Atmospheric Hazards Flashcards
formation of a tropical storm
- air is heated at the surface of warm tropical oceans (27degrees)
- warm air rises under low pressure
3.as it rises it draws up moisture, forming strong winds - winds spin around a calm central eye due to the coriolis
effect - as air rises it cools and condenses- forms torrential rainfall and cumulonimbus clouds
- as the air cools, it gives off heat, which powers the storm
describe how weather changes at different points of a storm
A. temperature falls, air pressure falls
B. temperature falls, air pressure falls, torrential rain, cumulonimbus clouds, strong winds
C. calm, dry storm eye, temperature rises
D. temperature falls, air pressure falls, heavy rain, strong winds
E. temperature starts to rise, rain, air pressure rises
describe the global distribution of tropical storms
over warm oceans (27 degrees)
not along the equator (5-30 degrees north/ south of equator)
areas of low wind shear
low wind shear
if wind shear is high, then winds are strong enough to blow the storm away from the side
not along equator
coriolis effect is not strong at the equator, the storm requires the coriolis effect to spin
warm oceans
27 degrees
air is warmed and evaporates forming water vapour- which acts as energy for the storm
low pressure
describe the effect climate change will have on frequency of tropical storms
as temperatures increase and oceans become warmer and expand, more oceans will reach 27 degrees- there will be more severe storms
describe the effect climate change will have on intensity of tropical storms
cat 1-3 will decrease
cat 4-5 will increase
will be more severe storms as oceans become warmer
what tropical storms happen in the:
-atlantic ocean
-pacific ocean
-indian sea
atlantic ocean- hurricanes
pacific ocean- typhoons
indian sea- cyclones
why are links between tropical storms and climate change uncertain
climate models have wide-ranging impacts
not enough data to make concrete predictions
where is the coriolis effect the strongest
at the poles
give the name of our two case studies
Typhoon Haiyan, 2013
Beast from the East, 2018
describe typhoon Haiyan (location, date, intensity, storm path)
Philippines, November 2013
4:40 am
windspeeds of 314km/hour
winds spinning counter-clockwise
explain why typhoon Haiyan was so severe
made landfall at 4:40am- 6 hours earlier than predicted so people were unprepared
philippines made up of 300 islands- constant water and energy source
5m storm surge- never happened before, was unexpected
primary effects of Typhoon Haiyan (social, economic, environmental)
social:
6300 deaths
4.1 million homeless
economic:
$12 billion damage costs
$53 million damage to rice
environmental:
water contamination- harmed aquatic life
800,000 litre oil leak
1.1million tonnes of destroyed crops
secondary effects of Typhoon Haiyan (social, economic, environmental)
social:
schools closed
people in shelters
economic:
flooded roads- people could not get to work
less tourism
environmental:
wildlife habitats destroyed
immediate responses to Typhoon Haiyan
treat casualties
bury dead (prevent water contamination)
build temporary shelters
access remote islands
long term responses to Typhoon Haiyan
expand shelters
rebuild homes/ roads
build back better
plant mangroves
Typhoon Haiyan protection strategies
plant mangroves- absorb storm surge energy
build back better- raise homes on stilts
Typhoon Haiyan planning strategies
900 trained fishermen- how to make boats stronger
trained families how to cook food without electricity
Typhoon Haiyan monitoring strategies
hurricane planes- record windspeeds, when storm will make landfall- which allows evacuation
Typhoon Haiyan prediction strategies
use data from previous storms to predict when the next storm will make landfall- allows evacuation
not always reliable- typhoon haiyan made landfall 6 hours early
define extreme weather
a weather event which is significantly different/ unseasonal to the average weather pattern
give evidence for extreme weather in uk
in the past 20 years there have been:
-6 wettest years ever on record
-10 hottest years ever on record
-2014 was the hottest year
only started recording data in the 1800’s- not a long time over which to form a credible average
long term evidence for climate change since the quaternary period
ocean sediments- lots of ocean so lots of sites :)
expensive, needs expertise :(
ice cores- lots of sites :)
only 2 major ice sheets- antarctica, greenland
pollen- lots of sites :)
expensive, needs expertise :(
medium term evidence for climate change since the quaternary period
art/ literature- not always true
tree rings- wider rings means more growth from more sun
trees grow at different rates though
short term evidence for climate change since the quaternary period
scientific climate records
define and describe insolation
the energy we receive from the sun
sun rays are more concentrated at the equator because of a smaller distance
less concentrated at poles at the rays cover a larger distance
describe global atmospheric circulation
warm air rises- low pressure
cool air sinks- high pressure
air moves randomly due to the coriolis effect
what are surface winds that move towards the equator called
trade winds
what are surface winds that move towards the poles called
westerlies
what direction do storms spin in the northern hemisphere
counter-clockwise
what direction do storms spin in the southern hemisphere
clockwise
anticyclones
areas of high pressure
air sinks
dry, calm weather
depressions
areas of low pressure
air rises
wetter
how long is the quaternary period
4.8 million years
describe the beast from the east (location, date, weather)
UK, 2018
end of feb- start of march
northern polar jet stream let cold air in from serbia
10 deaths- natural disaster
primary effects of bfte (social, economic, environmental)
social: 10 deaths
economic: people could not work as roads were closed
Tourism decline
Flights cancelled
areas reached -12 degrees
Co2 emissions from car heaters
secondary effects of bfte (social, economic, environmental)
social: people stayed in cars overnight
hospital appointments cancelled
economic: less tourism
airports closed
environmental: cars overnight- increased carbon emissions
responses to bfte
met office issued a red warning- danger to life
food and foil given to stranded drivers
gritters clearing snow from roads
mitigation
reducing climate change:
-renewables- London array wind farm powers 40,000 homes
-Paris agreement 2015 to reduce global temperatures to 1.5 degrees by 2100
-afforestation
-carbon capture
adaption
changing your lifestyle to adapt to the dangers of climate change:
-using public transport
-harvesting rainwater
-plant crops that resist salinity and extreme weather
natural factors of climate change
solar output
orbital changes
volcanic activity
orbital changes
Milankovitch cycle- every 100,000 years the earths orbit changes from circular to elliptical
becomes closer to sun so theres an interglacial period of warming
solar output
sunspots every 10 years
spots of intense heat and energy
increase temperatures
volcanic activity
release sulfur dioxides- react with water and oxygen to form acid rain
release CO2- greenhouse gas, leads to enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming
human factors of climate change
deforestation
fossil fuels
agriculture
fossil fuels
higher demand for energy as wealth increases
fossil fuels release CO2- enhanced greenhouse
more CO2 in the atmosphere-increases temperatures and contributes to global warming
changes in agriculture
as population and wealth increase, theres more demand for food products
cows release methane- enhanced greenhouse effect
more methane in atmosphere-increases temperature- global warming
deforestation
trees are a natural carbon sink- absorb CO2, if we cut trees down there is more CO2 in the atmosphere- enhanced greenhouse effect
trees release water which is a cooling factor, less water means hotter temperatures
define a tectonic hazard
a hazard when the earth’s crust moves
define a climatic hazard
a hazard that occurs when a region has certain weather conditions
