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Flashcards in Tropical Revolving Storms Deck (7)
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1
Q

What factors are necessary for tropical storms to form?

A
  • Sea water above 27 degrees celsius
  • A disturbance near the sea surface that triggers the storm (e.g. an area of low pressure)
  • ## At least 5º from the equator. The coriolis effect isn’t strong enough to make them spin when they are 0 - 5º from the equator
2
Q

What are some properties of tropical storms?

A
  • They lose strength when they move over land due to a lack of warm, moist air
  • They initially move westwards due to eastwards winds in the tropics
  • They move away from the equator because of the coriolis effect
3
Q

What are some basic social impacts of storm hazards?

A

Social: Death and injury, houses destroyed, contaminated water helps disease spread, food shortages due to damage to agricultural land.

4
Q

What are some basic economic impacts of storm hazards?

A

Economic: Infrastructure costs a lot to rebuild, businesses damaged so can’t trade, agricultural land is damaged affecting commercial farming

5
Q

What are some basic environmental impacts of storm hazards?

A

Environmental: Beaches are eroded and coastal habitats are damaged, environments polluted due to chemical spills, landslides cna block watercourses

6
Q

What is the coriolis effect?

A

Rotation of the earth - a certain amount of spin is needed for the rotating motion of a tropical storm.
The effect increases with distance from the equator.

7
Q

How are Hurricanes measured?

A

On the Saffir-Simpson scale, a fivepoint scale based upon central pressure, wind speed, storm surge and damage potential