Review material for Exam #3 in GLG 112 Natural Disasters – Spring 2010
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 related to the atmosphere; 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 near the equator; where tropical storms form
in the Atlantic Ocean; differences and locations of formation 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 names and 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