uk weather and climate change

Question 1

what is meant by extreme weather?

Answer 1

any weather that’s far from the normal shown in historical records

Question 2

what are extreme weather hazards in the uk and their effects?

Answer 2

• storms: bring heavy rain and can trigger river floods. wind damage, felled trees
• droughts: insufficient moisture for crop production, low water reserves in reservoirs. can also cause deaths (2003 drought in europe, caused 20,000 deaths)

Question 3

is the UK’s weather becoming more extreme?

Answer 3

• the UK’s 10 hottest years have been since 1990
• the hottest recorded UK temperature was in 2019 (38.7 degrees celsius)
• december 2015 was the wettest ever month recorded in the UK

Question 4

give an example of an extreme weather event in the UK:

Answer 4

• the 2004 boscastle flood

Question 5

what were the natural and unnatural causes of the flood?

Answer 5

natural:
- 60mm of rain fell in 2 hours
- there were very thin soils on the valley sides, and they were already saturated by previous heavy rainfall. some areas of the valley were also made of impermeable rock (slate), resulting in even more surface run-off.

unnatural:
- increase in buildings within the drainage basin meant that there were more impermeable materials, leading to higher surface run-off.
- many trees had been cut down for farming. this limited interception, and meant that water flowed straight into the river channel.

Question 6

what were the social impacts of the boscastle flood?

Answer 6

• homes, businesses and cars were swept away, affecting over a 1,000 people
• no lives were lost, due to the rapid response of the emergency services

Question 7

what were the economic impacts of the boscastle flood?

Answer 7

• the visitor centre, gift shops and tea rooms were washed away, affecting many businesses and their income
• income from tourism was lost. this had and impact on livelihoods and the local economy
• damage was £50 million

Question 8

what were the environmental impacts of the boscastle flood?

Answer 8

• damage to local wildlife habitats
• coastal pollution was caused as debris and fuel from cars flowed out to sea

Question 9

what was the resulting flood defence scheme after the 2004 boscastle flood?

Answer 9

• environmental agency invested £10 million into new flood defences:
• widening and deepening the river channel (it can now carry more water)
• raising the car park (less cars are likely to be swept away), raising it on a permeable surface (not as high a surface run-off)
• land owners were encouraged to maintain vegetation and plant new trees

Question 10

what is some evidence of global warming?

Answer 10

• ongoing temperature recordings shown clear warming of Earth’s temperature over past few decades.
• over past 50 years, photographic evidence has shown that the world’s glaciers have started to melt (temperature increase) and so have started to retreat.
• between 1900 and 2019, average global sea level rose by 0.21 metres.

Question 11

describe the greenhouse effect:

Answer 11

1. solar radiation from the sun passes through the atmosphere
2. most of this solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth
3. some is reflected away from the Earth’s surface
4. some of the reflected radiation continues out into space
5. some is absorbed by greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane) and is trapped in the atmosphere
6. this warms the atmosphere and the Earth

• basically, more greenhouse gases = more heat trapped in our atmosphere, leading to more global warming

Question 12

what are some natural factors for climate change?

Answer 12

• solar output: changing energy from the sun has affected the temperature of the Earth in the past.
• volcanic eruptions: can release carbon dioxide during eruptions, warming the Earth.
• orbital changes: when the Earth is closer to the sun in its orbit, the climate is warmer.

Question 13

what are some human factors for climate change?

Answer 13

• fossil fuels: when fossil fuels are burnt (e.g. to produce energy), they release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the air
• agriculture and deforestation: trees are often deforested to provide land for agriculture. trees absorb and store carbon dioxide. if forests are cleared, they release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases back into the atmosphere

Question 14

what are adaptation strategies?

Answer 14

do not aim to reduce or stop global warming. aims to respond to climate change by limiting its negative effects.

Question 15

how can we change farming practices to adapt to climate change?

Answer 15

• changing rainfall patterns and higher temperatures affect the productivity of farming systems
• we can plant new crop types that are suitable to the new climatic conditions in an area
• drought resistance crops may need to be introduced in the Sahel region (however, this is very expensive, and so can raise food prices)

Question 16

how can we adapt to climate change using water transfer schemes?

Answer 16

water is transferred from an area of water surplus to an area of water shortage, due to a change in rainfall patterns.

Question 17

how can we cope with sea level rises to adapt to climate change?

Answer 17

• sea levels are predicted to rise by 82 centimetres by 2100
• we can build physical barriers (e.g. flood embankments) to cope with extreme weather
• houses can be built on raised platforms or on stilts - these mean that people don’t have to migrate for their safety.
• however, these are very expensive, and countries with large coastlines may not be able to fund this.
• the predictions regarding sea level rises may also be incorrect, we can’t be completely certain

Question 18

how does climate change impact the UK?

Answer 18

• sea levels could rise, covering low lying areas (east England).
• droughts and floods become more likely as extreme weather increases.
• increased demand for water in hotter summers puts pressure on water supplies.
• industry may be impacted (e.g. Scottish ski resorts must close because of lack of snow).

Question 19

how does climate change impact the entire globe?

Answer 19

• sea level rise will affect 80 million people.
• tropical storms will increase in magnitude (strength).
• species in affected areas (e.g. Arctic) may become extinct.
• diseases such as malaria increase, an additional 280 million people may be infected.

Question 20

how can we manage our water levels to adapt to climate change?

Answer 20

• changing rainfall patterns and higher temperatures also means that water shortages can occur in the future
• add water meters to homes, to discourage people from losing lots of water, as it would cost them more money
  > water meters may not change water usage in rich countries, as the cost may not be enough to deter people
• we can collect and use rainwater, and purify it for use
• we can recycle wastewater to increase the water supply. it could be used to water gardens or crops, instead of using clean water that we could drink instead

Question 21

what are mitigation strategies?

Answer 21

physically preventing the effects of global warming.

Question 22

how can alternative energy production mitigate the effects of climate change?

Answer 22

• by replacing burning fossil fuels for energy with renewable energy or nuclear energy sources, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• wind and solar forms can be built, and houses can be fit with solar panels
• in 2017, a study said that 27.9% of the UK’s electricity comes from renewable energy
• these sources aren’t very reliable, and are very dependent on the weather
• they can also be costly to set up
• many people complain about it being an eye-sore, and that it destroys wild habitats

Question 23

how can planting trees mitigate the effects of climate change?

Answer 23

• trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, meaning there is less of an addition to the greenhouse effect
• they’re incredibly cheap to install
• people argue that this may encourage businesses to keep using fossil fuels anyway, and this means any benefits from afforestation will be lost

Question 24

how can international agreements help mitigate the effects of climate change?

Answer 24

• the paris agreement in 2015 was the first legally binding climate deal. it set targets for countries based on their CO2 emissions
  > not all countries are committed to the
  plan (e.g. USA), as they find their targets
  unfair
• limits global temperatures to 1.5 degrees celsius over pre-industrial levels

Question 25

how can carbon capture help mitigate the effects of climate change?

Answer 25

• removal of carbon dioxide and other waste gases from power stations and then storing it in old oil and gas fields, or coal mines underground.
• this reduces the amount of emissions into the atmosphere.

Question 26

what are fossil fuels made of?

Answer 26

decomposing plants and animals