Section A

• What is a natural hazard?

  a hazard like an earthquake or volcanic eruption that causes damage to property and can cause harm to people.
• What are some examples of natural hazards?

  • tsunami
  • earthquake
  • flood
  • volcanic eruption
• What are geological hazards?

  hazards caused by land and tectonic processes such as earthquakes and volcanoes
• what are meteorological hazards?

  hazards caused by weather and climate such as tornadoes, tropical storms and other extreme weather
• What could effect the hazard risk?

  • Population density - more people in an area means more people are likely to get injured
  • Location - if you are near the ocean then the tropical storms would be worse and if there was an earthquake and you were near tall buildings then you are more likely to be hurt
  • Capacity to cope - HIC's would be able to afford the price for protection however LIC's would struggle to afford the protection needed therefore increasing hazard risk
• How does the convection current move plates?

  Magma in the mantle gets too hot therefore causing it to rise and a it does it starts to cool and eventually falls into the convection current, giving it energy which then causes the tectonic plates to move.
• What is the difference between the continental crust and the oceanic crust?

  The continental crust is thicker and less dense while the oceanic crust is thinner and more dense.
• What happens at a destructive plate margin?

  • plates move towards each other and the oceanic crust is subducted under the continental crust which builds friction and pressure and when the pressure is released it causes a earthquake
  • a pool of magma forms which then rises through cracks in the crust called vents which when erupted forms composite volcanoes
• What happens at conservative plate margins?

  • plates move along side each other either in the same direction or in opposite directions which builds up pressure and friction which is eventually released in the form of an earthquake
• When did the haiti earthquake take place?

  12th January 2010 at 16:54 with a magnitude of 7
• Where is Haiti located?

  Haiti is a LIC located in the Caribbean, north of Venezuela and is surrounded by Puerto Rico, Cuba and is west of Dominican Republic.
• What are the primary effects of the Haiti Earthquake?

  • 3600 killed
  • people were trapped under rubble
  • ports were destroyed
  • rubble from collapsed roads were blocking roads
• What are the secondary effects of the Haiti earthquake?

  • more than a million made homeless
  • communication lines destroyed
  • industries were destroyed so 1 in 5 jobs were lost
  • no running water or electricity
  • 3000 prison inmates escaped
• What were the immediate responses of the Haiti earthquake?

  • people searched through rubble with their bare hands for family members and people that were stuck
  • people migrated to the Dominican republic for help
  • many countries responded to appeals and sent emergency aid packages
• What were the long term responses to the Haiti Earthquake?

  • US raised $48 million to help Haiti recover
  • the world bank took care of their debt repayments for 5 years
  • 6 months after, 98% of rubble still remained uncleared, still blocking vital access
  • many people are still living in camps with wide spread crime
• When was the Christchurch earthquake?

  22nd February 2011 and struck at 12:51 pm as a magnitude 6.3 earthquake
• Where is Christchruch located?

  located on the south island of New Zealand where the Pacific plate slides past the Indo Australian plate
• What are the primary effects of Christchurch earthquake?

  • 181 killed and 200 injured
  • over 50% of buildings were damaged and the cities cathedral spire collapsed
  • liquefaction caused lots of damage to roads and buildings
  • hundreds of km of water and sewage pipes were damaged
• What are the secondary effects of Christchurch earthquake?

  • businesses put out of action for long periods of time
  • school had to share classrooms due to damage of other schools
  • could no longer host the rugby world cup matches so lost a lot of money
• What are the immediate responses of Christchurch earthquake?

  • care provided for vulnerable people
  • portaloos were provided for 30,000 locals
  • areas were zoned to help plan the repairs and manage cost
  • international aid was provided in the form of money and aid workers were sent to christchurch
• What are the long term responses of Christchurch earthquake?

  • temporary housing was provided and all damaged housing was made water tight
  • water and sewage was restored by august 2011
  • 80% of roads and 50% of pavements were repaired by august 2011
  • roads and houses were cleared of silt from liquefaction by august 2011
• Why do people choose to live in areas prone to earthquakes?

  • they have always lived there so moving means leaving family and jobs
  • they are confident that the government will support them after a natural hazard
  • effective monitoring and evacuation plans will minimise the risk
• Why might people want to live near volcanoes?

  • always lived there, government will support them and the monitoring will reduce risk
  • minerals from volcanic ash makes the soil very fertile therefore attracting farmers to grow their crops there
  • volcanoes are popular tourist attractions so people move there for the job opportunities
• How does monitoring reduce the effects of tectonic hazards?

  • earthquakes - seismometers and lasers monitor the earths movement and can be used in early warning systems to give early warning of a large earthquake
  • volcanoes - scientists monitor tell gate signs such as tiny earthquakes, escaping gas and a change in the volcanoes shape
  • these all provide warning so people can prepare and/or evacuate
• How does prediction reduce the effects of tectonic hazards?

  • earthquakes - cannot be reliably predicted but can be forecasted for when they may occur by monitoring tectonic plate movement
  • volcanoes - can be predicted if scientists monitor tremors closely
  • gives people a chance to collect any items, prepare and/or evacuate
• How does protection help reduce the effects of a tectonic hazard?

  • earthquakes - reinforce new buildings with concrete to prevent them falling and to absorb the energy, existing buildings and bridges strengthened with steel, automatic shut-off switches can turn off gas to avoid fires
  • volcanoes - buildings strengthened so they don't fall under weight of ash, trenches and barriers used to divert lava (little success)
• How does planning reduce the effect of tectonic hazards?

  • future development can avoid high-risk areas
  • emergency services can prepare
  • people can be educated so they know what to do in the event of a hazard
  • governments can plan evacuations routes to get people away quickly and safely
  • emergency supplies like water and food can be stockpiled
• What is global atmospheric circulation?

  the transfer of heat from the equator to the poles by the movement of air
• at high pressure what does the air do?


  sinks
• at low pressure what does the air do?

  rises
• What is the movement of air between the cells called?

  trade winds
• what is the weather like at the equator?

  very hot and warm, moist air rises and forms clouds so it rains a lot
• describe the distribution of tropical storms.

  • develop between 5 and 30 degrees north and south of the equator - between the tropics where the sea temperatures reach 27 and the sea depths reach 50 m
• formation of a tropical storm

  1. the warm surface water evaporates, rises and condenses into clouds which releases a lot of energy - powerful storm produced
  2. rising air creates an area of low pressure so increasing surface winds - wind shears keep the storm intact
  3. easterly winds move the storm west and it spins due to the coriolis effect
  4. the storm gains energy from the warm ocean so speed increases
• what are the features of a tropical storm?

  • eye - up to 50km and has very low pressure, no clouds and light winds
  • eye wall - spiralling rising air, very strong winds, torrential rains and a low temperature
  • cumulonimbus clouds
  • rain bands, spiralling winds
• what did typhoon haiyan take place?

  made landfall in the Philippines on 8th November 2013
• where was Typhoon Haiyan located?

  the philippines in the south east of Asia situated in the western pacific ocean - consists of 7641 islands
• what were the primary effects of typhoon haiyan?

  • at least 6340 killed and many many more injured
  • 5m storm surge
  • 90% of buildings in Tacloban city destroyed - habitats and crops destroyed
• what were the secondary effects of typhoon haiyan?

  • £1.5 billion of damages
  • water supply polluted and the storm surge/flooding caused several landslides which blocked roads and delayed aid
  • 1.9 million made homeless and 6 million displaced
  • looting
  • 6 million lost their source of income
• what were the immediate responses of typhoon haiyan?

  • US aircraft George Washington and helicopters helped with search and rescue and the delivery of aid
  • Uk government sent shelter kits - one available to provide emergency shelter for a family
  • PAGASA broadcasted warnings before it made landfall which led to the evacuation of 800,000 people