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🌄 > Topic 1a - Climate and Tropical Cyclones > Flashcards

Topic 1a - Climate and Tropical Cyclones Flashcards

1
Q

Where is heat from solar radiation the most intense?

A

Near the equator

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2
Q

Which causes a difference in air pressure?

A

The difference in temperature causes changes in air pressure. Air travels from high to low pressure.

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3
Q

Describe the Hadley Cells?

A
  • 0- 30
  • Sun warms it up and the heat causes hot air to rise
  • this cools, condenses and forms clouds = rain = low pressure
  • cool dry air moves 30 N&S of the equator
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4
Q

Describe the Ferrel Cells?

A
  • 30-60
  • air sinks and causes there to be high pressure = cloudless skies and very little rainfall
  • cool air reaches the ground surface as moves as surface winds (trade winds or westerlies) towards the equator or the pole
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5
Q

What are trade winds?

A

They move towards the equator

  • blow from SE to NE –> meet at the equator and are heated by the sun
  • rise to form clouds
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6
Q

What are westerlies?

A

Wind that moves towards the poles

- from NW to SW

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7
Q

Describe Polar Cells?

A
  • 60-90
  • Warmer surface winds meet colder parts from the poles and as warm air is less dense it rises = Low Pa and frontal rain
  • At the poles, (90 N and S) cool air sinks and high pressure is creates and wind is drawn towards the equator as surface winds
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8
Q

How is heat transferred around the world?

A

Due to winds and ocean currents

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9
Q

What are surface currents?

A
  • caused by winds

- help wind away from the Equator and bring warm water from the Caribbean

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10
Q

What are deep ocean currents?

A
  • driven by water density

- water freezing at the poles so the surrounding water gets saltier and denser

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11
Q

What is thermohaline circulation?

A
  • denser water sinks causing warmer water to flow to the surface
  • warmer water is then cooled and sinks creating a cycle = Thermohaline circulation
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12
Q

Describe the climate zones:

A
  • arid (dry) between H and F cells (high Pa) = low rainfall and high temp
  • tropical - between H cells (low Pa = high rainfall and temp)
  • polar - between P cells (high Pa) = low temp and low rainfall
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13
Q

What is the quarternary period?

A

Last 2.6 million years ago

- glacial(colder) and interglacial(warmer) periods within in

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14
Q

What are the possible natural causes of climate change?

A
  • Milankovitch cycles
  • Volcanic activity
  • Solar output
  • Asteroid collisions
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15
Q

How do the Milankovitch cycles influence climate change?

A
  • eccentricity = orbit of earth changes from circular to elliptical (every 96,000 yrs)
  • axis tilt - the tilt of Earth is closer or further from Sun = normally 23* and effects solar radiation and thus causes glacial and interglacial periods 41,000 yrs)
  • precession - axis of earth wobbles like a spinning top (every 22,000 yrs)
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16
Q

How does Volcanic activity influence climate change?

A
  • volcanoes eject material (ash) into the atmosphere

- this reflects the Sun’s rays to space so the surface cools and causes short term changes

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17
Q

How does Solar output influence climate change?

A
  • solar output changes in short cycles of 11 years or a longer cycle of several hundred years
  • when it’s reduced = cooling
  • e.g in Maunder Minimum = low solar activity between 1645 and 1715
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18
Q

How do Asteroid collisions influence climate change?

A
  • they throw dust into the atmosphere and decreases the amount of energy of the Sun reaching the earth
  • decreases the global temperature
  • e.g Younger Dras around 12,000 years ago
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19
Q

What are the natural pieces of evidence of climate change?

A
  • Tree rings - more wet and warm = thicker rings/yr
  • Ice cores - drill into ice sheets of ice and analyse gases (CO2) trapped in layers of ice to tell temp (more O2 = less heat)
  • Historical records = diaries and paintings (harvest or Thames fair)
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20
Q

When were the Medival warm period and Little ice age?

A
  • 900 to 1300 = more harvest of grapes

- 17th cent = Londo frost fairs, Inuit sightings and arctic ice reaching to Scotland

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21
Q

What is the natural greenhouse effect?

A
  • it warms the Earth
  • energy from the sun (short wave radiation) is reflected into space as longwave radiation
  • gases (CH4, CO2, water vapour) = act as an insulating layer and let short wavelength in and trap some longwave radiation (rest is lost in space as heat)
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22
Q

What human activities cause an enhanced greenhouse effect?

A
  • caused by human activities

- farming, energy, industry and transport

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23
Q

How does farming cause an enhanced greenhouse effect?

A
  • cows release methane when they fart
  • rice paddies are flooded fields = release methane
  • fewer trees so less CO2 absorbed
24
Q

How does energy cause an enhanced greenhouse effect?

A
  • CO2 when burning fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal
25
Q

How does the industry cause an enhanced greenhouse effect?

A
  • cement production releases co2

- industrial waste in landfills release CH4 when decaying

26
Q

How does transport cause an enhanced greenhouse effect?

A
  • use fossil fuels so more cars used meaning more congestion thus more engines running for longer
27
Q

What is the evidence of human activity causes climate change?

A
  • Less artic ice
  • global temp rising
  • rising sea level and warming oceans
  • extreme weather
28
Q

How are less ice and rising temp evidence of human activity causes climate change?

A
  • Less artic ice = decreased by more than 3% each decade over last 35 yrs
  • global temp rising - rise 1* since 1880 and expected to rise 3-4* by 2100 and top 10 warmest temp recorded have been all after 2000
29
Q

How are extreme weather and rising sea level of human activity causes climate change?

A
  • rising sea level and warming oceans - increased by 0.2m = eustatic sea level rise as ice on land melts not other sea and thermal expansion caused as water expands as it gets warmer
  • extreme weather = more frequent in 2010 and 2014 had broken most rainfall records in the UK
30
Q

How does climate change impact people?

A
  • more death due to heat and less death due to cold
  • land may be too hot or cold to inhabit
  • low lying coastal flooding = migration = overcrowding
  • globally fewer crops as smaller due to heat but high latitude counties benefit in warmer conditions
  • less crop yield = malnutrition, ll health and death (esp in equator)
  • more extreme weather = more money for prediction, reduction impact and rebuilding after
31
Q

Why is there uncertainty about future climate change?

A
  • emissions = don’t know how they will change as pop increases, more economic dev and the quantity of both
  • complexity - don’t know what climate changes will happen = we don’t understand a lot of natural processes
  • management - don’t know what attempts are made to change greenhouse emissions and how successful they are
32
Q

What is needed for tropical cyclones to develop?

A
  • develop over warm water
  • sea temp is 26.5 or higher, wind shear and lower parts of the atmosphere
  • source is 5-30 N and S
33
Q

Why don’t cyclones form further than 30 N and S?

A
  • not enough energy for them to form as the water isn’t warm enough
34
Q

How do tropical cyclones develop?

A
  • warm moist air rises condense and release powerful energy
  • rising air has low Pa so increases surface winds
  • rotation of the earth deflects the wind path as the cyclone spins
  • moves towards the west due to easterly winds near the equator and move further away
  • path curves to the east near mid- latitude westerlies
  • cyclones intensity due to energy from warm water
35
Q

When do cyclones from in Northern or Southern Hemisphere?

A

The sea temperature is highest in the

  • Northern Hemisphere in June- Nov
  • Southern Hemisphere in Nov - April
36
Q

When do cyclones gain intensity?

A
  • due to energy from the warm water
37
Q

Why do cyclones dissipate?

A
  • due to loss of energy as they move towards land or cold water
  • change in windspeed cause also cause dissipation
38
Q

How does climate change affect sea temp?

A
  • more temp = more cyclones
  • triggers conditions as warm moist air increases to 26.5*, sea where ocean water is warmest, winds converge at the ocean surface causing air to rise
  • formation away from the equator so Coriolis effect will cause storm to rotate and have low wind shear
39
Q

Whats are ITCZ?

A
  • Inter-tropical convergence zones
  • areas of permanent low pressure which form as part of H cells near the equator
  • cause more thunderstorms as have prevailing wind and warm conditions (lots of cyclones sourced here)
40
Q

Describe the structure of a cylone:

A
  • above cyclone = dense canopy of cirrus clouds (caused by uplift of warm, moist air) - last 7-14 days
  • swirling around centre = rain bands - clouds that can stretch for 100km = heavy rain and strong winds
  • centre - eye and around - eyewall = thick band of cloud rising 15km (strongest wind and heaviest rain and low temp)
  • eye has no rain and clear skies = air fall back (H.Pa)
  • edge of cyclone has low wind speed, smaller clouds, less intense rain and high temp
41
Q

Which way do cyclones spin in each hemisphere?

A
  • N - anti-clockwise

- S - clockwise

42
Q

How do tropical cyclones lead to storm surges?

A
  • more sea levels = stronger wind
43
Q

What are the physical hazards associated with tropical cyclones?

A
  • high winds
  • intense flooding
  • storm surges
  • coastal flooding
  • landslides
44
Q

How do high winds due to tropical cyclones have an impact?

A
  • can kill people by flying debris
  • uproots trees and flows them over
  • destroys homes
45
Q

How do intense flooding due to tropical cyclones have an impact?

A
  • heavier near the eye
  • flooding property = unemployment as businesses destroyed
  • pollutes freshwater environment with saltwater
46
Q

How do storm surges due to tropical cyclones have an impact?

A
  • caused by a rise in sea levels due to low Pa and high winds
  • drowns people in strong currents
  • erodes coastal habitats
  • contaminates farmland
  • damages coastal habitats (coral reefs)
  • damages crops and livestock killed
47
Q

How do coastal flooding due to tropical cyclones have an impact?

A
  • due to storm surges and strong winds driving large waves onto the shore
  • electric supplies cut off
  • sewage overflows
  • lack of sanitation - diseases
  • chem waste spilt
48
Q

How do landslides due to tropical cyclones have an impact?

A
  • heavy rain = unstable hills as a high level of rain saturates the soil = heavy and more vulnerable if rock underneath is impermeable
  • damages roads and makes it hard for rescues to happen (vehicles can’t get through)
  • deposits sediment in lakes and rivers killing fish and other wildlife
49
Q

How can the impact of a tropical cyclone be assessed?

A
  • Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind scale
  • assesses wind speed and likely damage to property
  • over category 3 - potential to cause massive damage
  • 1 weakest with 120-150km/hr
  • 5 = strongest with over 250km/hr
50
Q

What are the physical vulnerabilities of tropical cyclones?

A
  • low lying coastal areas = more vun. to storm surges as large waves
  • low relief areas - more likely storm surge
  • high relief - more likely landslides
  • some areas are in the cyclone path
  • thus island nations are the most vulnerable
51
Q

What are the economic vulnerabilities of tropical cyclones?

A
  • more dev - more accurate weather prediction
  • coastal defences, evacuation procedures, disaster response teams, more food supplies
  • less dev = dependent on agriculture so may not have insurance
  • more dev = larger economic impact due to roads, cars, buildings
52
Q

What are the social vulnerabilities of tropical cyclones?

A
  • poverty or deprived areas have worse quality buildings, looting, bad healthcare, little money for teams, hard to rescue people due to poor infrastructure
53
Q

What are the ways of preparing for cyclones?

A
  • atm Pa measuring (need to be made locally tho) - buoys in oceans or fly planes for accurate readings
  • satellite tracking - register large banks of precipitation and find eye (expensive to install)
  • modelling - comp models calculated path, landfall, intensification and dissipation
  • communication
54
Q

How can communication mitigate the impacts of tropical cyclones?

A
  • gov activated defences (flood barriers)
  • emergency shelter and evacuation points of higher ground
  • broadcast on TV and media
  • house on stilts so safer from floodwater
55
Q

What should the response for cyclones be?

A
  • rescue teams search for trapped people
  • providing food/water
  • providing medical care and shelter for victims
  • rapid reconstruction and repair of the affected area e.g repair of power/drinking water/ clearing roads

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