Review material for Exam #3 in GLG 112 Natural Disasters – Fall 2009
Exam #3 covers Chapter 5 Flooding; Chapter 8 Atmosphere and Severe Weather;
Chapter 9 Hurricanes and Extratropical Cyclones
Be sure to read the material in each chapter and carefully read the summaries.
Review slides in the presentations online at http://oak.ucc.nau.edu/dmb25.
For each chapter shown below, have an understanding of the listed topics:
Chapter 5 – Flooding
Concept of recurrence interval; types of load and what is found in each type; flash
floods vs regional floods and their respective causes; concept of discharge;
depositional vs. erosional features along streams and where each is found; points of
highest and lowest velocity in stream cross-section; formation of natural levees;
relationship of magnitude and frequency of major floods; importance of Mississippi
River system in U.S.; other large systems in U.S.; which areas are prone to flashfloods;
how gradient affects flooding; human response to flooding – things we do for better or
worse; characteristics of areas that experience flashfloods and regional floods;
flooding in SE Arizona in Oct 1983; large scale flooding in the Channel Scablands of
eastern WA
Chapter 8 – Atmosphere and Severe Weather
Types of energy; what the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics says; how heat transfer occurs
and examples; how temperature changes in the atmosphere; how air pressure changes
with increasing altitude; what’s involved with encroaching cold and warm air fronts in
terms of cloud and moisture buildup; how troughs and ridges relate to regions of low
and high pressure; rotational wind directions related to low and high pressure in N.
Hemisphere; general idea of where most thunderstorms occur; characteristics of
organizational and mature stages of tornadoes; where in the U.S. most tornadoes
occur; worst months of year for tornadoes; regions of U.S. where most tornadoes
occur; least affected areas for tornadoes
Chapter 9 Hurricanes and Extratropical Cyclones
General air circulation on a global scale; where tropical storms form in the Atlantic
Ocean; differences and locations of hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones; common
traits of tropical cyclones; role of the Bermuda High in North Atlantic Ocean storms;
difference between tropic and extratropical cyclones; general cross section of the
center of a storm; determination of wind speeds in moving storms; definition of storms
based on wind speeds; major effects of cyclones, including storm surge, flooding, and
high winds; when storms are assigned name and how what method is used; what is the
biggest killer in cyclonic storms; where do we find the strongest winds and biggest
storm surge; limits on Category 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) storms; effects of cyclones
in terms of storm surge, flooding, and high winds; role of topography on rainfall in
cyclones; East and Gulf coast regions most likely to get storms; most costly three
storms to U.S. history; basic problems associated with Hurricane Katrina