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Edexcel AS Geography > Hazards > Flashcards

Hazards Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the disaster/risk equation?

A
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2
Q

Define frequency?

A

How often an event of a certain size (magnitude) occurs.

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3
Q

Define magnitude?

A

The size or strength of an event eg. the size of an event on the Richter scale

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4
Q

What are the factors that have caused the numbers of reported natural disasters to increase in the 20th Century?

A

New technologies

International monitoring

24/7 Media

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5
Q

Why have the numbers of deaths from natural disasters decreased in recent years?

A

Increased understanding of disasters

Better technology

Better preparedness

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6
Q

Name an international disaster database?

A

EM-DAT

Sigma

CRED

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7
Q

Name the major greenhouse gases?

A

Carbon Dioxide

Methane

Water Vapour

CFCs

Sulphur Dioxide

Nitrous Oxides

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8
Q

How often do El Nino events occur?

A

Every 3- 7 years

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9
Q

What is the name of normal Pacific air circulation?

A

The Walker Circulation

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10
Q

What is the name given to the weather events triggered around the world by El Nino cycles

A

Teleconnections

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11
Q

Which weather hazard occurs during El Nino events in Northern Africa?

A

Drought

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12
Q

Which weather hazard occurs in California during El Nino events?

A

Flooding

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13
Q

What does ENSO stand for?

A

El Nino Southern Oscillation

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14
Q

La nina brings which weather hazard to South East Australia?

A

Flooding

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15
Q

El Nino brings which weather hazard to Peru and Chile?

A

Flash Floods

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16
Q

Name a particularly bad year for El Nino?

A

1997 - 8

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17
Q

Is there any evidence that the frequency or magnitude of geo-physical events is increasing over time?

A

No

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18
Q

What is thought to be the reason for a rising trend in hydro-meteorological events?

A

Cimate Change

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19
Q

Which human factors could account for the rising trend of hydro-meteorological hazards?

A

Improved technology

24 hour media

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20
Q

When did Hurricane Katrina occur?

A

August 2005

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21
Q

Name the pre-requisites for hurricane formation?

A

Ocean temperatures over 28 degrees C

Within 5 - 30 degrees latitude

Lack of upper atmosphere jet stream

Water over 100m deep

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22
Q

The location of earthquakes is closely related to what?

A

Plate margins

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23
Q

Name the drought areas?

A

SE Australia

Sahelian Africa

Great Plains USA

NE Brazil

Interior of Asia

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24
Q

Name the areas at risk of flood?

A

Brahmaputa/Ganges

Mekong

Mississippi

Danube/Rhine

East Africa

Mozambique

SE Brazil

Central America

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25
Q

Define the term hazard hotspot?

A

A place which is affected by two or more natural hazards

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26
Q

Where are hurricanes found?

A

The North Atlantic/Caribbean

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27
Q

Where do the most dangerous volcanoes occur?

A

Destructive plate margins

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28
Q

What are tropical storms known as in Australia?

A

The Willy-Willies

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29
Q

Define Sub-Saharan Africa

A

The area of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara Desert

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30
Q

Define risk?

A

The probability of a hazard event occurring and causing loss of lives and livelihoods

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31
Q

Define disaster?

A

A hazard becoming reality in an event that causes deaths and damage to goods/property and the environment

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32
Q

Define context hazard?

A

Widespread (global) threat due to environmental factors such as climate change

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33
Q

Define geophysical hazard?

A

A hazard formed by tectonic/geological processes

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34
Q

Define hazard?

A

A perceived natural event which has the potential to threaten both life and property

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35
Q

Define hydro-meteorological hazard?

A

A hazard formed by hydrological (floods) and atmospheric (storms and droughts) processes

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36
Q

Define vulnerability?

A

A high risk combined with an inability of individuals and communities to cope

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37
Q

Define albedo?

A

How much solar radiation a surface reflects

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38
Q

Define climate change?

A

Any long-term trend or shift in climate (average weather over 30 years)

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39
Q

Define enhanced greenhouse effect?

A

The levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increasing due to human activity

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40
Q

Define fossil fuels?

A

Energy sources that are rich in carbon and which release carbon dioxide when burnt eg. coal

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41
Q

Define global warming?

A

A recently measured rise in the average surface temperature of the planet

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42
Q

Define greenhouse effect?

A

The warming of the Earth’s atmosphere due to the trapping of heat that would otherwise be radiated back to space - it enables the survival of life on Earth

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43
Q

Define tipping point?

A

The point at which a system switches from one state to another

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44
Q

Define feedback mechanism?

A

Where the outpur of a system acts to amplify (positive) or reduce (negative) further output

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45
Q

Which scale is used to measure hurricanes?

A

Saffir-Simpson (1 - 5)

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46
Q

Which scale is used to measure earthquakes?

A

Richter scale (1 - 10 log scale)

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47
Q

Which scale is used to measure tornadoes?

A

Fujita intensity index

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48
Q

Which scale is used to measure volcanoes?

A

Volcanic explosivity index

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49
Q

What is the relationship between magnitude and frequency in hazard events?

A

High magnitude events occur less frequently and vice-versa

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50
Q

What system is used to name hurricanes?

A

Male then female first names

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51
Q

Define asthenosphere?

A

A semi-molten zone of rock underlying the Earth’s surface

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52
Q

What type of plate boundary is this?

A

Collision

53
Q

What type of plate boundary is this?

A

Conservative

54
Q

What type of plate boundary is this?

A

Constructive

55
Q

What type of plate boundary is this?

A

Destructive

56
Q

Define lithosphere?

A

The crust of the Earth, around 80-90km thick

57
Q

Define magma?

A

Molten material that rises towards the Earth’s surface when hotspots within the asthenosphere generate convection currents

58
Q

What is a tectonic plate?

A

Rigid, less dense slab of rock floating on the asthenosphere

59
Q

Define tectonic hotspot?

A

A localised area of the Earth’s crust with an unusually high temperature

60
Q

Name a tectonic hotspot?

A

The Hawaiian islands

61
Q

Define plume?

A

An upwelling of abnormally hot rock within the Earth’s mantle

62
Q

What is the ITCZ?

A

Inter-tropical convergence zone

63
Q

Name an MEDC disaster hotspot?

A

California, USA

64
Q

Name an LEDC disaster hotspot?

A

The Philippines

65
Q

What type of plate boundary does the Philippines sit on?

A

Destructive

66
Q

Name the tectonic plates which meet on the Philippine boundary?

A

Philippine plate

Eurasion plate

67
Q

Which hazards effect the Philippines?

A

Volcanoes

Flooding (monsoon)

Tsunami

Typhoons

Drought

Landslides

68
Q

Name a volcanic eruption in the Philippines?

A

Pinatubo (1991)

700 killed

69
Q

Name an earthquake in the Philippines?

A

Manila (1990)

6000 killed

70
Q

When was the worst Philippine tsunami?

A

1976

71
Q

How many people live in California?

A

40 million

72
Q

Which hazards effect California?

A

Earthquakes

Fog

Drought

Wildfires

El Nino

Flooding

Landslides

73
Q

Which tectonic fault runs through California?

A

San Andreas

74
Q

Name an earthquake in California?

A

Loma Prieta (1989)

75
Q

What type of tectonic boundary does California sit on?

A

Conservative

76
Q

Define climate?

A

The average conditions of precipitation, temperature, pressure and wind measured over a 30 year period

77
Q

What was the Little Ice Age?

A

A cool period in Europe where Alpine glaciers advanced

78
Q

When was the Little Ice Age?

A

1400 - 1850 AD

79
Q

What was the Medieval Warm Period?

A

A period of unusually warm North Atlantic climate

80
Q

When was the Medieval Warm Period?

A

800 - 1400AD

81
Q

Name the 2 sources of evidence for long-term climate change?

A

Ice cores

Pollen analysis

82
Q

Which molecules are studied from the Antarctic ice cores?

A

Carbon dioxide

Oxygen isotopes

83
Q

What is the natural level of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the last 800,000 years?

A

180 - 280ppm

84
Q

What is the current level of atmospheric carbon dioxide?

A

400ppm

85
Q

Name the 3 sources of evidence for medium-term climate change?

A

Historical records

Tree rings

Retreating glaciers

86
Q

Define thermal expansion?

A

The increased volume of the oceans as a result of their higher water temperature leading to sea-level rise

87
Q

What is climate forcing?

A

Ant mechanism that alters the global energy balance and “forces” the climate to change in response

88
Q

What is the recent source of evidence for climate change?

A

The instrumental record

89
Q

Name the 3 natural drivers of climate change?

A

Astronomical forcing (Milankovitch cycles)

Solar output

Volcanic and cosmic causes

90
Q

What are the 3 Milankovitch cycles?

A

Change in orbit (100,000 year cycle)

Change in axial tilt (41,000 year cycle)

Axial wobble (22,000 year cycle)

91
Q

What does IPCC stand for?

A

Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change

92
Q

Why is it difficult to predict future climate change?

A

Greenhouse gas levels uncertain

Feedback mechanisms umpredictable

Global dimming influence unresearched

Role of natural process uncertain

93
Q

Why do we think climate change is due to human activity?

A

CO2 level way above historical natural levels

Increasing extreme weather events

Recent decade hottest on record

Temperature rises recorded on all continents

Satellites record rising sea-levels

94
Q

What is this?

A

Thermohaline Circulation

95
Q

Where does the data for this CO2 proxy temperature record come from?

A

Vostok, Antarctica

96
Q

Whay are historical records like the painting below unrelaible?

A

Did not set out to record climate

Local record

Artists interpretation

Difficult to generalise

97
Q

Define ecological impacts?

A

Activities which effect the interactions between plants and animals (food chains,webs etc)

98
Q

Define environmental impacts?

A

Activities which pollute or damage terrestrial systems, the oceans or the atmosphere (eg. industrial waste greenhouse gases)

99
Q

Define permafrost?

A

Permanently frozen ground

100
Q

Define habitat?

A

The environment of plants and animals, in which they live, feed and produce

101
Q

Name 4 environmental impacts of climate change on the Arctic?

A

Major vegetation zones will shift North

Unfreezing of the permafrost

Increased coastal erosion

Loss of ice cover

Release of methane gas from thawing lakes

102
Q

Name 4 ecological impacts of climate change in the Arctic?

A

Existing food webs destabilised

Lakes drain as ground thaws removing fish habitats eg Arctic Char

Alien insect species invade causing tree death

More UV destroys marine phytoplankton at base of food chain

103
Q

Which marine species are dependent on Arctic sea ice?

A

Polar bears

walruses

Seals

104
Q

Which land species are dependent on Arctic sea ice?

A

Lemming

Vole

Arctic Fox

Snowy Owl

Caribou

105
Q

Name 4 social impacts of climate change on the Arctic?

A

Loss of indigenous hunting culture

Decline in freshwater fisheries eg Arctic char

Increase in marine fish species eg. cod

Enhanced agriculture and forestry

More exploitation of oil, gas. timber and fish

106
Q

Name 4 social impacts of climate change on Africa?

A

Increase in vector-borne disease

Food insecurity

Lack of fresh water

Lack of money to combat climate change

107
Q

Name 4 environmental impacts of climate change on Africa?

A

Desertified grasslands

Loss of biodiversity

Coastal erosion due to sea level rises

Coral bleaching

108
Q

Name 4 economic impacts of climate change on Africa?

A

Reduction in hydro-electric power generation

Reduced food production

Water conflicts increase poverty levels

Environmental refugees increase pressure on services

109
Q

Define eustatic change?

A

Change in sea level due to change in the amount of water in the oceans

110
Q

Define isostatic change?

A

Movement of land in response to loss or gain of mass (eg. melting ice sheets leads to uplift)

111
Q

A 15 metre rise in sea levels by the end of the century relies on which 4 changes occuring?

A

West Antarctic ice sheet melts - 5m rise

Greenland ice sheet melts - 7m rise

World’s glacier systems melt - 2m rise

Thermal expansion of oceans - 1m rise

112
Q

Why is it difficult to predict future sea level rises?

A

Unpredictable greenhouse gas emissions

Business as usual or more sustainable approach adopted

Thermal expansion/glacial melt unpredictable

113
Q

Name the 3 types of area vulnerable to sea level rise?

A

Large river deltas

Areas that lie close to sea level

Small low lying islands

114
Q

Name a large river delta

A

Brahmaputra-Ganges

Nile

Mississippi

115
Q

Name an area close to sea level?

A

The Netherlands

Parts of Eastern England

116
Q

Name 3 low lying islands?

A

Kiribati

Tuvalu

Maldives

Marshall Islands

Vanuatu

Carteret Island

117
Q

What does IPCC stand for?

A

Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change

118
Q

Define tipping point?

A

When climate change occurs irreversibly and at an increasing rate

119
Q

Why is it difficult to predict future emission levels?

A

The future rate of growth in developing countries

Future international action

Inertia in the system

Impact of positive feedback mechanisms

120
Q

The Stern Report predicts catastrophic changes above which average temperature increase?

A

5C

121
Q

Name this location?

A

The Nile Delta

122
Q

Name 4 countries in the Arctic Circle?

A

Sweden

Norway

Finland

Canada

USA

Russia

Greenland

123
Q

Name this ecosystem?

A

Mangrove

124
Q

Which process is this?

A

Carbon capture and storage

125
Q

Define biofuel?

A

Fuel such as ethanol extracted from plants

126
Q

Why is progress on mitigation of climate change not faster?

A

Uncertainty

Costs

Political inertia

Economic systems

International agreements

127
Q

What is the level of consensus on climate change?

A

High

It iss both scientific and political

128
Q

What are “climate crusaders”?

A

Individuals or groups who keep climate change in the news:

Usually famous

Edexcel AS Geography (1 decks)

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