Extreme Weather

Question 1

In what conditions do hurricanes form?

Answer 1

Over warm water in the tropic (28*C+)
Low pressure (air rises and winds rush in)

Question 2

Why do hurricanes bring rain?

Answer 2

Rising air pulls raindrops to the top of the cloud and they grow in size until heavy enough to fall out the sky

Question 3

When and where was typhoon haiyan?

Answer 3

2013, in the Phillipines

Question 4

What were some characteristics of typhoon haiyan?

Answer 4

Formed on warmest waters in the world (30*C)
380 miles across
195 mph winds

Question 5

What were 7 social impacts?

Answer 5

Women went into labour due to stress
Aid slow to arrive in remote areas
Looting
Families physically separated by storm surge
Lack of clean water
5500 dead
26000 injured

Question 6

What were 5 economic impacts?

Answer 6

Businesses destroyed
Crops, food, fishing destroyed
1 million homes damaged
4.5 million homeless
$3.6 billion damage

Question 7

What causes storm surges?

Answer 7

Low pressure areas and rising air raises the surface of the ocean

Question 8

When do hurricanes occur?

Answer 8

Late summer/early autumn when oceans have had time to heat up

Question 9

How much aid did the royal air force deliver to the Philippines and over how many days?

Answer 9

200 tonnes over 10 days

Question 10

How much rice was purchased from Singapore

Answer 10

100 tonnes

Question 11

Was typhoon Haiyan monitored?

Answer 11

No - meteorologists underestimated typhoon and gave absolutely zero warning about storm surge so everyone stayed inside to avoid winds.
Many people felt that they should have been evacuated

Question 12

Explain 3 ways a house can be protected from a typhoon

Answer 12

1. Shape - circular & aerodynamic, wind cant build up enoguh pressure to cause structural damage
2. Roof – radial truss, wind dispersed through structure
3. Windows – impact glass and reinforced

Question 13

What is a mangrove?

Answer 13

A group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone

Question 14

What do mangroves do?

Answer 14

Provide a buffer zone between ocean and land for hurricane to dissipate
Absorbs energy from storm surge

Question 15

What are the positives of mangroves?

Answer 15

Good habitat (fish nursery)
Carbon sink
Cheap
Drag from roots can reduce size of storm surge from 26% to 75%

Question 16

In B’nika national park, how much were hurricane losses in vilages not porotected by mangroves and how much losses in villages that were protected by mangroves?

Answer 16

Not protected = $153 per person
Protected = $33 per person

Question 17

What are the negatives of mangroves?

Answer 17

Takes up land – restricts development
Decreases accessibility to the sea
Takes time to grow
Doesn’t stop storm surge – just slows it

Question 18

Why could the impacts of Typhoon Haiyan have been reduced?

Answer 18

The people could have been warned
They relied much too heavily on international aid (took 5 days to arrive)
Remote places were difficult to get to

Question 19

Why couldn’t the impacts of Typhoon Haiyan have been reduced?

Answer 19

The storm surge would have been very difficult to stop

Question 20

Where and when was Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 20

New Orleans, 2005

Question 21

What happened with Hurricane Katrina? (4 things)

Answer 21

23 breaches of levees
80% of city flooded
800000 homes destroyed
Around $100 billion worth of damage
1400 deaths

Question 22

What happened with the levees?

Answer 22

They were found to be poorly constructed and never built to full height
The levees had sunken over time due to subsidence
They created a false sense of security

Question 23

How was Hurricane Katrina managed in the aftermath?

Answer 23

Took 7 years to agree on a plan – many left the city out of frustration
They closed a large navigational channel known as the MRGO which allowed salty water to seep into wetlands

Question 24

What is happening in Australia?

Answer 24

Drought – 90% of Australia affected by drought
Rainfall down by 90%

Question 25

In the Australian outback, why does a farmer commit suicide every 4 days?

Answer 25

Physically isolated from help
Cattle are starving and sick
Crops are lost
Farmers have to shoot their own stock

Question 26

How is the globe affected by the Australian drought?

Answer 26

Lower exports from Australia so market price increases