HAZARDS 6 - Tropical Storms Flashcards
What is a hurricane?
A tropical storm with winds that have reached a constant speed of 74mph +
What is a vortex?
A whirling mass of fluid or air, especially a whirl wind
What does localised mean?
Happening in or limited to a particular area?
What is latent heat?
Released within the clouds of a hurricane, warming the air inside the clouds
What is low pressure?
Air is rising and blows in an anticlockwise direction around the low (in the Northern Hemisphere)
What is the coriolis effect?
Occurs when moving objects are deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This is because the Earth is spinning faster at the equator than it is at the poles
What is the eye?
The calm region at the centre of the storm or hurricane
What are the tropics?
The parallel of latitude 23degrees26degrees North (tropics of Cancer) or Soutj (tropic of Capricorn) of the equator
What is the eye wall?
The area of extreme turbulence immediately surrounding the eye of a tornado or cyclone
Characteristics of a tropical storm?
- latent heat of oceans 26.5 degrees
- high temps
- lots of moisture
- regions of intense atmospheric instability (ITCZ) + low pressure
- coriolis effect
- winds from different directions (attaining height and intensity)
TROPICAL STORMS F+Qs?
1. Temp needed for a basic storm
2. Temp for a tropical storm
3. Where are they formed
4. What do the trade winds do at the ITCZM?
- 26 degrees C
- 28 degrees C
- 8-20 N+S of the Equator > coriolis effect
- Rising air
What are the steps of formation of a tropical cyclone?
- Warm ocean temps (28C) heat the air above it + warm moist air rises rapidly and it replaced by air drawn at the surface
- Central vortex develops > more and more air drawn in
- The eye characterised by a column or dry sinking air
- As the air rises, it rapidly cools leading to condensation > cumulonimbus
- Condensation process > latent heat released > powers the storm
What is the Saffir-Simpson scale?
1. What is it
2. Weaknesses
3. Levels
- Absolute scale based on sustained wind speeds
- doesn’t show social / economic level of impacts
- other hazards
- gusts
- limited bounds
- 74-95
- 96-110
- 111-129
- 130-156
- 157 +
What are the hazards associated with tropical storms?
- Strong winds
- Storm surges
- Coastal + river flooding
- Landslides
- Hurricanes + earthquakes
How are tropical storms somewhat predictable?
- confined by the tropics
- within 5 degrees of the equator
- certain times of the year
- NOAA predictions
What is Medicines San Frontiers?
- also known as Doctors without Boarders
- charity provides humanitarian medical care
- projects in conflict zones in countries affected by endemic diseases
What are primary impacts of tropical storms?
Infrastructure damage, injuries + fatalities, drowning, flooding, debt, debris, trees uprooted
What are secondary impacts of tropical storms?
Longer term impacts
- homelessness, disease, crime, decline in education, debt
What are social impacts of tropical storms?
Morale of the area declines > crime, health + safety issues (medical services), disease, decline in education
What are economic impacts of tropical storms?
Debt, job decline, decr investment into improvement + development, cost of rebuild, tourism
What are environmental impacts of tropical storms?
Coastal erosion, damage to coastal habitats, soil contamination, landslides, heavy rainfall and flooding
What are political impacts of tropical storms?
International debt, relying on international investment, tension between society + gov, geopolitical relationships
What is preparedness in terms of topical storms?
- education and public awareness campaigns
- minor structural improvements
- property insurance
- evacuation routes + cyclone shelters
- satellites + technology to identify track storms > USA + Caribbean ‘Hurricane Watch’
What is mitigation in terms of tropical storms? (three subsections)
- Structural responses
> soft engineering schemes > planting trees
> Safe Homes Programme
> establishment of coral reefs - Disaster aid
> immediate and humanitarian relief and longer term reconstruction aid
> charities and NGOS
> declaration of a state of emergency
> trading blocs - Insurance
> huge social issues
> if people don’t have insurance, they are more likely to stay with their belongings
