What conditions lead to tropical storms (hurricanes, typhoons or cyclones) and tornadoes and in what ways do they represent a hazard to people?
- Created by: Jake199
- Created on: 10-05-14 11:26
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- What conditions lead to tropical storms (hurricanes, typhoons or cyclones) and tornadoes and in what ways do they represent a hazard to people?
- Climate controls
- Latitude
- Tilt of the Earth
- Continentality and distance from the sea
- Ocean curents
- Local features e.g Urban heat islands
- Characteristics of tropical storms
- Winds swirl around a central eye
- Areas of intense low pressure
- Erratic and unpredictable paths
- Rapid onset
- Heavy rainfall and high waves
- Areas of intense wind (greater than 74mph)
- Can be up to 800 km in diameter
- Formation of tropical stroms
- Develop form tropical depressions- small areas of warm rising air
- Sea temperatures must be over 27 degrees, causing the sea to heat the air above
- The Coriolis effect bends the rising air to the right in the northern hemisphere, causing a circulation of air
- Distribution of hurricanes
- Oceans
- 5-30 degrees either side of equator
- East coasts
- Strongest in Southeast Asia/West pacicifc
- Hurricane Katrina, August 2005
- 1400 killed
- $75bn damage
- 0.5 million homeless
- Coastal wetlands destroyed
- 80% of New Orleans flooded
- Short term response
- 350000 evacuated
- Weather predictions issued by US weather service
- Superdome set up as refuge
- Long term responses
- Water pumped out by US Army Corps of Engineers in 43 days
- New levee systems designed for cat 5 storms
- High level of vulnerability
- 11-12 million people living along coastal areas
- Pop density twice US average
- Gradual loss of wetlands due to hard engineering
- Levee system was built for only cat 3 storm
- 28% of New Orleans live in pkverty
- New Orleans built on Mississippi flood plain, 8ft below sea level
- 4th biggest hurricane to ever make landfall in US (281kph winds and gusts to 340kph). 8-9m storm surge
- Climate controls
- Characteristics of tropical storms
- Winds swirl around a central eye
- Areas of intense low pressure
- Erratic and unpredictable paths
- Rapid onset
- Heavy rainfall and high waves
- Areas of intense wind (greater than 74mph)
- Can be up to 800 km in diameter
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