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Water and Carbon Cycles

The River Eden catchment case study

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 1

Overview

The River Eden in Cumbria as the local catchment case study: geology and land use, Storm Desmond and the 2015 Carlisle floods, Haweswater water supply, field data, and flood management evaluated.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Process

How does land use affect the hydrology of the Eden catchment?

Process

What happened in the Eden catchment during Storm Desmond in December 2015?

Process

What does Storm Desmond show about the impact of precipitation on catchment stores and transfers?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Describe the River Eden catchment in Cumbria.

    Model answer

    The Eden drains about 2,400 km² from its source on Mallerstang Common in the Pennines, flowing north-west for about 145 km through Appleby and Carlisle to the Solway Firth.

  2. 2

    How does geology affect stores and transfers in the Eden catchment?

    Model answer

    Permeable Carboniferous limestone and Permo-Triassic sandstone in the Pennines and the Vale of Eden allow infiltration and groundwater storage, while the impermeable volcanic rocks of the Lake District tributaries in the west give fast surface run-off.

  3. 3

    How does land use affect the hydrology of the Eden catchment?

    Model answer

    Grazed uplands with thin soils and drained moorland speed run-off, improved pasture in the vale is compacted by livestock, and the urban area of Carlisle has impermeable surfaces that send water quickly to the river.

  4. 4

    What happened in the Eden catchment during Storm Desmond in December 2015?

    Model answer

    A record 341 mm of rain fell in 24 hours at Honister on 5 December onto already saturated ground; the Eden reached a peak flow of about 1,700 m³/s at Carlisle, the highest recorded, and more than 2,000 properties in Carlisle were flooded.

  5. 5

    Why did the flood defences in Carlisle fail in 2015?

    Model answer

    Defences built after the January 2005 flood were designed for an event of that size, but Desmond's flow was greater, so they were overtopped.

  6. 6

    What does Storm Desmond show about the impact of precipitation on catchment stores and transfers?

    Model answer

    Prolonged rain had filled soil and groundwater stores, so infiltration fell and almost all further rain became overland flow, giving a short lag time and a very high peak.

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