The challenge of natural hazards Flashcards

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1
Q

TROPICAL STORMS

What are the initial impacts of a tropical storm?

A
  • the initial impact of a tropical storm
  • there are 3: strong winds- at least 73mph per hour, torrential rainfall (500mm in 24 hours), storm surges- a rising of the sea as a result of wind and atmospheric pressure.
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2
Q

What are the secondary effects of a tropical storm?

A
  • indirect impacts

- include flooding, landslides and contaminated water sources

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3
Q

What are the immediate responses of a tropical storm?

A
  • evacuation
  • shelter provided by public buildings
  • distributing emergency food and water
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4
Q

What are the long term responses to a tropical storm?

A
  • repairing damage to existing buildings, infrastructure and businesses
  • ensuring the country can manage a future hazard using protection and prediction
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5
Q

When was Typhoon Haiyan?

A

November 4th, 2013.

Most intense on the 5th November, 6.00pm

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6
Q

Where did Typhoon Haiyan affect?

A

Hit the Philippines- Haiyan was the 25th tropical storm to enter Filipino waters in 2013

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7
Q

What were the primary effects of Typhoon Haiyan?

A
  • people were killed by flying debris eg corrugated iron roofs- 6,000 deaths in total
  • three massive waves destroyed 95% of trees in the region of Eastern Samar
  • storm surge at Mangalabang destroyed coral reefs
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8
Q

What were the secondary effects of Typhoon Haiyan?

A
  • destruction of coral reefs meant people were not able to make a living from fishing
  • 8 people killed in stampede at a relief centre in a rush to receive food aid
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9
Q

What were the immediate responses to Typhoon Haiyan?

A
  • government issued major typhoon warnings, and evacuated thousands to shelters
  • the united nations sent in emergency teams to assess what happened
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10
Q

What were the long term responses to Haiyan

A
  • relocated 1 million people away from coastal danger and the designation of ‘no dwelling zones’
  • employment and training provided for those who had a change in livelihoods
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11
Q

How can the effects of tropical storms be reduced through monitoring and prediction?

A
  • can save lives and reduce damage

- Satellites monitor cloud patterns whilst equipped aircrafts collect air pressure, rainfall and wind speed data

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12
Q

How can the effects of tropical storms be reduced through protection and planning?

A
  • mitigation= involves the modification of homes and infrastructure
  • planning involves educating people
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13
Q

THE UK’S CHANGING WEATHER

What is extreme weather?

A

-weather that is extremely different to the usual weather pattern e.g a blizzard

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14
Q

What types of weather hazard does the UK experience

A
  • hydro-meteorological hazards such as storms, flooding
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15
Q

Depressions can cause great storm damage. What is a depression?

A
  • areas of low atmospheric pressure which produce cloudy, rainy and windy weather. They are responsible for the UK’s changing weather
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16
Q

What types of flood hazard affect people in the UK?

A
  • coastal flooding: a deep depression brings a storm surge to a major river estuary, strong winds funnel coastal water into the mouth.
  • surface water flooding= intense rainfall collects in hollows and depressions where homes are located
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17
Q

What is a drought?

A
  • an extended period of low or absent rainfall relative to the expected average for a region
  • in the UK, 15 consecutive days with below 0.2mm
  • Two types, meteorological and hydrological
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18
Q

What are the impacts of extreme cold?

A
  • fatal to crops and cattle

- lead to disruption, In January 2014, 17,000 trains were cancelled

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19
Q

when did the UK experience an extreme weather event?

A

From 17th to 21st of June 2017- a heatwave, temps exceeding 28 degrees

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20
Q

Where was affected by the heatwave?

A

-Heathrow in greater London 34.5 degrees

21
Q

What caused the heatwave?

A
  • high pressure centred to the East of the UK drew a flow of hot air from the near continent to the South
  • hot weather also came up Europe
22
Q

What were the social impacts of the heatwave?

A
  • some people die from swimming in dangerous areas
  • increased vulnerability of heat stress e.g the elderly
  • very high pollen count
23
Q

What were the environmental impacts of the heatwave?

A
  • high ozone levels brought toxic air from industrial parts of France on a Southerly wind
  • ozone levels reached 200 mg
24
Q

What were the economic impacts of the heatwave?

A
  • speed restrictions introduced on railway tracks
  • roads also melted which the council had to fix
  • rise in domestic holidays
25
Q

What were the management strategies to reduce the risk of heatwaves?

A
  • media issued advice to NHS including shutting windows and pulling down the shades
  • people advised to stay out of the sun 11.00-15.00 and asked to check vulnerable neighbours and relatives
26
Q

What is the evidence that UK weather is becoming more extreme?

A

-increasing extreme weather, heatwaves in Summer, storms in Winter since 1950

27
Q

TROPICAL STORMS CONTINUED

What is the global distribution of tropical storms?

A
  • Hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones form in the Tropics between 5 and 23.5 degrees of the equator
  • do not form along equator as Coriolis force is not strong enough
28
Q

What is needed for a tropical storm to form?

A
  • warm ocean temps, 26-27 degrees
  • depth of 60-70m
  • Coriolis effect
29
Q

How does a tropical storm form?

A
  • moist air heated and evaporates, creating areas of low pressure
  • Strong winds form as rising air draws up more moisture
  • Winds start to spin due to Coriolis effect
  • rising air condenses and forms cumulonimbus clouds and rain
30
Q

What happens when a tropical storm approaches land?

A
  • loses energy because there is no longer a supply of warm water
  • slows down because of friction
31
Q

What are the features of a tropical storm?

A
  • circular in shape
  • winds spiral round the centre called the eye
  • the eye is surrounded by the eye wall
32
Q

What is the structure of a tropical storm?

A
  • at the start, temps and air pressure fall
  • air rises and clouds begin to form
  • cumulonimbus clouds form and there is heavy rain
  • when the eye passes, there is a period of calm
  • sun appears and there is high pressure
  • wind and heavy rain increase dramatically again
33
Q

What are the conditions like in the eye of the storm and why?

A

-calm, gentle winds and clear skies because cold air sinking, creating areas of high pressure

34
Q

Why do tropical storms spin?

A

-Coriolis effect (rotation of the earth)

winds bend due to them blowing from high to low pressure as the earth rotates

35
Q

What direction do tropical storms spin in?

A
  • in the Northern hemisphere they bend to the right which causes the clouds to swirl anti-clockwise
  • cyclones in the Southern hemisphere swirl in a clockwise direction
36
Q

How is a tropical storm measured?

A

-on the Saffir-Simpson scale between 1 and 5

37
Q

How might climate change affect the distribution of tropical storms?

A
  • as ocean temps exceed 30 degrees the intensity of tropical storms will increase
  • more tropical storms will reach category 4 and 5
  • they may occur more north and south of the tropics
38
Q

What is global atmospheric circulation?

A

-a system of winds that transfer heat energy via circulation cells

39
Q

What is low air pressure?

A

-rising air that causes unstable atmospheric conditions e.g rainfall, cumulonimbus clouds

40
Q

What is high air pressure?

A

-sinking air that causes stable atmospheric conditions e.g clear skies

41
Q

What causes differences in air pressure?

A

-differences in temperature

42
Q

What are pressure belts?

A

-areas of high or low pressure

43
Q

What are surface winds?

A
  • winds on the earth’s surface that occur as air moves from high to low pressure
  • they transfer heat and moisture and bend due to the Coriolis effect
44
Q

Why does the sun not heat the earth evenly?

A
  • the earth is spherical and curved
  • at low latitudes the sun’s insolation is highly concentrated
  • at high latitudes, e.g the Poles, the sun’s rays strike at an angle and are spread over a large surface area
45
Q

What happens at the equator?

A
  • there is a low pressure belt
  • air rises, cools and condenses to form cumulonimbus clouds that bring rain
  • the air moves North and South, creating the Hadley cell
46
Q

What happens at 30 degrees North and South of the equator?

A
  • high pressure belt
  • air cools and sinks, creating clear skies
  • some of the winds travel North and South, creating the Ferrel cell
47
Q

What happens at 60 degrees North and South of the equator?

A
  • low pressure belt
  • warmer surface winds meet colder surface winds from the Poles
  • some of the air moves to the Poles, creating the Polar cell
48
Q

What happens at 90 degrees North and South of the equator?

A
  • high pressure belt
  • cool air sinks creating clear skies and precipitations falls mainly as snow
  • surface winds move back to the equator
49
Q

How do ocean currents affect weather?

A
  • currents transfer heat around the Earth

- cold water sinks and warm water takes it’s place