Distinct River Landscapes: The Interaction Between Human & Physical Processes (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)

Revision Note

Bridgette Barrett

Written by: Bridgette Barrett

Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn

Case Study: UK River Landscape

River Tees catchment

  • The River Tees drainage basin covers an area of 708 mile2 or 1834km2

river-tees-map

River Tees drainage basin

  • The land in the upper course is open moorland with rough grazing

    • The main land use is sheep farming

  • England’s largest nature reserve is located in the upper course

  • The location also includes an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOB) and Britain’s first Geopark

  • The middle course has flat, fertile floodplains and farming dominates

    • There are several settlements, such as Barnard Castle 

  • The land use in the lower course is increasingly urban and industrial, particularly around the estuary

    • The estuary has mud flats, which are an important ecosystem, including Seal sands

  • There are several reservoirs to provide water for cities such as Middlesbrough

  • Over 650,000 people live in the River Tees catchment area

    • Most of these people live in towns such as Darlington, Middlesbrough, and Redcar

Influential factors in the changes of the River Tees landscape

  • Both human and physical factors have been influential in changing the landscape of the River Tees

  • These factors often interact to impact on the river and its processes

Physical factors 

  • Annual rainfall in the upper course is over 2000mm

  • The water reaches the river rapidly (short lag time) because

    • The bedrock is impermeable

    • For over 6 months of each year, the peat is saturated, increasing surface runoff

    • This means there is no single source of the River Tees 

  • Natural processes are constantly changing the River Tees

  • The UK’s climate varies during each year and between years

  • This impacts on the amount of discharge in the River Tees

  • The River Tees is a ‘flashy’ river, which means that the water level in the river can rise very quickly after a period of heavy rain

  • This leads to the ‘Tees roll’ or ‘Tees wave’ 

    • The river level can rise a metre in 15 minutes

Human factors

  • In both the upper and middle courses, reservoirs were built in the 1960s and 1970s to meet the growing demand for water

  • Cow Green is the largest reservoir on the River Tees

  • It was completed in 1971 and regulates the flow of water downstream

    • It holds 40,000 million litres of water

    • This means that it reduces the discharge downstream of the dam

  • Flood defences have been built around Yarm, including:

    • Flood gates

    • Gabions

  • During the 19th Century, the meanders up to Stockton-on-Tees were taken out and the river straightened 

    • The removal of the Mandale loop reduced the distance by 4 km

    • This reduced the distance for boats and made transporting up the Tees easier

  • In 1995, the Tees Barrage was completed to reduce the risk of flooding from a storm surge

  • Embankments have been built alongside the river downstream from Middlesbrough

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Bridgette Barrett

Author: Bridgette Barrett

Expertise: Geography Lead

After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 25 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.

Jenna Quinn

Author: Jenna Quinn

Expertise: Head of New Subjects

Jenna studied at Cardiff University before training to become a science teacher at the University of Bath specialising in Biology (although she loves teaching all three sciences at GCSE level!). Teaching is her passion, and with 10 years experience teaching across a wide range of specifications – from GCSE and A Level Biology in the UK to IGCSE and IB Biology internationally – she knows what is required to pass those Biology exams.