Section A - Weather Hazards Flashcards
Where is high pressure on the map
Tropic of Cancer
Arctic circle
Where is low pressure on the map
Uk
Equator
What is low pressure
Rising air that is usually full of moisture ; the air rises until it cools, condensed and releases its moisture
What is high pressure
Descending air that is usually dry and lacks moisture ; the air doesn’t form clouds and so creates very hot day conditions and very cold night temperatures
What does global atmospheric circulation cause
It causes area to have some types of weather more often than others - it affects the earths climate
What are tropical storms
Intense low pressure weather systems with heavy gain and strong winds that spiral around the centre. Some examples are hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones
What are some primary effects of typhoon Haiyan
Strong winds, heavy rain and storm surges
About 6300 people killed
600000 people displaced
4000 homes damaged or flattened
90% of tacloben city destroyed
Tacloben airport badly damaged
30000 fishing boats destroyed
Over 400mm of rain caused wind spread flooding
Strong winds damaged buildings, power lines and crops
What are some secondary effects of typhoon haiyan?
14 million people affected
6 million people lost their source of income
Flooding caused landslides and blocked roads, cutting off aid
Power supplies cut off for a month in some areas
Ferry and flight services disrupted
Shortages of water, food and shelter affected many people leading to disease
Jobs lost, hospitals damaged,schools and shops destroyed
Looting and violence in tacloban
What are some immediate responses of typhoon haiyan
Phillipines Red Cross delivered basic food aid
French, Belgian and Israel field hospitals set up
Uk government send shelter kits
Over 1200 evacuation centres were set up
Us aircraft carrier and helicopters assisted with search and rescue and delivery of aid
What are some long term responses of typhoon haiyan?
Rebuilding of roads, bridges and airport facilities
Aid agencies such as oxfam supported the replacement of fishing boats
The un and countries including uk, Australia, Japan and the us donated financial aid, supplies and medical support
Thousands of homes have been built away from areas at risk of flooding
More cyclone shelters built to accommodate people evacuated from coastal areas
Where do tropical storms occur
North and south of the equator between 5 and 30C
What conditions are needed for a tropical storm
Low vertical wind shear
Warm waters
A lot of hear
Prevailing winds
What are the 2 ways reducing the impact of tropical storms
Monitoring/prediction
Protection
How can monitoring/prediction help to reduce the impact of a tropical storm
Thermal images to monitor sea and surface temperature
Satallite imagery to track the storm
Hurricane watch to monitor the perfect conditions
Hurricane warning - when a storm is forming or has formed
How can protection help to reduce the impact of a tropical storm
Storm drains remove excess water very effectively and are only built in urban areas (cities)
What is weather
The day to day conditions of the atmosphere e.g temperature, cloud cover, wind direction and strength
What is the climate
The average weather over a long period of time, usually 30 years. The uk has a mild climate but can experience extreme weather events
What are the main weather hazards in the uk
Thunderstorms Prolonged rainfalls Drought and high temperatures Snowfall and cold temperatures Strong wind
What does the north bring
The uk roundabout
Arctic maritime - Arctic air brings heavy snow and bitterly conditions
What does the south bring
The uk roundabout
Tropical continental - Hot and sunny weather from the south can lead to heatwaves and drought
What does the east bring
The uk roundabout
Arctic continental - Severe winter weather can come from the east
What does the west bring
The uk roundabout
Tropical maritime - Storms from the Atlantic brings rain and strong winds
What are uk weather hazards becoming more extreme?
Since the year 2000, extreme weather in the uk has become more frequent then before. This means it’s more extreme because we are expedient these event in a more regular basis
What years in 2000 did floods happen
2007 2008 2009 2013/2014 - Somerset level floods 2015/2016
What years in 2000 did heatwaves happen
2003 - temperature 38.5C and 2000 people died
2018
What years in 2000 did snowfall happen
2009 - southern England and 20cm of snow
2010 - temperature -18.7C
2018
Thank
How does a tropical storm form
The warm ocean heats the air above
Rising warm air evaporated and starts to spin
The aid then then cools and condenses to form a towering comulonimbus cloud
Intense low pressure sucks in air causing very strong winds
Once the storm moves over land it starts to lose energy and fade
What caused the Somerset floods
350mm of rain fell in January and February, about 100mm above average
High tides and storm stories swept water up the river from the British channel. This prevented fresh water reaching the sea and it spilled over the river banks
Rivers had not been dredged for at least 20yrs and has become clogged with sediment
What were the social impacts of the flood
- 600 house flooded
- 16 farms evacuated
- Power supplies cut off
- residents evacuated to temporary accommodation for several months
What were the economic aspects of the Somerset floods
- Over 1000 livestock evacuated
- local roads cut off by floods
- Bristol to Taunton railway line closed at bridge water
- Somerset county council estimated the flood damage to be more than 10 million
What were the environmental impacts of the Somerset floods
- a huge amount of debris has to be cleaned
* floodwaters were having contaminated with sewage and other pollutants including oil and chemicals
What were the immediate responses of the Somerset floods
- villagers used notes to go shopping or attend school
* local community groups and volunteers gave invaluable support
What were the long term responses to the Somerset floods
- a 20million flood action has been launched by Somerset county council who will work together with agencies to reduce the risk of future flooding
- in March 2014, 8km of the Rivers Tone and parratt were dredged to increase the capacity of the river channel
- road levels have been raised
- communities will have flood defences
- river banks are being raised and strengthened
- more pumping stations will be built
