Weather Hazards Flashcards
All 32 cards in this deck
What are the three cells of the global atmospheric circulation model, from the Equator to the pole?
The Hadley cell (0°–30°), the Ferrel cell (30°–60°) and the Polar cell (60°–90°).
What happens to air at the Equator, and what type of pressure does this create?
Air is heated by the sun and rises, creating a belt of low pressure.
What causes the heavy rainfall found close to the Equator?
Rising air cools and condensation occurs, giving heavy showers and frequent convectional thunderstorms.
What happens to the air at about 30° north and south of the Equator?
Air cools and sinks, creating high pressure with clear skies and very little rainfall — this is where the world's hot deserts are found.
What are the trade winds?
Surface winds that blow from the high pressure belts at 30°N and 30°S back towards the low pressure at the Equator.
True or false? Surface winds blow from areas of low pressure towards areas of high pressure.
False. Winds blow from high pressure to low pressure, converging where air is rising.
What physical conditions are needed for a tropical storm to form?
Sea temperatures above 26–27 °C down to a depth of about 50 m, a latitude of 5°–30° north or south (so the Coriolis effect can make the storm spin), and unstable, converging air.
Where in the world do tropical storms form, and what are they called in different regions?
In a belt between about 5° and 30° north and south of the Equator, over oceans above 27 °C: hurricanes (Caribbean/Atlantic), typhoons (western Pacific) and cyclones (Indian Ocean/Bay of Bengal).
On a satellite image of a tropical storm, what is the eye and how can you recognise it?
The clear, cloud-free circle at the centre; air is sinking there, so it is calm, dry and has the lowest pressure.
What is the eyewall of a tropical storm?
The bank of towering cloud surrounding the eye, where air rises most rapidly — it has the strongest winds and torrential rain.
How might climate change affect tropical storms?
Higher sea temperatures make storms more intense; more oceans above 27 °C means their distribution spreads further from the Equator and the storm season becomes longer.
Give two primary effects tropical storms commonly have on people and property.
Buildings destroyed by strong winds; people killed or injured; coastal areas flooded by the storm surge.
Give two secondary effects tropical storms commonly have.
Disease spreading from contaminated water supplies; loss of jobs and income; landslides triggered by heavy rain.
Give two environmental effects of a tropical storm.
Mangroves and coral reefs destroyed; farmland contaminated by salt water from the storm surge.
Give two primary effects of Typhoon Haiyan (2013) in the Philippines.
Over 6,300 people were killed; around 90% of the city of Tacloban was destroyed; a storm surge of up to 5 m flooded coastal areas.
Give two secondary effects of Typhoon Haiyan (2013) in the Philippines.
Shortages of food and water led to looting; around 6 million people lost their source of income; an oil barge leaked, contaminating fishing waters.
True or false? Flooding caused by a storm surge is a secondary effect of a tropical storm.
False. It is a primary effect, because the storm itself causes the flooding directly.
How does monitoring reduce the effects of tropical storms?
Satellites and aircraft track developing storms over the ocean, so their strength and position are known early.
How does prediction reduce the effects of tropical storms?
Computer models forecast the storm's track and time of landfall, so warnings can be issued and people evacuated in time.
Give two examples of protection against tropical storms.
Reinforced buildings with storm shutters, houses built on stilts, and sea walls or levees to hold back the storm surge.
Give two examples of planning that reduces the effects of tropical storms.
Preparing evacuation routes and shelters, holding emergency drills and educating people, and stockpiling food, water and medical supplies.
Give two immediate responses to Typhoon Haiyan (2013).
About 800,000 people were evacuated before landfall; search and rescue teams and emergency food, water and shelter were provided, with international aid and field hospitals.
Give two long-term responses to Typhoon Haiyan (2013).
A 'no build zone' along the Tacloban coast with homes rebuilt further inland; mangroves replanted and the storm surge warning system upgraded.
Name four types of weather hazard experienced in the UK.
Strong winds and storms, heavy rain and flooding, snow and ice, and drought or heatwaves (also thunderstorms and lightning).
Give two causes of the Somerset Levels floods (winter 2013–14).
A succession of Atlantic depressions brought record rainfall (over 350 mm in Jan–Feb); high tides and storm surges stopped rivers draining, and the rivers had not been dredged for over 20 years.
Give two social impacts of the Somerset Levels floods (2013–14).
Around 600 homes were flooded; villages such as Muchelney were cut off and residents were evacuated for several months.
Give two economic impacts of the Somerset Levels floods (2013–14).
Over £10 million of damage; 14,000 hectares of farmland were under water for weeks and the Bristol–Taunton railway was closed at Bridgwater.
Give two management strategies used in the Somerset Levels Flood Action Plan after 2014.
8 km of the Rivers Tone and Parrett were dredged; riverbanks and road levels were raised, with a tidal barrage planned at Bridgwater.
Give two pieces of evidence that weather in the UK is becoming more extreme.
A record temperature of 40.3°C at Coningsby in July 2022; record-breaking rainfall such as the wettest winter in over 250 years (2013–14) and more frequent named storms.
True or false? The sinking air at about 30° north and south of the Equator is why many of the world's hot deserts are found at these latitudes.
True. Sinking air warms, so there is little condensation, cloud or rainfall.
True or false? Tropical storms develop along the Equator itself.
False. They form roughly 5°–30° north and south of the Equator, as the Coriolis effect is too weak at the Equator to make the storm spin.
True or false? Tornadoes are never experienced in the UK.
False. The UK has tornadoes, usually weak ones, alongside hazards such as thunderstorms, heavy rain, snow, drought and strong winds.