3.2 Weathering
- 3.3 Slope processes
- 4.3 Population and resource relationship
- 5.3 International migration (involuntary migration/natural hazards)
- 6.2 Urban trends and issues of urbanisation
Quiz
Complete the quiz. If you score less than 90%, try again.
Skills Task
Complete Geography Workbook pages 14 to 21.
Assignment
When you have completed all the activities and are fully prepared and feel confident with the material, you should complete Assignment One and submit it to your tutor via Canvas for marking and feedback.