Case study: River Wye

Case study: River Wye

1. Location/ journey

   • Source: Plynlimon hill range in wales
   • From there it goes south then SE passing Hay-On-Way
     • After it turns E and crosses the boarder into England
       • It passes near Hereford the turns180 and goes SW back into Wales.
         • Does a little bump the follows the boarder (directly S) past chepstow to the mout and exits into Bristol Channel

2. 5 Fast facts

   • 210Km (150 miles) long
   • 5th longest river in the Uk
   • One of the highest rain falls in the UK
     • Ends near Chepstow and exits into the Bristol channel
       • At the end of the river it has the2nd largest tidal range in the world

3. Geology

   • 4.Then goes into limestone clay and shale
     • 3. Then goes to just sandstone
       • 2.Then goes into limestone and sandstone
         • 1.Upper course cuts through gritstone and shales
   • 5.Finally coes to lime stone and sandstone

4. Temperature

   • Cold winters with snow
     • Cool summers with rain
       • Upper course is affected by relief rainfall
         • In the lower course more frontal rain fall
   • As you get closer to the mouth it gets it gets flatter, warmer and less rain fall.
     • Freeze thaw weathering will take place in the winter (due to temperature)- contributes to the formation of a 'V' shaped valley

5. In the upper course there are lots of tributaries, a village

   • A river land form that i have learnt in the upper course is 'V-Shaped' vallies (made out of grit stone and shale)

6. Cleddon Falls

   • The soft rock is shale
     • The hard rock is gritstone
       • It is 8-10 meters high
         • It lies on the tributary off the River Wye

7. Symonds Yat (middle course)

   • Famous tourist spot along the river wye.
     • Massive limestone outcrop gourge
       • Famous viewing points for tourists
         • Runs from goodrich to chepstow
           • Cannoeists use it to test their skills
         • Gourge rises 120m above the river
           • Near a huge meander

8. In the middle course there is a town (Hereford) with roads/ paths, factories,meanders, forests, leeves, arable land for farming

9. In the lower course there is a bridge, the mouth, a road,flat land,a town, an estuary.

   • It has murkey water due to suspension
     • Emptys onto the River Severn

10. How is the river wye landscape managed

    • Aforestation:It reduces the risk of landslidesor other mass movement by linking the soil together (with the roots)
      • They have nice aesthetic
    • Vegetation managgement:It decreases soil errosion because as the vegetation decreases the rain impact moves the soil. It also reduces the amount of run off
      • Leeves: They stop flooding, they can be aritficual or real
    • Stabalising the channel:It can assist with changing the rivers response to rainfall which ultimately helps settlements futher down streem
      • Letton lakes: They gather excesse water during flood events and protect Heredfordshire (in this case)
        • Floodplain zoning: It means making specific zones for farming ect.

11. How humans affect the landscape

    • Wye Valley tourism: One of tourism hotspots, with visitors from 1700's onwards. TinternAbbey and viewpoins popular
      • Transporty and communications: Roads & Railways follow the river valley
        • Forestry: trees felled for shipbuilding and charcoal
          • Industry: limestone quarrying increases gradient
            • Fishing, kills animals,building roads, Deforestation ,aforestation, bridges have been made, boats get petrol in the river
      • SSSI (site of special scientifc interesy) & SAC (special area of consevation) & AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty)

Images and files in the map