Year 9 Flashcards
What are natural disasters?
A natural event that causes great damage or loss of life
Name the three main types of Natural Hazards
Hydro-meteorological hazards, geophysical hazards and chronic hazards
What are the 6 forms of hydro-meteorological hazards?
Tropical storms, thunderstorms, droughts, floods, wildfires and tornadoes
What the the 2 forms of chronic hazards?
El Nino and global warming
What are the 5 forms of geophysical hazards?
Volcano, earthquake, tsunamic, landslide and avalanche
When does a hazard become a disaster?
When a hazardous event interacts with human and physical systems that are vulnerable
What are the four layers of the earth?
Mantle, inner and outer core and the crust
Who was Alfred Wegener?
A German scientist who in 1915 developed a theory that the continent originally formed a giant supercontinent
What was the supercontinent called according to Wegener?
The Pangea
What are two pieces of evidence used to support Wegener’s theory?
The shape of the east coast of South America fits the west coast of Africa, like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle; Matching rock formations and mountain chains are found in South America and Africa
Which part of the earth is the largest?
The mantle: 2900km
Which part of the earth is the hottest?
The inner core - 5000-7000’C
Why do plates move?
Convection currents in the earth’s mantle
What are tectonic plates?
Huge slabs of rock in the earth’s crust and upper mantle
Why do earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen?
Occur at the boundaries of plates convection currents move the crustal plates in different directions driven by heat from the core produced by decay of radioactive elements
How are earthquakes measured?
Using a seismometer graded according to the Richter Scale - between 1 and 10
What is meant by magnitude?
The power of an earthquake
What’s a fault line?
Where two plates meet
What’s an epicentre?
The area where the most violent shaking occurs
What’s a collision plate margin?
Occurs when plates are forced together at great pressure so rocks crumble and form mountains. As the pressure builds, the friction sends shock waves to the earth’s surface causing an earthquake
What are primary effects?
Refer to the immediate and direct effects of the hazard e.g. deaths or collapsing roads/buildings for earthquakes
What are secondary effects?
The knock on effects occurring in the aftermath of an earthquake such as a tsunami, fire and damage to the tourist area.
What was the Nepal Earthquake?
Approx. 80km NW of Kathmandu, on the 25th of April 2015, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale
What were the primary effects of the Nepal earthquake?
Hundreds of thousand homeless, villages flattened, old buildings destroyed at UNESCO World Heritage sites, 8,632 dead and 19,009 were injured.
What were the secondary effects of the Nepal earthquake?
Harvest reduced or lost, loss of 35% GDP, ST loss of tourist revenue, landslides and avalanches
What are social impacts?
Impacts on people
What are economic impacts?
Impacts on money
What caused the New Zealand earthquake ?
The earthquake was created along a conservative plate margin where the pacific plate slid past the Australian plate. It was a strike slip event along the fault line, consisting of mostly horizontal movement.
Which plates collided that caused the Nepal earthquake?
The eurasian and Indian plates
When was the New Zealand Christchurch earthquake?
2011
What were the primary effects of the New Zealand earthquake?
> 10,000 buildings damaged, 185 died, 700 injured, water pipes, roads, bridges, power lines and cell phone towers were broken and 80% of the water and sewerage system was severely damaged.
What were the secondary effects of the New Zealand earthquake?
By April 2013 the cost was $40bn, psychological impacts, 3.5m tsunami following a glacier calving, no longer able to host the Rugby World Cup, loss of tourism revenue and significant liquefaction affected the eastern suburbs which produced 400,000 tonnes of slit
What were the secondary effects of the New Zealand earthquake?
By April 2013 the cost was $40bn, psychological impacts, 3.5m tsunami following a glacier calving, no longer able to host the Rugby World Cup, loss of tourism revenue and significant liquefaction affected the eastern suburbs which produced 400,000 tonnes of slit
What’s meant by immediate/ST responses?
The reaction of people as the disaster happens and in the immediate aftermath
What’s meant by a long-term response?
Later reactions that occur in the weeks, months and years after the event
What were the short-term responses to the 2011 new Zealand earthquake?
International aid ($5-6m), Urban search and rescue, satellite imagery was provided for emergency teams to with allocation of aid and rescue, St John’s ambulance service had 16 ambulance within 30mins of the quake and temporary houses and chemical toilets supported 30,000 residents
What were the long-term responses to the 2011 New Zealand earthquake?
The red cross provided grants to families with children under 5 with their electricity bills, $898m in building claims, areas zoned via colour to classify damage and the Canterbury Earthquake website was set up to provide information and help about future earthquakes events
What were the short-term responses to the Nepal Earthquake?
Asian Development bank granted $3, 90% of soldiers mobilized to worst hit areas, International aid and the Red cross medically evacuated the critically wounded, UK sent 100 search and rescue responders, medical experts and disaster and rescue experts, ‘Tent cities’ were set up to accommodate the homeless, inflatable hospitals were set up, ‘Crises mapping’ was used to coordinate and the UK provided 30 tonnes of aid and 8 tonnes of equipment.
What were the long-term responses to the Nepal earthquake?
$200 was granted by the US for the first phase of rehabilitation, UK donated £73m
What’s the three P policy involved in earthquake management?
Adoption of prediction, protection and preparation
What does prediction include?
The monitoring of areas previously hit by earthquakes for tectonic activity on seismometers
What does protection include?
Rubber shock absorbers in foundations absorb tremors, steel frames that sway during earth movements, open areas for assembly, wire mesh retrofitting and lightweight roods to reduce damage and injury
What does preparation include?
Emergency prevention drills and ready, up-to-date rescue teams
What are three warning signs of volcanoes?
Hundreds of small earthquakes, temperature around the volcano increases, release of sulfur gas
Which technique is used to monitor the temperature rise near a volcanoe?
Thermal imaging techniques and satellite cameras
Which technique is used to monitor high levels of sulfur gas?
Gas samples may be taken and chemical sensors
What are four ways to prepare for volcanic eruptions?
Creating an exclusion zone, evacuation plans, emergency supply of basic provisions and funds for emergency communication systems
Which constructive plate boundary is Iceland on?
The North American and Eurasian
What’s the name of the constructive plate boundary that Iceland is located on?
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge
What’s a constructive plate boundary?
When two plates move away from each other
What are plates?
Huge areas of land and sea that float on magma
Why is volcanic ash dangerous?
It contains many points on outs chemicals such as sulfur as well as tiny bits of rock and glass in it
What’s a climate?
The average weather in a place over a period of time
What’s climate change?
A shift to average climate conditions
What are the main causes of climate change?
Rise in the number of greenhouse gases due to increased emissions
What does COP26 stand for?
Conference for the Parties - 26th meeting
What is COP26 discussing?
Latest science on climate change, action to address climate change, future changes that need to be transitioned to
What is climate justice
Recognising that climate change affects disadvantaged people the most who contribute the least to global emissions
What’s an example of climate injustice in London?
Poorer parts of the city have less green spaces and worse air quality so are more vulnerable to the impact of climate change
What are the social impacts of the Volcanic eruption in 2010 in Iceland?
800 people were evacuated, 10m air passengers unable to fly, loss of tourism led to job losses
What are the economic impacts of the 2010 Icelandic volcano eruption?
$130m lost from stopping of flights, clean-up operation cost of $7.3m, loss of $2m a day in income in Kenya due to export dependencies, agricultural sector was negatively affected due to ash, industrial production halted,
What are the environmental impacts of the 2010 Icelandic volcanic eruption?
Meltwater and flooding, roads flushed away, crops smothered in ash, local water supples contaminated with fluoride from the ash
What does a hockey stick graph show?
The hockey stick graph shows temperature variations
How does the greenhouse effect work?
Sunlight passes through the earths atmosphere and warms the earth, infrared radiation is given off by the earth and most escapes the atmosphere but some is trapped by gases in the air, keeping the earth warm to sustain life
What’s the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Increasing levels of gases in the atmosphere trap excess radiation which increases the temperature of the earth
Which gases contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Methane, carbon dioxide, water vapour
Which three physical theories are said to contribute to global warming
Orbital theory, solar output theory, eruption theory
Which three human theories contribute to global warming?
Fossil fuel, agriculture, deforestation
How will climate change influence agriculture?
The heat will dry out plants so they cannot grow, some countries may be able to grow crops they were unable to before, less water available for irrigation, stringer storms and more floods damage existing crops
How will climate change affect health?
Extreme heat can cause illnesses such as heat strokes and increased pollutants in air causes breathing problems
How will climate change impact water supplies?
Rising temperature, changing precipitation patterns and increasing droughts will decrease the amount of water in rivers and lakes - increase in water scarcity
How will climate change affect energy?
A need for more air conditioning requires electricity but there’ll be less energy for heating
How will climate change impact coastal areas?
Cities and low-level ground will be flooded and rising sea level will erode beaches and damage coastal areas
What does mitigation mean?
Refer to effects or attempts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases or limiting solar radiation
What does adaptation mean?
AA response to global warming and climate change that seeks to reduce the impacts on people and the environment
What’s the effects of climate change on LICs like Bolivia, Bangladesh and Uganda?
Most people live in rural areas which are more prone to flooding so they’re unable to grow their crops so they can’t find grow food in order to survive
What is a glacier?
A large mass of ice often shaped like a river that flows very slowly, under the force of gravity.
Where are glaciers located?
Highest amount of glaciers near the poles but glaciers can also be found in the mountains such as the Alps and the Himalayas.
What is a Corrie
A corrie is a large, deep hollow with a steep back wall found high up on a mountainside in an area that has been affected by ice.
What is an arête?
An arête is a narrow ridge that is formed when there are two corries side by side.
What is a pyramidal peak?
A pyramidal peak is a pointed mountaintop that results from two or more corries being formed around it.
What is a hanging valley?
Formed from a smaller valley glacier joining a larger valley glacier. Smaller glaciers in these valleys were unable to erode down to the same level as the main glacier. You find waterfalls here.
What is a truncated spur?
A blunt-ended, sloping ridge which descends from the flank of a valley.
Formed by the force of a glacier bulldozing through a valley, removing large portions of the valley sides.
As the glacier flows through the valley, its erosive power removes any obstacles, including land which sticks out inn to the valley.
What is a glacial trough (U shaped valley)?
During glaciation the rock valley side is removed through plucking and abrasion, resulting in a U shaped valley.
What is a Ribbon Lake?
A long narrow lake in a glacial trough.
