Year 10 Tropical Storms And Climate Change Flashcards
Why is the sun hottest at the equator
Because the sun shines in a direct way and rays don’t spread out and more condensed whereas in areas further away from sun, heat energy is spread out more making it cooler less direct
What happens to air at the equator
Heated strongly so less dense and rises to high altitude creating low pressure. This is called the equatorial zone
Hot air…
Rises, low pressure = cloud and rain
Cold air…
Sinks, high pressure = clear skies
What are the 3 cells called
Polar
Ferrel
Hadley
First 3 things that happen in tricellular model
Warm air rises as result of solar insolation cools and condenses forming clouds and rain
Air separates and moves north or south (diverges)
As air cools it begins to sink again
What are the next 2 things that happen in tricellular model
As air sinks its heated by radiation from earth then cycle repeats itself
Air moves north as well as south
What happens when air sinks at the North Pole
Air doesn’t heat so doesn’t rise
Cold and warm air mix causing warm air to rise
Warm air gets pushed up and rises over cold air - cold front
Conditions at equator (0*)
Rainforest:
Hot
wet
Conditions at 15*
Savanna:
Hot
Rain
Conditions at 30*
Desert
Hot
Dry
Conditions at 45*
Mediterranean
Warm
Conditions at 60*
Temperate
Warm/cold
Wet
Conditions at 75*
Arctic
Cold
Snow
Conditions at North Pole
Cold
Very little snow
How should air move
From high to low pressure but rotation of earth produces a problem - coriolis effect
What’s the coriolis effect
Alters direction of wind and deflects them to right in northern hemisphere and left in Southern Hemisphere
What type of wind does the UK get
Prevailing south-westerly winds
What direction do tropical storms travel in
From east to west due to earth spinning
What happens when tropical storms hit land
Lose energy source from sea
Friction from land slows them down
In northern hemisphere track right
Southern Hemisphere track left
Conditions for tropical storm formation
Ocean temp of 27* or warmer
Low pressure
Wind blowing and same direction and speed
Between 5* and 30* north and south latitude
How do hurricanes form
Strong upward movement of air draws water vapour up from ocean
Evaporated air cools and condenses forming thunderstorm clouds
As it condenses releases latent heat which powers storm and draws more water up
Thunderstorms join to form giant spinning storm
Storm developed eye
As storm carried across ocean by prevailing wind continues to get stronger from water
When does it become a tropical storm
When surface wind reach 120 km/hr
Where are the most intense conditions in a tropical storm
Outer edge of eye
What’s a storm surge
Body of water beneath storm being raised up as moist air being sucked into the clouds
Why don’t tropical storms occur at the equator
Due to the coriolis effect
How has climate change affected the distribution of tropical storms
Seas surface temps have increased by 0.25-0.5* meaning hurricanes forming further north and south of equator, increasing distribution
How has climate change affected the frequency of tropical storms
Some models suggest less frequent but more intense but some just suggest more frequent
How has climate change affected the intensity of tropical storms
As seas surface temp increases so does intensity of hurricanes
Why is data unreliable before 1960
Because they didn’t have the equipment or technology to measure tropical storms
What’s a primary impact
Damage and destruction as a direct result of hurricanes
What’s Secondary impacts
Damage and destruction that happens as a result of primary impacts (disease,contaminated water)
Introductory information about typhoon Haiyan
8 November 2013 in the Philippines. Originated second November in low low-pressure area several hundred km south south-east
Category five on saffir Simpson scale, wind speed 315km/hr
Waves as high as 15m
Effects of the storm
Tacloban airport badly damaged, 3000 fishing boats destroyed
Buildings damaged and crops destroyed 40,000 houses damaged
Over 400 m of rain lots of flooding. Lots of coastline devastated
Primary impacts on people of storm
Around 6300 people killed, over 600,000 people displaced and 40,000 homes damaged or flattened
Secondary impacts on people of storm
14 million people affected, many homeless, 6 million lost income
Landslides blocked roads – no access remote areas
Outbreaks of disease
Looting and violence in Tacloban
Short-term response of storm
International aid agencies responded quickly with food and shelter
1200 shelters set up, UK sent shelter kits, French, Belgian and Israeli Hospital set up
Philippines Red Cross delivered foods
US aircraft assisted with search and rescue
Long-term response of storm
UK, Australia and Japan donated financial aid
Rebuilding of road, bridges and airport facilities
Rice farming and fishing was quickly re-established
Thousands of homes built away from flood prone areas
How can the effects be reduced of storms
Windows, doors and roofs strengthened to withstand strong wins
Storm drains put in urban areas to prevent flooding
Sea walls built protecting important buildings from storm surge
Coastal homes built on stilts so storm surge passes beneath
Hurricane watch
Advises people that hurricane conditions are likely
Hurricane warning
Advises that people should begin to take shelter and move to higher ground
Ways to protect houses from tropical storms
Shutters Stilts Building on high ground No dangerous vegetation around house Built out of strong materials
Planning in the USA for tropical storms
There is a National hurricane awareness week which educates people about potential damage and dangers ahead
Weather
State of atmosphere at the given time and place with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, when velocity and barometric pressure
Climate
Average weather in the region over a long period of time
What is extreme weather
Events that are different from expected climate. Extremes can be very little of something or too much of something. Extreme weather depends on context of what is normal
Introductory information about Cockermouth floods
17th to 20th of November 2009 in Cumbria. Already been months of rain so soil was saturated so lots of surface run-off that last 36 hours and fowed to Cockermouth
By the 20th river Derwent it was 10 m wider than normal and river Cockers flow was greater than the past 30 years
Secondary impacts on people of flood
River water contaminated with sewage – health risks
1500 homes flooded and caused £100 million of damage
Debris transported by revert destroyed six important regional bridges
Social effects of the flood
Police officer Bill Parker killed by collapsed bridge in Workington, many people were injured
Economic effects of the flood
Many businesses closed and didn’t reopen for a long time
Environmental effects of the flood
River Derwent banks eroded, causing landslide
River tore loose, carrying away hundreds of trees, damaging ecosystems
Short term responses to flood
Civil defence and emergency services rescue people using boats and helicopters
Long-term response to flood
Structural engineer’s went to every bridge making sure it was secure either strengthened or demolished
Government pledged £1 million to help the town
Business has improved shopfronts and rebuilt town centre
How can the effects of the flood be reduced
£4.5 million spent on flood defences
Mobile wall built so that it doesn’t affect of you
Environment agency provided people with improved flood warning info
During winter railway companies tweet info and pictures of fallen trees so people avoid that route to work
Long-term responses to the flood
Flood defence half a metre higher reinforced concrete walls bridge replaced in 2010 as old one collapsed
Glass panels on wall, protect view
Floodgates added
120 m of high wall with automatic barrier
What is a top down approach
Actions taken by government to increase of population resilience to a hazard
What is a bottom up approach
Actions people take to increase their resilience to a hazard
2003 heatwave
Highest UK recorded temperature 38°C in Kent
More than 2000 people died
2007 floods
Several people died and many left homeless by summer floods in Hull, Sheffield and Gloucestershire
2008 floods
Severe flooding in south west and north east England with Somerset, Worcestershire and Northumberland badly hit
2009 heavy snow
Southeast and Southwest England badly affected by heavy snow. 20 cm fell in London
2009 floods
Cockermouth in Cumbria was hit by floods record rainfall in the lake district
2010 heavy snow
Much of the UK hit by heavy snow in December
Northern Ireland record low temperature of -18.7°C at Castlederg
2013/14 floods
Severe floods in south England causing Thames to burst banks and Somerset inundated water
wettest winter in 250 years
2015/16 floods
Bad storms and high rainfall in north England. December 2015 wettest warmest ever recorded in the UK
What’s a jet stream
Fast band of high winds in the atmosphere between the Ferrel and Polar cells
Dendrochronology
Bigger ring, better growth
Problem – very few trees exist older than 4000 years before present
Ice cores
Layers of ice built up over thousands of years. Removed using ice cores
Thicker the layer of ice the more snow fall that year.
shows oxygen and methane levels
records go back 800,000 years
Sedimentary evidence
Deeper the sediment, older it is
Sediment can be drilled out showing remains of organisms and plankton revealing sea temp
Solar output
Output of sun increased from 1900-1940 recorded by satellites using radio meters. Output of sun barely changed in last 50 years so can’t cause climate change since the 70s
Orbital changes
Orbit changes shape every 100,000 years changing distance between earth and sun.
Earths axis is tilted when increases climate exaggerates
Tilt moves every 4000 years
Volcanic activity
Temporarily cause climate change e.g mount pinatubo causing global drop in temp by 0.5* due to SO2 released which causes volcanic aerosol to reflect sunlight away from earth
Fossil fuels
Count for over 50% global greenhouse gas emissions
As population grows increase demand for energy which increases fossil fuel use
Agriculture
Contributes 20% global greenhouse gases
Large amounts of methane produced as cows produce it in digestion
As population grows, increased demand for meat
Adaptation
Actions to adjust to natural events e.g climate change to reduce potential damage, limit impacts and take advantage of opportunities or cope with consequences
Mitigation
Reduce or eliminate long term risk to human life and property from natural hazards such as building earthquake proof buildings
Alternative energy production
Reduces CO2 output, uses renewable energy sources
Method becoming cheaper and more competitive
Very expensive
For solar there isn’t always sun
Carbon capture and storage
Replicates way earth stores CO2 pumps CO2 into ground to store it
Can be used in existing power plants (don’t need new ones)
Could provide 10-55% of worlds carbon mitigation until 2100 can remove CO2 from atmosphere
Very expensive no long term results
Afforestation
Planting trees to use up CO2 in photosynthesis
Could increase forest carbon storage 28%
Trees take a long time to grow
International agreements
Reduce global emissions by setting up agreements
Some countries more responsible for climate change than others
Hard to convince some countries to take part
