what are the 4 types of drought?
meteorological drought- when long-term precipitation is lower than normal
agricultural drought- where there is insufficient soil moisture to meet the crops needs
hydrological drought- deficiencies in surface and subsurface supplies (rivers, reservoirs, lakes, groundwater), can lead to salinisation in high temps
socio-economic/famine drought- widespread failure of crops and natural vegetation, demand greater than supply
it goes in this order in when they occur
what is the UN’s definition of a drought?
an extended period of deficient rainfall relative to the average for an area. it is a slow onset hazard.
what are the 3 meteorological causes of drought?
explain the difference between short term and long term precipitation deficits
shorter term may be mid latitude blocking anticyclones or sea surface temperature anomalies and long term trends may be those that are associated with climate change or the ITCZ
explain the role of global atmospheric circulation in influencing drought
areas 30º north and south are drought prone due to warm and clear skies through high pressure.
explain the role of mid blocking cyclones in influencing drought
normally in the mid latitudes (UK) frontal precipitation is created in low pressure systems that form along the polar front where warm tropical air rises over cold polar air
what are depressions?
they move from west to east in the mid-latitudes as a result of the Coriolis force and their track is diverted by the polar front jet stream which is a very fast moving belt of air in the upper troposphere, these depressions are forced normally to the north but also to the south
what are features of an anticyclone?
what is the ENSO cycle?
It refers to the coupled ocean-atmospheric cycle where a large mass of warm water in the equatorial Pacific alters its position during the cycle. (normally happens at Christmas)
what are the normal conditions in the Pacific basin compared to those during an El Nino?
normal conditions:
el nino:
what happens in a La Nina?
explain what teleconnections are
it refers to the climate anomalies that relate to each other over large distances
ENSO cycles have been connected with climate anomalies across the world
teleconnections in el niño show dry weather in western pacific from June to January and eastern Pacific between the band of dry weather sees wet weather from June to April
- el nino has also created dryer conditions in south Africa and india
this is reversed in a la Nina where the band in western Pacific becoming wet and the band to the east becoming dry
- la nina has created dryer conditions in the Middle East and southern USA
areas wet in el niño will be dry in la Nina
how do the teleconnections from and el nino/la Nina affect the hydro cycle?
el nino
- the drier climate means there will be reduced evapotranspiration after reaching deficit and therefore lower soil moisture, and lower river discharge, this will lead to agricultural drought
la nina
- western pacific sees higher soil moisture therefore resulting in higher levels of surface run off (saturated and infiltration excess overland flow) which in turn leads to a higher discharge of rivers
give statistics on drought and food shortages as a result of enso
explain the 2015 el nino
what will happen with el ninos and climate change?
explain the Indian monsoon in a changing climate
what is an el nino? (brief)
warm surface water in the pacific that is normally kept on the west as a result of trade winds, moves east across the Pacific Ocean
what is a la Nina? (brief)
a more intense version of normal conditions in the pacific when trade winds are intensified and warm surface water is pushed further west, allowing colder water to upwell and move further west across the ocean, causing drought in South America. this usually follows an el Nino event
how will climate change affect inputs and outputs within the hydrological cycle?
precipitation
- a warmer atmosphere has a greater water-holding capacity
- precipitation to increase in tropics and high latitudes and will decrease 10-30º north and south of the equator as conditions strengthen
- widespread increases in rainfall intensity due to increase in moisture in the troposphere and so the higher water vapour concentration leads to intense rainfall events
- rainfall intensity rise
- fall in the long term
due to lack of evaporation due to dieback from dry weather in the long term
- threat of tipping point of the amazon dieback, between 30 and 60% of the amazon could become a dry savannah leading to forest loss and further problems with precipitation
evaporation
what stores and flows will be impacted by climate change?
how is the size of snow and glacier mass going to be affected by climate change?
snow
ice
how has runoff (flow) leading to flooding and soil moisture leading to drought been affected by climate change?
runoff (flow) leading to flooding
soil moisture stores leading to drought
how is permafrost and reservoir, lake and wetland storage affected by climate change?
permafrost
reservoir, lake and wetland storage