Hazadous Earth Flashcards
What’s a tropical cyclone
Rotating system of clouds and storms forming over subtropical waters
When does a tropical cyclone change to a hurricane
Winds of 118 km/h
Where are each tropical cyclones found
Hurricane x North Atlantic
Cyclone x South Pacific
Typhoon x North Pacific
How are all of tropical cyclones measured
Saffir Simpson scale
What hazards do tropical cyclones bring
Storm surges
Intense rainfall ( dense clouds )
Landslides
What’s a storm surge
Flooding by high tides because air pressure is low
How do u keep track of cyclones
Cyclones follow path of global wind circulation
Satellites track where they originate which helps track where they end up
Conditions for tropical cyclones to develop
Warm oceans ( 26.5 ) Strong winds to draw up air Coriolis force ( 5 - 30 )
Air pressure relating to tropical cyclones
Tropical cyclones have to have much lower air pressure than air surrounding
Bigger difference in pressure = stronger winds
Formation of a cyclone
1- warm air rises from ocean and other air rushes in to replace it
2- air condenses to form cumulous clouds which release heat energy
3- Coriolis force causes rising air to spin
4- fed energy from ocean
What’s the lithosphere
Cool and brittle uppermost layer of earth
Continental vs oceanic crust
Continental - granite low density igneous rock
Oceanic - thin dense basalt
What’s the asthenosphere
Partially molten top layer of mantle to lubricate lithosphere
What’s earths heat engine
Convection currents that occur in the mantle responsible for tectonic movement due to unstable
What are plumes
Some plumes rise like long sheets of heat to form divergent plates
They form hot spots where magma rise forming volcanos
