Meikle Carewe Hill is a landform

Landform

A landform or physical feature in the earth sciences and geology sub-fields, comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography...

 in Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 within the Mounth

Mounth

The Mounth is the range of hills on the southern edge of Strathdee in northeast Scotland. It was usually referred to with the article, i.e. "the Mounth". The name is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic monadh which in turn is akin to the Welsh mynydd, and may be of Pictish origin...

 Range of the Grampian Mountains. (Grid Reference NO 921 828) The peak elevation of this mountain is 266 metres above mean sea level. Meikle Carewe is a prominent landform visible from a number of coastal hills such as Kempstone Hill

Kempstone Hill

Kempstone Hill is a landform in Aberdeenshire, Scotland within the Mounth Range of the Grampian Mountains. The peak elevation of this mountain is 132 metres above mean sea level. This hill has been posited by Gabriel Jacques Surenne, Archibald Watt and C.Michael Hogan as the location for the...

 and Megray Hill

Megray Hill

Megray Hill is a low lying coastal mountainous landform in Aberdeenshire, Scotland within the Mounth Range of the Grampian Mountains. The peak elevation of this mountain is 120 metres above mean sea level. This hill has been posited as a likely location for the noted Battle of Mons Graupius...

; it also forms a major backdrop to the community of Netherley

Netherley, Aberdeenshire

Netherley, Scotland is a village in Aberdeenshire, situated approximately five miles northwest of Stonehaven. Netherley is located in the Mounth area of the Grampian Highlands. At the western edge of Netherley is a significant wetland bog known as Red Moss. To the southwest of Netherley lie...

.

Geology and hydrology

This mountain is covered virtually entirely with moorland

Moorland

Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...

. Its northwestern slopes drain to the Cairnie Burn

Cairnie Burn

Cairnie Burn is a stream that rises in the Mounth, or eastern range of the Grampian Mountains, north of Netherley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Cairnie Burn is a generally northeast flowing watercourse that is a tributary to the Crynoch Burn...

, whilst the northern and eastern slopes drain to Crynoch Burn

Crynoch Burn

Crynoch Burn is a stream in Aberdeenshire that is tributary to the River Dee. This stream rises somewhat above Netherley and flows near Netherley House; and thence into the Red Moss, a significant natural bog habitat; thence near the historic Lairhillock Inn; and finally by the village of...

. The western slopes yield surface runoff

Surface runoff

Surface runoff is the water flow that occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the water cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint source...

 that drains to Cowton Burn

Cowton Burn

Cowton Burn is a stream that rises in the Mounth, or eastern range of the Grampian Mountains, on some of the northwest slopes of the Durris Forest west of Netherley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Grid Reference for the headwaters is NO 925 823); Cowton Burn is a tributary to the Cowie Water...

. Curlethney Hill

Curlethney Hill

Curlethney Hill is a landform in Aberdeenshire, Scotland within the Mounth Range of the Grampian Mountains. The peak elevation of this mountain is 246 metres above mean sea level. This landform lies slightly southwest of the village of Netherley...

 is situated approximately 0.9 kilometers to the east of Meikle Carewe Hill; surface runoff and drainage from Curlethney Hill also drain north to Crynoch Burn, at reaches above the Red Moss. Waters within the Red Moss are decidedly acid

Acid

An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...

ic, with measured summer pH

PH

In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

 values in the range of 5.68. These low pH levels may be caused in part by the peat

Peat

Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...

 drainage from the moorland on Meikle Carewe Hill.

Wind farm proposal

Renewable Energy Resources has an application pending before the Aberdeenshire Council to create a windfarm

WindFarm

WindFarm is wind energy software used to analyse, design, optimise and visualise wind farms. It calculates and optimises the energy yield subject to natural, planning and engineering constraints. WindFarm has the wind modelling software MS-Micro integrated. MS-Micro is based on the same...

 for electrical power

Electric power

Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...

 generation using Meikle Carewe Hill and nearby high ground to install twelve wind turbines, five of which are proposed for Meikle Carewe Hill itself. Each turbine would reach a height of 70 metres above grade level, and the entire complex could generate enough power to supply the equivalent of 5000 homes . Environmental concerns over the proposal include noise pollution

Noise pollution

Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...

, visual impact and ecological disturbance.