Tropical Storms Flashcards
Secondary effects
Homeless
Lack of sanitation, easier for diseases to spread
Unemployment
Food shortage
Primary effects
Infrastructure damaged
Rivers and coastal areas flood
People drown, injured or are killed by debris
Transport routs are damaged
Electricity, telephone and sanitary damaged
What causes a tropical storm
Ocean temp 26 - 28 0C
Hottest time of year May - Nov in north
Nov - Apr in south
Major wind from the east
Between 10 - 30o north/south of the equator
Where do tropical storms occur
10 - 30o north/south of equator
What is El Niño
Weak warm current that starts every year around Christmas along the coast of Ecuador and Peru. Every 3 to 7 years it can last for months. This can cause weather changes e.g. Drought and floods
What is La Niña
The sea surface temp across the equatorial eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower then normal. This causes a dry period in Midwest U.S
Drought in western pacific, flooding in South America
Explain how a tropical storm happens
Warm air form thunderstorms and deep warm ocean surface mix and start to rise to create low pressure
Trade winds at the equator cause the storm to spin due to earths rotation
Air continues to rise, pressure starts to decrease at higher altitudes
Air rises faster and draws in more warm air from the sea surface whilst sucking cooler air downwards
The storm moves over the ocean, it picks up more warm moist air. Speed of its winds increase as air is sucked in
Can take hours or days to fully form a hurricane. The eye has calmer winds, surrounded by a eye wall of high winds
How can you reduce effects?
Education
Emergency kits
Wind proof tiles, water resistant windows and strengthened buildings
Evacuation
Why do some people think tropical storms could happen more and in different locations in the future
Events such as El Niño and La Niña
How could climate change effect the pattern of tropical storms in the future?
wind speed and temperature have increased
so has the frequency and length of tropical storms
