Natural Hazards and Climate

What is a natural hazard?

• An extreme hazard caused by human activity.

• An extreme natural event that threatens people or has the potential to cause damage, destruction and death.

• A hazard caused by climate change.

• A hazard resulting from the movement of tectonic plates.

What helps explain the location of world climate zones and the distribution of weather hazards?

• Global atmospheric circulation

• The Hadley Cell

• Low pressure systems

• Tropical storms

True or false? When the Sun’s rays strike the Earth, they are concentrated differently on areas of the land depending on latitude. At the Equator the Sun’s rays are concentrated so it is much hotter than at the Poles where they are more spread out.

• True

• False

Air at the Equator is heated strongly so it rises, creating low pressure conditions. The air then flows north and south high in the atmosphere, then sinks as it cools. Which convection cell is responsible for this?

• Polar Cell

• Ferrel Cell

• Hadley Cell

• Pressure Cell

True or false? As air rises at the Equator it cools, condenses and brings cloud and rain.

• True

• False

Air sinks at 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. What kind of pressure does this bring?

• High pressure

• Low pressure

What kind of weather is associated with sinking air 30 degrees north and south of the Equator?

• Cloudy skies

• Cloudy skies and heavy rain

• Clear, dry skies

• Thunderstorms

From the equator, moving north, identify the correct order of the three convection cells.

• Polar, Ferrel then Hadley Cell

• Ferrel, Polar then Hadley Cell

• Hadley, Ferrel then Polar Cell

• Ferrel, Hadley and Polar Cell

True or false? Winds on the surface of the Earth are caused as air moves from high to low pressure areas in the convection cells.

• True

• False

On the surface of the Earth, winds bend as the Earth spins. What is this effect known as?

• Coriolis effect

• Cirrus effect

• Gravity effect

• Trade winds