Extreme Weather Flashcards
In what conditions do hurricanes form?
Over warm water in the tropic (28*C+)
Low pressure (air rises and winds rush in)
Why do hurricanes bring rain?
Rising air pulls raindrops to the top of the cloud and they grow in size until heavy enough to fall out the sky
When and where was typhoon haiyan?
2013, in the Phillipines
What were some characteristics of typhoon haiyan?
Formed on warmest waters in the world (30*C)
380 miles across
195 mph winds
What were 7 social impacts?
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
What were 5 economic impacts?
Businesses destroyed
Crops, food, fishing destroyed
1 million homes damaged
4.5 million homeless
$3.6 billion damage
What causes storm surges?
Low pressure areas and rising air raises the surface of the ocean
When do hurricanes occur?
Late summer/early autumn when oceans have had time to heat up
How much aid did the royal air force deliver to the Philippines and over how many days?
200 tonnes over 10 days
How much rice was purchased from Singapore
100 tonnes
Was typhoon Haiyan monitored?
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
Explain 3 ways a house can be protected from a typhoon
- Shape - circular & aerodynamic, wind cant build up enoguh pressure to cause structural damage
- Roof – radial truss, wind dispersed through structure
- Windows – impact glass and reinforced
What is a mangrove?
A group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone
What do mangroves do?
Provide a buffer zone between ocean and land for hurricane to dissipate
Absorbs energy from storm surge
What are the positives of mangroves?
Good habitat (fish nursery)
Carbon sink
Cheap
Drag from roots can reduce size of storm surge from 26% to 75%
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?
Not protected = $153 per person
Protected = $33 per person
What are the negatives of mangroves?
Takes up land – restricts development
Decreases accessibility to the sea
Takes time to grow
Doesn’t stop storm surge – just slows it
Why could the impacts of Typhoon Haiyan have been reduced?
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
Why couldn’t the impacts of Typhoon Haiyan have been reduced?
The storm surge would have been very difficult to stop
Where and when was Hurricane Katrina?
New Orleans, 2005
What happened with Hurricane Katrina? (4 things)
23 breaches of levees
80% of city flooded
800000 homes destroyed
Around $100 billion worth of damage
1400 deaths
What happened with the levees?
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
How was Hurricane Katrina managed in the aftermath?
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
What is happening in Australia?
Drought – 90% of Australia affected by drought
Rainfall down by 90%
