Week 7: Extreme Weather

Week 7: Extreme Weather

1. Disasters

   • Increase in frequency
   • Cost increase as frequency increase
   • Vulnerability increases with poverty, limited access to services and resources

2. Rates Overtime

   • 0.07 degrees per decade since 1880

3. Heatwaves

   • Increase due to high pressure, trapped air from Climate change
     • Increased severity in urban areas, increased frequency
   • Risk for anyone in heat
     • Heat exhaustion, heat stroke

4. Precipitation Events

   • Heavy rain caused by snowmelt, glacial outburst, coastal storms
     • Flooding
   • Droughts
     • Crop failure, soil erosion, dust storms, decreased water supplies,
       • Fires
   • Future
     • More rain in some areas, less in others
     • Timing and extent changes
       • More intense storms, less frequently

5. Ocean

   • Aborbing heat
     • Delay impact of rising temperatures
   • HIGH specific heat
   • Circulation patterns
     • Monsoons
       • Seasonal reversals of wind direction carrying wind and water to places that need it
     • El Nino
       • Reversal pacific Tradewinds, warm water redistribution
     • Transport of cold and warm water
       • Regulation of global cliamte

6. Hurricanes

   • Wind, rain, flooding, storm surge
     • Post hurricane: rebuilding, infrastructure, decrease in human wellbeing
   • Caused by high humidity, no wind sheer, low pressure
   • Climate : storms retain higher destructive power for longer time

7. Sea ice melt

   • Raising sea level, extinction of small island nations, floods, storm surge
   • Polar vortex

8. Permafrost melt

   • Caused by warming
   • Increase GHG, warming, toxic mercury release