Atmospheric Hazards

Question 1

formation of a tropical storm

Answer 1

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

Question 2

describe how weather changes at different points of a storm

Answer 2

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

Question 3

describe the global distribution of tropical storms

Answer 3

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

Question 4

low wind shear

Answer 4

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

Question 5

not along equator

Answer 5

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

Question 6

warm oceans

Answer 6

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

Question 7

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

Answer 7

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

Question 8

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

Answer 8

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

Question 9

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

Answer 9

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

Question 10

why are links between tropical storms and climate change uncertain

Answer 10

climate models have wide-ranging impacts

not enough data to make concrete predictions

Question 11

where is the coriolis effect the strongest

Answer 11

at the poles

Question 12

give the name of our two case studies

Answer 12

Typhoon Haiyan, 2013

Beast from the East, 2018

Question 13

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

Answer 13

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

Question 14

explain why typhoon Haiyan was so severe

Answer 14

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

Question 15

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

Answer 15

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

Question 16

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

Answer 16

social:
schools closed
people in shelters

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

environmental:
wildlife habitats destroyed

Question 17

immediate responses to Typhoon Haiyan

Answer 17

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

Question 18

long term responses to Typhoon Haiyan

Answer 18

expand shelters
rebuild homes/ roads
build back better
plant mangroves

Question 19

Typhoon Haiyan protection strategies

Answer 19

plant mangroves- absorb storm surge energy

build back better- raise homes on stilts

Question 20

Typhoon Haiyan planning strategies

Answer 20

900 trained fishermen- how to make boats stronger

trained families how to cook food without electricity

Question 21

Typhoon Haiyan monitoring strategies

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Typhoon Haiyan prediction strategies

Answer 22

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

Question 23

define extreme weather

Answer 23

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

Question 24

give evidence for extreme weather in uk

Answer 24

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

Question 25

long term evidence for climate change since the quaternary period

Answer 25

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 :(

Question 26

medium term evidence for climate change since the quaternary period

Answer 26

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

Question 27

short term evidence for climate change since the quaternary period

Answer 27

scientific climate records

Question 28

define and describe insolation

Answer 28

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

Question 29

describe global atmospheric circulation

Answer 29

warm air rises- low pressure cool air sinks- high pressure air moves randomly due to the coriolis effect

Question 30

what are surface winds that move towards the equator called

Answer 30

trade winds

Question 31

what are surface winds that move towards the poles called

Answer 31

westerlies

Question 32

what direction do storms spin in the northern hemisphere

Answer 32

counter-clockwise

Question 33

what direction do storms spin in the southern hemisphere

Answer 33

clockwise

Question 34

anticyclones

Answer 34

areas of high pressure air sinks dry, calm weather

Question 35

depressions

Answer 35

areas of low pressure air rises wetter

Question 36

how long is the quaternary period

Answer 36

4.8 million years

Question 37

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

Answer 37

UK, 2018 end of feb- start of march northern polar jet stream let cold air in from serbia 10 deaths- natural disaster

Question 38

primary effects of bfte (social, economic, environmental)

Answer 38

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

Question 39

secondary effects of bfte (social, economic, environmental)

Answer 39

social: people stayed in cars overnight hospital appointments cancelled economic: less tourism airports closed environmental: cars overnight- increased carbon emissions

Question 40

responses to bfte

Answer 40

met office issued a red warning- danger to life food and foil given to stranded drivers gritters clearing snow from roads

Question 41

mitigation

Answer 41

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

Question 42

adaption

Answer 42

changing your lifestyle to adapt to the dangers of climate change: -using public transport -harvesting rainwater -plant crops that resist salinity and extreme weather

Question 43

natural factors of climate change

Answer 43

solar output orbital changes volcanic activity

Question 44

orbital changes

Answer 44

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

Question 45

solar output

Answer 45

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

Question 46

volcanic activity

Answer 46

release sulfur dioxides- react with water and oxygen to form acid rain release CO2- greenhouse gas, leads to enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming

Question 47

human factors of climate change

Answer 47

deforestation fossil fuels agriculture

Question 48

fossil fuels

Answer 48

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

Question 49

changes in agriculture

Answer 49

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

Question 50

deforestation

Answer 50

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

Question 51

define a tectonic hazard

Answer 51

a hazard when the earth's crust moves

Question 52

define a climatic hazard

Answer 52

a hazard that occurs when a region has certain weather conditions