Atmospheric Hazards Flashcards

1
Q

formation of a tropical storm

A
  1. air is heated at the surface of warm tropical oceans (27degrees)
  2. warm air rises under low pressure
    3.as it rises it draws up moisture, forming strong winds
  3. winds spin around a calm central eye due to the coriolis
    effect
  4. as air rises it cools and condenses- forms torrential rainfall and cumulonimbus clouds
  5. as the air cools, it gives off heat, which powers the storm
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2
Q

describe how weather changes at different points of a storm

A

A. temperature falls, air pressure falls

B. temperature falls, air pressure falls, torrential rain, cumulonimbus clouds, strong winds

C. calm, dry storm eye, temperature rises

D. temperature falls, air pressure falls, heavy rain, strong winds

E. temperature starts to rise, rain, air pressure rises

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3
Q

describe the global distribution of tropical storms

A

over warm oceans (27 degrees)
not along the equator (5-30 degrees north/ south of equator)
areas of low wind shear

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4
Q

low wind shear

A

if wind shear is high, then winds are strong enough to blow the storm away from the side

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5
Q

not along equator

A

coriolis effect is not strong at the equator, the storm requires the coriolis effect to spin

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6
Q

warm oceans

A

27 degrees
air is warmed and evaporates forming water vapour- which acts as energy for the storm
low pressure

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7
Q

describe the effect climate change will have on frequency of tropical storms

A

as temperatures increase and oceans become warmer and expand, more oceans will reach 27 degrees- there will be more severe storms

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8
Q

describe the effect climate change will have on intensity of tropical storms

A

cat 1-3 will decrease
cat 4-5 will increase
will be more severe storms as oceans become warmer

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9
Q

what tropical storms happen in the:
-atlantic ocean
-pacific ocean
-indian sea

A

atlantic ocean- hurricanes
pacific ocean- typhoons
indian sea- cyclones

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10
Q

why are links between tropical storms and climate change uncertain

A

climate models have wide-ranging impacts

not enough data to make concrete predictions

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11
Q

where is the coriolis effect the strongest

A

at the poles

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12
Q

give the name of our two case studies

A

Typhoon Haiyan, 2013

Beast from the East, 2018

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13
Q

describe typhoon Haiyan (location, date, intensity, storm path)

A

Philippines, November 2013
4:40 am
windspeeds of 314km/hour
winds spinning counter-clockwise

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14
Q

explain why typhoon Haiyan was so severe

A

made landfall at 4:40am- 6 hours earlier than predicted so people were unprepared

philippines made up of 300 islands- constant water and energy source

5m storm surge- never happened before, was unexpected

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15
Q

primary effects of Typhoon Haiyan (social, economic, environmental)

A

social:
6300 deaths
4.1 million homeless

economic:
$12 billion damage costs
$53 million damage to rice

environmental:
water contamination- harmed aquatic life
800,000 litre oil leak
1.1million tonnes of destroyed crops

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16
Q

secondary effects of Typhoon Haiyan (social, economic, environmental)

A

social:
schools closed
people in shelters

economic:
flooded roads- people could not get to work
less tourism

environmental:
wildlife habitats destroyed

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17
Q

immediate responses to Typhoon Haiyan

A

treat casualties
bury dead (prevent water contamination)
build temporary shelters
access remote islands

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18
Q

long term responses to Typhoon Haiyan

A

expand shelters
rebuild homes/ roads
build back better
plant mangroves

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19
Q

Typhoon Haiyan protection strategies

A

plant mangroves- absorb storm surge energy

build back better- raise homes on stilts

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20
Q

Typhoon Haiyan planning strategies

A

900 trained fishermen- how to make boats stronger

trained families how to cook food without electricity

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21
Q

Typhoon Haiyan monitoring strategies

A

hurricane planes- record windspeeds, when storm will make landfall- which allows evacuation

22
Q

Typhoon Haiyan prediction strategies

A

use data from previous storms to predict when the next storm will make landfall- allows evacuation

not always reliable- typhoon haiyan made landfall 6 hours early

23
Q

define extreme weather

A

a weather event which is significantly different/ unseasonal to the average weather pattern

24
Q

give evidence for extreme weather in uk

A

in the past 20 years there have been:
-6 wettest years ever on record
-10 hottest years ever on record
-2014 was the hottest year

only started recording data in the 1800’s- not a long time over which to form a credible average

25
Q

long term evidence for climate change since the quaternary period

A

ocean sediments- lots of ocean so lots of sites :)
expensive, needs expertise :(

ice cores- lots of sites :)
only 2 major ice sheets- antarctica, greenland

pollen- lots of sites :)
expensive, needs expertise :(

26
Q

medium term evidence for climate change since the quaternary period

A

art/ literature- not always true
tree rings- wider rings means more growth from more sun
trees grow at different rates though

27
Q

short term evidence for climate change since the quaternary period

A

scientific climate records

28
Q

define and describe insolation

A

the energy we receive from the sun
sun rays are more concentrated at the equator because of a smaller distance

less concentrated at poles at the rays cover a larger distance

29
Q

describe global atmospheric circulation

A

warm air rises- low pressure
cool air sinks- high pressure

air moves randomly due to the coriolis effect

30
Q

what are surface winds that move towards the equator called

A

trade winds

31
Q

what are surface winds that move towards the poles called

A

westerlies

32
Q

what direction do storms spin in the northern hemisphere

A

counter-clockwise

33
Q

what direction do storms spin in the southern hemisphere

A

clockwise

34
Q

anticyclones

A

areas of high pressure
air sinks
dry, calm weather

35
Q

depressions

A

areas of low pressure
air rises
wetter

36
Q

how long is the quaternary period

A

4.8 million years

37
Q

describe the beast from the east (location, date, weather)

A

UK, 2018
end of feb- start of march

northern polar jet stream let cold air in from serbia

10 deaths- natural disaster

38
Q

primary effects of bfte (social, economic, environmental)

A

social: 10 deaths

economic: people could not work as roads were closed
Tourism decline
Flights cancelled

areas reached -12 degrees
Co2 emissions from car heaters

39
Q

secondary effects of bfte (social, economic, environmental)

A

social: people stayed in cars overnight
hospital appointments cancelled

economic: less tourism
airports closed

environmental: cars overnight- increased carbon emissions

40
Q

responses to bfte

A

met office issued a red warning- danger to life

food and foil given to stranded drivers

gritters clearing snow from roads

41
Q

mitigation

A

reducing climate change:
-renewables- London array wind farm powers 40,000 homes

-Paris agreement 2015 to reduce global temperatures to 1.5 degrees by 2100

-afforestation
-carbon capture

42
Q

adaption

A

changing your lifestyle to adapt to the dangers of climate change:
-using public transport

-harvesting rainwater

-plant crops that resist salinity and extreme weather

43
Q

natural factors of climate change

A

solar output
orbital changes
volcanic activity

44
Q

orbital changes

A

Milankovitch cycle- every 100,000 years the earths orbit changes from circular to elliptical
becomes closer to sun so theres an interglacial period of warming

45
Q

solar output

A

sunspots every 10 years
spots of intense heat and energy
increase temperatures

46
Q

volcanic activity

A

release sulfur dioxides- react with water and oxygen to form acid rain

release CO2- greenhouse gas, leads to enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming

47
Q

human factors of climate change

A

deforestation
fossil fuels
agriculture

48
Q

fossil fuels

A

higher demand for energy as wealth increases
fossil fuels release CO2- enhanced greenhouse
more CO2 in the atmosphere-increases temperatures and contributes to global warming

49
Q

changes in agriculture

A

as population and wealth increase, theres more demand for food products

cows release methane- enhanced greenhouse effect
more methane in atmosphere-increases temperature- global warming

50
Q

deforestation

A

trees are a natural carbon sink- absorb CO2, if we cut trees down there is more CO2 in the atmosphere- enhanced greenhouse effect

trees release water which is a cooling factor, less water means hotter temperatures

51
Q

define a tectonic hazard

A

a hazard when the earth’s crust moves

52
Q

define a climatic hazard

A

a hazard that occurs when a region has certain weather conditions