PART A: EAST COAST LOWS ARE A NATURAL CLIMATE PHENOMENON. HOWEVER, THEIR PHYSICAL IMPACTS CAN BE NATURAL DISASTERS

Question 1

What is an east coast low

Answer 1

• A low pressure system that form along the east coast of Australia, that characterised with strong winds, heavy rainfall and large waves and can significantly impact coastal communities and ecosystems.

Question 2

What seasons are the most common?

Answer 2

• Most common in Winter and Autumn
• Highest frequencies in June/July
• Due to the contrast in air temperature between land and water.
• The cool air over land and warm air over the ocean create favourable conditions for the development of an intense low pressure system.

Question 3

How does an east coast low form?

Answer 3

• In summer they can be from ex-tropical cyclones.
• In other times of the year, they can develop rapidly offshore within a pre-existing trough of low pressure due to favourable conditions with the warm sea surface temperatures.
• ECLs can also develop in a wake of a cold front moving across the Victorian Sea into the Tasman Sea.

Question 4

Describe the formation of an East Coast Low (ECL) as a sequence of events in a flow chart.

Answer 4

Cold front approaches east coast.
Cold front interacts with warm, moist air.
Instability causes air to rise.
Rising air cools and forms clouds.
Low-pressure system forms along the coast.
Winds circulate around the system.
Low-pressure system intensifies and moves southward.
Interaction with East Australian Current strengthens it.
Intensification brings heavy rainfall, strong winds, and high seas.
Low-pressure system weakens and moves away.

Question 5

How does anthropogenic climate change influence the frequency and magnitude of these extreme weather events.

Answer 5

• Warmer ocean temperatures enhance ECL formation and intensification.
• Increased evaporation due to warmer temperatures leads to more moisture in the atmosphere, resulting in heavier rainfall during ECL events.
• Climate change affects atmospheric circulation patterns, impacting the formation and movement of ECLs.
• Rising sea levels from climate change contribute to more severe and widespread coastal flooding associated with ECLs.

Question 6

what’s Anthropogenic climate change and caused by and how does it effect ECLs

Answer 6

• Is caused by the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes.
• Causing changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including ECLS