ATMOSPHERIC HAZARDS

• origins of tropical storms:

  • develop in a low atmosphere pressure
  • between the tropics
• formation of tropical storms:

  1. air is heated from warm tropical oceans causing low pressure
  2. rising are draws up more moisture causing strong winds
  3. Coriolis effect causes the storm to spring upwards with a calm eye forming
  4. rising air quickly cools and condenses creating clouds and torrential rainfall
  5. in the eye cold air sinks creating high pressure
  6. the tropical storm is carried by normal wind direction
  7. when over land the storm is no longer fuelled and looses its power
• Coriolis effect:

  • as the earth rotates is causes the wind to bend
  • this is caused by the earth having a curvature and the equator being wider than the poles
  • therefore the earth spins faster at the equator and the winds get blown across
• types of flooding:

  • coastal flooding
  • river flash flooding
  • slow-onset flooding
  • surface water flooding