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Edexcel IGCSE Geography > Hazardous Environments > Flashcards

Hazardous Environments Flashcards

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1
Q

Why do people still live in areas at risk of natural disasters?

A
  • Lack of education about hazard
  • Cannot afford to move, or not wanting to leave their job
  • Optimism about their likelihood of it happening to them, or resigning to their fate
  • Areas are built up already, so people will not abandon the area
  • They do not want to abandon their friends and family
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2
Q

What are the benefits of living in an area post-volcanic eruption?

A
  • Valubale minerals brought to surface
  • Soil is fertilised with minerals by volanic ash
  • Geothermal energy from hot springs
  • Tourism, such as hot springs
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3
Q

How is a tropical cyclone formed?

A
  • When all conditions are met, rising warm air creates an area of low pressure on the ocean surface.
  • This area is filled by surrounding air. The rising warm air cools and condenses to form towering clouds of 12-15km (the eye wall) and rainfall.
  • This cool air descends, constantly being replenished, which creates an area of calm and low pressure in the center (the eye).
  • The corilosis effect causes the clouds (high pressure) to spin around the eye (low pressure)
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4
Q

What are the characteristics of a tropical storm?

A
  • Very strong winds.
  • Torrential Rainfall.
  • Storm surges - Sudden rises in sea level
  • Areas of low pressure, often 600-700km across.
  • Follow the direction of the prevailing wind.
  • Lose strength when they reach land, but can replenish once over oceans again.
  • Last for on average 10 days.
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5
Q

How are tropical cyclones measured?

A
  • The Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale
  • 5 categories based on wind speed
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6
Q

What are the conditions needed for tropical storms?

A
  • Large ocean area over 27C for an extended period of time
  • Between 5 and 30 degrees north or south of the equator
  • Enough Coriolis force to develop a low pressure centre.
  • Low latitude winds blowing in from different directions.
  • 74MPH to be considered a tropical storm.
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7
Q

What were the short term impacts of the Mozambique storm?

A
  • Over 800 people died, many more injured.
  • Millions of homes were destroyed and people were made homeless.
  • Infrastructure like roads, school and hospitals destroyed.
  • Mass flooding.
  • People without supplies like food and water.
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8
Q

What were the long term impacts of the Mozambique storm?

A
  • Long term homlessness and unemployment due to building damage.
  • Disease spread due to cramped living conditions, especially waterborne diseases from flooding like cholera.
  • Flooding disrupts food harvests - famine.
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9
Q

What is the distribution of tropical storms?

A
  • Between the tropics and the equator, but not on the equator.
  • Occur on oceans.
  • Called hurricanes in NA, typhoons in Asia and cyclones in Africa and India.
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10
Q

What are the characteristics/hazards of volcanic eruptions?

A
  • A mountain which magma rises and lava erupts out of.
  • Releases slow lava flows.
  • Relases ash, which can build up and damage buildings.
  • Relases gases which cause respiratory issues.
  • Relases fast moving debree flows called lahars.
  • Relases very fast superheated clouds of gas, ash and tephra called pyroclastic flows.
  • Releases volcanic bombs, which are molten lava rocks which are ejected from the volcano. They can cause forest fires.
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11
Q

What is the distribution of volcanoes?

A
  • They occur alongside earthquakes.
  • They are mostly found along destrucive plate margins, but also constructive.
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12
Q

How are volcanic eruptions measured?

A
  • The Volcanic Explositivity Index.
  • It is a logarithmic scale from 1-8.
  • It measures the volume of ash ejected and how high it reaches.
  • It is a very limited scale.
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13
Q

How are volcanoes formed on a destructive plate boundary?

A
  • The friction between the two plates in the subduction zone melts part of the plates, forming magma
  • This magma rises and then the lava escapes through cracks in the crust
  • This forms a composite cone volcano
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14
Q

How are volcanoes formed on a constructive plate boundary?

A

Magma rises and lava escapes through cracks in the crust in the mid oceanic ridge created
* It then cools and solidifies, forming a shield volcano

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15
Q

What were the short term impacts of the Montserrat Soufriere Hills Volcano?

A
  • 19 deaths and 100 injured
  • Important businesses and infrastructure destroyed
  • Half of the island became an exclusion zone
  • The main airport closed
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16
Q

What were the long term impacts of the Montserrat Soufriere Hills Volcano?

A
  • Ongoing respiratory issues
  • Enviromental damage
  • Workforce shortages due to evacuation
  • Over dependance on UK handouts
  • Industry decimated
17
Q

What are the characteristics of an earthquake?

A
  • A sudden and brief period of shaking of the ground
  • Focus = The most intense area. Epicentre = Area on surface above focus
  • They cause alot of damage to buildings, as well as secondary hazards such as Tsunamis and landslides
18
Q

What is the distribution of earthquakes?

A
  • Occur where volcanoes occur
  • Occur along all plate boundaries, especially destructive
  • Many in California and Japan
19
Q

How are earthquakes measured?

A
  • The Richter scale, which is a 10 point logarithmic scale measuring magnitude using a seismometer
  • The Modified Mercalli scale which is a 12 point scale measuring the subjective intensity and damage
20
Q

What happens at a constructive/divergent plate margin?

A
  • Two oceanic plates diverge
  • Magma rises inbetween the plates, and lava is able to escape through cracks in the crust
  • The lava forms a new crust, which leads to the formation of a mid-ocean ridge and a shield volcano
  • Earthquakes can occur here
21
Q

What happens at a destructive plate margin?

A
  • An oceanic and a continental plate converge
  • Since the oceanic plate is denser, it subducts underneath the continental plate
  • In the subduction zone, the plates rub together and melt, creating magma, which rises
  • Lava is able to escape through cracks in the crust, forming a composite cone volcano
  • Earthquakes commonly occur here
22
Q

What happens at a collision/convergent plate margin?

A
  • Two oceanic plates converge.
  • Since they are the same density, neither subducts and pressure begins to build up.
  • The pressure releases and the plates buckle upwards, creating fold mountains which are constantly growing.
  • Earthquakes can take place here.
23
Q

What happens at a conservative plate boundary?

A
  • Two continental plates moving at different directions or different speeds.
  • They get stuck, and friction between them builds up pressure.
  • Pressure releases suddenly as they slip past eachother, causing earthquakes.
24
Q

What were the short term impacts of the Nepal Earthquake?

A
  • 9000 died, with 23000 injured.
  • Thousands were made homeless
  • Entire villages were destroyed.
  • Infrastructure was completely destroyed.
25
Q

What were the long term impacts of the Nepal Earthquake?

A
  • Unemployment, and people losing their main source of income.
  • Cramped living conditions of temporary shelters led to disease spread.
  • Crop fields being rendered unusable caused famine.
  • Over 300 aftershocks
26
Q

How was Nepal prepared for the earthquake?

A
  • They had no early warning systems.
  • The people were not educated or drilled.
  • The buildings did not have an earthquake proof design
  • Transport systems were not designed with aid in mind.
27
Q

What were Nepals short term responses to the earthquake?

A
  • Search and rescue, including use of helicopters.
  • Foreign country and military aid.
  • Government offered what little aid they could.
28
Q

What were Nepals long term responses to the earthquake?

A
  • Educating people about earthquakes.
  • New warning systems
  • Intercropping for more food.
  • Structures built with earthquake proof designs.
29
Q

What were Japans short term responses to the earthquake?

A
  • 100000 people deployed for disaster relief
  • Water and supplies were distributed.
  • Shelters were set up in schools and sports centres
  • Different companies made communication easier
  • Shelterbox, an NGO sent supplies
  • Foreign aid helped with search and rescue
30
Q

How are Japan prepared and what are the long term responses for earthquakes?

A
  • Early warning GIS systems which broadcast warnings
  • Drills are often done and people are educated
  • Very tight building regulations are undergone
  • Remote sensing and hazard mapping are used to indentify areas of high risks
  • Rebuilding programmes, which are built to be hazard proof
31
Q

What are earthquake proof building designs like in developed countries?

A
  • Computer controlled weights on roof to reduce building resistance
  • Steel frames designed to sway
  • Rubber shock absorbers in the foundations
  • Deep foundations sunk into bedrock

Edexcel IGCSE Geography (6 decks)

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