Case study: River Wye

Location/ journey
1. Source: Plynlimon hill range in wales
2. From there it goes south then SE passing Hay-On-Way
  1. After it turns E and crosses the boarder into England
    1. It passes near Hereford the turns180 and goes SW back into Wales.
      1. Does a little bump the follows the boarder (directly S) past chepstow to the mout and exits into Bristol Channel
5 Fast facts
1. 210Km (150 miles) long
2. 5th longest river in the Uk
3. One of the highest rain falls in the UK
  1. Ends near Chepstow and exits into the Bristol channel
    1. At the end of the river it has the2nd largest tidal range in the world
Geology
1. 4.Then goes into limestone clay and shale
  1. 3. Then goes to just sandstone
    1. 2.Then goes into limestone and sandstone
      1. 1.Upper course cuts through gritstone and shales
2. 5.Finally coes to lime stone and sandstone
Temperature
1. Cold winters with snow
  1. Cool summers with rain
    1. Upper course is affected by relief rainfall
      1. In the lower course more frontal rain fall
2. As you get closer to the mouth it gets it gets flatter, warmer and less rain fall.
  1. Freeze thaw weathering will take place in the winter (due to temperature)- contributes to the formation of a 'V' shaped valley
In the upper course there are lots of tributaries, a village
1. A river land form that i have learnt in the upper course is 'V-Shaped' vallies (made out of grit stone and shale)
Cleddon Falls
1. The soft rock is shale
  1. The hard rock is gritstone
    1. It is 8-10 meters high
      1. It lies on the tributary off the River Wye
Symonds Yat (middle course)
1. Famous tourist spot along the river wye.
  1. Massive limestone outcrop gourge
    1. Famous viewing points for tourists
      1. Runs from goodrich to chepstow
        Cannoeists use it to test their skills
      2. Gourge rises 120m above the river
        Near a huge meander
In the middle course there is a town (Hereford) with roads/ paths, factories,meanders, forests, leeves, arable land for farming
In the lower course there is a bridge, the mouth, a road,flat land,a town, an estuary.
1. It has murkey water due to suspension
  1. Emptys onto the River Severn
How is the river wye landscape managed
1. Aforestation:It reduces the risk of landslidesor other mass movement by linking the soil together (with the roots)
  1. They have nice aesthetic
2. 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
  1. Leeves: They stop flooding, they can be aritficual or real
3. Stabalising the channel:It can assist with changing the rivers response to rainfall which ultimately helps settlements futher down streem
  1. Letton lakes: They gather excesse water during flood events and protect Heredfordshire (in this case)
    1. Floodplain zoning: It means making specific zones for farming ect.
How humans affect the landscape
1. Wye Valley tourism: One of tourism hotspots, with visitors from 1700's onwards. TinternAbbey and viewpoins popular
  1. Transporty and communications: Roads & Railways follow the river valley
    1. Forestry: trees felled for shipbuilding and charcoal
      1. Industry: limestone quarrying increases gradient
        Fishing, kills animals,building roads, Deforestation ,aforestation, bridges have been made, boats get petrol in the river
  2. SSSI (site of special scientifc interesy) & SAC (special area of consevation) & AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty)

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Case study: River Wye

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	Created by Isobel Temple almost 9 years ago