In this deck, we'll explore river flooding and how it can be managed, using the village of Boscastle in Cornwall as our named example. This is a crucial case study for AQA GCSE Geography. Remember, this is an optional topic, so check with your teacher that you need to study it. You'll learn the causes of floods, how to read a hydrograph, and how to evaluate a real-life flood management scheme.

Let's start with the causes of river flooding. These can be split into two types: physical, which are natural, and human, which are caused by people's actions. A key physical cause is prolonged rainfall, where it rains for a long time, saturating the ground so it can't absorb any more water.

Another physical cause is intense, heavy rainfall, often from thunderstorms. This means a large volume of water arrives too quickly for the soil to soak it up, leading to rapid surface runoff into the river. The shape of the land, known as relief, also plays a part. Steep-sided valleys cause water to run into the river channel much faster than gentle slopes.