GEOGRAPHY UNIT 1A challenge of natural hazards Flashcards

1
Q

What are not counted as natural hazards?

A

extreme events which do not pose any threat to human activity eg. a drought in an uninhabited part of a desert

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2
Q

What are the 2 types of natural hazard?

A
  • geological hazards caused by land and tectonic processes

- meteorological hazards caused by weather and climate

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3
Q

What are the factors that affect natural hazard risk?

A
  • vulnerability
  • capacity to cope
  • nature of natural hazards
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4
Q

How does vulnerability affect natural hazard risk?

A

the more people that are in an area exposed to natural hazards, the greater the probability they will be affected by the natural hazard

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5
Q

How does capacity to cope affect natural hazard risk?

A
  • better a population can cope with an extreme event, the lower the risk of them being severely affected
  • e.g. HICs are better able to cope with flooding as they can afford to build flood defences
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6
Q

How does nature of natural hazards affect natural hazard risk?

A
  • type, risk from some hazards is greater than others e.g tropical storms can be predicted and monitored, volcanoes not
  • frequency, natural hazards that occur more often are more likely to carry a higher risk
  • magnitude, more severe natural hazards tend to have the greatest effects
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7
Q

What are the primary effects of natural disasters?

A

the immediate impacts caused by the hazard itself

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8
Q

What are some examples of primary effects?

A
  • buildings and roads destroyed
  • people injured or killed
  • crops or water supplies contaminated or damaged
  • electricity cables, gas pipes and communication networks can be damaged, cutting off supplies
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9
Q

What are the secondary effects of natural disasters?

A

happen later on as a result of the primary effects

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10
Q

What are some examples of secondary effects?

A
  • initial hazard can trigger other hazards
  • aid and emergency vehicles can’t get through because of blocked roads
  • shortage of clean water can spread disease
  • food shortages can occur if crops are damaged
  • country’s economy can be weakened
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11
Q

What are some examples of immediate responses?

A
  • evacuate people
  • treat the injured and rescue
  • recover dead bodies
  • provide temporary electricity and gas
  • provide food, drink and shelter
  • foreign governments or charities may send supplies or aid
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12
Q

What are some examples of long-term responses?

A
  • repair homes and rehouse people
  • rebuild buildings or roads
  • reconnect broken electricity, water and communication connections
  • improve forecasting, monitoring and evacuation plans
  • improve building regulations so that buildings can withstand similar hazards in the future
  • boost economic recovery
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13
Q

What are tectonic plates?

A

earth’s crust is divided into slabs called tectonic plates that float on the mantle

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14
Q

Difference between oceanic and continental plates?

A

oceanic:

  • thinner
  • more dense

continental:

  • thicker
  • less dense
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15
Q

Why are tectonic plates moving?

A

convection currents

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16
Q

What happens when an oceanic plate meets a continental plate?

A
  • denser oceanic plate is subducted and destroyed creating gas-rich magma
  • volcanoes and ocean trenches are formed
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17
Q

What happens when 2 continental plates meet?

A

ground is folded upwards creating fold mountains

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18
Q

What happens at a constructive plate margin?

A
  • two plates are moving away from each other

- magma rises to fill the gap and cools, creating new crust

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19
Q

What happens at a conservative plate margin?

A
  • when two plates are moving in the same direction along each other at different speeds
  • or when two plates are moving sideways past each other
  • crust isn’t created or destroyed
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20
Q

How is a volcano formed at a destructive plate margin?

A
  • denser oceanic plate moves down into mantle where it melts
  • a pool of magma forms which rises through cracks in the crust called vents
  • magma erupts forming volcano
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21
Q

How is a volcano formed at a constructive plate margin?

A

magma rises up into gap created by plates moving apart which forms volcano

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22
Q

How are some other volcanoes formed?

A

parts of the magma that are really hot called hotspots

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23
Q

What happens when a volcano erupts?

A
  • emits lava and gases

- some emit lots of ash which can cover land, block out sun and form pyroclastic flows

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24
Q

What are pyroclastic flows?

A

super-heated currents of gas, ash and rock

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25
Q

How does an earthquake happen at a destructive margin?

A
  • tension builds builds when one plate gets stuck as it moves past the other
  • plates eventually jerk past each other sending out shock waves, these vibrations are the earthquake
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26
Q

How does an earthquake happen at a constructive margin?

A
  • tension builds along cracks in the plates as they move away from one another
  • plates eventually jerk past each other sending out shock waves, these vibrations are the earthquake
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27
Q

How does an earthquake happen at a conservative margin?

A
  • tension builds up when plates that are grinding past each other get stuck
  • plates eventually jerk past each other sending out shock waves, these vibrations are the earthquake
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28
Q

How are earthquake’s vibrations spread?

A
  • shock waves spread out from focus, the point in the Earth where earthquake starts, these waves are stronger near focus and cause more damage
  • epicentre is point on Earth’s surface above the focus
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29
Q

What is the moment magnitude scale a measure of?

A

the amount of energy that’s released by an earthquake

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30
Q

How do different magnitudes affect results of an earthquake?

A
  • magnitude of 6 or below only cause slight damage to buildings, although can be worse in built up areas
  • 7 or above can cause major damage and deaths
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31
Q

Where did the Chile earthquake take place?

A

off the coast of central Chile

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32
Q

What date was the Chile earthquake?

A

27th February 2010

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33
Q

What caused the Chile earthquake?

A

the oceanic Nazca plate subducted underneath the continental South American plate

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34
Q

What was the magnitude of the Chile earthquake?

A

8.8

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35
Q

What were some of the primary effects of the Chile earthquake?

A
  • 500 died
  • 12,000 injured
  • loss of power, communications + water
  • cost $30 billion
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36
Q

What were some the secondary effects of the Chile earthquake?

A
  • tsunami which reached other countries, evacuation order reduced the loss of life
  • fire at chemical plant, nobody killed
  • roads blocked by landslides
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37
Q

What were some of the immediate responses to the Chile earthquake?

A
  • temporary repair to route 5 N to S highway so emergency services could access those in need
  • rescue work began immediately
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38
Q

What were some of the long-term responses to the Chile earthquake?

A
  • strong economy could rebuild with little foreign aid

- power and water to 90% in 10 days

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39
Q

Where did the Nepal earthquake take place?

A

Gorkha, Nepal

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40
Q

What date was the Nepal earthquake?

A

25th April 2015

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41
Q

What caused the Nepal earthquake?

A

Indo-Australian plate subducted beneath the Eurasian plate

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42
Q

What was the magnitude of the Nepal earthquake?

A

7.8

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43
Q

What were some of the primary effects of the Nepal earthquake?

A
  • 9000 died
  • 22,000 injured
  • water tanks and pipes destroyed, 2 million without access to clean water and sanitation
  • cost $5 billion
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44
Q

What were some of the secondary effects of the Nepal earthquake?

A
  • avalanches in Everest which killed 18 people
  • lack of clean water caused outbreaks of typhus killed at least 13
  • roads blocked by landslides
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45
Q

What were some of the immediate responses to the Nepal earthquake?

A
  • people had to recover dead and treat injured but damaged roads made it harder for emergency workers and aid to get there
  • India and China tried to help rescue those trapped by debris, lack of tools and machinery slowed down rescue efforts
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46
Q

What were some of the long-term responses to the Nepal earthquake?

A
  • World Bank Group financed $500 million worth of projects to build new housing and repair roads and irrigation systems, some projects still ongoing
  • -water supply still being restored but 2 years after many still didn’t have access to clean water
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47
Q

What is the GDP per capita of Chile?

A

over $27,000

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48
Q

What is the GDP per capita of Nepal?

A

$700

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49
Q

Why do some people not have a choice living in areas at risk of tectonic hazards?

A
  • some people may not know the risks

- may not be able to afford to move

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50
Q

What are some reasons people choose to live in areas at risk of tectonic hazards?

A
  • they’ve always lived there, moving means leaving jobs or families
  • wealthier countries, effective monitoring and evacuation plans can minimise risks
  • confident that their government will support them after an earthquake or volcanic eruption
  • minerals from volcanic ash make volcanic soil very fertile
  • volcanoes are tourist attractions so people live nearby to work in tourist industry
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51
Q

How are earthquakes monitored?

A

seismometers and lasers monitor earth movements, can be used in early warning systems to give a small warning before large earthquake occurs

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52
Q

How are volcanoes monitored?

A

scientists can measure tell-tale signs such as tiny earthquakes, escaping gas, or changes in the shape of the volcano

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53
Q

How can earthquakes be predicted?

A

cannot be reliably predicted but can forecast where they may occur by monitoring movement of tectonic plates

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54
Q

How can volcanic eruptions be predicted?

A

can be predicted if they are monitored closely

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55
Q

How can we be protected from earthquakes?

A
  • new buildings can have reinforced concrete to absorb the earthquake’s energy
  • existing buildings can be reinforced with steel frames can avoid collapse
  • automatic shut-off switches can turn off gas and electricity supplies to prevent fires
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56
Q

How can we be protected from volcanoes?

A
  • buildings can be strengthened so that they don’t collapse under the weight of ash
  • trenches and barriers have been used to try and divert lava, not very successful
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57
Q

How can we plan for volcanoes and earthquakes?

A
  • future developments should avoid high-risk areas
  • emergency servers can prepare what to do
  • people can be educated in the event of a hazard
  • government can set up evacuation routes
  • supplies such as food and water can be stockpiled in the event of a shortage
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58
Q

What is global atmospheric circulation?

A

the transfer of heat from the equator to the poles through the movement of air

59
Q

Why does air move?

A
  • differences in hair pressure

- winds blow from high pressure areas to low pressure areas

60
Q

What are the names of the winds that move from 30˚ to the equator and 60˚?

A
  • from 30 to 60, westerlies

- from 30 to 0, trade winds

61
Q

How does global atmospheric circulation affect weather at the equator?

A
  • the hottest point as the sun is directly overhead

- the warm air rises, cools and condenses to form clouds, so it rains a lot at equator

62
Q

How does global atmospheric circulation affect weather at 30˚ north and south of equator?

A
  • by the time the air reaches this altitude, it has released most of its moisture in the form of rainfall
  • dry air means few clouds and little rainfall so deserts often found here
63
Q

How does global atmospheric circulation affect weather in the UK?

A
  • the UK lies close to low pressure system 60˚ north of the equator
  • warm rising air brings lots of clouds and rainfall, often as low pressure systems carried from the Atlantic by westerly winds
64
Q

How do tropical storms form?

A
  • when they are between 5˚ and 30˚ north and south of the equator
  • the sea temperature is 27˚c or higher
  • low wind shear between higher and lower parts of atmosphere
65
Q

How does a tropical storm form?

A
  • warm surface water evaporates, rises and condenses into clouds
  • this releases huge amounts of energy which forms powerful storm clouds
  • rising air creates an area of low pressure which increases wind speed at surface
  • low wind shear prevents clouds breaking up as they rise, keeping the storm intact
66
Q

How does a tropical storm progress?

A
  • easterly winds near the equator move the tropical storm towards the west
  • storms spin because of the Coriolis effect
  • as storm moves over ocean, the energy from warm water strengthens the storm and increases wind speed
67
Q

How does a storm break up?

A

lose strength when they pass over land or cooler water because energy supply from warm water is cut off

68
Q

What times of the year do tropical storms occur?

A

northern hemisphere: August-October

southern hemisphere: December-April

69
Q

What are the key features of a tropical storm?

A

-circular in shape
-hundreds of kilometres wide
-last from 7-14 days
-northern hemisphere: anticlockwise
southern hemisphere: clockwise

70
Q

What are features of the eye of a tropical storm?

A
  • 50km wide
  • caused by descending air
  • low pressure
  • light winds
  • no clouds
  • no rain
  • high temperature
71
Q

What are the features of the eyewall?

A
  • surround the eye
  • spiralling rising winds
  • very strong winds, 160km/h
  • storm clouds
  • torrential rain
  • low temperature
72
Q

What are the features of the edges of a tropical storm?

A
  • wind speed falls
  • clouds become smaller and more scattered
  • temperature increases
  • rain becomes less intense
73
Q

What date did Typhoon Haiyan make landfall?

A

8th November 2013

74
Q

What were the worst affected areas of Typhoon Haiyan?

A
  • Tacloban and Cebu
  • 280mm of rain
  • winds 314km/h
75
Q

What storm surge resulted from Typhoon Haiyan?

A
  • storm surge with waves 2.3m tall

- combined with a high tide, meant that Tacloban hit by 5m tall waves

76
Q

What is a storm surge?

A

temporary rise in water level caused by wind pushing waves onshore

77
Q

How many people were killed from Typhoon Haiyan? (primary effect)

A

8000

78
Q

How did Typhoon Haiyan affect people’s homes? (primary effect)

A
  • destroyed over 1 million homes

- over 1.9 million made homeless

79
Q

How did Typhoon Haiyan affect electricity lines, water supplies and farmland? (primary effect)

A
  • cut off electricity lines
  • water supplies contaminated with salt water as a result of a storm surge
  • heavy rain and storm surges destroyed 600,000 hectares of farmland
80
Q

What was the cost of damage of Typhoon Haiyan? (primary effect)

A

$13 million

81
Q

What were some secondary effects of Typhoon Haiyan?

A
  • flooding triggered several landslides which blocked roads and delayed arrival of aid
  • 5.6 million workers lost jobs after business and agricultural land was destroyed
  • lack of clean water resulted in outbreaks of diseases such as dysentery
82
Q

What did the Philippines’ meteorological society do? (immediate response)

A
  • broadcast warnings about Typhoon Haiyan 2 days before it made landfall
  • led to the evacuation of 800,000 residents
  • unfortunately, some died when evacuation centres were flooded
83
Q

What were some other immediate responses of Typhoon Haiyan?

A
  • fishermen were warned not to go to sea
  • Philippines declared a state of emergency which led to charities offering aid in the form of food, shelter and clean water
  • Plan International constructed pit latrines for 100,000 people to prevent the spread of disease
84
Q

What were some long-term responses of Typhoon Haiyan?

A
  • UN appealed for over $300 million to help rebuilding and fund relief
  • charities built new storm-resistant houses for those who lost their homes
  • Philippines’ tourism board encouraged tourism saying that most areas unaffected and tourism would help with rebuilding process
85
Q

How have global sea temperatures risen?

A
  • risen by 0.9˚c since 1880 and expected to rise more because of climate change
  • may affect tropical storms’ intensity, frequency and distribution
86
Q

How could climate change affect frequency of tropical storms?

A
  • oceans will stay at 27˚c or higher for longer each year
  • this means that there’s a longer period where storms can form
  • this means that there could be a greater number of tropical storms
87
Q

How could climate change affect the distribution of tropical storms?

A
  • as the average sea temperature rises, more of the world’s oceans could be at 27˚c or higher
  • this means that tropical storms could take place in areas that have never experienced them
88
Q

How could climate change affect the intensity of tropical storms?

A
  • higher sea temperatures could result in more evaporation and increased cloud formation
  • this increases the energy released which increases the power of tropical storms
89
Q

How can prediction and monitoring be used to reduce the effect of tropical storms?

A
  • storms can be monitored using radar, satellites and aircraft
  • computer models can then be used to calculate the predicted path of the storm
  • predicting where and when a storm will take place gives people time to evacuate and protect homes or businesses
90
Q

How can planning be used to reduce the effect of tropical storms?

A
  • future developments can avoid high risk areas
  • governments can plan evacuation routes in advance
  • emergency services can practise, e.g. practise rescuing someone in flooded building
91
Q

How can protection be used to reduce the effect of tropical storms?

A
  • buildings can be designed to withstand tropical storms
  • buildings can be built on stilts so they’re safe from floodwater
  • flood defences can be built along rivers and coasts
92
Q

What are 6 weather hazards that the UK experiences?

A
  • strong winds
  • heavy rainfall
  • snow and ice
  • drought
  • thunderstorms
  • heat waves
93
Q

What are some impacts of strong winds in UK?

A
  • strong winds can damage properties and disrupt transport

- uprooted trees and debris can kill or injure people

94
Q

What are some impacts of heavy rainfall in UK?

A
  • too much rain can result in flooding which can damage homes, disrupt transport networks and kill people
  • recovery from flooding can cost millions of £
95
Q

What are some impacts of snow and ice in UK?

A
  • snow and ice cause injuries due to slipping on ice and deaths due to cold
  • schools and businesses can be forced to shut, closing of transport networks can have economic impact
96
Q

What are some impacts of drought (lack or precipitation) in UK?

A
  • water supplies can run low which can cause economic impacts such as damaged crops
  • rules to conserve water (such as hosepipe bans) may have to be introduced
97
Q

What are some impacts of thunderstorms in UK?

A
  • heavy rain, strong winds and lightning can all occur during a thunderstorm
  • lightning can cause fires which can damage properties and the environment and could also kill people
98
Q

What are some impacts of heat waves in UK?

A
  • during long periods of hot weather, pollution builds up in the air
  • this can cause heat exhaustion or breathing difficulties which can kill people
  • disruption to transport such as rails buckling or roads melting can have economic impacts
  • however, hot weather could benefit tourist industry
99
Q

How is temperature in the UK becoming more severe?

A
  • UK’s ten warmest years on record all occurred since 1990

- December 2010 was coldest month for over 100 years

100
Q

How is rainfall in the UK becoming more severe?

A
  • more rainfall records broken between 2010 and 2014 than any decade on record
  • December 2015 was wettest month ever recorded
101
Q

When did the Beast from the East occur?

A

started on 24th February 2018

102
Q

What was the Beast from the East?

A

it was a cold wave which brought widespread unusually low temperatures and heavy snowfall across the Great Britain and Ireland

103
Q

What caused the Beast from the East?

A
  • caused by a change to the northern polar jet stream which twisted direction unexpectedly bringing in cold weather from the east
  • bend caused by a jump in temperatures in the Arctic known as a sudden stratospheric warming
104
Q

What were some social impacts of the Beast from the East?

A
  • gridlocked roads, no trains and no buses meant that many workers were stuck at home
  • 17 people died
  • drifting snow meant many villages were isolated
105
Q

What were some economic impacts of the Beast from the East?

A
  • economy was losing £1 billion every day
  • affected the construction sector, nearly losing £2 billion over the course of 3 days
  • general economic output fell by 20%
106
Q

What were some environmental impacts of the Beast from the East?

A
  • heavy snow damaged farmland which destroyed crops
  • many people using heating which resulted in National Grid issuing a ‘gas deficit warning’, fears of gas shortage
  • many coastlines issued with flood warnings
107
Q

What were some management strategies for the Beast from the East?

A
  • stranded drivers were given foil blankets
  • Army and RAF personnel called to ferry health workers through blocked roads in Lincolnshire and Scotland
  • Cleveland Mountain Rescue took nurses to elderly people living in rural areas in East Cleveland and North Yorkshire Moors
108
Q

What is climate change?

A

any significant change in the Earth’s climate over a long period of time

109
Q

When is the Quaternary period?

A

from 2.6 million years ago to present day

110
Q

What was climate like before Quaternary period?

A

warmer and quite stable

111
Q

How has the Earth’s climate changed during the Quaternary period?

A

climate has shifted from cold glacial periods that last 100,000 years to warm interglacial periods that last 10,000 years

112
Q

When did the last glacial period end?

A
  • 15,000 years ago

- since then the climate has been warming

113
Q

What is global warming?

A
  • the term used to describe the sharp rise in global temperatures over the past century
  • it’s a type of climate change
114
Q

How can ice be analysed to find out about the climate?

A
  • ice sheets are made up layers of ice, one layers is formed each year
  • scientists drill into ice to get long cores of ice
  • by analysing the different gases trapped in each layer, scientists can know what the temperature was each year
115
Q

How can sediment be analysed to find out about the climate?

A
  • remains of organisms taken from ocean sediments can also be analysed
  • these can be used to find about temperatures from 5 million years ago
116
Q

How can temperature records be analysed to find out about the climate?

A
  • since 1850s, global temperature has been measured using thermometers, this gives us accurate but short record of climate
  • using historical records like harvest records or newspaper weather records allows us to find out further back
117
Q

How can pollen analysis be used to find out about the climate?

A
  • pollen from plants gets preserved in sediment, e.g. at bottom of lakes or in peat bogs
  • scientists can date and identify types of pollen to find out species
  • scientists know condition that plants live in now, so similar plants must have lived in similar climate
118
Q

How can tree rings be analysed to find out about the climate?

A
  • as a tree grows, it forms a new layer, these layers are thicker in warm and wet conditions
  • by counting the number of rings in a core, scientists can determine age and thickness of ring can determine climate
  • trees are a useful way of learning about the climate from up to 10,000 years ago
119
Q

How do orbital changes cause climate change?

A
  • orbital changes affect how much solar radiation the earth receives, more radiation received means more warming
  • orbital changes include:
    • stretch; the earth’s orbit around the sun can vary from a circular one to an elliptical one, also called eccentricity
    • tilt; the earth’s axis is tilted at an angle as it orbits
    • wobble;
    • wobble; earth’s axis wobbles like a spinning top. also called precession
  • these changes may have caused the glacial and interglacial periods of the Quaternary period
120
Q

How does volcanic activity affect climate change?

A
  • major volcanic eruptions eject large quantities of material into the atmosphere
  • some of this material reflects the sun’s rays back out to space so the earth cools
121
Q

How does solar output affect climate change?

A
  • sun’s energy output isn’t constant, changes in cycles lasting 11 years and possible cycles lasting hundreds of years
  • reduced energy output means that the earth’s climate may be cooler in some areas
  • not thought to have a great impact on climate change
122
Q

What are 4 human factors that affect climate change?

A
  • burning fossil fuels
  • cement production
  • farming
  • deforestation
123
Q

How does cement production affect climate change?

A
  • cement is made from limestone which contains lots of carbon
  • when cement is produced, lots of CO2 is released into the atmosphere
124
Q

How does farming affect climate change?

A
  • farming livestock releases a lot of methane

- rice paddies contribute because flooding fields releases methane

125
Q

How does deforestation affect climate change?

A
  • plants remove CO2 through the process of photosynthesis
  • when trees are cut down, they stop taking in CO2
  • CO2 is also released when trees are burnt as fuel or to make way for more agriculture
126
Q

How are temperatures expected to rise in the future?

A

by 0.3˚c between 2005 and 2100

127
Q

How will climate change affect ice?

A
  • warmer temperatures mean that glaciers and ice sheets melt, this means that water stored in land is returning to sea, causing levels to rise
  • sea ice is shrinking, leading to a loss of polar habitats
  • rising sea levels means that low-lying coastal areas will flood more regularly
  • coastal erosion will increase and some coastal habitats may be submerged leading to loss of habitats
128
Q

How does climate change affect species?

A
  • e.g. coral reefs exposed to bleaching causing them to starve and die
  • some species live at higher latitudes due to higher temperatures
  • some habitats are being damaged or destroyed, the animals that are adapted to these habitats may become extinct
129
Q

How does climate change affect precipitation?

A
  • precipitation patterns are changing

- global warming affecting how much rain some areas may get

130
Q

How does climate change affect human deaths?

A
  • deaths due to heat have increased

- but deaths due to cold have decreased

131
Q

How does climate change affect weather?

A
  • weather is going to be more extreme
  • this means more money has to be spent on predicting weather, reducing its impacts and rebuilding after the event has occurred
132
Q

How does climate change affect human habitats?

A
  • some areas could become so hot and dry that they become uninhabitable
  • some low-lying coastal areas could become submerged or flood so frequently that people may be forced to move
  • this may lead to migration and overcrowding in other areas
133
Q

How does climate change affect farming?

A
  • globally, some crops have suffered due to increase int temps e.g. Argentina has had shorter wheat yields
  • however, some countries in high latitudes find that their crops benefit from the warmer weather as they produce a greater yield
  • lower crop yields could increase malnutrition, illness and death
134
Q

How does climate change affect water supply?

A
  • some countries struggling to supply enough water due to reduced water availability caused by rainfall patterns
  • this could cause political tensions e.g. where rivers cross borders
135
Q

What do mitigation strategies do?

A

reduce the causes of climate change

136
Q

What are 4 mitigation strategies to reduce the causes of climate change?

A
  • carbon capture
  • planting trees
  • alternative energy production
  • international agreements
137
Q

How does carbon capture reduce the causes of climate change?

A
  • Carbon Capture and Storage is designed to reduce emissions from power stations
  • CCS involves capturing CO2 and transporting it to somewhere e.g. deep underground
138
Q

How does alternate energy production reduce the causes of climate change?

A
  • replacing fossil fuels with nuclear or renewable energy can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • UK, building offshore wind farms
139
Q

How do international agreements reduce the causes of climate change?

A
  • Paris Agreement aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming
  • signed by 195 parties on 4th November 2016
  • encourages developed countries to put mitigation strategies in place for developing countries
140
Q

What is the Paris Agreement?

A
  • each country has signed a pledge which says how much they aim to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by
  • EU and UK have agreed to reduce their emission levels by 40% since 1990
141
Q

What are three adaption strategies to respond to the effects of climate change?

A
  • changing agricultural systems
  • managing water supply
  • coping with rising sea levels
142
Q

How does changing agricultural systems respond to the effects of climate change?

A
  • changing rainfall patterns and higher temperatures may affect current productivity
  • may be more suitable to plant new types of crops that are more suited to be grown in the new climate conditions of an area
  • some regions, biotechnology is being used to create new types of crops that are resistant to extreme weather events
143
Q

How does managing water supply respond to the effects of climate change?

A
  • dry areas are expected to get dried, so people need to use water more efficiently
  • water meters can be installed in houses to discourage excess water usage
  • rainwater and waste water can be collected and recycled
144
Q

How does coping with rising sea levels respond to the effects of climate change?

A
  • at current levels, sea is expected to rise 65cm by 2100 this would flood many coastal areas
  • better flood warnings are being put in place and more physical flood defences are being built
  • in developing countries, houses can be built on embankments and build raised flood shelters