Paper 1: UK's Natural Hazards Flashcards
polar continental air mass - central europe
-hot air = dry summers
-sold air = snow
Arctic maritime air mass - arctic
-cold air bring snow in winter
polar maritime air mass - arctic
-wet cold air = showery weather
returning polar maritime - Arctic/greenland
-unstable moist air = rain
tropical maritime air mass - atlantic
-warm air = rain and mild weather
tropical continental air mass
-from north africa
-hot dry air = dry summers
scotland and northern england air mass
-polar and arctic
south east england air mass
tropical so warmer temps
UK drought: characteristics
-15 or more days with less than 0.2 mm rain
-causes wildfires
- water supply issues
Uk drought: causes
-high pressure systems bring clear skies and hot air
from tropical
uk storm characteristics
-heavy rain
strong wind = damage
-forecasts give warning = allow for prep
-airline/rail cancel services
uk storm causes
-low pressure
-warm air from south meets cool air from north
-warm air rises = strong winds
-condenses = rainfall
depressions
-periods of high winds and heavy rain
uk flooding characteristics
-heavy rain = flash flood
-rivers flood
-evacuations
uk flooding causes
-heavy rainfall
-persistent rain
uk extreme cold characteristics
-brings ice and snow
-crop failure = famine
-death of cattle
-icy roads = car accidents
uk extreme cold causes
-jet streams move further south than usual
brings depressions
jet streams
-strong westerly winds
Storm desmond: social impacts
-6000 homes in cumbria were flooded
-elder died as he was washed away
Storm desmond: economic impacts
-businesses were flooded
-profit lost and jobs lost
-tourism industry = roads damaged
-home owners had to claim insurance = higher premiums now
-house values dropped = harder to sell homes
Storm desmond: environmental impacts
-covered woodland
-lack of food and shelter = decline in number
-lots of burrowing animals = rabbits drowned
moveable flood wall
-wall erected by river banks at high discharge
-river has more room to rise
-can be removed easily
-doesn’t spoil views
-expensive
flood alert system
-floods are monitored
-residents are alerted based on severity
-plan and prepare
-sent to phones directly
restoring peatland
-absorbs water upstream
-reduces river discharge downstream
-protects settlements
UK weather becoming more extreme?
-recent and rapid changes in temp and rain
-rate suggests man made effects
evidence for uk’s weather becoming more extreme
-ten hottest years since 1884 have occurred from 2000
-more frequent extreme hot events
rainfall changes in UK?
-winter rainfall levels have increased
-decreased during summer
evidence for rainfall changes in UK
-5/10 wettest recorded yrs have occurred 2000
-12.5% wetter this decade compared to others
man made factors have caused climate change
-industrial revolution
-more co2 emitted
