Challenge of natural hazards (paper 1) Flashcards
what is a natural hazard?
a natural process which could cause death injury or disruption to humans, or destroy property and possessions
what is a natural disaster?
a natural hazard that has actually happened
name the 2 main types of natural hazard
geological
meteorological
how are geological hazards caused
tectonic and land processes e.g. volcanoes and earthquakes
how are meteorological hazards caused?
weather and climate processes e.g. tropical storms and extreme weather
what is hazard risk
the probability of people being affected by a hazard in a particular area
list the 4 factors that can affect hazard risk
urbanisation
poverty
farming
climate change
what is the primary effect of a natural hazard
the immediate impacts caused by the hazard itself
what is the secondary effect of a natural hazard
happens later on - often as a result off primary effects
what are the 2 types of crust that make up plates?
continental - thicker and less dense
oceanic - thinner and more dense
what are the places called where plates meet?
plate margins/plate boundaries
list the three types of plate margins
destructive
constructive
conservative
what are constructive margins
where 2 plates are moving away from each other. Magma rises from the mantle to fill the gaps and cools, creating new crust
what are conservative margins
where two plates are moving sideways past each other or are moving in the same direction but at different speeds. Crust isn’t created or destroyed
what are destructive margins
where 2 plates are moving towards each other. When oceanic and continental plates meet each other the denser oceanic plate it subjected and destroyed creating gas rich magma
how are earthquakes caused
by tension that builds ups at all three types of plate margin
why does crust move?
because of convection currents in the mantle
what is the focal point?
point inside the dust where the pressure is released
define epicentre
point on earths surface above the focus
list three reasons why people would want to live in volcanic areas
soil is very fertile for farming
hot rocks below surface = geothermal energy
gold and diamonds may form when volcanoes solidify
list 6 factors that affect climate change
aspect (sun)
wind
equator (latitude)
sea
relief (microwaves)
altitude
define climate
the average weather conditions over a longer period of time
define weather
the day to day conditions of the atmosphere
when do tropical storms usually occur?
when sea temperatures are highest (over 26/27°C)
define adaptation
all the actions taken to respond to climate change by changing agricultural systems, managing water supply and reducing the risk from rising sea levels
what is global atmospheric circulation
the transfer of heat from the equator to the poles by the movement of air
what happens when the sun warms the equator
causes air to rise creating a low pressure belt
what happens when air starts to rise
cools and moves away from the equator
explain the distribution of tropical storms
as average ocean temp. rises, more of worlds oceans could be above 27C meaning that tropical storms can form in areas that haven’t experienced them before
explain the intensity of tropical storms
higher sea surface temps. are likely to result in more evaporation + increased cloud formation so more energy is released meaning storms become more powerful
explain the frequency of tropical storms
oceans will stay at 27C or higher for longer each year so there’s a longer period when tropical storms can form meaning there are more storms each year
list the 3 ways to reduce the effect of tropical storms and give and example for each one
prediction and monitoring - (satellites to calculate predicted path)
planning - (government evacuation plans)
protection - (flood defences built along rivers)
impacts of strong winds in UK
- damages property + disrupts transport
- uprooted trees + debris can injure/kill people
impacts of heavy rainfall in UK
- flooding damaging homes and may lead to drowning
- recovering from flooding may cost millions
impacts of snow and ice in UK
- injuries due to slipping and people being too cold
- schools/businesses forced to shut
impacts of drought in UK
- low water supplies leading to crop failure
- rules to conserve water may be introduced
impacts of thunderstorm in UK
- heavy rain, strong winds + lightning
- lightning may cause fires damaging property people and environment
impacts of heat waves in UK
- pollution builds up in air causing heat exhaustion
- disruption to transport from roads melting
list 3 natural factors that are possible causes if climate change
- volcanic activity
- solar output
- orbital changes
list 4 human activities that affect climate change
- burning fossil fuels (CO2 released into atmosphere)
- cement production (CO2 released into atmosphere
- farming (livestock e.g. cows produce methane)
deforestation (when trees are cut down CO2 is then not taken in)
list 3 strategies to reduce causes of climate change
- renewable energy e.g. nuclear
- carbon capture (stores CO2 away)
- planting trees increases amount of CO2 that’s absorbed from atomsphere through photosynthesis
