Weather Hazards Flashcards
Where is tropical storm called cyclone, typhoon and hurricane?
Hurricane- North America
Cyclone- Indian Ocean and Australia
Typhoon- East Asia
Tropical storms
Found?
Direction of travel?
Majority found in?
At tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
Away from equator and from east to west due to Coriolis force
North Pacific Ocean
5 Conditions for a tropical storm?
-Sea temperature above 26oc
-Cluster of thunderstorms
-Earth’s rotation
-Light winds
-Moist conditions
How a tropical storm is formed?
Warm air above water at at least 26oc rises-> low pressure. Condenses into cumulonimbus clouds, pulls surrounding air in. Spins due to Coriolis force and travels from east to west due to trade-winds. Collects moisture and energy while travelling to land before losing energy when it reaches land.
4 impacts of tropical storms?
-Food shortage
-Expenses to rebuild infrastructure
-Loss of lives
-Damaged habitats
What is a storm surge?
When winds in a hurricane push water towards land, creating a high wall of water
Typhoon Haiyan
Year?
Where?
2013
South Pacific Ocean, making landfall in the Philippines
Typhoon Haiyan
4 Impacts?
Are they social, economic or environmental?
Social- more than 6000 people died
Social- islands Samar and Leyte were isolated due to power outages
Economic- Cost of damage estimated at $2 billion USD
Environ- caused an oil spill in fishing waters
Typhoon Haiyan
3 Responses?
-Set up 1,200 evacuation centres to prevent death
-Government spent 2% of national budget in the short term
-Oxfam helped replace fishing boats to generate income
Hurricane Sandy
Year?
Where?
2012
Travelled through Caribbean and hit East coast of USA
Hurricane Sandy
4 Impacts?
Are they social, economic or environmental?
Social- more than 150 people died
Social- railways and airports closed in New York
Economic- New York Marathon cancelled, losing tourist income
Environ- gallons of untreated sewage entered the sea around New York
Hurricane Sandy
3 repsones?
-American Red Cross helped provide relief
-Charity concert ‘12-12-12’ was organised to raise funds
-National Hurricane Centre in Miami monitored its path
Arid def?
Pressure?
Where on Earth?
Always a low amount of water available
High pressure
Around tropics
Drought def?
Gradual reduction in the amount of water available
5 main causes of drought
Most significant?
Agricultural, hydrological, meteorological, dam building, deforestation
*Meteorological
Cause of drought
Agricultural
How it causes?
Human or physical?
Farmers using large amount of water for crops
Human
Cause of drought
Hydrological
How it causes?
Human or physical?
Water in lakes, aquifers and rivers falls below average
Physical
Cause of drought
Meteorological
How it causes?
Human or physical?
When there is a prolonged period of below average rainfall
Physical
Cause of drought
Dam building
How it causes?
Human or physical?
Can restrict amount of water reaching downstream areas
Human
Cause of drought
Deforestation
How it causes?
Human or physical?
Reduces soil’s ability to hold water causing land to dry out
Human
2 places that are less vulnerable to drought and why?
UK- Consistent rain
Australia- Low population density, coastal
2 places that are more vulnerable to drought and why?
India- reliant on monsoon seasons
Central America- competition over water resources
Why do rainy seasons make an area vulnerable to drought?
Rely on global circulation to not be delayed or weaker than normal
Why do rainy seasons in summer make an area vulnerable to drought?
Water not easily absorbed by the sun-baked soil, evaporation is high
Why do deserts not suffer from drought?
They normally receive very low level of precipitation so hard to receive even lower
2 reasons why the California drought occurred
1 reason why Ethiopia drought occurred
-Period of below average rainfall
-Competition for water at the nearby river
—>Short, delayed rain season
2 impacts of drought in Ethiopia on people & 2 impacts on the environment
People- Walking up to 20 km to find water sources, negatively impact health; Using polluted water spread diseases like cholera
Environ- Affects an estimated 2.4million livestock; Only 49% of Ethiopia’s arable land is planted due to the effect of droughts
3 responses to drought in Ethiopia
-Using ‘bunds’ to reduce surface run-off and help retain moisture in soil
-‘Live Aid’ raising money in 1985
-School feeding program helped 3.1 million children
2 impacts of drought in California on people & 2 impacts on the environment
People- Loss of jobs in agriculture, around 10,000; Target for individuals to cut their water usage by 25%, used hosepipe bans
Environ- Farmers fallowed 154% more acres of land in 2015 than in 2011; Nearly 80% of water from the Tuolumne River was diverted to San Francisco, causing fish to die
3 responses to drought in California
-Prevent future droughts w Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, regulate the use of groundwater supplies
-Farmers invested in efficient irrigation systems
-$734 million spent on emergency responses
