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