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Natural Hazards > Climate and Weather > Flashcards

Climate and Weather Flashcards

1
Q

Climate

A

refers to characteristic atmospheric conditions over a long period of time (years or decades)

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2
Q

Weather

A

refers to atmospheric conditions over short periods of time (days or weeks)

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3
Q

Koppen Climate Classification

A

Temperature and precipitation to classify climate zones

along with atmospheric pressure, moisture, wind

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4
Q

Climate can be affected

A

by processes and changes that maintain the climate system:

  • ocean currents
  • mountain ranges
  • plateaus
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5
Q

Earths climate includes interactions of?

A 
atmosphere
hydrosphere
geosphere
biosphere
cryosphere
- Exchanges energy and moisture between these spheres
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6
Q

Climate imposes major influence on natural processes

A
  • flooding dependent on rainfall amount and intensity
  • landslides common in area with rainy climates
  • wildfires more likely in dry area
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7
Q

Earths climate system

A

Natural processes:

  • knowing the climate can indicate things about the hazard to expect
  • climate classification supplies information about the relationship between climate and vegetation
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8
Q

Permanent gases

A

Gases whose proportions stay constant
- nitrogen and oxygen
have little effect atmospherically

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9
Q

Variable gases

A

gases whose proportions vary with time and space
play important roles in atmospheric dynamics
- CO2, water vapour, methane

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10
Q

Aerosols

A

particles whose proportions vary with time and space

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11
Q

Posotive feedback loops

A

enhances initial change

- vanishing arctic ice

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12
Q

Negative feedback loops

A

counteract initial change

- evaporation = cloud formation = cooling = reflectance

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13
Q

Proxy data

A

indirect evidence using natural recorders of climate variability

  • sea floor sediment
  • coral deposits
  • glacial ice rings
  • tree rings
  • pollen
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14
Q

Milankovitch theory

A
  • eccentricity of earths orbit (shape)
  • obliquity of earths axis (wobble)
  • precession of earths axis (angle)
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15
Q

Green Sahara

A

11,000-5000 years BP (African Humid Period)
controlled position of monsoon rainfall
- increased lake levels
- nike river runoff increased
- period ended when precession shifted and ITCZ migrated back south (removal of moisture)
- return to desert conditions

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16
Q

Solar activity (shorter term controls)

A

sunspots/solar flares
10’s of years
little ice age/Maunder minimum
medieval warm period

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17
Q

Thermohaline circulation changes

A
  • 100’s to 1000’s of years
18
Q

Volcanic activity

A

particulate material in atmosphere

- <10’s or years

19
Q

Natural Causes of Climate Change

A
  • solar energy changes
  • small contribution to overall change
  • but make short term hazardous event more likely
  • contributor to little ice age initiation
20
Q

Tipping point

A

a critical threshold where small change can have significant, long term impact to earths climate

  • human or naturally induced
  • gradually increasing CO2
21
Q

Ocean climate patterns

A
  • open oceans climate regions are parallel to latitude lines
  • these regions may be modified by surface ocean currents
22
Q

Ocean’s Climate Zones: Equatorial

A
  • rising air
  • weak winds
  • doldrums
23
Q

Ocean’s Climate Zones: Tropical

A
  • north to south equatorial zone
  • extend to tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
  • strong winds, little precipitation, rough seas
24
Q

Ocean’s Climate Zones: Subtropical

A
  • high pressure, descending air
  • weak winds
  • sluggish currents
25
Q

Ocean’s Climate Zones: Temperate

A
  • strong westerly winds

- sever storms common

26
Q

Ocean’s Climate Zones: Sub Polar

A
  • extensive precipitation

- summer sea ice

27
Q

Ocean’s Climate Zones: Polar

A
  • high pressure

- sea ice most of year

28
Q

Thermohaline circulation change

A

ocean conveyor belt

  • circulation of ocean water in oceans
  • can cause abrupt changes in climate
29
Q

Thermohaline circulation change: Atlantic ocean

A

• Strong northward movement of near-surface waters are cooled
when they arrive near Greenland
• The water cools, becomes saltier and denser, and it sinks to the bottom
• Current then flows southward around Africa
• Huge amounts of warm water keep Europe warmer than it would be
otherwise

30
Q

Volcanic eruptions: causes of climate change

A
  • volcanic eruptions
  • volcanic ejecta may block sunlight
  • need many eruptions in short time period
  • minimal impact on climate
31
Q

Laki fissure eruption

A
  • Sulphur emissions
  • fluorine killed 80% Iceland sheep, 50% cows and horses
  • impact on population
    below average temps
32
Q

Atmospheric Circulation Systems

A

range of cells drive the movement of air and moisture across sectors of the globe
- regulating where the different climate zones are located
- Hadley cells show most regular pattern of air movement
(wet weather at equator, aridity on deserts)

33
Q

Extra-Tropical Cyclones formation

A

Horizontal and vertical differences in temp and pressure drive formation

34
Q

Extra-Tropical Cyclones

A

tracks of the 200 most intense winter cyclone tracks with maximum intensity

35
Q

Impacts of extratropical cyclones

A

Hurricane Ophilia downgraded when it hit UK

  • high winds
  • loss of life
  • infrastructure damage
36
Q

Atmospheric-ocean connections in the pacific ocean

A

walker circulation cell (normal conditions)
- air pressure across equatorial pacific is high in eastern pacific
- strong southwest trade winds
pacific warm pool on western side of ocean
- thermocline deeper on western side
- upwelling off the coast of peru

37
Q

El Nino - southern oscillation (ENSO)

A
  • higher pressure in eastern pacific weakens
  • weaker trade winds
  • warm pool migrates eastward
  • thermocline deeper in eastern pacific
  • downwelling
  • lower biological productivity (Peruvian fishing suffers)
38
Q

La Nina (ENSO cool phase)

A
  • increased pressure difference across equatorial pacific
  • stronger trade winds
  • stronger upwelling in eastern pacific
  • shallower thermocline
  • cooler than normal seawater
  • higher biological productivity
  • result in increased drought activity
39
Q

Occurance of ENSO events

A
  • warm phase about every 2-10 years
  • high irregular
  • phases usually last 12-18 months
  • 10,000 year sediment record of events
  • may be part of Pacific Decadal Oscillation
    - long term natural climate change, lasts 20-30 years
40
Q

Notable ENSO Events nad hazards

A

1982-1983 & 1997-1998

  • flooding
  • drought
  • erosion
  • fires
  • tropical storms
  • harmful effects on marine life
41
Q

Predicting EL Nino events

A

Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program

  • 1985
  • monitors equatorial south pacific
  • 70 buoy system

Tropical Atmosphere and Ocean (TOA) project

  • continues monitoring
  • ocean and meteorological data

still not fully understood

Natural Hazards (8 decks)

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