This document discusses several topics related to the dynamic planet including: 1) How buildings can be designed to withstand earthquakes through deeper foundations, cross bracing, and dampers. 2) How climate change may impact the UK through more extreme weather like floods, shifts in ocean currents and wind patterns, and increased rainfall. 3) Methods for protecting biodiversity like national parks, eco-tourism, and sustainable industries as well as international agreements. 4) The impacts of dams like the Aswan Dam in Egypt which provided benefits of irrigation and hydropower but displaced people and reduced silt deposits.

1. Dynamic Planet
Revision – Long answer questions

2. Qu 1) Restless Earth
• Deeper foundations – This gives the building
more stability and stops it falling down
• Cross Bracing – Adds strength to building. It
stops floors collapsing and falling bricks
• Dampers in roof – This helps stop the building
from swaying

3. Qu 2) Climate and Change
• Difficult to predict
• Weather patterns are likely to change in the UK
with more ‘wild weather’. This could lead to
more floods such as those in the winter 2013-14
• The North Atlantic Drift (warm ocean current) is
likely to shift. This could lead to colder
conditions in the South West of England.
• The jet stream (winds bringing warm or cold air)
could shift. This could mean more cold air in the
winter (from the arctic) and warmer air (from
the Tropics) in the summer. i.e. more extreme
climate)
• If global temperatures rise, and the ocean
around the UK gets warmer. There will be more
rainfall as evaporation and moist air over the UK
increases.

4. Qu 3) Battle for the Biosphere
• National Parks – protecting areas from
development . This helps protect the
biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest
• Eco-tourism – Tourism based on the
protection of the environment. Tourist
numbers are low and do not negatively
impact on wildlife and habitats.
• Sustainable industries – e.g. logging
industries replanting trees, or vines being
used to make baskets. E.g. no lasting
damage to the rainforests
• International Agreements – CITES
(Convention on International trade in
endangered species) prevents trade in
endangered animal goods and helps protect
animal species

5. Qu 4) Water World
• Aswan Dam, Egypt
Negatives
• Nubian people – 12,000 forced to leave their
homes because the land was flooded for Lake
Nasser.
• No more silt is deposited on the land (making it
fertile). Farmers no have to pay for fertilisers
(these are expensive and cause pollution)
• Water snails are no longer washed out to sea.
They spread Bilharzia disease
Positives
• Water can be used to irrigate land all year
• Villages are safe from flooding
• The dam produces hydro-electricity (renewable
energy) for villages

6. Qu 6) River Processes and Pressures
Sheffield Hard Engineering on the River Don
• Concrete lined channels
• Positive: Sped up the flow of water and meant
flood waters were taken quickly from the city
• Negative: The flood waters were taken
elsewhere so increased flooding downstream
• Embankments (around Meadow Hall)
• Negative: They are expensive and in this case
could not cope with the high flood levels
• Positive: They are generally effective in built up
areas as they increase the height of the river
banks meaning a greater discharge can be held.
• Flood storage reservoirs
• Positive: They prevented flood waters from
reaching parts of the city by storing water in
old quarries on the city outskirts
• Negative: Large areas of land need to be
available to flood

7. Qu 7) Oceans on the Edge
Positives
• Ban Don Bay, Thailand – Humans have created conservation areas. The coral reef has been
‘zoned’. This means activities are restricted to certain areas. This allows areas of the coral reef
to recover, it also protects the fish and habitats
• Ban Don Bay, Thailand – Dynamite fishing is banned in order to protect the biodiversity of the
reef and habitats of marine species
• North Sea – Fishing quotas have been imposed in order to avoid overfishing and allow fish
stocks (of cod) to recover
• Global Ocean – Banning whaling has allowed the numbers of endangered Whales to increase
again
Negatives
• Ban Don Bay and North Sea – Overfishing (where too many fish are caught, especially juvenile
fish which are too young to breed) this means that the number of fish declines and has
impacts on the food chain and eco-system.
• Ban Don Bay, Thailand – Tourism has negative impacts when people break the reef as
souvenirs and tourists boats damage the reef with their anchors
• Ban Don Bay, Thailand – The increase in hotels has lead to increased pollution and sewage in
the ocean. This damages the habitats of marine species.
• Global – Events like the BP oil spill lead to pollution in oceans (Gulf of Mexico) and kill marine
life.