tropical rainstorms Flashcards

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1
Q

what is circulation

A

circular air movements called cells

these cells all join together to form the overall circulation of the earths atmosphere

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2
Q

what is global atmospheric circulation

A

movement of air around the earth to try and balance the temperature

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3
Q

what does high pressure system mean

A

air sinks and air pressure rises

clear sky and sun

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4
Q

what does low pressure system create

A

air rises and forms clouds

this will bring precipitation (rain, hail, sleet, snow)

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5
Q

what happens in a hadley cell

A

at equator, the sun warms the earth causing air to rise
air rising means low pressure bringing clouds and rain

as it rises and cools, it moves to 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south of the equator (tropic of cancer and capricorn)

this creates the hadley cell

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6
Q

global atmospheric circulation

A

at equator, the sun warms the earth causing air to rise
air rising means low pressure bringing clouds and rain

as air rises and cools, it moves 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south of the equator (tropic of cancer and capricorn) —> this creates the hadley cell

the cool air sinks creating high pressure
high pressure —> cloudless skies and low rainfall

cool air reaches the surface and moves as surface winds either back to the equator or poles
towards equator —> trade winds
towards poles —> westerlies

at 60 degrees north and south of the equator, the equator surface winds meet colder air from the poles. this is less dense so it rises

at the poles, the cool air sinks cresting high pressure
high pressure air is drawn back towards the equator as surface winds

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7
Q

what is the atmosphere

A

air above our heads: a mass of swirling liquids and solids such as carbon dioxide and oxygen, water vapour and droplets and ash

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8
Q

what do surface winds do

A

transfer heat and moisture from one place to another

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9
Q

Name the 3 main cells in the global atmospheric circulation model?

A
  1. Hadley Cell
  2. Ferrell Cell
  3. Polar Cell
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10
Q

Where do surface winds blow from and to?

A

Winds blow from high pressure areas to low pressure areas

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11
Q

What is a tropical storm?

A

Tropical storms are also known as hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones. They are huge storms that form between the tropics.

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12
Q

Describe the global distribution of tropical storms

A

• In a band around the equator
• Within the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn
• They are rare in the South Atlantic

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13
Q

Why do tropical storms form between the tropics?

A

• The ocean temperatures are warm enough (27°C)
• There is enough intense heating of the ocean to cause warm air to rise rapidly

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14
Q

Tropical storms in the North Atlantic region are known as?

A

hurricanes

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15
Q

Tropical storms in southeast Asia and Australia are known as?

A

cyclones

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16
Q

Tropical storms in Japan and the Philippines are known as?

A

typhoons

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17
Q

What are the conditions required for a tropical storm to form?

A

• Warm water (above 27°C)
• 60 meter deep water
• Coriolis effect
• Low pressure so air can rise —> form clouds
- Between 5 degrees north and 30 degrees south of the equator

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18
Q

Which force causes tropical storms to spin?

A

Coriolis

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19
Q

What are conditions like the the eye of a tropical storm?

A

calm

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20
Q

Which part of a tropical storm has the most severe winds?

A

eye wall

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21
Q

How wide can tropical storms be?

A

up to 300km

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22
Q

sequence of tropical storm formation

A
  1. 27 degrees ocean water warms the air directly above it
  2. Air rises and condenses to form clouds —> this leaves room for more air to rise
  3. Coriolis effect causes air to spin anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere
  4. Storm travels west then north in the northern hemisphere
  5. The storm slows down when jr gets to land because the energy supply from water is cut off
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23
Q

characteristics of a tropical storm

A
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24
Q

characteristics of a tropical storm

A

eye wall —> very strong winds, heavy rainfall

centre of storm called the eye —> up to 50km —> light wind, no rain

cloud top height can be up to 15km

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25
Q

when was typhoon haiyan and where

A

8th november 2013 in the philippines

category 5 storm

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26
Q

fact about typhoon haiyan

A

one of the most powerful storms ever recorded

wind speeds up to 300km per hour

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27
Q

primary effects of typhoon haiyan

A

• 6,300 deaths
• 600,000 people forced to leave their homes
- 90% of city of Taclocan destroyed
• 30,000 fishing boats destroyed

28
Q

secondary effects of typhoon haiyan

A

• Flooding caused landslides and meant blocked roads cutting of aid
• Outbreaks of disease due to poor sanitation
• Looting and violence broke out —> 6million lost jobs —> desperate

29
Q

immediate responses of typhoon haiyan

A

• 1200 evacuation shelters were set up
• The UK provided Shelter Boxes which provided equipment to set up temporary housing
• The Philippines Red Cross delivered basic food packages

30
Q

long term responses to haiyan

A

• Charities like oxfam helped to replace fishing boats which is a crucial source of income for many citizens
• ‘Cash for Work’ programmes paid people to clean up debris
• Homes rebuilt away from flood prone areas

31
Q

How are tropical storms monitored and predicted?

A

• Predicting the track of a tropical storm is very difficult.
• Satellite images are used to identify the distinct pattern of clouds associated
with tropical storms forming over the ocean.

32
Q

How do people protect themselves from tropical storms?

A

• Buildings built on stilts so they’re safe from floodwater
• Flood defences can be built to hold back storm surges

33
Q

How do people plan for tropical storms?

A

Increasing citizens awareness and knowledge of what to do in the event of a tropical storm

e.g. family evacuation plans / emergency kits

Educating people on the dangers of tropical storms and how best to prepare.

34
Q

How might climate change affect tropical storm distributon, frequency and intensity?

A

Distribution: More tropical storms may happen outside of the current areas as sea temperatures increase

Frequency: will become more intense but may not become more frequent

Intensity: warmer seas means more energy to increase intensity of tropical storms// rising sea levels means risk of coastal flooding from storm surges will be greater —> more people living in coastal communities in the future so more people will be affected

35
Q

What kinds of weather hazards affect the UK?

A

• Flooding
• Storms
• Drought
• Extreme heat / cold

36
Q

model answer

A
37
Q

when was beast from the east and what was it

A

heavy snowfall between 27th - 29th february 2018

jet streams (strong winds) shifted south

storm emma was coming up from europe and made the beast worse as 2 storms met

38
Q

social impacts of beast from the east

A

10 people died —> 60 year old man fell into frozen lake whilst trying to save his dog

thousands of schools were closed for more then 1 day

hundreds of people stranded across the UK as roads became impassable

supermarkets across the UK ran out of food as people panic bought supplies

39
Q

economic impacts of beast from the east

A

local businesses lost money

farmers busy with lambing season lost their stock

flights and train services were delayed or cancelled

40
Q

environmental impacts of beast from the east

A

snow drifts in excess of 7m in places

41
Q

immediate responses of beast from the east

A

the met office issues a red weather warning to prevent unnecessary travel

gritters and tractors used to try and clear the roads

red cross issues blankets to people stranded at glasgow airport

churches opened their doors for the homeless

armed forces rescued stranded drivers and transported NHS workers

42
Q

long term responses to beast from the east

A

repairing roads and filling pot holes

government is reviewing emergency plans so we are better prepared in the future

43
Q

was the UK prepared for the beast from the east

A

we’re a HIC with a HDI of 0.909

we have some of the best forecasting technology in the world

we use social media to communicate

we have well built homes which can withstand the extreme conditions

44
Q

what’s the greenhouse gas effect

A

natural process and without it life on earth would be impossible

atmosphere would be at least 16 degrees colder

45
Q

what is the enhanced greenhouse effect

A

caused by human activity such as deforestation and cars —> human activity releases a range of pollutants —> these greenhouse gases trap more heat than normal in the atmosphere —> earth gets warmer due to extra heat

46
Q

impacts of climate change around the world

A

australia —> high temperatures —> drought —> wild fires —> animal extinction —> loss of biodiversity// crops die —> hunger —> death

maldives —> rising sea levels —> less tourism —> less money generated

artic —> ice melting —> sea levels rising —> animal extinction

47
Q

what is mitigation

A

action taken to reduce the effects of something from happening

48
Q

what is adaptation

A

actions taken to adjust to natural events such as climate change

49
Q

4 ways to mitigate

A

carbon capture

planting trees

international agreements

alternative energy production

50
Q

how does carbon capture work

A

carbon is captured and stored underground by technology

it can remove almost 90% of the CO2 that would otherwise enter the atmosphere

51
Q

how does planting trees work

A

trees remove co2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis

52
Q

natural causes of climate change

A

volcanic activity

asteroid collision theory

sunspot theory

orbit changes

53
Q

how does volcanic activity affect climate change

A

volcanic eruptions produce gas and ash —> winds move gas and ash around the sun —> stops sunlight reaching earths surface —> planet cools

54
Q

how does asteroid collision theory affect climate

A

around every 500,000 years, an asteroid strikes earth —> throws ash and dust in the atmosphere —> blocks out sun —> earth cools

55
Q

how does alternative energy production mitigate against climate change

A

Most of the carbon dioxide emissions come from fossil fuels. Switching to renewable forms of energy such as solar power and hydroelectric power means CO2 emissions will reduce

56
Q

how does international agreements help mitigate against climate change

A

paris agreement —> aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

signed by 195 parties

each country submitted a pledge which indicates how much they will try to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions

UK agreed to reduce their emissions by at least 40% from their 1990 levels by 2030

57
Q

3 ways to adapt

A

changing agricultural systems

managing water supply

coping with rising sea levels

58
Q

Explain how changing agricultural systems can adapt against the effects of climate change?

A

changing rainfall patterns and higher temperatures will affect the productivity of existing systems

plant new crop types that are more suited to the new climate conditions

59
Q

Explain how managing water supplies can adapt against the effects of climate change?

A

dry areas are predicted to get drier leading to more water shortages so people need to use water resources more efficiently

rainwater and wastewater can be collected and recycled

60
Q

Explain how coping with rising sea levels can adapt against the effects of climate change?

A

constructing sea walls

building houses on stilts

relocating most vulnerable people to new places

61
Q

how do sunspots cause climate change

A

Over a period of 11 years, sunspots increase and decrease on the sun —> suns energy output isn’t constant

The more sunspots, the more solar radiation given —> warmer

62
Q

how does orbital change cause climate change

A

orbital change affects how much solar radiation the earth receives

different ways the earth orbits the sun:
stretch- earths orbit around the sun varies from circular to elliptical (oval shaped) —> during elliptical, sun and earth at biggest distance —> cooled periods

tilt- the earths axis is tilted at an angle as it orbits the sun

wobble- the earth has a natural wobble —> places facing away from the sun experience longer days and nights at certain points of the year

63
Q

evidence for climate change

A

tree rings —> each year trees develop a new ring —> thickness of each ring shows what the climate is like

sea levels rising —> average global sea level has risen 10-20cm in the past 100 years

increased co2 levels —> burning fossil fuels and chopping down trees

64
Q

human activities that cause climate change

A

burning fossil fuels

deforestation

farming

65
Q

how does burning fossil fuels cause climate change

A

accounts for over 50% of greenhouse gases on earth

co2 is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas are burnt

66
Q

how does farming cause climate change

A

farming livestock produces a lot of methane —> these greenhouses gases trap more heat than normal in the atmosphere —> earth gets warmer due to extra heat

67
Q

how does deforestation cause climate change

A

trees cut down —> no co2 taken in —> increase in co2 —> greenhouse gas trap heat in the atmosphere —> earth gets warmer