Topic 1 Hazardous Earth Flashcards
Explain low pressure
Air heated and it rises up, as it’s less dense creating rain clouds
Explain high pressure
When air becomes more dense, and so it transfers heat to the ground and falls, leaving little to no rain
What is the Coriolis effect
When because of the earths rotation, the wind is deflected to the right in the northen hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere
Where on the earth receives the least solar radiation, and why
The poles as the suns rays have to travel the farthest
What is global atmospheric circulation
The process in which warm wind moves around the Earth
Where on earth is there high-pressure?
In between Ferrel and Hadley cells
How do ocean currents transfer heat around the Earth
Currents caused by winds, help transfer heat away from the equator, through warm water
What are the characteristics of a deep, cold current?
High salt content and sinks in the sea
What does a warm current have
Low salt and so rises up and gains even more heat from the sun
What is natural climate change
How average climatic conditions of the planet vary over time naturally
What is the quaternary period
Teh last 2.6 million years
What are the four main things that have changed the climate in the past
Orbital changes
Asteroids
Volcanoes
Solar output variation
What is eccentricity
The change in the way the earth orbits the sun
What is the tilt
How the equator has moved places
How can asteroid collisions affect the climate
They eject lots of dust into the atmosphere, blocking solar radiation and cooling the earth
How can volcanic activity cause climate change?
Volcanic eruptions release ash and sulphur, they can reflect sunlight back into space, lowering the temperature
What are sunspots meaning?
It means more solar energy being fired out from the sun
Give three things that give evidence for natural climate change
Tree rings, ice cores and historical sources
Is the greenhouse effect natural
Yes, because without it, the Earth would freeze and we wouldn’t be able to live on it
How does agriculture cause the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Because due to population growth, there has been a higher amount for food and so forest have been cleared to make room for cattle
How does energy contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Did the man of electricity growing because of the increasing population, and most of our energy is produced through burning, fossil fuels and burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide
How does transport contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect
With cars, becoming more affordable, lots of fuel being used and most transport is fueled by fossil fuels
How does industry contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect?
As levels are disposable incomes, there is more demand for goods leading to industrial growth, and I need for more energy, resulting in fossil fuels being burnt
How is the global average temperature evidence suggest that human activity is causing climate change?
9 out of 10 of the warmest years on record have occurred in the 21st century
How is Arctic sea ice melting evidence for human activity, causing climate change?
Increasing global temperatures means that more ice has melted, and so by 2012, floating sea ice had shrunk to less than half in 1979. This cannot be explained by natural causes
How is sea level change evidence for human activity, causing climate change?
Since the 1900s, the sea level has increased by 3.2 mm due to thermal expansion as water gets warmer, it expands and takes up more space, meaning that global temperature has been increasing
Why is it so difficult to give precise predictions for the possible consequences of climate change?
Because it is very hard to predict the events that will happen in the future. Also, we do not know if countries will really try their best to help the environment.
What is seasonal distribution of tropical cyclones?
How tropical cyclones happen at different times of the year
What are ITCZ’s
Areas of permanently low pressure
Where are the tropical cyclone source areas?
A few degrees north and south of the equator
Describe the eye of the storm
The central part of a tropical storm between 30 and 50 km. It is an area of calm with light winds and no rain
What does the eye do in a tropical storm?
It pulls warm, moist air and the winds rotate outwards at the top
What is dissipation in terms of a tropical cyclone?
When a tropical cyclone reaches land, it loses energy
How does air pressure and heat contribute to a tropical cyclone
The lower, the air pressure, the more powerful the wind and heat means that the more intense it will be
How does a tropical cyclone form?
Clusters of thunderstorms merge together, creating a tropical cyclone. It eventually picks up heat from the sea and grows
Why are young and old people vulnerable to tropical cyclones?
Because they rely on other peoples help
Why is flat land so vulnerable to tropical cyclones
Because the waves created by the tropical cyclone won’t have to use energy to go uphill and so will go further inland
Why are farmers so vulnerable to tropical cyclones?
Because it creates coastal flooding and the sea contains a lot of salt and salt contaminates the soil
Explain high winds as a hazard of a tropical cyclone and their effect to people and the environment
Tropical cyclone produce wind of up to 250 KM per hour trees can be uprooted by the wind, and they can damage or destroy buildings
How are landslides a hazard of tropical cyclones
Intense rain form, mix soil heavy, and so the soil can no longer stay where it is and slides down, destroying anything below
What can storm surges do and what are they
Waves of displaced water and they can erode beaches and coastal habitats and contaminate, farmland and fresh water
What are storm surges?
When a tropical cyclone rises the sea level due to the low pressure and due to high winds water is forced inland
How can countries respond to tropical cyclones?
With search and rescue teams, aid and repair and reconstruction of homes and infastructure
How can building design be used to prepare for a tropical cyclone?
To make a high wind and hurricane resistant home, so that the impact of a tropical storm won’t do as much
How forecasting and tracking help prepare for a tropical storm?
It will help people have more time to evacuate, and know when they tropical storm is coming
How does warning and evacuation help reduce the impact of tropical cyclone?
Because people have much more time, and so kind of evacuate, leading to less deaths and injuries
Give a example of a tropical cyclone in a developed country and a developing country
Hurricane Katrina in south east, USA, and cyclone in Myanmar
What was the USA’s weakness in hurricane Katrina?
Their embankments and water pumps weren’t properly maintained, and so didn’t work
What was Myanmar’s weakness, In its tropical storm cyclone nargis
The mangrove forest that protected lots of land were mostly cut down
Name all the characteristics of the mantle
The largest part of the Earth layer and is semi molten
Name the two types of crust
Continental and oceanic
Name the characteristics of continental crust
Is Omland and is 30 to 50km, less dense it is mostly made of granite
Give the characteristics of oceanic crust
Under the ocean, 6 to 8 km is made of basalt but is dense
What is the lithosphere
The surface of the Earth
What is the asthenosphere?
The upper part of the mantle
Name the characteristics of the inner core
Is made up of iron and nickel and is solid because of the intense pressure, 3700 degrees
How do hotspots form volcanoes
Because on hotspot, they find weaknesses in the crust and rise up
What is a convergent boundary?
What two plates are moving towards each other, and oceanic plate is forced under a continental, creating volcano and trenches
What happens when two continental plants meet?
They collide and the ground folds, creating mountain ranges and fold mountains
What is a divergent plate boundary?
Where two plates are moving away from each other, creating things like the mid Atlantic Ridge
What is a conservative plate boundary?
Where two plates move past each other or in the same direction. Creating violent earthquakes.
What are lahars?
A destructive mudslide caused by a volcano
What is a magma chamber?
The source of the molten rock from a volcano
Give the characteristics of a composite volcano
Forms at a convergent plate. It’s magma has high silica. It’s lava is thick but cannot travel for and it is highly explosive
Explain a shield volcano
Forms along a divergent margin over a hotspot. It has low silica, fast, flowing, and is lowly explosive
Explain a hotspot volcano
A region in the mantle, where that is superheated rock. Moon rises and fins weaknesses in the crust and forms a volcano.
What is a tsunami?
A series of ocean waves usually caused by volcanoes or earthquakes under the ocean and this displaces lots of water
How can you see if a tsunami is coming?
If water retreats back on the beach, much further than normal
Give an example of a tsunami
Indian ocean 2004 boxing day tsunami
Name an earthquake case study in a developed country and developing country 
Tohoku Japan 2011
Haiti 2010
Name the magnitude of the Tohoku earthquake and Haiti earthquake
Tohoku 9.0
Haiti 7.0
What was the greatest impact for the Tohoku earthquake?
Tsunami because Japan didn’t expect it to be so powerful and so cities were breached and lots of buildings were washed away
Explain what the greatest impact of Haiti was
As Haiti is a poor country, nearly all buildings of poorly built and collapsed easily, even government buildings
Name some of the short term relief of the Japan earthquake
International aid and rescue and power, transport and communications were restored in weeks
Name some short-term relief of the Haiti earthquake
Government buildings were destroyed and the port, so they were slow, but international aid was still flown in
Name two secondary impacts of the Japan earthquake
Hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed and the Fukushima meltdown
Name two secondary impacts of the Haiti earthquake
60% of Haiti exports, clothing in factories was damaged
