Dams

Building large dams:

ADVANTAGES: 

water supply
more cultivated areas
more farmland reclaimed from deserts
no flooding risk
 provides electricity

DISADVANTAGES: 

people are forced to move
ecosystems and habitats are destroyed
 low quality lands
 more pollutants
less water life
more risk of earthquake




"El Chocon" dam in Argentina



LOCATION:
This dam is found in the Argentinian Patagonia, formed by the rivers of  Neuquen and Rio Negro.  

REASONS FOR BUILDING IT: 
Both the rivers Limay and Neuquen's waters were increasing so this was a problem for the population of "Alto Valle" and "Valle Medio", since there was a big flooring in 1899 that destroyed Viedma and Carmen de Patagones. 
In 1950 the "Agua y Energia Electrica" company, started developing the project, but they couldn't achieve it since there were very high prices. 
In 1967 the "Hidronor" company was able to start constructing this dam. 



PROBLEMS and LOCAL ISSUES: 

 the servicies weren't enough in order to satisfy the demand. 
School enrollment
Sewer
 Gas 
 Potable water 

Uses of fresh water

We saw a video and we were asked to write our conclusions about the situation described in it.

My conclusion about the video is that there are different realities in connection with the living conditions of the people. For example, the boy has basic resources to live, he has potable water, that means that it is not polluted. He just  fill in a bottle from a dispenser without any problem . On the other hand, the girl doesn't have the opportunity to have water in good conditions, she has to  go to the river and grab the polluted by his own. This makes me realize that we do not take advantage of the  good resources that we have, instead we waste water all the time, even though we are not using it.

Tropical cyclones

Tropical Cyclones

A tropical cyclone, also called typhoon or hurricane, is a  storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and has low atmospheric pressure,also a lot of wind and heavy rain.

The cyclones have differents names in the world, for example in the Atlantic or the eastern Pacific Ocean they are called “Hurricanes”.  In the western North Pacific and Philippines, they are called “Typhoons”, and in India and the South Pacific Ocean are called cyclones.

Since 1953, the Tropical Prediction Centre has produced lists of names for cyclones As a tropical depression develops into a tropical storm, it is given the next available name on the list, which is prepared in alphabetical order and alternates from between male and female names. If the cyclone causes  a lot of damage for example lots of deaths, the cyclone’s name is removed from the list and they never use it again.

Names used between 2017 and 2018:

• Cempaka
• Dahlia
• Hilda
• Irving
• Joyce
• Kelvin
• Linda
• Marcus
• Nora

Weather conditions:

1. Warm ocean Waters upper 50 m of the tropical ocean must be present.  The heat in these warm waters is necessary to fuel the tropical cyclone.
2. The atmosphere must cool fast enough with height, that it is unstable to moist convection. The thunderstorm activity which allows the heat stored in the ocean waters to be liberated and used for tropical cyclone development.

Cyclon Scale:

This scale shows the different categories of the cyclones, from the category 1 that is the one that causes minimal damages shown in green to the category 5 that is the one that causes catastrophic damages, with wind speeds that are higher than 155 which is shown in red.

The main effects of tropical cyclones include heavy rain, strong wind, storms, and tornadoes. All the damage caused by a tropical cyclone depends on its intensity, its size, and its location. Tropical cyclones can change the landscape near coastal areas, by moving sand dunes and causing  erosion along the coast.

Also, the cyclones causes a lot of damages to people and transportation or communication are destroyed, including houses and streets . Two million people have died globally due to tropical cyclones.

Steps to reduce the effects:

1. Cut down trees throughout the year and remove any dead branches.

2. Cover the windows with wood board, so that nobody gets hurt in case of a broken window.
3. Practice an evacuation plan so that you know what you'll be doing and where you'll be going if an evacuation is ordered for your area.

Preparing a Supply Kit:

1. Keep food and water for all your family.
2. Prepare a  battery-powered radio and several flashlights, with matching batteries to know what is happening outside.
3. Put sand bags under the doors to prevent that the water could enter to the house.