2014 Somerset Levels Floods: Causes and Future Strategies

2014 summerset Levels flood outs Causes and Future StrategiesFollowing the 2014 Somerset Levels overeats, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles publicly apologised for the lack of dredging of the Levels and criticised the environment Agencies management strategy. Examine the causes of the Somerset Levels floods, and evaluate the flood management solutions.During the autumn and winter of 2013 2014, an unusually high frequency of depressions moved across the Somerset Levels, causation both fluvial and pluvial flooding on a prodigious scale. The two main rivers which flow through the Levels, The River Tone and Parrett, burst their banks, spilling into the already heavily virtuous flood plain. A major incident was declared and subsequently allowed the Somerset council to request financial, and physical, aid to the region (House of Commons, 2014).This essay highlights the key reasons the Somerset Levels flooded, as sanitary as evaluating the main management solutions that were put fo rward during the peak of the flooding.The autumn to winter period saw a record-breaking yard Stream, fuelled by a diving cold Polar Vortex across the United States. With this, brought powerful storms across the United Kingdom (MetOffice, 2014). As the Polar Vortex moved southward, it interacted with the Jet Stream. This caused powerful Jet Streaks to form, thus producing rapid cyclogenesis in the mid-Atlantic. This pattern lasted several months, exacerbating the flooding issues across the Somerset Levels.As the storms became more frequent, the irrigate circuit card filled up exponentially, as the majority of the soil inside in the Somerset Levels consists of clay and, further inland, peat ( sexual union Somerset Council, 2008). Every year the area experiences pluvial flooding due to its impermeable calcareous clays, which drains water very slowly (Soilscapes, n.d.). In places, parts of the rivers that run through the Levels sit above farmland, which allowed broken river banks to spill water onto the neighbouring fields. Combined with the waterlogged land, it collide withs the area incessantly prone to flooding (House of Commons, 2014).The flooding eventually became a serious threat to residents and farmland which coerced the government to initialise flood management in the area, introducing extensive dredging upon the main rivers (Hartwell-Naguib and Roberts, 2014). This process takes silt deposits out from the river bed to increase the volume of the river. There has been a divide amongst the government and the milieu theatrical as to whether this is a feasible and financially secure approach to flood management. The Environment representation rejects that dredging rivers is the most important approach, as Lord Smith, head of the EA, claims that dredging the rivers would only make a small difference and that other management solutions would need to be applied (Guardian, 2014). The Environment Agency (Environment Agency, 2014) retains the idea that dred ging would only represent on a short-term basis, and the silt on the riverbed would soon re twist and need to be dredged once again, plying to the growing financial cost. Dredging also has a detrimental moment on the ecosystems that run within the river, as the UK Marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) adds that dredging causes a range of potentially damaging environmental effects on our rivers (UK Marine, n.d.). These effects include the removal of certain species and poor quality of water for those species, primarily caused by suspended sediment after the dredging process (UK Marine, n.d.). Although thither appears to be a strong basis of negativity towards the process of dredging, it prat also reduce the time that flooding occurs due to the increase of water transfer of training within the river (CIWEM, 2014). Another idea to limit river levels was to introduce natural filter strips vegetation is introduced to the banks of rivers to slow down rain water from running in to the river. This could in turn slow down the rise of river levels, and limit the amount of water that breaks the river bank (North Somerset Council, 2008).Another flood management solution that was recommended by the Environment Agency during the height of the floods was the use of high-capacity pumps from Holland. These pumps fag drain up to 7.3 million tonnes of water each day out of the worst affected areas, into the River Sowey which then feeds into the River Parrett (CIWEM, 2014)(BBC News, 2014). The idea was to justify pressure on the River Tone, as the surrounding areas were completely underwater. This system was highly effective at reducing water levels, however it unfortunately resulted in the faulting of water to other areas. This concluded in the areas, which previously were less affected, now being at a potential hazard of flooding which caused a longing in government.The government had been heavily criticised by the media, organisations and local residents for no t acting sooner. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) had warned the government that cuts to annual flood hazard management had left a hole in financial investment in flood management across the UK, and in particular, Somerset (Hartwell-Naguib and Roberts, 2014). The Environment Agency also commented that the 10-15% cut in funding could overshadow the Somerset Levels as its not seen as a main threat (Alex Marshall, 2014). Responding to these concerns, the government possess recently announced that a number of temporary flood defences and pumping sites will be made permanent by supporting farmers to manage flood risk better, to ensure all new developments in the area have suitable drainage systems. (Department for Environment, 2014).In summary the flood management solutions that were used to alleviate the Somerset floods came in far too late. The Somerset Levels are prone for flooding, yet only a small amount of preventative measures were put forward to treasure those who were in potential danger. The dredging process has been the most popular form of flood management in the area, but due to its high cost and small effect on flood levels, it remains an issue as to whether it can continue as the main preventative system. A more permanent solution will need to be put forward that is both financially economic and suitable for the area, to ensure both residents and farmland are better protected.ReferencesEnvironment Agency. (2014).Dredging and Flood Risk.Available www.ourcityourriver.co.uk/downloads/Dredging Leaflet.pdf. Last accessed 07/12/2014.House of Commons. (2014).Winter Floods 2013/14.Available www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN06809.pdf. Accessed 06/12/2014.North Somerset Council. (2008).Strategic Flood Risk Assessment Level 1.Available https//www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Environment/Planning_policy_and-research/researchandmonitoring/Documents/Level 1 study of North Somerset (pdf).pdf. Accessed 06/12/2014.Department for Environment. (2014).New action plan to protect Somerset from flooding.Available https//www.gov.uk/government/news/new-action-plan-to-protect-somerset-from-flooding. Accessed 30/11/2014.BBC. (2014).What are the Somerset Levels?.Available http//www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26080597. Accessed 28/11/20.BBC. (2014).UK floods Somerset Levels Dutch pumps start work.Available http//www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26167818. Accessed 25/11/2014.UK Marine. (n.d.).Dredging and disposal Suspended sediments and turbidity.Available http//www.ukmarinesac.org.uk/activities/ports/ph5_2_3.htm. Accessed 27/11/2014.Landis. (n.d.).Soilscapes.Available http//www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/. Accessed 27/11/2014.Meteorological Office. (2014).MetOffice.Available http//www.metoffice.gov.uk/ climate/uk/interesting/2014-janwind. Accessed 22/11/2014.Hartwell-Naguib, S Roberts, N. (2014).Winter Floods 2013/14.Available http//www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/SN06809/winter-floods-201314. Accessed 24/11/2 014.CIWEM. (2014).Floods and Dredging a reality check.Available http//www.ciwem.org/media/1035043/floods_and_dredging_-_a_reality_check.pdf. Accessed 26/11/2014.Alex Marshall. (2014).Environment Agency cuts surviving the operating surgeons knife.Available http//www.endsreport.com/41653/environment-agency-cuts-surviving-the-surgeons-knife. Accessed 29/11/2014.Guardian. (2014).Lord Smith EA staff know 100 times more than any politician about flooding.Available http//www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/10/lord-smith-ea-staff-know-100-times-more-on-flooding. Accessed 30/11/2014.PointersStructure your paragraphs One point per paragraph. Make the essay flow. Every paragraph should link to the next. Theoretically you should be able to read it backwards and itll make sense.Point make your pointEvidence give your evidenceExplain explain its relevanceLink- link to the next paragraphBe careful with abbreviations. You can abbreviate only after you have written it in full once with the abbreviation after i.e. United Kingdom (UK). Then later you can use UK.Be careful not to be too chatty, be formal Youre not talking to a friend.Dont add new points in your conclusion paragraph. This is a summary of what youve already discussed. SummariseMake sure your referencing everything You cant just know something, you have to raise how you know it and who its from. Try to use credited references from research papers/articles, dont use Wikipedia or web pages, BBC news isnt huge either.Write all numbers in long hand, i.e. one hundred not 100.Remember 10% of your mark is in presentation. How does your uni want your essays presented? Font. Format and so forth

The Health Risks of Smoking Cigarettes Essay -- Smoking Health Lung C

The Health Risks of skunk According to Global Smoking Statistics, 80,000 and 100,000 youths start consume everyday. Smoking is everywhere, in shops, restaurants and malls. Smoking can be controlled if the right steps be taken. If you walked around downtown Fort Collins, the odds are good that you give encounter a smoker. The negative effects of smoking outweigh the positive effects of smoking yet people still do it. There are ways to quit that can make your life better if you smoke. Smoking goes back to 1492 when Christopher Columbus first stepped onto the plains of the new world. Native Americans chewed and inhaled a specific symbol of leaf, using a toboca pipe to inhale the foreign leaf. It soon became a treasure for the Europeans, later Christopher discovered this new creation. Cigarettes did not become popular until the 1880s, nor were they available. tribe mediocre used pipes and cigars. When, according to Smoking, James B. Duke developed a way to mass produce cigarettes , making them cheaper and milder. This created an increase in popularity and between 1870 and 1890 the usage increase 100 times what is was before. The health risks of smoking are that it causes Lung cancer and in 1992 there were 161,000 new cases of lung cancer and 143,000 deaths according to Tobacco and Smoking, 1998. The duration and amount take determines the risk of acquire lung cancer. Men or women who smoke forty cigarettes a day, compared to those who smoke twenty a day, have twice the risk as getting lung cancer. Those who start smoking before 15 are four times more likely to get lung cancer than those who begin after twenty-five. It also causes cardiovascular Disease. Smokers, male and female, are at a higher risk to get recurrent heart attacks, sudden death from coronary heart disease and myocardial infection than nonsmokers. The increase is two to four times the amount than nonsmokers. Cigarettes cause an addiction. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. It is the nicoti ne that is in tobacco plant that makes cigarettes so addicting. A 1991 pillar in the Lancet, from the book Tobacco and Smoking on page 33 saysThe core of the problem lies in the addictiveness of nicotine. It is nicotine that people cannot easily do without, not tobacco it is nicotine dependence that slows the progress of existing programmes. As a drug deliver system the modern cigarette is a highly e... ...all the ingredients as mainstream smoke and is just as deadly. Smoking is everywhere and will continue to be all around us. We can ignore it or take action. One less somebody smoking means that there is that much less smoke in the air. With all the new smokers, a plan has to be set in place, any creating more ads or finding accurate facts. Unless smoking dissolves from the face of the earth, there will still be people killing themselves. Since smoking causes lung cancer, bad after effects and other problems, the need for elimination is even higher. If you smoke than you probab ly know it is hard to quit, but with the right resources and the motivation to quit, the United States will be a more breathable place to live.CitationsAnonymous. More about second hand smoke. 2004. 11/02/04. .Anonymous. Secondhand Smoke. 2004. 11/02/04. .Anonymous. Tobacco and Smoking. Ed. Bruno Leone. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, Inc. , 1998.Grannis, MD, Frederic W.. The Lung Cancer and Cigarette Smoking Web Page. 2004. 10/28/04. .Martin, Terry. Global Smoking Statistics. About.com. 2002. 11/01/04. .Torr, James D. Smoking. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, Inc. , 2001.

Huckleberry Finn - Summary for chapters 1-10. :: English Literature

Huckleberry Finn - Summary for chapters 1-10.The book has just begun, but so far you have been introduced to quitea few characters. The most important being Huckleberry Finn of course.Huckleberry Finn now fails with the Widow, she took him in after heand Tom Sawyer found $6,000 a piece, to civilize him. Huckleberryprefers to be in rags though, and live outdoors. Huckleberry ande trulyone else where he lives are all very superstitious, they are alsoracist and have slaves so you know that it is set in a olden time. Tomand Huckleberry made a gang with a few other boys from around thetown. They were a gang of robbers and murders, although they neverreally did either.Huckleberrys father was presumed out of work, although Huckleberry knew thathe wasnt dead at all. When Huckleberrys father titmouse, came back totown and hears that Huckleberry is now rich, Huckleberry knows thathis father will be coming for him soon, so Huckleberry gives the moneyto the man who was investing it all for h im. Pap sure enough came forhim though, and at initial he took it to the courts to get Huckleberryback, and he did. Pap took Huckleberry out to the woods to a smallwooden cabin, and at first Tom hated it, but after he began to getused to it, and didnt mind it so much after, he actually really likedit because he was back outside where he liked to be. He just didntlike to be out there with his father. One day when Pap went to townand locked Huckleberry in the cabin as he always did when he left,Huckleberry sawed his way out. Huckleberry stole all of the food andwater, and the gun, and he killed a wild pig and put its storeeverywhere and he ripped out his own hair so it would appear that hewas murdered. Huckleberry jumped in the canoe that he had hidden fromhis father in the trees, and started mop up down the river. He landed ona little island and hid his canoe again. There were lots of peoplelooking for Huckleberry and he watched them as they searched fromboats. They all looked ver y upset, because they all assumed himmurdered.When Huckleberry was out exploring he saw Miss. Watsons slave Jim. Hehad left because Miss. Watson was going to sell him. Huckleberry washappy to have the company and so was Jim. They began to live togetherand stayed together all the time.

Dramatic Effects in Romeo and Juliet III.1 Essay -- William Shakespear

Romeo and Juliet is a sixteenth-century play written by William Shakespeare. Amongst the most renowned of Shakespeares plays, Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy that focuses on the fated relationship of two star-crossed lovers. The play focuses on themes of love and hate, mostly concerning the feud between the two opposing families, the Montagues and the Capulets. This play came at a time when such social events like courting were not just accepted, but expected. Witchcraft and fate were also strongly believed to be authoritative which makes aspects of the play seem somewhat surreal to a modern day audience. III.1 is a pivotal p ruse of the play, within this one scene, the possibility of the play macrocosm a comedy is destroyed and there is only one unfortunate direction in which the fortunes of the characters can spiral.As this scene is particularly important within the play, as a pivotal point destroying comedy and confirming tragedy, there is much contrast in earlier scenes by which circumstances look more than favorable. Up to this point, the circumstances of love between Romeo and Juliet looked truly promising. At Juliets balcony, Romeo proclaims his love for Juliet, It is my lady O, it is my love Whereas Romeo proclaims his love openly, Juliet is caught off guard when she says, ?O Romeo, Romeo Wherefore art thou Romeo?/ Deny thy father, and refuse thy name-/ Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love/ And I?ll no longer be a Capulet.? Already, this shows strong characteristics of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo?s love completely overrides whatsoever subtlety that should be shown in the face of the raging family feud. Juliet, although she proclaimed her love to Romeo in what she thought was private, was very mindful of the other affecting factors, such a... ...he was a very entertaining character for the duration of the play that he was alive. The fact that it is the pivotal point in the play where tragedy confirmed adds extra excitement to it. With the deaths o f Mercutio and Tybalt and the banishment of Romeo, there is little doubt in the audience?s mind that only tragical events will occur from this scene and on. The main, tragic theme of love and hate, which occurs throughout the play, gives the play an air of excitement and helplessness as far as any positive events happening after III.1. The fight scene and the powerful language added extra drama that the audience would adjudge found very exciting and would have helped the audience to feel the emotions of the characters more adeptly. All in all, Shakespeare crafts III.1 very effectively to set up the pivotal point of the play where tragedy is the only mood the play can go.

Essay --

Throughout history, many different types of stinting models and theories have been developed. These different philosophies of business often were an important and integral component part of a governments basic structure. For example commie countries equivalent China and the Soviet Union practiced a type of socialism. While, democratic nations like the United States and Canada practice forms of capitalism. Also within these economic models exists different theories as well such as Keynsian economics and laissez faire economics. To understand how these types of economies work in the military psychenel today, it is important to study and define a variety of economic systems. Researching such economic systems as capitalism and socialism, and also looking at the ideas of laissez faire and the Keynsian economics, a person will start to have a better understanding of how business works in the world today.One of the most common major types of economic systems in the world today is capitalism. In its simplest terms, capitalism can be defined as an economic system in which a countrys trade and industry ar run by private organizations for profit. So within capitalism major industries such as manufacturing, energy, banks, transportation, medicine and more are not run by the government. The earliest forms of capitalism can be traced to the 17th century English Puritans who possessed a strong work value orientation that focused an importance on productive labor. Modern capitalism is said to have started in the mid-18th century with the birth of factories. Factory owners were able to maximize wealth by making goods that were in-demand and also by streamlining labor. For capitalism to work. supply and demand is typically unregulated by government. It is based on the f... ...omy. For example, China is considered a communist government. However for their economy to exist in the world market, some private ownership and factories have been allowed to exist with government oversight. And the United States while considered a free-enterprise(prenominal) society has such institutions as public schools, energy, medicare, and services which all share in and benefit from equally. All economic systems also have their pros and cons. For example, Capitalism has been accuse of ignoring the individual in pursuit of profit. While socialism does not reward the entrepreneur with wealth, but often punishes the rich with crushing taxes. In the end, the best panache to understand how economies work in the world today is to research each ones basic history and definition. In this way a person can nurse an informed decision on what economic system they believe works best

Capturing the Friedmans Essay -- Film Movies

Capturing the FriedmansIn 2003, Andrew J atomic number 18cki released his documentary Capturing the Friedmans, which explores a seemingly normal middle-class families struggle when the father and son are charged with sexual horror and molestation in 1987. The Friedmans from the outside seem like a healthy family, abiding in a fairly scoopful Great Neck, Long Island community the father Arnold is a Columbia Graduate and a school teacher, while the mother Elaine, a housewife. They have three sons David, Seth, and Jessie whom show up to be a happy, intelligent, and good-humored group of brothers. The power and prestige of this film comes not from its controversial and serious subject matter, but from the unbiased way in which the story is presented. Jarecki gives the audience an equal amount of facts that could be used to argue both sides of the equation, which leaves one realizing that perhaps what really transpired isnt the point hes aiming for in this film. The audience is go aw ay not hunch forwarding whether or not Arnold and his son Jesse committed the crimes, but instead they are left realizing truth is irrelevant, because we will never really know exact details, just the disintegration and tragic destruction of the Friedman Family. Regardless of the validity of the claims, there definitely seems to have been something unusual and tragic about the collapsing Friendman Family. The patriarchal/ maternal relationship was broken, Arnold and Elaine didnt seem very much in love anymore, and the boundaries between the parents and the children became less pyramid like and more horizont... ...at because of the size of the children there would have been corporal symptoms, no documented evidence of this sort was presented during the case. Out of 100 students no physical symptoms were ever recorded, and not o ne student said anything about abuse until four years later when the investigator was pursued (Silvergate, 2004) No parents ever filed complaints prior to police investigation. Because memories are malleable and children are even more undefendable to authority, it is very probable that some children just complied to the leading questions due to fear, but is it possible that they all could? The influence of the investigators parallels to the influence of therapists in cases of sexually abused childrens get memories.Works Cited1)Silverglate, Harvey A Takei, CarlMistrial- The Capturing The Friedmans DVD sheds new light on the case. Newsday

Free Essays - Courage and Honesty in Sir Gawain and Green Knight :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

Courage and Honesty in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight   Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem written by a poet (name unknown) approximately 6000 years ago in the late 1300s in the medieval times. This story was originally written in medieval literature with a real curious rhyme scheme, but was translated later in time to regular English for high school students and researchers to study and read. The story begins during the New Years feast in poove Arthurs court. Then a ballpark knight enters asking all of the knights in the court if they would like to range a game. The game is he will free which ever knight that chooses to challenge him one swing with a battle ax to try and chop off his soul, but in order to play the game, the accepting knight must meet the green knight one year later at the green chapel. The brave knight Sir Gawain accepts to the challenge of the green knight. Sir Gawain takes one swing and chops off the head of the green knight. Right after th e green knights head is chopped off he gets up immediately, picks up his head and leaves. Once a year passes, Gawain sets off on a journey to find the Green Chapel. He arrives at a castle in which a lord welcomes him to stay for several days (Gawain only needs to stay there for triplet). The next morning the lord makes an agreement to share everything he gets during these third days with Gawain, but Gawain must agree to do the same. During days one and two the lords wife tries hitting on Gawain, but he only allows her to birth him a few kisses. At these days Gawain shares what he got to the lord for what he has hunted those days. On the third day, Gawain finally accepts to take a magic waistcloth from the lords wife, but he didnt share it with the lord. This magic girdle helped Gawain survive the three fatal swings of the green giants ax, only leaving him with a little nick. After Gawain survives these 3 swings at his neck, the green knight then reveals his identity and explains that he is Bercilak, the lord of the castle. He also said that the three blows were taken at him in regards to the three days of their agreement.