Section A

• What is the Quarternary Period?

   Period of time from 2.6 million years ago to now.
• Evidence of Climate Change

  Ice Cores - air bubbles in the water show the CO2 trapped, the deeper into the sea the older the ice is.

  Sea Level Rise - has been occurring because of higher temperatures which caused glaciers and ice to melt

  Decay of glaciers and ice - Glaciers and ice are melting all around the world
• Natural Causes of Climate Change

  Changes in the amount of heat energy from the Sun

  The effects of volcanic eruptions
• Human Causes of Climate Change

  Deforestation - reduces the amount of CO2 taken by trees

  Burning fossil fuels for energy - greenhouse gases are released

  Farming - produces a lot of methane
• What is Mitigation?

  reducing the severity of something
• What is Adaptation?

  coming up with ways to live and cope with effects
• What is a natural hazard?

  A natural hazard is a naturally occurring event that is a threat to a population
• What is a natural event?

  an event in which human activity plays little or no direct causal role
• What is a geological hazard?

  Hazards caused by processes on the land e.g. earthquakes, volcanoes
• What is a hydrological hazard?

  Hazards caused by the movement of water on the land e.g. flooding, tsunamis
• What is an atmospheric hazard?

  Hazards caused by the weather e.g. droughts, snowstorms
• What is hazard risk?

  The potential for harm or loss to a population due to a hazard.
• What is a tectonic hazard?

  Threats caused by the movement of tectonic plates
• What are the layers of the Earth, in order? (edge to center)

  Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core
• What is the global distribution of tectonic hazards like?

  They happen at tectonic plate margins. An area of high tectonic hazards is The Ring Of Fire, located in the Pacific Ocean
• Constructive Plate Margins

  Move away. Lava rises in between, resulting in flatter volcanoes (shield volcanoes). Earthquakes occur here also as they shake and vibrate
• Destructive Plate Margins

  Move towards. Oceanic sinks, melts, and explosive volcanoes are created. Strong earthquakes.
• Conservative Plate Margins

  Move side by side. Friction builds up and earthquakes come. On oceanic crust, tsunamis can be generated
• Why live in hazardous places?

  Farming - Volcanoes emit lots of ash which gives the land nutrients, which is good fertile soil for farming

  Poverty - people are unable to move away since they don't have the funds

  Jobs in tourism - Volcanoes are big tourist sites and people may work and live in volcanic areas
• Ways to manage hazards

  Monitoring - detecting and recording physical changes and warning signs

  Predicting - using monitoring to predict when a hazard may occur

  Protecting - decreasing the likelihood of people being endangered by designing things like buildings that withstand earthquakes

  Planning - Having systems in place so if an event happens we are prepared e.g. evacuation routes
• What is the Global Atmospheric Circulation?

  The movement of air around the planet
• Three Cells representing air circulation

  Hadley Cell - At the Equator, hot air rises, moves 30' either side

  Ferrel Cell - Transfers warm air to 60' on either side and shifts cold air back to 30' on either side, where it is warmed

  Polar Cell - At 60' on either side, air rises/falls and travels toward the poles
• Areas of pressure

  When air sinks, it creates an area of high pressure at the poles and 30' either side due to air sinking

  When air rises, it creates an area of low pressure underneath, generally at the equator and 60' on either side due to air rising
• Causes of Tropical Storms

  They form between 5 and 30' north or south of the equator

  Temperature - must be around 26-27'C and at least 50 meters deep.

  Air pressure - must be in areas of unstable air pressure
• Formation of Tropical Storm

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• Structure of a Tropical Storm

  The eye - calm, cloudless conditions, low pressure

  The eyewall - the strongest winds, thunder and lightning

  
• Weather in the UK becoming more extreme

  There is more energy in the atmosphere, which fuels storms

  It is getting hotter, more intense and frequent periods of hot weather

  Examples

  In the UK, rainfall has become more intense in recent years