Posts

United Kingdom - Final

Image
Floods are the main natural hazard in the United Kingdom. Throughout the semester, I learned that Floods were a common theme in the UK and occur more often than any other natural hazard in the UK. Devastating floods occur at least once a year and occur more often due to climate change. London Health reports “The increased incidence of flooding in the UK and in other parts of the world is largely attributed to climate change, which has been accelerated by global warming as a result of the way we live our lives; this is the opinion of many experts but it is not a certainty and scientific research in this area is ongoing.” Since the UK is one of the most flood-prone countries due to climate change, Carbon Brief shares “According to one study the new report cites, warming of 3.5 to 4.8 degrees Celsius by the 2080s – which is what the IPCC expects if emissions stay high – would expose an additional 250,000 to 400,000 people in Europe to river flooding, and potentially up to 5.5 millio
3 comments
Read more

United Kingdom Coastal Problems

Image
One coastal issue the United Kingdom faces is coastal erosion. According to the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit  defines  Coastal erosion as being "the process by which local sea-level rise, strong wave action, and coastal flooding wear down or carry away rocks, soils, and/or sands along the coast."  The United Kingdom experiences storms, floods, and severe weather which makes the country severely impacted by coastal erosion. Coastal erosion is such a problem that the Independent shares that " Sea levels could rise by up to a meter by the end of the century."   Nowhere in the United Kingdom is safe from coastal erosion. Several homes, businesses, and communities are facing the reality of losing their homes to the oceans. " In 2013 three houses in Hemsby fell into the sea and others were badly damaged by storms" the Independent shares.  In a Youtube video provided by  ITV News , citizens and environmental agencies talk about their experiences with coasta
Post a Comment
Read more

Extreme Weather in the UK

Image
" Extreme weather is when a weather event is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern and may occur over one day or a period of time. Flash flooding, drought, storms, cold spells and heatwaves  are all examples of extreme weather in the UK"( Internet Geography ).  The United Kingdom experiences a number of different types of weather, which can often times be hazardous. Interesting to see the number of different extreme weathers they can experience because most people often think of the United Kingdom as always gloomy and rainy not hot and dry.  Current Results  shares that " The highest temperature ever officially recorded in the United Kingdom is 38.5 degrees Celsius (101.3 degrees Fahrenheit)."  An example of extreme weather in the UK that happened most recently were the floods that occurred in February 2020. According to  Floodlist , " The February 2020 Floods in the UK were the result of record-breaking rainfall on saturated g
2 comments
Read more

Mass Wasting Hazards in the UK

Image
MAP SOURCE The UK experiences heavy rainfall which often leads to flooding. Since flooding is one of the many causes of mass wasting, the UK often has to be aware of what hazards can come from heavy rainfall. Landslides are most common in the UK due to rain and floods. " Road, rail and telecoms are all potentially vulnerable to landslides. In certain cases critical infrastructure such as dams may be at risk" (BBC News).   BBC News  also mentions that " The worst recent landslide event in the UK was the Aberfan disaster of 1966, with over one hundred children killed." This tells us how severe and serious mass wasting is and how it's important to pay attention to how much rain is falling and keep updated with any potential hazards.  Anchor Systems  shares a great amount of knowledge on how to reduce the risks of landslides. One thing I learned from this article was that vegetation is a great way decrease the risk of a landslide. " Slopes with no veget
1 comment
Read more

UK Volcanic Activity

Image
Volcanic activity much like earthquakes and tsunami's in the United Kingdom have something in common; they are unheard of. According to  British Geological Survey  , the last active volcano in the UK occurred about 60 million years ago! "The reason why we haven't had any volcanoes for about 60 million years in Britain is that we are now in a in a tectonically quiet part of the world. Most volcanoes occur near the edges of the Earth’s tectonic plates but Britain is now a long way from such geologically active areas." Since the UK is located on a quiet part of the tectonic map, they do not have to worry about volcanos, earthquakes or large tsunami's.  The closest active Volcano's are located  a ccording to  Londonist ,  Vesuvius in Italy and Öræfajökull on the southeast coast of Iceland. Both sites being a little over 1000 miles from London. Londonist states " That being said, prevailing westerly winds in the UK mean that we are unlikely to be dire
1 comment
Read more

Earthquakes Hazards in the UK

Image
Compared to the rest of the world, the seismicity in the UK is low. According to  UKOOG  " On average, the UK experiences seismic events measuring 5 (felt by everyone nearby) every 20 years and events measuring 4 (felt by many people) every three to four years."  I learned that the UK's largest earthquake "was n ear the Dogger Bank in 1931, with a magnitude of 6.1." Although the earthquake in 1931 was 60 miles offshore it was still able to cause major damage to buildings off the coast of England according to British Geological Survey . GBS also reports that " The most damaging UK earthquake was in the Colchester area in 1884. Some 1200 buildings needed repairs, chimneys collapsed and walls were cracked."  map link BBC  was asked why the UK does not get larger earthquakes? they answered   " Most earthquakes happen at the boundaries between the Earth's tectonic plates, where there is the largest amount of stress.  The UK is located in t
2 comments
Read more

Tectonic Setting and Natural Hazards- United Kingdom

Image
The Tectonic Setting and Natural Hazards of the United Kingdom The UK is is located in the middle of the  Eurasian Plate . The Eurasian plates nearest boundary is the Mid-Atlantic ridge. The boundary type of the Mid-Atlantic ridge is divergent. According to  Universe Today , " The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is known as a mid-ocean ridge, an underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonics. It is the result of a divergent plate boundary that runs from 87° N – about 333 km (207 mi) south of the North Pole – to 54 °S, just north of the coast of Antarctica."  While conducting my research, I learned that the UK is currently not on a plate  margin: meaning it is not tectonically active according to  The Geological Study . They state " Over time, a series of tectonic events has resulted in the current location and structure of the UK - in the last 700 million years, we have gradually drifted north from near the South Pole! Evidence of this turbulent tectonic past i
2 comments
Read more