PHYSICAL: Weather And Climate Flashcards
North Atlantic drift
Driven by prevailing winds bringing warm water from Gulf of Mexico. Without it uk would be the same temperature as other countries 5c warmer
Impacts on uk location: Prevailing winds
Winds from south west bringing warm moist air from the Atlantic Ocean hence why the west of the uk is wetter than east
Impacts of uk location: latitude
North is colder than south as its closer to the equator
Ferrel cells
Some of the cooled air moves back towards equator - trade winds.
The rest travels towards the pole as lower part of ferrel cell
Hadley cells
Warm air @ equator rises to 15km - low pressure. Air current from equator cools and moves towards tropics
Polar cells
60N and S warmer air of ferrel cells meets colder polar air. The warmer air rises to form polar cells- travels to poles-cools- sinks- high air pressure.
Oceanic circulation
Warm ocean current is less dense as less salt and travels on surface
Cold ocean current sinks as it contains more salt and is denser
Impacts of uk location: Altitude
The higher the altitude of an area the colder it will be.
1 degree lost every 100 meters higher above sea level
Differences in uk climate
SOUTH WEST- mild winters, warm summers
NORTH WEST - mild winters, cool summers
NORTH EAST- cold winters, cool summers
SOUTH EAST- cold winters, warm summers
Impacts on uk location: Maritime influence
Air reaching uk contains lots of moisture as we are surrounded by sea, leading to rainfall all yea
What % of Ethiopians have access to improved water source?
57%
IMPACTS OF ETHIPIOAN DROUGHT: water supplies
Walk miles for water
Girls less time in school.
Water supplies can be polluted alternative
IMPACTS OF DROUGHT IN ETHIOPIA: lack of food production
Reduced food supplies lead to increases in price causing hunger and malnutrition
IMPACTS OF ETHIOPIAS DROUGHT: loss of food for animals
Land becomes too dry to support vegetation- less food and water for animals resulting in death of livestock
What is ethiopias drought caused by?
Meteorological
Hazards from ethiopias drought
- reduction in crop yields
- longer journeys to find water
- migration
Impacts of drought in Ethiopia: Migration
People migrate to cities with improved access to water and escape troubles in countryside
Which organisations helped give people water in ethipioa?
Oxfam + unicef
Where are arid environments located?
On the boundary of the Hadley and the ferrel cells which have large amounts of high pressure. The dry descending air creates the circumstances very little cloud formation - low precipitation
How much did USA government give Ethiopia in aid?
$128.4 million
How many hectares were lost due to forest fires in Ethiopia?
200,000
In Ethiopia what species is becoming extinct from droughts?
Grevy zebra
What % of ethiopia rely on agriculture?
85%
When was ethiopias drought?
1980s-2015
Organisations response to California drought
University of California research project on effectively managing groundwater
Individuals response to California drought
- farmers encourages to use water efficient irrigation
- homeowners need to check for water leaks
What was the government response to drought in California?
25% cut in water use
Impacts to ecosystems in californias drought
- water diverted so wetlands and river levels decline. Rivers flow to slow for salmon breeding
- wildfires/ air pollution
How many acres of land were taken out of crop production in California?
542,000 acres
How much did it cost per year for people in California?
$2.7 billion
Hazards from California
- contamination of land and drinking water by sea water
- wildfires spread quickly
When was California drought?
January 2014 (3rd year)
Economic impacts of drought
- food prices increase
- mass unemployment
Environmental impacts of drought
- habitats/ river habitats damaged or lost
- endangered species become extinct
- wild animals suffer from a loss of water
- soil becomes dry
Social impacts of drought
- depression + anxiety over economic impacts
- safety risks as fries. And dust storms are likely impacts
- job loss
- unemployment
Hydrological causes of drought explained
The effects of drought take longer to recognise as soil moisture + under ground water levels may be less obvious
What are droughts?
Temporary low precipitation, high pressure conditions with no rainfall
What are arid environments?
A permanent low precipitation an environment receives less than 250mm of precipitation a year
CAUSES OF DROUGHTS: meteorological
Caused by a change in usual weather patterns in an area receiving less than average preipitation
CAUSES OF DROUGHT: human
- DAMS
- DEFORESTATION
- AGRICULTURE
CAUSES OF DROUGHTS: HYDROLOGICAL
Impact of low precipitation in the hydrological cycle. Less precipitation - groundwater supplies are reservoirs aren’t filled
Deforestation cause of drought
As trees are cut down there are fewer of them to intercept/ absorb rainfall and it return it to the atmosphere the local water cycle is disrupted causing drought
Negative impacts of climate change on people: LOWER CROP YIELDS
Changes in climates near equator could mean longer periods of less rainfall.
-food shortages causing loss of livelihood and malnutrition
Negative impacts of climate change on people: FLOOD RISK
Low-lying islands like Maldives face risk of flooding from rising sea levels
- more coastal flooding
- evacuation
- affect livelihoods of individuals tourism
Surface impact
Large cosmetic materials e.g. asteroids and comets impact of surface producing lots of dust which rises into the atmosphere blocking solar radiation and decreasing temperature
volcanism
Ejection of ash and dust from volcanic eruptions can enter the atmosphere blocking out suns radiation reducing temperatures
Solar radiation
Radiation release from the Sun varies over time. Periods of low solar activity lead to glacial cold periods high solar activity lead to interglacial warm periods
Evidence of climate change
- ICE CORES trap volcanic ash, microbes and air bubbles
- PRESERVED POLLEN provides evidence on warm and cold growing conditions
- HISTORICAL SOURCES
- TREE RINGS wild rings warm wet climate thin rings colder drier climate
Greenhouse effect
1) heat energy from the Sun passes through the atmosphere heating up earth
2) most radiated into space
3) greenhouse gases trap heat
HUMAN CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE: transport
Rising affluence increases car and travel releasing more greenhouse gases
- 1 .2 billion vehicles on the road
HUMAN CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE: farming
Global population growth increases demand of food. Western style diets becoming more popular increasing methane levels and my mechanisation burns more fuels
HUMAN CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE: energy
New technologies and population growth increases demand for electricity produced by coal, oil and natural gases producing greenhouse gas
HUMAN CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE: industry
Rising demand for consumer goods increases production, burning more fossil fuels releasing greenhouse gases
Negative impacts of climate change on environment : MELTING ICE SHEETS AND RETREATING GLACIERS
Add water to oceans, making sea levels rise. Arctic melting could cause the gulf stream to move to futhur south
Negative impacts of climate change on environment: RISING SEA LEVELS
Causes coastal flooding. Increase salinity in soil causing plants to die. Rises 3.2 mm each year
How warm does the water need to be for a cyclone to form?
> 27 degrees
Tropical cyclone impacts
- Flash flooding
- impact infrastructure/damage
- loss of life
Environmental impacts of typhoon Haiyan
- mangroves damaged
- trees uprooted
- Oil spills from oil tanker causing sea pollution
Individuals responses to Typhoon Haiyan
People in countries UK and Canada gave money towards relief efforts
How much money did UK give Haiyan in aid?
£10 million
Economic impact of typhoon Haiyan
- Airports damaged made aid difficult,, no power only in day
- 70 to 80% structures damaged
How much did the damage from Typhoon Haiyan cost the Philippines?
$2 billion
Social impacts of typhoon Haiyan
- airport damage
- Power cut off
- many isolated by landfall and debris
- temporary loss of law and order
- thousands homeless
- 4.5 million affected
How many people displaced from their homes typhoon Haiyan?
600,000
How many people died in typhoon Haiyan?
6000 people
What was the windspeed of typhoon Haiyan?
300 km/h
When was Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines?
2 November 2013
Government responses to hurricane Sandy
Billions of dollars voted through legislation to help rebuilding
Organisations responses to hurricane Sandy
American Red Cross helped victims
Individuals response to hurricane Sandy
Concert for Sunday relief Bon Jovi
Environmental impacts hurricane Sandy
- raw sewage leaked on street
- storm surges
- floods
- fires 
How many flights were cancelled during hurricane Sandy?
18 000 flights
How many homes lost electricity/power in hurricane Sandy ?
8.5 million homes
How much did all the damage cost from hurricane Sandy?
$65 billion
How many people died from hurricane Sandy?
150 
When was hurricane Sandy?
 29th October 2012
What were the wind speeds of hurricane Sandy?
129 km/h
Hazards associated with tropical cyclones
- high winds
- storm surges
- landslides
- coastal flooding
- intense rainfall
When do tropical cyclones occur in northern tropics?
June to November
When do tropical cyclones occur in southern tropics?
November to April
How far can a tropical cyclone travel a day and speed?
Travel 600 km a day at 40 mph
What latitude the tropical cyclones occur?
Between five and 30° north and south
What is an eye wall?
Cloudbank is called the eye wall surround the eye
Tropical cyclone characteristics
Form a cylinder of rising spiralling air surrounding an eye of descending high air pressure
How wide and how tall are tropical cyclones?
400 km wide and 10 km high
Are tropical cyclones high or low pressure?
Very low pressure
