Not just Down Under!

Flooding is not just affecting Queensland. Heavy rain in the Philippines and in Sri Lanka are having major effects on the local populations. This will give those of you studying AS level an excellent contrasting case-study.

For a report and other links relating to flooding in Sri Lanka click here.

For a report and other links relating to flooding in the Philippines click here.

And on the home front rapid melting snow and heavy rainfall have brought flood warnings up. For more details click to go to the Environment Agency Flood Warning page

Not such a happy start to the year?

The floods in Queensland, Australia will provide excellent case-study material for year 12.

For basic details click this link.

For an explanation for the flooding click this link.

For some of the consequences click this link.

Belfast GIE part 2

A good idea to assist your appreciation of what Duncairn is really like, is to conduct a virtual tour using Google Earth. You may have already annotated ground level images of the Cathedral Quarter, as part of your research into item 2. You now need to do the same for the following addresses

• Keadyville Ave (Duncairn 2)


• Duncrue Street (Duncairn 2)


• Mervue Street (Duncairn 1)


• Duncairn Gardens - Groundwork Northern Ireland (Duncairn 1)

Find a view nearby each of the above locations, take a screen grab and annotate. Please remember the view at the top of this page is an aerial view not the ground level view that you should use.

Belfast GIE part 1

This years GIE will require detailed study of the AIB, in particular the maps. Item 2 explores the work of the Laganside Corporation. A useful way to familiarize yourself with this item will be to produce a map, based on OS map extract from page 9, similar to that you have previously produced for Trafford Park UDC.


Take a copy of the map below. Zoom in on Laganside, cut, paste the area and annotate using text boxes to show how the Laganside Corporation has been able to stimulate developments in each of the following categories

• commercial and office developments



• leisure and tourism



• infrastructure- transport



• retailing



• housing



• environmental improvements

Each annotation should be precisely located. You will need to use results of previous research and the internet.

This map is just for reference, a colour version of your AIB.

UN Conference on Climate Change

The UN's conference on climate change begins today in Cancun, Mexico - follow it's findings on the official website.

You wouldn't thinks so!?

Despite the snow at the start of the year and the current cold snap, 2010 is set to be the warmest year (or second warmest) on record. NASA have recorded it as the warmest on record and the UK Met Office have it as the second warmest in their data set.

For more details click this link.

Or read about it on the Guardian website.

Carbon Emissions fall - but its not all good news

In 2009 carbon emissions fell but not as much as had been predicted and there are concerns that the recent rapid upward trend will continue.

To find out more read the article at the BBC.

Geography Awareness Week

This year's Geography awareness week is all about fresh water.

For more information go to My Wonderful World website.

Help with grid references or just for fun

Have you come for fun or are you still not sure how to do them? Well no matter which, you can have fun as you practice using your map skills.

Click this link to the Ordnance Survey Map Zone.

Mount Merapi blows it's top

One of Indonesia's active volcanoes is causing devastation and chaos. Over 64 people have been killed and flights between Singapore and Jakarta have been suspended.

Read more by clicking these links: Death toll and flights suspended.

You can also follow the activity by clicking this link.