Floodplain use

Jennifer try this one! Have a good (hard working!!!!) weekend
http://www.ilankelman.org/miscellany/BuildOnFloodplains.rtf

Kirsty two for you to look at on the one child policy here and here.

Sorry Lizzie nothing for you!

Roxy Music

Haven’t put one on for a while. Just had to share this one since it is a classic – that is whether YOU like it or not!!

Migration

What if all the Poles went home? Read this BBC article to see if Britain could cope without our migrants.
This could prove particularly sticky for the construction industry The bigger problem is that we won't be able to find enough labour.
The effect of a Polish exodus could be even greater for the agricultural sector. Expensive strawberry crops have been left to rot last summer as there weren't the migrants to pick them. David Frost, chief executive of the British Chambers of Commerce, says it's not just the skills that make Poles attractive to employers. "There is an attitude and work ethic problem in certain parts of the UK where people do not see the need or have the desire to work."
Read the whole article here.

India - a new superpower

Home to over a billion people, India is poised to become one of a small handful of twenty-first century ‘superpowers’ On the one hand, Indian companies are emerging as major global players with billionaire owners. On the other, hundreds of millions still live in poverty.
Read here

Antarctic shelf 'hangs by thread'

A chunk of ice the size of the Isle of Man has started to break away from Antarctica. Since an ice shelf is a floating platform of ice, the break-up will have no impact on sea level. But scientists say it heightens concerns over the impact of climate change on this part of Antarctica. Link here.If you can watch this video here for amazing photography footage in Antarctica. Find out about glacier calving here and watch the youtube video also. Watch for the running penguins! Not so much happy feet but nearly wet feet. Would you fancy being in those kayaks?

Glasgow redevelopment revision

Thanks to Kenny O’Donnell for highlighting this in his blog. Good revision for Higher / Int 2 for the Urban section and Standard Grade for the Settlement section.


And here’s a little Glasgow classic- Hew haw to do with Geography but it made me laugh!

Walt Disney cartoons ‘contain secret messages on the environment’

You know I have always seen these messages in Disney and normally use this to keep you entertained at the end of term! Here’s an example.
Finding Nemo (2003) Nemo, a clownfish, is embarrassed by his overprotective father, Marlin. He is captured and taken to Sydney. The message: “The theme of letting go of one’s protective anxieties accepts the dangerous aspect of nature, but we are encouraged to tolerate freedom with all the precariousness that entails.”Read these and see what you think.

London Olympics 2012

The Olympics site is eating into east London's green spaces
After the athletes have gone and the flame has moved on, the biggest public park in more than a century will emerge from the site of the 2012 Olympics in London. Read the plans here
Badly needed regeneration is happening in East London but at what cost? The athletes village will be transformed into almost 4,000 apartments which will overlook the new landscape. Few of the locals are likely to still be around to enjoy the view once the new apartments become available. They probably will not be able to afford them anyway. Another area has lost the use of nearby football pitches, together with allotments (small gardens rented out in cities), with no promise that any of these will be replaced.

Higher/ Int 2 Hydrosphere

Good site here with a series of exercises to test your knowledge as you go. Great for weekly revision in preparation for your NAB. Try ALL the links in the RIVER section and don’t cheat!

Earthquakes Animaniacs style and flags

Just because it is here as well, here is another- A Universe song. S1 science I know but I don’t care!


Yakko’s flags

Learn the countries and their flags too! Watch out for Scotland!

Malaria and DDT

WHO Reintroduces DDT in Battle Against Malaria
Read here for some recent info on the use of DDT. More info also here. This link here shows you the Malaria Atlas project http://www.map.ox.ac.uk/index.htm.

Fight against malaria.

This site here even shows where the bed nets are being sent. Good info on lots of the links.

Urban ELDC case study

Thanks to the Gorgeous Geography blog for this powerpoint.

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There is a good animation here too on this topic to help your revision. This is also useful for S4 who are hopefully revising for their May exam. Link here

More here and here

Industrial decline

Since some of you were a bit confused in your Human NAB about this I've put in a link to help summarise this area's decline. The key here is "keep it simple". The SQA aren't looking for massively detailed answers.

The Sambre-Meuse regionThe Sambre-Meuse region in Wallonia, southern Belgium is a traditional coalfield area where heavy industry is in decline and where there is little to attract light industry. Coal mining in the Sambre-Meuse region began to decline in the 1960s because of cheaper coal imports, exhausted coal seams, and alternative cheap energy sources such as oil and environmental concerns. Already the Belgian government's regional planning has been successful in attracting some new industry to Charleroi. The La Redoute fashion chain relocated there because of government grants. I'm sure Mrs McF has shown you the video on this. If you missed it ask me asap. More info on this suimmarised here.

Rich and Poor countries list and help site

Look here at the Richard Allaway site if you are struggling to choose a country. This may solve your problems. Click the logo for the link.

Hydrosphere

River Measurments
This is designed for a different course to ours but looks good for advanced Higher and is also suitable for Highers to “dip” into.

Click logo for link.

Storm Hydrograph revision

This is a little basic for you but it is a good start to your revision programme. Remember the Physical Nab is coming up after the Easter hols. try here first.
This one is more detailed. Try this assessment for a real challenge. The tutorial will give you all the answers. If you get this all correct please do not bother with Higher Geography but go straight to university now!

Water will be source of war

Two-thirds of the world's population will live in water-stressed countries by 2025. Tackling the water and sanitation crisis is essential. Ministers agree the world needs to take urgent action to avoid missing Millennium Development Goals to halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015. Climate change is going to be potentially the biggest source of water stress. Read more here (No idea why the hyperlink won't work)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/water-will-be-source-of-war-unless-world-acts-now-warns-minister-799292.html

More than a billion people across the globe don’t have access to safe water. Every day 3900 children die as a result of insufficient or unclean water supplies. Watch this video or part of it, if it is too long to show how important this is. Good for Higher and Int 2 Dev and Health.

Biofuels: Fields of dreams

See link
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3489640.ece

Famous Carrick pupil?

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Map of the Day

Through another blog I came across this site. Useful for a look every now and again but mostly American - as you might expect.

Map of the Day

Melting glaciers start countdown to climate chaos

Good article here talking about the local and global impact of melting glaciers. Good revision for S grade and S3, who are doing this section right now.

Easter eggs go green

I’ve blogged about this previously but as it is now getting closer , here’s a wee reminder about environmentally friendly ( nearly) eggs.

Tidal Power

A British firm has agreed to build a giant tidal power scheme in South Korea, using underwater turbines. The turbines are dropped into deep water, so they are not a danger to ships, and the impacts are less than tidal barrages which take away mudflats important to birds and stop the fish. Is this the answer? See what you think here.

Migration link

Migration video here to watch made by pupils in the S of England. A few wee spelling mistakes but it is still good. Ok I like the David Bowie bit in the middle but the info is OK too! You might prefer the Killers bit. No taste.
See the postings on Sat 15th March and then go to the migration video.
http://geographyjazz.blogspot.com/

Higher Industry Link

Good page here on Industrial change in Wales, but you can adapt this for the Sambre Meuse area. Read about the Big Pit in Wales. 22nd April 2007
http://pencoedkabundilink.wordpress.com/

Mapwork

Good site here to help with your mapwork
Click the link here to see the school and the Ordnance Survey map square it is in. Geograph is great to do this with and is excellent to let you see what the landscape looks like in an are you don’t know eg what does a glaciated landscape in Skye really look like? Click here.

If you must then also have a look at Perdita the Hamster in the Games section and also the imagine section on the left too. No comment! Don’t waste too long please.

Revision for Higher/ Int 2 and S grade

BBC Learning Zone Broadband has a lot of short video clips – many of which we have seen in class – and these are great to help you revise many sections of the course. Time is going fast now, so make sure you don’t waste any time. Link here.

Just type in Geography if you aren’t sure of a topic and browse through the clips.

Is it now a move away from Britain to Poland for some?

Follow up articles to Poland programme we watched in class here and here.

Migration to Britain

High wages have drawn scores of Eastern Europeans to at least one corner of England. They do the jobs that locals do not want to do and keep the farmers , in particular, in business. Do you think this is right or not? Click to the BBC page here and watch the video and watch the programme tonight if you can.
The Poles are Coming will be broadcast on Tuesday, 11 March at 2100 GMT on BBC Two.

Lithosphere Higher and Int 2 Physical Environment links

Coastal site. Just thought I’d post this while I remember about it. Use it for revision of all the topics we have now finished. Click the link above.And also this one on limestone. Brilliant stuff from the BBC for us. Use all the links on the left especially the maps. Click the link again.

Higher / Int 2 Glaciation link designed for S5/6 students in Edinburgh. In particular, you should explore the 'Glacial landscapes' section from the menu panel on the left side of the home page. Remember! You need to be able to refer to an area of upland glaciation for questions which may appear for Higher in the Rural Land Resources section of paper 2. Click the link to follow and more info here. Can you recognise some features on the map below? Good for S grade to see what they can identify too.

Rural Change in the UK

Good introduction here to the changes which have taken place over the last couple of thousand years in Britain and the impact these have had on the countryside. This is a potential Higher question folks. Watch the whole movie if you can and then read the info -the written text is better for us than the movie but the film is beautifully done. Explore the tabs at the top especially all the sections of the “modern” section. Changes in the structure of agricultural support, which started in 2005 meant far reaching changes for British and European agriculture. In practice this means that farm support is no longer be linked to production. Support is independent of the number of livestock carried or the hectares of a crop grown and made through a Single Farm Payment (SFP) based on the historic production claims of the years 2000 – 2002.

Integrated Farm Management (IFM)Integrated Farm Management is a whole farm system providing efficient and profitable production that is environmentally responsible. IFM works by integrating beneficial natural processes into modern farming techniques and ensures that high standards of stewardship and environmental care are practiced. Practitioners of IFM need to be able to clearly demonstrate improvement to the quality of soil, water, air, wildlife habitat and the landscape. Read more about this by clicking on the Key Subjects link to the left of the page and then under the “Issues” tab on Integrated Farming. Lots of good stuff here for S grade as well as Higher / Int 2. Link here.

2008: The year of global food crisis

Millions more of the world's most vulnerable people are facing starvation. More than 73 million people in 78 countries that depend on food handouts from the United Nations World Food Programme.
The threat of malnutrition is the world's forgotten problem'', says the World Bank. The increasing cost of grains is also pushing up the price of meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. High prices have already prompted a string of food protests around the world, with tortilla riots in Mexico, disputes over food rationing in West Bengal and protests over grain prices in Senegal, Mauritania and other parts of Africa. In Yemen, children have marched to highlight their hunger, while in London last week hundreds of pig farmers protested outside Downing Street. In India last year, more than 25,000 farmers took their own lives, driven to despair by grain shortages and farming debts. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted that, over the next 100 years, a one-metre rise in sea levels would flood almost a third of the world's crop-growing land. Another key driver is the soaring cost of oil. Increased food prices and their threat - not only to people but also to political stability.

Why are we growing food to feed cars instead of people?

Biofuels, have been sold as the solution to global warming. Making fuels from growing crops is the way to cut climate pollution while continuing to drive, we are told. Is this correct? But now experts are warning that this could all be a huge mistake. Converting large amounts of land to crops for biofuels is reducing food production just when the world needs to increase it. There are plans by more than 20 countries to boost production of biofuels over the next decade. The European Union is aiming to make biofuels 10% of all transport fuels by 2020. Read the rest here. Read the comments too Lizzy.

Games for Geography

Lots of games here if you lack motivation to study properly. Try walking the plank or Fling the Teacher. (You can try if you like!) There’s a few penalty shootout games too. You won’t know all the terms as all are for the English system but have a go anyway. Link here

Food crisis will take hold before climate change

A leading scientist said that climate change would lead to pressure on food supplies because of decreased rainfall in many areas and crop failures related to climate.
Read more on this here and here. Yes this means you Lizzy!

Grand Canyon Flooded!

The Grand Canyon is being flooded over three days in a bid to improve habitats and rebuild beaches. More than 300,000 gallons of water per second were released from Lake Powell above the dam near the Arizona-Utah border. Officials hope the water will leave behind sediment and restore sandbars as it goes back to normal levels. Officials have flooded the canyon twice before, in 1996 and 2004. Before the dam was built in 1963, the river was warm and muddy, and natural flooding built up sandbars that are essential to native plant and fish species. The river is now cool and clear, its sediment blocked by the dam.
Shrinking beaches have led to the loss of half the camping sites in the canyon in the past decade. Since Glen Canyon Dam was built, 98 percent of the sediment carried by the Colorado River has been lost. Read more here and watch a couple of videos here and here. This is a bit controversial as no one knows whether this will work or not. What do you think? Worth a try or too much interference with nature?

Energy in the UK

Have a look at this site for lots of info on renewable and non renewable resources. Pros and cons here in this video

One here from Greenpeace

The power of cow dung can be electric

A dairy farm in California said yesterday that it had found a new way to generate electricity for households — using a vat of liquid cow manure. As cow manure decomposes it produces methane, a greenhouse gas more damaging than carbon dioxide. Scientists say that controlling methane emissions from animals such as cows will be hugely important in preventing climate change.
Methane can also be captured and treated to produce renewable gas, which can be used instead of coal to run electricity-generating plants.
Read the rest here

Green Revolution

This one is against the green revolution


This one is in favour of it


Lots of emotive language used here. Make up your own mind. Read this article about Rice farming also. There is a great summary here from the Punjab in India for you to use. Read about the green revolution then find out about the White revolution. I have to admit this one was a new one for me too!

It is simple... our love of flying ruins the planet.

From March 2008 the European Union's "open skies" agreement comes into force, which means any European-based airline will be able to fly from any city within the EU to any city within the United States, and vice versa. In the opinion of many scientists, we can either have international growth of flights at the present rate or we can have a stable global climate. We cannot have both. Heathrow Terminal 5 is due to open later this month too. Our love affair with aviation begins to look like a dangerous obsession. Read the articles on this here and here. Will we ever change our habits and do we want to? Is the planet important enough?

Glacial Erosion

Copy Of Glacial Erosion

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Glacial deposition

Glacial Deposition

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India to pay poor families to bring up girls

The Indian government today announced a scheme to pay poor families to give birth to and bring up girls in an attempt to stop families nationwide aborting an estimated half a million female foetuses a year. The social implications of India's "missing girls" has worried many researchers. Read the rest here.