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Extreme Events in Climatology

Extreme Events in Climatology. Hurricanes Thunderstorms Tornadoes Droughts Glaciations. Glaciations 1-30 kyrs. Extreme events in the atmosphere rival those in the geosphere They are much more mobile than events like earthquakes affect large geographical areas

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Extreme Events in Climatology

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  1. Extreme Events in Climatology Hurricanes Thunderstorms Tornadoes Droughts Glaciations

  2. Glaciations 1-30 kyrs

  3. Extreme events in the atmosphere rival those in the geosphere They are much more mobile than events like earthquakes affect large geographical areas and have dramatic consequences on the biosphere severe storms or perturbations in “normal” patterns Can cause extreme hardship on living things Can lead to widespread alteration of other natural systems soil loss, increased soil development, weathering, flooding, landslides, erosion…

  4. Tropical cyclones (Hurricanes or Typhoons) Occur in the tropics Are cyclones - circulation around a low pressure center Counter clockwise rotation in Northern hemisphere driven by coriolis force Require warm temperatures and adequate air motion to generate

  5. Areas of warm water coincide with hurricane genesis

  6. Warm oceans north and south of the equator spawn hurricanes

  7. Hurricane paths note the absence along the equator

  8. Hurricane Andrew out at sea

  9. Hurricane Andrew approaches Florida

  10. Hurricane categories and criteria

  11. Thunderstorm types Severe = <58 MPH wind, hail, and tornadoes Non-severe = >58 MPH wind, lightning, rain

  12. A single cell thunderstorm

  13. Multicell thunderstorms- cellular Multicell thunderstorms- linear

  14. Squall lines and Thunderstorms Squall lines are a line of severe thunderstorm cells, associated with a cold front. Direction of line movement

  15. Animation of a developing squall line

  16. Supercell development involves rotation

  17. Anatomy of a supercell thunderstorm

  18. Supercell in NSW Australia

  19. Tornadoes, Waterspouts, Landspouts (aka Dustdevils) All involve rotational motion Some waterspouts and landspouts can come from the ground (water) up Tornadoes and some waterspouts come from the cloud down The US leads the world in tornadoes averaging 1000 per year

  20. Dust Devils Caused by intense heating

  21. Droughts By definition, a deficit in the water budget for a given region Can be related to global circulation, regional circulation, or local conditions Ground dries out, soil blows away, nothing grows Example “The Dust Bowl” in the 1930’s

  22. Dust Bowl- ca. 1933

  23. Dust Bowl- ca. 1935

  24. PDSI- Palmer Drought Severity Index

  25. Glaciation Driven by Milankovitch orbital variations Eccentricity, Obliquity and Precession Facilitated by feedback loops in Earth’s atmosphere and hydrosphere oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns change, making things colder Results in snow and ice lasting the year Lasts 10’s of thousands of years a lot of retreats and advances Last glaciation was called the Wisconsinan occurred from 60-15 kya

  26. Glaciers, droughts, and tropical storm frequency all have identifiable effects on the natural world rivers adjust soils erode or form vegetation changes lakes form or dry up These meteorological features are extremely sensitive This makes them good things to study for identifying elements of past, present and future climate change

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