PAPER 1/ NATURAL HAZARDS/ Climate Change affecting Tropical Storms

Question 1

What is climate change?

Answer 1

Climate change is a long-term shift in weather patterns and temperatures that affects the Earth’s climate.

Question 2

What is a long-term shift in weather patterns and temperatures that affects the Earth’s climate?

Answer 2

Climate change.

Question 3

What is distribution?

Answer 3

Distribution is the way something is arranged or spread out across a geographic area.

Question 4

What is the way something is arranged or spread out across a geographic area?

Answer 4

Distribution.

Question 5

What is intensity?

Answer 5

Intensity is the strength of a hazard and how damaging its effects are.

Question 6

What is the strength of a hazard and how damaging its effects are?

Answer 6

Intensity.

Question 7

What is frequency?

Answer 7

Frequency is the rate at which something occurs over a particular period.

Question 8

What is the rate at which something occurs over a particular period?

Answer 8

Frequency.

Question 9

How are frequency and intensity different?

Answer 9

Frequency and intensity are different because frequency is how often something occurs, whereas intensity is how strong (and thus how destructive) each of these events are.

Question 10

What does a larger distribution mean for tropical storms?

Answer 10

A larger distribution means that more tropical storms beyond 30 degrees latitude, meaning that more countries are at risk of being damaged by a tropical storm.

Question 11

Why do high intensity tropical storms increase risk?

Answer 11

High intensity tropical storms increase the risk of damaging property and infrastructure because the winds are stronger, meaning that they have more destructive power in an urban area.

Question 12

By how much have global sea surface temperatures in the tropics increased and since when?

Answer 12

They have increased by 0.9 degrees C since 1880.

Question 13

What has increased by 0.9 degrees C since 1880?

Answer 13

Global sea surface temperatures in the tropics.

Question 14

What has climate change been caused by?

Answer 14

Climate change has resulted from an increase of greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere and reflects heat back towards Earth.

Question 15

At what lines of latitude are the tropics?

Answer 15

The tropic of Cancer is at 23.43605 degrees and the tropic of Capricorn is at -23.43605 degrees.

Question 16

Give three greenhouse gases.

Answer 16

Nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide.

Question 17

Name and explain the types of distribution.

Answer 17

Spatial distribution is when the area that an event can happen increases in size. Distribution over time is when the range of time that an event can occur changes.

Question 18

What part of what ocean was Hurricane Catarina in?

Answer 18

Hurricane Catarina took place in the South Atlantic.

Question 19

What did Hurricane Caterina hit?

Answer 19

Hurricane Caterina hit the South-East coast of Brazil.

Question 20

What hurricane hit the South-East coast of Brazil?

Answer 20

Hurricane Catarina.

Question 21

When was Hurricane Catarina?

Answer 21

Hurricane Catarina was in 2004.

Question 22

Why is Hurricane Catarina the example of an effect of climate change being distribution?

Answer 22

As it moved slightly out of the 5-30 degree latitude range that tropical storms should always stay in.

Question 23

What did Hurricane Catarina destroy?

Answer 23

40,000 homes and 85% of the region’s banana plants.

Question 24

What destroyed 40,000 homes and 85% of South-East Brazil’s banana plants?

Answer 24

Hurricane Catarina.

Question 25

What did the sea surface temperature increasing mean for tropical storms?

Answer 25

The hurricane season could extend beyond the usual of August to October in the Northern Hemisphere.

Question 26

What caused the hurricane season lasting longer than the usual of August to October in the Northern Hemisphere?

Answer 26

The sea surface temperature increasing.

Question 27

For every 1 degree C increase in ocean surface temperatures, what do wind speeds increase by in a tropical storm?

Answer 27

Wind speeds would be expected to increase by 3-5%.

Question 28

How would you increase the wind speeds by 3-5% in a tropical storm?

Answer 28

By raising the ocean surface temperature by 1 degree C.

Question 29

What does climate change cause for sea surface temperatures?

Answer 29

They will increase.

Question 30

What does an increase in sea surface temperatures to result in?

Answer 30

An increase of evaporation.

Question 31

What does an increase of evaporation cause on the sea?

Answer 31

Causing very low pressure zones.

Question 32

What do very low pressure zones result in?

Answer 32

They will result in an increase in speed of winds flowing towards the low pressure zones.

Question 33

What do higher wind speeds from air flowing toward low pressure zones coupled with a warmer energy source from the sea create?

Answer 33

Very powerful, intense and long-lasting tropical storms.

Question 34

What are extremely powerful, intense and long-lasting tropical storms caused by?

Answer 34

High wind speeds of air flowing towards very-low pressure zones, and ultimately, from warm waters.

Question 35

What is happening to the frequency of high-intensity tropical storms due to climate change?

Answer 35

The frequency of high-intensity tropical storms due to climate change is increasing, however the frequency of tropical storms overall is staying the same.

Question 36

What does the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) project about tropical storms?

Answer 36

That the proportion of tropical storms that reach category 4 and 5 will increase as the world warms.

Question 37

What does IPCC stand for?(Related to tropical storms)

Answer 37

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Question 38

Who predicts that the proportion of tropical storms that reach category 4 and 5 will increase as the world warms?

Answer 38

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Question 39

What does more evaporation result in? (Relating to clouds)

Answer 39

More rapid evaporation results in more condensation and thus an increase in cloud formation so more energy is released.

Question 40

What does an increase in cloud formation result in?

Answer 40

More energy being released, which would thus cause even lower pressure and increases in the frequency of powerful tropical storms.