July 2022 Heatwave Case Study

Question 1

July 2022 heatwave basic information

Answer 1

16-19th July 2022, The UK experienced a 4 day severe heatwave where temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius were recorded and 35 degrees C was recorded in Scotland for the first time

Question 2

What caused the heatwave

Answer 2

High pressure systems were pushed into the North by Tropical Storm Alex. This was combined with a push of air from North Africa which brought in more heat and dust. Extremely hot air was hanging over the UK for several days where a heat dome formed, causing extreme temperatures

Question 3

How was this heatwave linked to climate change

Answer 3

The Met Office estimated that climate change made the heatwave 10 times more likely. Greenhouses gases are causing a rise in global temperatures and climate change. Human activity has enhanced the greenhouse gas effect by releasing CO2 and other gh gases into the atmosphere

Question 4

Social Impacts

Answer 4

• some schools had shorter school days
  -a huge spike in 999 calls which pressured hospital services
• fatalities with open water swimming
• 5 people died in separate incidents involving water
  -40% of rail travel was reduced from the previous week
• Flights at Luton airport were cancelled because the heat caused defects on the surface of the runway
• Rail services between MCR Piccadilly and Sheffield were suspended, causing social inconveniences
  -surgeries were cancelled due to the operating theatres being too hot
• people couldn’t sleep at night

Question 5

Economic impacts

Answer 5

• Icecream + fan/cooling companies gained more sales.
• 41 properties in London were damaged by fire.
• A major blaze in the village of Wennington in East London, causing property to be damaged

Question 6

Environmental Impacts

Answer 6

• Tarmac began to melt
• Waterfalls went dry due to low rainfall
  -droughts
  -Road surfaces melting
  -many fires and wildfires
  -wildlife affected

Question 7

Primary Responses

Answer 7

• The Met office issued its first ever rex extreme weather warning
• The UK health security agency issued a level 4 alert
• Many trains were cancelled
  -Luton Airport suspended flights
• The national government recommended people not to travel because of the extreme weather
• Railway speeds were reduced to risk of rails buckling in the heat
• Hammersmith bridge in London was wrapped in foil to stop it from overheating

Question 8

Long term responses

Answer 8

-Re-building any damaged homes and properties
- reducing carbon emissions aswell as greenhouse gas emissions
-learning how to manage and adapt to these extreme weather hazard events.

Question 9

How are heat domes formed?

Answer 9

1) a mass of warm air builds up in still and dry summer conditions
2) High pressure in the atmosphere pushes the warm air down
3) the warm air gets compressed and becomes hotter

Question 10

Natural Greenhouse Effect

Answer 10

1) The Sun emits solar radiation ( short wave) and it passes through the greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere
2) Some short wave radiation is reflected back into space by the atmosphere
3) Some radiation is absorbed by the earth’s surface and warms it.
4) Infrared radiation (long wave) is emitted from the earth’s surface
5) some long wave radiation escapes back into space
6) greenhouse gases trap some of the reflected infrared radiation and the long wave radiation is re-emitted, further warming the earth’s surface and atmosphere

Question 11

What’s the enhanced greenhouse effect

Answer 11

Same as natural greenhouse effect, but less infrared radiation (long wave) escapes into space and more long wave radiation is trapped, so more heat is re-emitted from the greenhouse gases. This is because human activity has caused greenhouse gas levels to rise in the atmosphere.