A1: Human demands, Fluvial and Coastal Environments

A1: Human demands, Fluvial and Coastal Environments

1. Demands on Rivers and their Valleys

   • Domestic/ Residential
     • WATER SUPPLY for drinking, cooking, cleaning and washing
       • urban dwellers = 400-600 litres daily rural dwellers = 100-200 litres
     • POP EXPLOSION esp. in LEDC's
       • pop. increases tripled in 100 years - demand for water has increased 6 fold
       • India pop of 15M
     • River flow is an all too convenient means of waste disposal
     • Urbanisation - increase surface flow, flooding is inevitable.
   • Agricultural
     • Irrigation
       • Farming uses more fresh water than all other human activities put together
       • 30% of all farmland worldwide is irrigated
       • Pumped directly from rivers
     • Food production
       • land adjacent is subject to periodic flooding - adding silt/alluvium on the floodplain
       • Barsha Flooding in SE Asia - rich in nutrients, enhances quality of soil
   • Industrial
     • Factories require land for building and water as a raw material/coolant/cleaning
     • Iron/steel mill uses 4500 litres of water in prod. of tonne of steel
     • Industrial transport, rivers and canals form a vital route for the movement of raw materials and industrial products
       • Waterway transport of freight is 8x more efficient than via road
       • Navigation - Mississippi River, 2004, equivalent of 40 M lorry loads
   • Energy Production
     • Thermal power stations require large quantities of water for coolant
     • Flat land eg floodplains is suitable for construction
     • USA - power industry extracts around 650B litres of water, mostly from water
     • Fuel can be transported along the river itself
     • HEP stations, using dams and reservoirs constructed in valleys provide a cheap and renewable source of electricity
       • Large areas of river valleys become flooded eg Three Gorges Dam flooded 1200 towns and villages
   • Leisure Activites
     • Rivers, lakes and reservoirs are a common destination for people seeking relaxation in scenic environments at weekends and holidays
     • Sports eg water sports, boating, walking/swimming and fishing all require land based infrastructure

2. Demands on Coasts

   • Most of the world's pop. live within an hours overland journey from the coast. Of 33 Megacities - 21 are in coastial areas
   • Domestic/Residential
     • Growth of world trade - port facilites grown rapidly - expanding pop.
     • Coastal zones perceived as hazardous b/c storm surges and tsunamis
     • Releasing of sewage into the sea is a major issue
     • Coasts are commonly seen as desirable locations for both holiday and retirement homes
   • Agricultural
     • Even in places of poor soil, beaches can supply sand for improved drainage and seaweed for increased fertility.
     • The Dutch are leading the way from the 14th century in the reclamation of coastal wetland from the sea in the Rhine Delta.
     • Aquaculture is the farming of both fresh water and salt water organisms
       • Growing by 6% each year to meet demand
     • Ireland Co.Donegal - Salmon farms have become a common sight
   • Industrial
     • Ports can be an advantage to industry to process materials or assemble products
     • Reclamation of land on North and South of Belfast Lough to allow expansion of industrial premises
     • Extractive industries - dredging seabed and quarrying sand from the shoreline
   • Emergy Production
     • Remoteness of Nuclear Power Plants eg. Sellafield in Cumbria and Dounreay in Scotland
     • Tidal and Wave power
       • Strangford Lough - 16m long turbine blades anchored on the sea bed
     • Off-shore wind farm
       • 7 turbines 10km off the coast of south Dublin
       • Robin Rigg wind farm, south scotland - 180MW of electricity to supply 120,000 homes.
   • Leisure Activities
     • Coastal Resorts
     • Infrastructure - sea walls used as promenades etc.
     • Coastal protection needed in both MEDC's and LEDC's