Weather Hazards

Question 1

What are the 3 cells in atmospheric circulation model

Answer 1

Polar, Hadley and Ferrell cells

Question 2

What is air doing at polar cells

Answer 2

Cool air is sinking causing high pressure

Question 3

What is air doing at Ferrell cell

Answer 3

Warm air rises at 30* north and south but sinks near polar cell causing high pressure

Question 4

What does air do at Hadley cell

Answer 4

Warm air rises forming low pressure and high precipitation precipitation

Question 5

What are the westerlies

Answer 5

Winds that come from the west and move towards polar cell

Question 6

What are the easterlies trade winds

Answer 6

Warm air rises and goes from east to west at Hadley 30-15 degrees north and south of equator

Question 7

Features of a tropical storm

Answer 7

1. Storm eye(calm with no wind and no precipitation and low pressure)
2. Large cumulonimbus clouds
3. Winds spiral anti-clockwise in southern hemisphere and clockwise in northern hemisphere

Question 8

How does a tropical storm form

Answer 8

-When the ocean surface waters reaches at least 27°C due to solar heating, the warm air above the water rises quickly, causing an area of very low pressure.
-As the air rises quickly more warm moist air is drawn upwards from above the ocean creating strong winds.
-The rising warm air spirals upward and cools. The water vapour it carries condenses and forms cumulonimbus clouds.
-These cumulonimbus clouds form the eye wall of the storm.

Question 9

How does climate change affect tropical storms

Answer 9

1.Climate change will cause sea levels to rise allowing the 60m depth needed for them to form but also adds energy so intensity will be greater
2. Climate change heats up sea meaning tropical storms could be possible further north and south of equator

Question 10

Conditions needed for tropical storms to form

Answer 10

1.Sea temperatures of at least 27 degrees Celsius
2. Ocean depth of at least 60 metres
3. Warm air to rise
4. Low coriolis effect

Question 11

What is the coriolis effect

Answer 11

The coriolis effect causes tropical storms to rotate either clockwise or anti-clockwise depending on if the storm is in the northern or southern hemisphere

Question 12

What is storm surge

Answer 12

the abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm making land highly at risk of flooding

Question 13

Characteristics of typhoon haiyan

Answer 13

1. Causes a storm surge of over 5 metres high
2. Occured on 3rd of November 2013
3. Lasted 8 days and ended when it got to China
4. Hit the Philippines on 8th of November and caused devastating damage

Question 14

Primary effects of typhoon Haiyan

Answer 14

1. Over 6,000 people died
2. 29,000 injured
3. 1.1 million houses damaged
4. Cost of damage around $12 billion
5. 4.1 million people made homeless
6. 90% of Tacloban destroyed

Question 15

Secondary effects of typhoon haiyan

Answer 15

1. Infections and diseases spread rapidly
2. Power supplies cut off
3. Food supply completely wiped out
4. Oil spill which contaminated water supply and fishing waters

Question 16

Immediate and long term responses of typhoon haiyan

Answer 16

Short term=
1. Over 1,200 evacuation centres were set up
2. One million food packs and 250,000 litres of water were supplied from abroad after airports opened back up 3 days after
3. $1.5 billion of aid was received
4. Countries abroad contributed in a rescue operation worth $8.8 million
Long term=
1. NGO “Oxfam” replaced all fishing boats destroyed in storm
2. Build back better scheme was launched by government to build back houses to withstand future disasters and invested in evacuation warnings and storms surge warnings