Hard & Soft Engineering

Flood Control - Hard & Soft Engineering Techniques Rivers are a natural flow of water, and since the beginning of time, humans have tried to harness the energy of rivers and change their direction. This interference often leads to flooding. Sometime when a river floods it becomes necessary to intervene with its course and use modern techniques to reduce the risk of flooding and to ensure the passage of water flows downstream and away from the affected area as quickly as possible. Hard Engineering Techniques Below are diagrams explaining some commonly used hard Engineering Techniques: Revetments. Brick, concrete, wooden pile, sheet steel, rock or wire mesh structures designed to reduce bank erosion and to prevent meander development and thus to protect homes and farmland from erosion. Wing Dykes and training walls. These built out from the bank towards the centre of the channel in order to direct the fastest river current or thalweg away from the bank. This decreases bank erosion and increases the river's velocity in the centre so that it erodes a deeper, navigable channel, which is self-dredging. Channelisation. This is where the river is straightened out bout in terms of its course and in terms of its bed and sides. This is done to reduce the friction that sides have on the water and this in turn increases the water velocity. A faster flowing river also prevents

  • Word count: 1117
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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Hard & Soft Engineering Coastal Management Case Studies

Hard & Soft Engineering Coastal Management Case Studies Hard Engineering - Coastal Management - Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight has 65 miles of spectacular coastline, 28 miles of which are designated Heritage Coast. This varied coastline is one of the Island’s main assets. The Isle of Wight has four coastal defence options: . Hold the Line – retain existing coastline – maintain current deference’s, upgrade or install new ones 2. Do nothing but monitor – it may not be technically, environmentally or economically possible to do coastal defence work 3. Retreat the line – this is used to manage the rate and process by which the coast retreats 4. Advance the line – build new defences seaward, in front of the land, to protect the land behind Monks Bay * Cliff failure after the 1990/91 severe storms gave motivation to upgrade coastal defence * Offshore breakwater, six rock groynes and rock revetment * This reinforced the existing sea wall – 25,000 tonnes - Norwegian granite * Beach nourishment was used – 40,000 m3 of sand * Re-profiling the slope and installing land drainage * This was to reduce the risk of Mass Movement Cost-benefit analysis – value of property exceeded £1.4 million cost * Completed in 1992 * £1.4 Million - but value of property exceeded this * Sediment in groyne has been a problem, as some has overtopped the rock

  • Word count: 630
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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Sea Defence. Which is better: hard or soft engineering?

Which is better: hard or soft engineering? Hard engineering options tend to be expensive, short-term options. They may also have a high impact on the landscape or environment and be unsustainable. Hard engineering is the controlled disruption of natural processes by using man-made structures. An example of hard engineering is a sea wall, these walls are built on the edge of a coastline and made to protect the base of cliffs and also to limit the amount of coastal erosion on a cliff-face were land is being absorbed by the sea. These walls could also prevent coastal flooding. This type of hard engineering is good as it has many aspects and is effective. Disadvantages of creating a sea wall are that it is very expensive to build; the curves in the sea wall reflect the wave's energy back to into the sea, therefore the waves remain powerful. Another disadvantage is that the walls erode after time and the cost of maintenance is high. Another example of hard engineering is groyne, a groyne is a wooden barrier built at a right angle to the beach. Groynes are built to prevent the movement of beach material along the coast by long shore drift. This allows the build-up of a beach; beaches are a natural defence against erosion and also an attraction for tourists. Disadvantages of building a groyne are that it can be seen as unattractive and is also costly to build and maintain. A

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  • Word count: 489
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Geography
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Evaluate the role of hard and soft engineering strategies in managing rivers

Evaluate the role of hard and soft engineering strategies in managing rivers Libby Flynn 12F Hard engineering strategies tend to be the more expensive strategies, and can also cause a negative impact on the landscape and environment. Channelization of the river channel removes meanders to reduce the length of the river so the water flows faster downstream. The faster flowing water washes away sediment that has accumulated on the river bed minimising the risk of flooding, as well as the flow of the water deepening the river which means there is an increase in the capacity of the river, also reducing the risk of flooding. However, this strategy can cause problems further downstream as there is an increase in the speed and discharge, so areas that do not have flood defences are more vulnerable and the risk increases. This is also a very expensive method and a lot of resources and manpower are required. An example of where this particular strategy has been used is the Kissimmee River in Florida, where the river channel was shortened from 103 miles to just 56 miles in length. Two thirds of the floodplain was destroyed and due to the river’s increased velocity many species of fish were unable to survive and began to die out, causing problems low down on the food chain which resulted in a negative impact on surrounding ecosystems. Containing some of the discharge of a river via

  • Word count: 931
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Geography
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Genetic engineering: techniques, benefits and risks

Genetic engineering: techniques, benefits and risks David Farrell What is genetic engineering? Genetic engineering is the transfer of a gene from one organism to another. This transfer is from donor to recipient. It is also the scientific alteration of genetic material in a living organism. Genetic engineering is a relatively new and fast moving technology which has the potential for limitless possibilities in influencing the genetic make-up of human genes. However there are certain ethical opposition that genetic engineering has had to face. Genetic engineering involves moving a specific gene from one organism to another, cross breeding however involves moving hundreds if not thousands of genes from one organism to the other. Common techniques used in genetic engineering Recombinant DNA Uses plasmids and viruses to insert foreign genes into cells an example of this is bacteria being given the human insulin gene so that when the bacteria multiplies it creates insulin. This means that diabetes can be treated better then before and many people have been saved from diabetes thanks to genetic engineering. Viruses can also be used as a vector by adding a new gene to the genetic material of the virus. Microinjection This is a simple procedure where the recipient is simply injected the new gene, however sometimes the injected cells find the host cell genes and incorporates

  • Word count: 678
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Science
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Effects of Genetic Engineering

The Impact of Genetic Engineering on Society Word Count: 748 Abstract The following article will discuss and go into depth about the facts about genetic modification on food, animals and even humans. Genetic engineering has both positive and negative sides to it. This article will explore both sides of genetic modification and its effects on society. Introduction Genetic engineering is the use of modern biotechnology techniques to alter the genes of an organism, such as a plant or animal. There are many positive and negative sides to genetic engineering. To some people, genetic engineering is the chance for an improved and healthier life, but there are others who fear that it is "playing God" and there is no evidence that genetically enhanced organisms will have a positive effect on our society over time. Each of these views is correct in certain ways. Genetic engineering could be used to enhance people's lives, but it could also be used to harm people's lives. Discussion Genetic modification is a significant issue that involves the whole community because of the mass amount of genetically enhanced foods being produced and consumed on a daily basis. Many buyers are unaware of the fact that if the food they are consuming does not say "organic" it means that there are at least 70% genetically modified foods inside of that product. Although many people are in favour of

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Science
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Genetic engineering.

Genetic engineering The use of various methods to manipulate the DNA (genetic material) of cells to change hereditary traits or produce biological products. The techniques include the use of hybridomas (hybrids of rapidly multiplying cancer cells and of cells that make a desired antibody) to make monoclonal antibodies - an antibody that is mass produced in the laboratory from a single clone and that recognizes only one antigen, gene splicing or recombinant DNA, in which the DNA of a desired gene is inserted into the DNA of a bacterium, which then reproduces itself, yielding more of the desired gene; and polymerase chain reaction - laboratory process in which a particular DNA segment from a mixture of DNA chains is rapidly replicated, producing a large, readily analyzed sample of a piece of DNA which makes perfect copies of DNA fragments and is used in DNA fingerprinting - any of several similar techniques for analyzing and comparing DNA from separate sources, used especially in law enforcement to identify suspects from hair, blood, semen, or other biological materials found at the scene of a violent crime. It depends on the fact that no two people, save identical twins, have exactly the same DNA sequence, and that although only limited segments of a person's DNA are scrutinized in the procedure, those segments will be statistically unique. Genetically engineered products

  • Word count: 425
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Genetic Engineering

Suzanne Bembridge Genetic Engineering Scientific study, ethical considerations, and the pursuit of a better human destiny, are the foundation for genetic engineering. But what is genetic engineering and why is there so much ethical controversy? Genetic engineering as defined by Pete Moore 1 "is the name given to a wide variety of techniques that have one thing in common: they all allow the biologist to take a gene from one cell and insert it into another". The structure of every living thing is determined by its genes. A gene is a chemical code which contains an instruction for the body to express a particular attribute such as eye colour, skin pigment or height. Each gene is made up of a segment of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Scientists are able to extract DNA from any organism and can then isolate a specific gene through the use of restriction endonucleases, which cut DNA strands at specific points. The gene is then copied and folded and transferred to another organism. Genetic modification has gone on for years through traditional plant and animal breeding techniques. Genetic engineering allows the transfer of a gene from any source (transgenic manipulations). This creates safety, environmental, social moral and ethical concerns for many people. According to Ron Epstein 2 most of genetic engineering happens in the agricultural sector. Plants are genetically

  • Word count: 1282
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Biology Coursework on Tissue Engineering

Tissue Engineering Information about my report st Aspect of Biology -Embryonic stem cells and what they are (Page 2) 2nd Aspect of Biology - Medical use of stem cells for Articular Cartilage (Page 5) Bibliography (Page) Word Count: 1,630 Target Audience: Students in AS-Level wishing to learn how tissue engineering can be used. Tissue Engineering What is in this report? The report will inform you about tissue engineering with embryonic stem cells and an example of its uses. In detail the report will tell you how tissue engineering techniques can be used with embryonic stem cells and how they can repair articular cartilage. Ethical issues will be discussed in the report. Future developments and relevant data will be shown for each aspect. What is tissue engineering? Tissue engineering is where the employment of natural biology allows great success in developing therapeutic strategies aimed at the replacement, repair, maintenance, and the enhancement of tissue function. How can tissue engineering be used? Tissue engineering can be used for the replacement in different tissue parts of the body. Stem cells can be used with the tissue engineering techniques for in the body. It is especially good to use embryonic stem cells, as they have not yet been assigned a specific role in the body. How it tissue engineering carried out? For tissue engineering to be carried

  • Word count: 1886
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Science
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Analysing Soft Drink

Analysing Soft Drinks Introduction Soft drinks contain acid and sugar. These substances contribute to tooth decay and therefore are a cause for concern. In the first part of the investigation we'll measure the acidity in blackcurrant juice. Labels on black currant juice drinks usually state citric acid is present in the drink, but it doesn't give you the amount of how much it contains. Dilutable soft drinks contain between 0.15 - 2.5% of citric acid research by The British Drinks Association and therefore the second part of the experiment would be to determine the concentrations of blackcurrant juice in the diluted samples. Investigation 1: Measure the acidity of the blackcurrant juice drink In order to measure the acidity of the blackcurrant juice, I'll titrate black current juice with 0.1mol of sodium hydroxide and use a pH meter to measure its pH. Technique The technique of this experiment is titration. It is a method of chemical analysis, which is used to determine the volume of concentration needed to react with an unknown solution. Equipments needed for titration: * Burette * Conical Flask * Clamp Technique of using titration method: The measurement on the burette (cm3) tells you how much solution you have poured into the substance. This is useful to find the amount of solution needed to balance with the substance. At the end of the burette, there is a

  • Word count: 1850
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Science
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