Paper 1 - Section A, Weather Hazards

Question 1

Explain how the global atmospheric system affects the weather and climate of a high pressure area

Answer 1

• air sinks in the model which gives high pressure. Areas coincide with the earths deserts and dry areas as air is sinking so there is little condensation and no clouds
• latitudes with high pressure are 90 degrees north and south, and 30 degrees north and south

Question 2

Explain how the global atmospheric system affects the weather and climate of a low pressure area in the tropics

Answer 2

• insulation from the sun concentrates around equator and tropics, causing air to heat up and rise
• as the air cools, starts to condense forming clouds (eg cuminilbous clouds) and forming water droplets allowing it to rain
• low pressure areas = wetter areas with lush vegetation
• latitudes with low pressure: 0 degrees, 60 degrees north and south

Question 3

Which sea temperatures can tropical storms form on

Answer 3

26.5 degrees Celsius and above

Question 4

Which limitations does the tropical storm minimum temperature (26.5 and above) cause

Answer 4

• limits their geographical distribution (occur in tropics 5 and 30 degrees of latitude)
• limits their seasonal distribution (happen in summer and late autumn when sea water is warmest)

Question 5

How do tropical storms form

Answer 5

1. A strong upward movement of air draws water vapour draws from ocean surface
2. Evaporated air cools as it rises and condenses to form thunderstorm clouds
3. As air condenses, releases heat which powers storm and draws up more water from the ocean
4. Several small thunderstorms join together, when surface winds hit. 120km/h = official tropical storm
5. Storm develops and eye where air decends rapidly
6. As storm is carried across ocean by prevailing winds, continues to gather strength
7. When reaches land, storms energy is cut off, friction with land slows it down

Question 6

How do winds occur

Answer 6

Air molecules move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure

Question 7

What are some important factors for forming a tropical storm

Answer 7

• warm sea temps
• high humidity- needs lots of moisture
• rapid cooling - air must condense quickly to generate lots of energy to power storm
• low wind shear
• Coriolis force to give storm spin
• pre-existing low-pressure disturbances - tropical storms usually form when other smaller storms come together

Question 8

How will climate change affect the distribution, frequency and intensity of a tropical storm

Answer 8

• last few decades sea temp increased by 0.25 - 0.5 degrees Celsius in tropics => may affect distribution of tropical storms
• in future, tropical storms could affect places outside current hazard zones
• hurricanes may become more powerful
• frequency might decrease but intensity could increase
• intensity has increased linked to increase in surface sea temp

Question 9

What category storm was Typhoon Haiyan 2013

Answer 9

category 5 storm in Phillippines

Question 10

What are some primary effects of Typhoon Haiyan 2013

Answer 10

• over 6300 killed, most drowned by 5m storm surge in city of Tacloban
• over 1 million homes damaged by storm surge and 275km/h winds
• power lines were blown down so electricity was cut off
• trees blown over blocking roads
• 400 mm of rain caused flooding inland, destroying crops

Question 11

What are some secondary effects of Typhoon Haiyan 2013

Answer 11

• around 600 000 people had to leave their homes (especially in Tacloban) where 90% were destroyed
• about 400 000 people were housed in 1100 emergency camps
• 10 000 schools were destroyed
• farmers couldn’t grow rice as soil contaminated by salt and rice prices rose
• outbreaks of diseases because of contamination by sewage + hospitals had been destroyed

Question 12

What are some immediate responses of Typhoon Haiyan 2013

Answer 12

• 1.1 million people were supplied with clean water by the Red Cross to reduce the outbreak of diseases due to poor sanitation
• France, Belgium and Israel set up field hospitals to help injured
• 1200 evacuation centres set up
• US aircraft assisted search and rescue and delivery of aid

Question 13

What are some long-term responses of Typhoon Haiyan 2013

Answer 13

• ‘cash for work’ schemes were created where people got paid to help clean up debris, this helped rebuilding and recovering from disaster but also supplied a source of income for those who had lost their jobs
• organisations like UNICEF and World Health Organisation vaccinated lots of children against diseases like polio and measles
• rice farming and fishing was quickly re-established but coconut trees take years to grow back and grow fruit so coconut farmers are still recovering
• ‘build back better’ scheme created to build 205 000 homes to re home those who had lost their homes in coastal areas

Question 14

How can we use monitoring and prediction to reduce the risk of tropical storms

Answer 14

• satellite images provide data on cloud cover and formations, allow tropical storms to be tracked
• a radar satellite enables storms to be ‘scanned’ for rainfall (amount)
• planes and drones can fly through tropical storms. Dropsondes are dropped and are able to send data to aircraft
• forecasts are made and hurricane warnings can be issued

Question 15

How can we use protection to reduce the risk of tropical storms

Answer 15

• wealthy people can invest in things like a basement shelter with an emergency generator
• governments can invest in high sea walls against storm surges and shelters on higher land
• houses close to the coast are built on stilts so storm surge can pass beneath

Question 16

What can we use planning/preparation to reduce the risk of tropical storms

Answer 16

• educate people so they know what to do and to understand the dangers
• families are encouraged to devise their own plan of action should a warning be issued

Question 17

What is the definition of weather

Answer 17

The day to day condition of the atmosphere

Question 18

What is the difference between weather and climate

Answer 18

Climate is the average weather, temperature and rainfall over a period of time but weather is just the day to conditions

Question 19

How do the UK’s prevailing winds affect the weather

Answer 19

They bring strong winds and heavy rain to the west coast or the Uk, dry on the East, wet on the west

Question 20

How might floods affect peoples lives (social, economic and environmental)

Answer 20

• ground becomes saturated which leads to surface run off, this can ruin farms, flood housing, flood businesses which puts people out of jobs and is bad for businesses

Question 21

What type of extreme weather conditions are created by thunderstorms (Uk:weather hazards)

Answer 21

Torrential rain, flash flooding and lightning

Question 22

What is drought and how does it impact the natural world

Answer 22

Drought is hot weather which dries up rivers and reservoirs which can affect water supplies and wildlife. It’s also a long period of dry weather leading to plants and crops dying

Question 23

Why can the Uk be described as a weather roundabout

Answer 23

Because it is the meeting point of several different types of weather from different directions

Question 24

Where does the weather come from that brings heatwaves to the UK

Answer 24

Hot and sunny weather from the South (eg Northern Africa and Southern Europe) can lead to heatwaves and drought

Question 25

What sort of chaos does strong winds bring to the Uk

Answer 25

Disrupt power supplies, fallen trees can block roads and railways and can destroy buildings

Question 26

Where in the UK is most likely to experience heavy snow and extreme cold

Answer 26

North of the Uk, Scotland and mountainous areas

Question 27

What type of hazard does prolonged rainfall lead to

Answer 27

Flooding

Question 28

What factor of average rainfall was deposited is Shap, Cumbria

Answer 28

5 times the average

Question 29

What damage did River Greta do Keswick in the Cumbria 2015 floods

Answer 29

• flooded 290 properties
• swept away Fitz Bridge
  -flooded homes
• road closures (A591)
• some homes had no clean water
• contaminated houses

Question 30

What were some short term responses for the Cumbria 2015 floods

Answer 30

• 100 people were evacuated from Keswick
• British Red Cross set up a rest centre to give families whose homes had flooded a place to stay
• Cumbria Police told people not to travel unless necessary as it would pose a major risk to safety
• use of the army to help rescue people trapped in homes
• Prince Charles donated £40 000 to help support rural communities

Question 31

What were some long-term responses to the Cumbria 2015 floods

Answer 31

• some businesses and households received tax relief
• A plan called ‘Flood Re’ was introduced where homes in Keswick may benefit lower insurance premiums and reduced policy excesses
• Government announced National Flood Resilience Review to access ways to avoid power cuts from future storms

Question 32

Were the flood defences considered adequate in the Cumbria 2015 floods

Answer 32

No, because after the 2009 flood, flood defences were built to withstand 4.6 metres of water, yet in 2015 there was over 5 meters. But the flood defences did give people time to evacuate

Question 33

What affect has climate change had on floods

Answer 33

Flood events have become more frequent in recent years due to climate change. Climate change means there is more energy in the atmosphere which leads to getting more intense heavy rainfall.