Weather and Climate

Question 1

Where are typhoons found?

Answer 1

Found over the Pacific Ocean, they travel towards Asia.

Question 2

Where are hurricanes located?

Answer 2

Form over the Atlantic Ocean and travel into the West Pacific.

Question 3

What are Cyclones formed?

Answer 3

Form over the Indian Ocean and travel South.

Question 4

How are hurricanes/tropical cyclones formed?

Answer 4

They are intense low pressure systems formed in the Tropics when sea temperatures exceed 27 degrees celsius. Air warmed by the sea rises. It contains lots of moisture due to evaporation from the sea. Rising air cooled leading to cloud formation and intense rainfall. As air rises it creates an area of low pressure. Air is sucked in from the surrounding area to replace the air that has risen. This creates strong winds and large waves. Rising air allows the sea level to rise creating storm surges and flooding on land.
The area covered by the clouds is so large it is affected by the spin/rotation of the Earth (Coriolis Effect) and the whole system begins to spin around.
The eye of the storm has very low pressure but it is very calm and clear here. The eye wall has the most intense and strongest winds.

Question 5

What were the characteristics of Cyclone Pam?

Answer 5

Category 5. 
Winds above 280 km per hour. 
Pressure lower than 920 mb. 
13-16 March 2015. 
Over Vanuatu (83 volcanic islands)

Question 6

What were the impacts of Cyclone Pam?

Answer 6

90% of homes damaged.
11 deaths in total.
Collapsed power lines.
Damage to crops - main source of business 2.5 million damage to farming (80% destroyed).
35000 pupils affected by damage to school.

Question 7

What was the response to Pam?

Answer 7

92500 blankets
67000 tarpaulin sheets
safe drinking water to 21000 people
messages sent to the 160 000 mobile phone users on suitable places to take shelter. 
20 foreign medical teams. 
153 temporary schools. 
95000 people received medical care.

Question 8

Why was it difficult to help those affected by Pam?

Answer 8

Communication lines were destroyed.
No large harbour.
People drank salt water.
Only one airport which was unusable.

Question 9

What is multilateral aid?

Answer 9

Aid that involves a third party. Eg money could passed to the UN and then passed to a poorer country.

Question 10

What is bilateral aid?

Answer 10

Aid that is passed directly from one country to a partner country. Often in the form of money which can lead to debt.

Question 11

Define aid.

Answer 11

The giving of resources by one country, or an organisation, to another country.

Question 12

What is development aid?

Answer 12

Aid/help that is given to tackle poverty and improve quality of life e.g. improving education or health care.

Question 13

What is emergency aid?

Answer 13

A type of aid that is provided quickly, and for a short period of time. It is given after some sort of natural disaster or conflict e.g. Earthquake/flood.

Question 14

What is non-governmental aid?

Answer 14

Aid that is provided but requires no payment. Often given by NGOs such as Oxfam. It is often not in the form of money but instead may be education or appropriate technology which is much more effective.

Question 15

What is drought?

Answer 15

A long period of time with little precipitation.

Question 16

What were the causes of the Californian Drought?

Answer 16

The fast moving winds called the jet stream usually bring wet weather to California during the winter. However, the jet stream was much further North than usual due to a huge area of high pressure which remained stationary over California. Sinking air in this high pressure area caused dry conditions over California between 2012 and 2015. This caused central and Eastern area of the USA to experience the wet weather California usually gets in the winter months.

Question 17

What were the impacts of the California drought?

Answer 17

Farmers in central valley lost 810 million dollars during 2015.
Cracks appear in buildings and roads due to subsidence. Water was being pumped out of the ground faster than it was being replaced.
Homeowners were told to stop using water to wash down driveways or water gardens. Hose pipes were banned for washing cars. Those who ignored water restrictions were shamed on Twitter “droughtshaming.
Most HEP dams stopped producing electricity.
There was 36% increase in wildfires. Wildfires killed 31000 acres of oak habitat.
The state lost 17100 agricultural jobs due to the drought.
Prices of fruit and vegetables rose by 6% in shops due to shortages.
Salmon and trout died due to increases in water temperatures (carried less oxygen).

Question 18

What is the weather like behind the cold front?

Answer 18

remains cold
clouds thin
the wind is still a bit blustery
there are showers

Question 19

What is the weather like at the cold front?

Answer 19

there is a sudden drop in temperature
clouds thicken into bug cumulonimbus clouds
wind speeds increase, sometimes to gale force
there is heavy rain, sometimes with hail, sleet and thunder.

Question 20

What is the weather like in the warm sector?

Answer 20

the temperatures are mild
the cloud becomes thinner and breaks
the wind steadies
the rain turns to drizzle and stops.

Question 21

What is the weather like at the warm front?

Answer 21

Temperatures continue to rise
The clouds get thicker and lower (nimbostratus)
the rain is continuous and sometimes heavy.
the wind veers and becomes blustery.

Question 22

What is the weather like ahead of the warm front?

Answer 22

There are high thin clouds called cirrus.
No rain at first.
It is quite cold but the temperatures start to rise.
Wind speeds increase.
There is a fall in pressure.

Question 23

When will the jet stream bring warmer, drier air?

Answer 23

When it sits North of the UK.

Question 24

What are anticyclones?

Answer 24

High pressure systems where pressure is over 1050 mb (millibars). Winds travel in a clockwise direction.

Question 25

What does it mean if the isobars are widely spread?

Answer 25

The winds are gentle.

Question 26

What problems do cyclones bring in winter?

Answer 26

damage to crops
increase in road accidents
sporting events cancelled

Question 27

What problems do anti cyclones bring in summer?

Answer 27

drought
poor air quality
water shortages.