Extreme events and future cc in Uk

Question 1

what are climate extremes?

Answer 1

exceptional weather conditions different to the regions average

Question 2

what are the UK climate extremes?

Answer 2

Drought, frontal systems and damaging winds

Question 3

how does india define extreme?

Answer 3

heat wave with max daily temps of over 40 degrees celsius

Question 4

how are long climate records used?

Answer 4

they are used as a baseline for events to see if they differ from what has happened in past. recent floods in UK have been noticeable however have been comparable periods

Question 5

what are other baseline records?

Answer 5

these can be proxy records e.g. lake sediments, tree ring records (used to place Californian drought into context), showed 2014 peak is more extreme than any other peak

Question 6

how does topography affect?

Answer 6

in uk, differences in topography, geology and land use mean that areas are affected differently by extremes

Question 7

2003 heatwave?

Answer 7

highs in June - August 2003, broke the UK temperature record, contributed to 70,000 deaths, hose pipe ban

Question 8

what did the met office estimate from the heatwave?

Answer 8

that by 2050 half of all summers could be the same

Question 9

how extreme was 2003?

Answer 9

2003 was by far hottest in last 500 years (Luterbacher)

Question 10

how was 2003 caused?

Answer 10

persistent High Pressure System, high surface insulation, caused movement of Saharan winds (dry and hot), UK not hit as badly due to influence of low pressure systems from the N Atlantic bringing cloud and some rain

Question 11

Scott et al 2004?

Answer 11

” it is now possible to estimate how humans affected 2003 heatwave”

Question 12

Storm Desmond?

Answer 12

2015, Extratropical cyclone hit Ireland and UK causing significant winds, and coastal and inland flooding, Hannister 341.1 mm in 24hr

Question 13

why was desmond so windy?

Answer 13

Large atmospheric pressure gradient between Iceland and southern Europe caused high winds. uninterrupted wind track allowed for large wave generation, high humidity and warm air mass allowed for high atmospheric water load

Question 14

what is an atmospheric river?

Answer 14

narrow and long band of mositure in the atmopshere: defined as WVT > 2cm. Usually also have high wind speeds

Question 15

Atmospheric river and storm desmond?

Answer 15

carried huge amounts of warm, moist air across the Atlantic, Higher rainfall occurred in Cumbria and Lancashire Due to topographic effects of the Lake District and the Pennines, they occur at polar front, have strong pressure gradient

Question 16

Climate change?

Answer 16

global temp increase of 3-5 degrees by 2100, models suggest cooling in the North Atlantic, temp differences will increase causing wind speed increases

Question 17

how will CC affect Uk?

Answer 17

there will be warming, increase of rain in the north,however some disagreement in models

Question 18

what will happen to extreme events?

Answer 18

will see an increase in events, due to the creation of higher temperature gradients and more evaporation