Natural Weather Hazard Events (OCR GCSE Geography B)

Case Study - Super Typhoon Haiyan 2013

Background

• Typhoon Haiyan (locally called Yolanda) was one of the strongest ever-recorded tropical storm to hit the Philippines 

• It made landfall on the 8th of November 2013 as a Category 5, with sustained winds of over 195 mph (315 km/hr)

• The Philippines are a series of islands located in the South China Sea, east of Vietnam and north of Indonesia

• The islands regularly suffer from typhoons that sweep in from the southwest every year during the tropical storm season

• The islands sit in an area of usually warm ocean water, however, at time of storm, the sea temperature was 30°C

• Sea level rise (since 1900, has increased 20cm around the world) is a factor as higher seas are known to contribute to greater storm surges

• Abstracting too much groundwater has caused parts of the country to sink

• Tacloban stands at the end of a bay that is funnel shaped and this squeezes water into destructive storm surges

Path of Typhoon Haiyan

Typhoon Haiyan's Characteristics

Impacts of Typhoon Haiyan

Short and Long-term Impacts of Typhoon Haiyan

The Short-term and Long-Term Responses to Typhoon Haiyan

Case Study - UK Heat Wave

• A heat wave is when temperatures are much higher than the average for a long period of time, in the UK that usually means 3 consecutive days 

• The conditions of a heat wave are not the same - Spain has much higher temperatures than the UK

• Heat waves are due to areas of high pressure (anticyclones) remaining the same place for an extended time and can last for several weeks to months

• The Heat Wave of August 2018 became one of the hottest years since records began in 1960, reaching temperatures of 38.5°C in some parts of the UK

Cause of 2018 heat wave

• For most of June and July an anticyclone (high pressure system) sat over the UK bringing dry, hot air from the centre of Europe 

• This kept the UK temperatures much higher than normal and lowered precipitation rates - only 47mm of rain fell in those months

• Any low-pressure systems of cool air and rain from the Atlantic Ocean were blocked by the anticyclone

Consequences

• Heat stroke, dehydration, sunburn, and breathing problems caused by air pollution

• Drowning due to thermal shock - people would jump into rivers, lakes and reservoirs to cool off, not realising that the water would be very cold in comparison to the surrounding air

• Heat wave linked deaths was in excess of 2000 people in the UK

• Wildfires were common due to the dry conditions and large areas of national parks were affected

• Thunderstorms caused by the heat wave brought lightning which struck 20 people

• Water supplies were threatened as water levels dropped in reservoirs, exposing previously hidden archaeological sites and 'drowned villages'

• Loss of livestock and crops due to lack of available water

• Extreme heat buckled rail tracks and melted roads, causing delays 

• Food and drink production was increased and ice-cream sales tripled

• Tourism in the UK increased as many people decided to holiday at home

Responses

• Guidance was issued by the government and NHS on how to deal with the heat - keep hydrated, take cool showers, block out sunlight to keep rooms cool etc. 

• Hose pipe bans were put in place in parts of the UK and restrictions were put in place on water usage

• Farmers were allowed to extract more water to help avoid loss of crops and livestock

• Some rails were painted white to reflect the heat to prevent buckling and some trains were cancelled

• A 'heat wave plan' was created by the UK government to help reduce the consequences of future heat waves