Hazardous natural phenomena are classified: by origin; by the nature of the impact; by duration (action time); by regularity of action; by scale of distribution; by groups, types and types.
Natural phenomena are divided according to their origin on the:
- Geological-geomorphological.
- Climatic (related hydrological).
- Biogeochemical.
- Biological.
- Space.
1. Geological and geomorphological hazardous natural phenomena include: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, rockfalls, landslides, mudflows, snow-water flows, avalanches, collapses and movements of glaciers, soil erosion, reformation of river channels, sliding of soil (snow) on slopes, subsidence due to quicksand on karst.
2. Climatic and hydrological dangerous phenomena - these are hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, squalls, floods, thunderstorms, hail, sea storms, extreme air temperatures, showers, snowfalls, blizzards, ice, frost, icing, ice on slopes, frozen soil deformations, thermokarst, thermoerosion, flooding, change groundwater level, abrasion of sea coasts and reservoirs, ice phenomena on rivers, droughts, hot winds, dust storms, soil salinization, sudden surges atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity.
3. Biogeochemical hazards– these are emissions of hazardous gases from bodies of water (lakes, swamps), etc.
4. Hazardous natural phenomena of biological nature, is a massive proliferation of agricultural pests, diseases of plants and domestic animals, epidemics among animals and people, attacks on territories and waters by introduced species, attacks by blood-sucking, predatory and poisonous animals, biointerference with transport, control and distribution systems.
5. Dangers from space.
A threat to humanity is posed by cosmogenic hazards and the possibility of collisions of celestial bodies with the Earth.
Towards cosmogenic dangers include solar activity and space weather. Changes in the solar atmosphere, including flares and ejections of charged particles from the solar corona and their interaction with the magnetosphere and upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere create dangers and lead to emergencies on Earth.
For example, in 1989, the strongest magnetic storm in the last hundred years took place. It turned out to be 10-12 times more powerful than the usual average. In the province of Quebec (Canada) and the state of New Jersey (USA), a magnetic storm led to a shutdown of power supply systems and caused a loss of more than $1 billion.
Falling to Earth celestial bodies is quite real, it accompanies the entire history of the Earth. Fortunately for humanity, the fall of large cosmic bodies did not occur on Earth in the present historical period. Civilization was spared catastrophes on a planetary scale.
However, from time to time the Earth is subject to impacts from cosmic bodies (asteroids and comets) with collision speeds from 11.2 to 72 km/sec and meteorites.
ABOUT possible consequences encounters of such space objects with the Earth can be judged by the studied circumstances of the fall of a small planet to the Earth 65 million years ago - an asteroid with a diameter of 10 kilometers. In the atmosphere, it broke apart into several fragments that formed craters on our planet, including three in Russia.
As a result of the combination damaging factors animals and plants were destroyed on land and in upper layers World ocean.
Scientists suggest that this catastrophe is associated mass death giant lizards, sea mollusks, some microorganisms, a strong change in terrestrial plants and algae.
There are suggestions that such catastrophes have happened more than once and occur with a periodicity of 28-30 million years.
Based on the nature of their impact, hazardous natural processes are divided into:
Having a predominantly destructive effect (hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, earthquakes, insect infestations, etc.);
- having a predominantly paralyzing (stopping) effect on traffic (snowfall, rain with flooding, ice, fog);
- have a depleting effect (reduce yield, soil fertility, water supply and other natural resources);
- natural disasters that can cause man-made accidents (natural-man-made disasters) (lightning, ice, icing, biochemical corrosion).
Some phenomena can be multifaceted, for example: Floods can be devastating for a city, crippling for roads, and debilitating for crops.
By duration (time of action) of action differentiate:
Instantaneous (seconds, minutes) – impact, earthquakes;
- short-term (hours, days) – squalls, atmospheric phenomena, floods;
- long-term (months, years) – volcanoes, problems ozone holes;
- centuries-old (tens, hundreds of years) – climate cycles, modern climate warming
Extreme natural events include: falling meteorites, hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, squalls, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, rock falls, landslides, mudflows, snow flows, avalanches.
Adverse natural phenomena include severe frosts, droughts, soil erosion, etc.
Hazardous natural phenomena can be classified according to the regularity of their action in time, space and strength.
Based on the regularity of their action over time, hazardous natural phenomena can be divided into:
regularly (periodically) operating. For example, floods occur at almost the same time, and their severity can be predicted in advance. Therefore, the degree of adaptation of the population to them is quite high;
irregularly operating, i.e., occurring at a random moment in time. The timing of such extreme natural events (for example, earthquakes) is usually not predicted in advance, and therefore they are extremely dangerous.
A number of dangerous natural phenomena occur in certain seasons (for example, tropical cyclones in the summer), but within the season they occur at a random point in time, which is not always possible to predict.
Classification of natural emergencies by groups, types and types
Emergency groups |
||
1. Phenomena in the lithosphere |
1.1 Geophysical hazards |
Earthquakes, |
1.2 Geologically hazardous |
Landslides, landslides; landslides; scree; avalanches. Slope washout. Forest subsidence. |
|
1.3 wildfires |
Forest fires. |
|
2. Phenomena in the atmosphere |
2.1 Meteorological and agrometeorological hazards |
Storms (9 – 11 points) |
3. Phenomena in the hydrosphere |
3.1 Marine hydrological hazards |
Tropical cyclones (typhoons). |
3.2 Hydrological hazards |
High levels water (floods). |
|
3.3 Hydrogeological hazards |
Low groundwater levels. High groundwater levels |
|
4.Biological phenomena |
4.1 Biological damage in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere |
Manifestations of micro- and macro-organisms caused by biodamage to man-made objects |
4.2 Infectious morbidity in humans. |
|
|
4.3 Infectious disease incidence in farm animals |
Isolated cases of exotic and especially dangerous infectious diseases. |
|
4.4 Damage to agricultural plants by diseases and pests |
Progressive epiphytoty. |
Earthquakes are seismic phenomena that occur as a result of sudden displacements and ruptures in the earth's crust or in the upper part of the mantle, transmitted over long distances in the form of sharp vibrations, leading to the destruction of buildings, structures, fires and human casualties.
Volcanic activity occurs as a result of constant active processes occurring in the depths of the Earth.
The set of phenomena associated with the movement of magma in the earth's crust and on its surface is called volcanism.
Landslides are sliding displacements of masses of rocks down a slope, arising due to an imbalance caused by various reasons (undermining of rocks by water, weakening of their strength due to weathering or waterlogging by precipitation and groundwater, systematic tremors, unreasonable economic activity person).
Mudflows are stormy mud and mud-stone flows that suddenly appear in the beds of mountain rivers. The mudflow is a formidable force. A stream consisting of a mixture of water, mud and stones rushes rapidly down the river, uprooting trees, tearing down bridges, destroying dams, and destroying crops. The danger of mudflows lies not only in their destructive powers, but also in the suddenness of their appearance. After all, rainfall in the mountains often does not cover the foothills, and mudflows appear unexpectedly in inhabited areas. Sel is something between a liquid and a solid mass. This phenomenon is short-term, usually lasting 1-3 hours.
Landslides are the separation and rapid fall of large masses of rocks, their overturning, crushing and rolling down on steep and steep slopes.
Shedding differs from collapse, first of all, in the size of the rocks and speed.
Snow avalanches are snow masses that fall from mountain slopes under the influence of gravity.
Subsidence of loess rocks is compaction and deformation when moistening (soaking) forests with the formation of subsidence deformations (dips, subsidence cracks, sinkholes).
Karst is a geological phenomenon associated with increased solubility of rocks under conditions of active circulation of groundwater, expressed by the processes of chemical and mechanical transformation of rocks with the formation of underground cavities, surface sinkholes, failures, subsidence (karst deformations).
Abrasion (Latin - scraping) in geology, the process of destruction and demolition of land by the sea surf. The waves of the sea, hitting the shore, continuously wash it away and smooth out all the protrusions and irregularities - absorbing the land.
Soil erosion is the process of destruction of the upper, most fertile layers of soil and underlying rocks by melt and rain water or wind.
Kurums - externally they are placers of coarse clastic material in the form of stone cloaks and streams on mountain slopes that have a steepness less than the angle of repose of the coarse clastic material (from 3 to 35-40 degrees).
Dust storms are atmospheric disturbances that cause large amounts of dust to rise into the air and be transported over long distances.
Forest fire is a fire spreading through a forest area.
Peat fire is the ignition of a peat bog, drained or natural, when its surface is overheated by the rays of the sun or as a result of careless handling of fire by people.
The storm is a very strong, with a speed of 15 to 20 m/s, and long-lasting wind, causing great destruction.
Hurricane (in the tropics) Pacific Ocean- typhoon) is a wind of enormous destructive power, with a speed of over 32.7 m/s (12 points on the Beaufort scale).
Tornadoes (tornadoes) are atmospheric vortices, arising in a thundercloud and often spreading over the surface of the earth (water). A tornado has the shape of a column, sometimes with a curved axis of rotation, with a diameter of tens to hundreds of meters, with a funnel-shaped expansion at the top and bottom.
A squall is a short-term increase in wind speed up to 20-30 m/s.
Hail is precipitation, as a rule, in warm time of the year. Consists of pieces of ice measuring 5-55 mm, sometimes 130 mm and weighing about 1 kg.
Large hail– hail with a hailstone diameter of 20 mm or more
Heavy rain (rain) - precipitation amount of 50 mm or more for 12 hours or more, and in mountainous, mudflow and rain-prone areas - 30 mm or more for 12 hours.
Heavy snowfall amount of precipitation of 20 mm or more in 12 hours or less.
Severe ice – the diameter of deposits on wires is 20 mm or more.
Severe frost - Maximum temperature air - 30 degrees C and below.
Extreme heat is characterized by exceeding the average positive ambient air temperature by 10 degrees or more for several days (or a maximum air temperature of 38 degrees C and above).
Fog is an accumulation of small water droplets or ice crystals in ground layer atmosphere.
Drought is prolonged and there is a significant lack of precipitation, more often when elevated temperature and low air humidity.
Frosts are a decrease in temperature during the growing season on the soil surface below 0 degrees C.
Tropical cyclones seasonal phenomena, the frequency of which in different areas varies on average from one to 20 hurricanes per year.
Tsunami is a series of giant ocean waves caused by underwater or island earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
Strong waves - waves with wave heights: 4 m - in the coastal zone; 6 m – in the open sea; 8 m and in the ocean.
Tyagun - resonant vibrations of water in ports, harbors, bays (with a period of 0.5-0.4 minutes), causing cyclic horizontal movements of ships moored at the berths.
Icing of ships is a rapidly growing icing of the deck structures of ships, leading to the capsizing of ships due to a displacement of their metacenter.
Floods are significant flooding of an area as a result of rising water levels in a river, lake, or reservoir, caused by various reasons (spring snowmelt, heavy rainfall, heavy rainfall, ice jams on rivers, dam failures, wind surge, etc.).
Flood is a relatively short-term and non-periodic rise in water level.
A jam is an accumulation of ice in a riverbed that restricts the flow of a river and causes water to rise and overflow.
A jam is a phenomenon similar to a jam. But it consists of an accumulation of loose ice (slush, small pieces of ice) and is observed at the beginning of winter.
Flooding is a rise in groundwater levels that disrupts the normal economic use of land.
Low water (low water) are periods within the annual cycle during which low water content is observed, resulting from a sharp decrease in the influx of water from the catchment area.
An epidemic is a widespread spread of an infectious disease in humans, significantly exceeding the incidence rate usually recorded in a given territory.
A pandemic is an unusually large spread of morbidity, both in level and in scope, covering a number of countries and continents.
Epizootic is a widespread distribution of infectious animals on a farm, district, region, or Republic.
Panzootic is an unusually widespread infectious disease of animals.
Epiphytoty is the spread of an infectious plant disease over large areas over a certain period of time.
Panphytotia is a widespread plant disease that spans several countries or continents.
Nature is not always as serene and beautiful as in the photograph above these lines. Sometimes she shows us her dangerous manifestations. From violent volcanic eruptions to terrifying hurricanes, nature's fury is best viewed from afar and from the sidelines. We often underestimate the amazing and destructive force nature, and it reminds us of this from time to time. While it all looks exciting in photographs, the consequences of such events can be very scary. We must respect the power of the planet we live on. We have made this photo and video collection of frightening natural phenomena for you.
TORNADOES AND OTHER TYPES OF TOrnadoes
All these types of atmospheric phenomena are dangerous vortex manifestations of the elements.
Tornado or tornado arises in a thundercloud and spreads down, often to the very surface of the earth, in the form of a cloud arm or trunk with a diameter of tens and hundreds of meters. Tornadoes can appear in many shapes and sizes. Most tornadoes appear as a narrow funnel (only a few hundred meters across), with a small cloud of debris near the earth's surface. A tornado can be completely hidden by a wall of rain or dust. These tornadoes are especially dangerous because even experienced meteorologists may not recognize them.
Tornado with lightning:
Tornado in Oklahoma, USA (May site 2010):
Supercell thunderstorm in Montana, USA, formed by a huge rotating thundercloud 10-15 km high and d about 50 km in diameter. Such a thunderstorm creates tornadoes, gusty winds, and large hail:
Thunderclouds:
View of a hurricane tornado from space:
There are other vortex phenomena that are similar in appearance, but different in nature:
Formed as a result of the rise of warmer air from the surface of the earth. Tornado-vortices, unlike tornadoes, develop from the bottom up, and the cloud above them, if formed, is a consequence of the vortex, and not its cause.
Dust (sand) whirlwind- this is a vortex movement of air that occurs at the surface of the earth during the day when there is little cloud and usually hot weather when the earth's surface is strongly heated by the sun's rays. The whirlwind lifts dust, sand, pebbles, and small objects from the surface of the earth and sometimes transports them to a site over a considerable distance (hundreds of meters). The vortices pass in a narrow strip, so that in a weak wind its speed inside the vortex reaches 8-10 m/s or more.
Sandspout:
Or a firestorm forms when a column of hot, rising air interacts with or causes a fire on the ground. It is a vertical whirlpool of fire in the air. The air above it heats up, its density decreases, and it rises. From below, cold masses of air from the periphery enter in its place, which immediately heat up. Steady flows are formed, spiraling from the ground to a height of up to 5 km. A chimney effect occurs. The pressure of hot air reaches hurricane speeds. The temperature rises to 1000˚C. Everything burns or melts. At the same time, everything that is nearby is “sucked” into the fire. And so on until everything that can burn has burned.
A site is a funnel-shaped air-water vortex, similar in nature to an ordinary tornado, formed over the surface of a large body of water and connected to a cumulus cloud. A waterspout can form when a regular tornado passes over a water surface. Unlike a classic tornado, a waterspout lasts only 15-30 minutes, is much smaller in diameter, the speed of movement and rotation is two to three times lower, and is not always accompanied by hurricane winds.
DUST OR SAND STORMS
Sand (dust) storm- this is dangerous atmospheric phenomenon, which manifests itself as wind transport large quantity soil particles, dust or small grains of sand from the Earth's surface. The height of the layer of such dust can be several meters, and horizontal visibility is noticeably deteriorated. For example, at a level of 2 meters visibility is 1-8 kilometers, but often visibility in a storm is reduced to several hundred or even tens of meters. Dust storms occur mainly when the soil surface is dry and the wind speed is more than 10 meters per second.
The fact that a storm is approaching can be understood in advance by the incredible silence that forms around you, as if you had suddenly found yourself in a vacuum. This silence is depressing, creating an inexplicable anxiety inside you.
Sandstorm on the streets of Onslow in northwestern Australia, January 2013:
Sandstorm in Golmud village, Qinghai province, China, 2010:
Red sandstorm in Australia:
TSUNAMI
is a dangerous natural disaster consisting of sea waves resulting from the shifting of the seabed during underwater and coastal earthquakes. Once formed in any place, a tsunami can spread at high speed (up to 1000 km/h) over several thousand kilometers, with the tsunami height initially ranging from 0.1 to 5 meters. When reaching shallow water, the wave height increases sharply, reaching a height of 10 to 50 meters. Huge masses of water washed ashore lead to flooding and destruction of the area, as well as the death of people and animals. An air shock wave propagates in front of the water shaft. It acts similarly to a blast wave, destroying buildings and structures. The tsunami wave may not be the only one. Very often this is a series of waves that roll onto the shore at intervals of 1 hour or more.
Tsunami in Thailand caused by earthquake (9.3 points) in Indian Ocean December 26, 2004:
CATASTROPHIC FLOODS
Flood— flooding of the territory with water, which is a natural disaster. Floods happen different types and are caused by various reasons. Catastrophic floods lead to loss of life, irreparable environmental damage, and cause material damage, covering vast areas within one or more water systems. At the same time, the economic site is completely paralyzed and production activity, the lifestyle of the population changes temporarily. The evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, an inevitable humanitarian catastrophe requires the participation of the entire world community, the problem of one country becomes a problem of the whole world.
Flood in Khabarovsk and Khabarovsk Territory, caused by intense downpours that covered the entire Amur River basin and lasted about two months (2013):
Flooding in New Orleans after a hurricane. New Orleans (USA) stands on damp soil that the city cannot support. Orleans is slowly sinking into the ground, and the Gulf of Mexico is gradually rising around it. Much of New Orleans is already 1.5 to 3 meters below sea level. This was largely due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005:
Flood in Germany, in the Rhine River basin (2013):
Flood in Iowa, USA (2008):
THUNDERLIGHTNING
Lightning discharges (lightning) represent a giant electrical spark discharge into the site atmosphere, with a very long spark length, usually occurs during a thunderstorm, manifested by a bright flash of light and accompanying thunder. The total length of the lightning channel reaches several kilometers (on average 2.5 km), and a significant part of this channel is located inside a thundercloud. Some discharges extend up to 20 km in the atmosphere. The current in a lightning discharge reaches 10-20 thousand amperes, so not all people survive a lightning strike.
forest fire- This is the spontaneous, uncontrolled spread of fire across forest areas. The causes of fires in the forest can be natural (lightning, drought, etc.) or artificial, when the cause is people. There are several types of forest fires.
Underground (soil) fires in the forest are most often associated with peat fire, which becomes possible as a result of drainage of swamps. They can be barely noticeable and spread to a depth of several meters, as a result of which they pose an additional danger and are extremely difficult to extinguish. Like, for example, the peat fire in the Moscow region (2011):
At ground fire burns out forest floor, lichens, mosses, grasses, branches that have fallen to the ground, etc.
Horse forest fire covers leaves, needles, branches and the entire crown, can cover (in the event of a general fire) the grass-moss cover of the soil and undergrowth. They usually develop in dry, windy weather from a ground fire, in plantations with low-lying crowns, in stands of different ages, as well as with abundant coniferous undergrowth. This is usually the final stage of a fire.
VOLCANOES
Volcanoes are geological formations on the surface of the earth's crust, most often in the form of a mountain, where magma comes to the surface, forming lava, volcanic gases, rocks and pyroclastic flows. When molten magma pours through cracks in the earth's crust, the volcano erupts, a site named after the Roman god of fire and blacksmithing.
Karymsky Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Kamchatka:
Underwater volcano – the coast of the Tonga archipelago (2009):
Underwater volcano and subsequent tsunami:
Volcanic eruption photographed from space:
Klyuchevskoy Volcano in Kamchatka (1994):
The eruption of Mount Sinabung in Sumatra was accompanied by several mini-tornadoes:
Puyehue volcano eruption in Chile:
Lightning in the ash cloud of the Chaiten volcano in Chile:
Volcanic lightning:
EARTHQUAKES
Earthquake– these are tremors and vibrations of the Earth’s surface caused by natural tectonic processes (movement of the earth’s crust and the displacements and ruptures occurring in it) or artificial processes (explosions, filling of reservoirs, collapse of underground cavities in mine workings). May result in volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.
Japan earthquake followed by tsunami (2011):
LANDSLIDE
Landslide- a separated mass of loose rocks, slowly and gradually or abruptly sliding along the inclined plane of separation, while often maintaining its coherence, solidity and without overturning its soil.
VILLAGE
Sel- a flow with a very high concentration of mineral particles, stones and rock fragments (something between a liquid and a solid mass), suddenly appearing in the basins of small mountain rivers and usually caused by rainfall or rapid snow melting.
SNOW AVALANCHES
Snow avalanches belong to landslides. This is a mass of snow falling or sliding down the slopes of mountains.
This is one of record avalanches measuring 600 thousand cubic meters. The film crew was not injured:
“This is the consequence of an avalanche - snow dust, it flew up high, and everything disappeared as if in a fog. Everyone was doused with snow dust, which, by inertia, continued to move at the speed of a snowstorm. It became dark as night. The fine, fine snow made it difficult to breathe. My arms and legs instantly went numb. I didn't see anyone around. Although there were people nearby,” said Anton Voitsekhovsky, a member of the film crew.
Natural phenomena- these are ordinary, sometimes even supernatural climatic and meteorological events that occur naturally in all corners of the planet. It could be snow or rain, familiar from childhood, or it could be incredibly destructive or earthquakes. If such events take place away from a person and do not cause him material damage, they are considered unimportant. Nobody will pay attention to this. Otherwise, dangerous natural phenomena are considered by humanity as natural disasters.
Research and observations
People began to study characteristic natural phenomena in ancient times. However, it was possible to systematize these observations only in the 17th century; even a separate branch of science (natural science) was formed that studied these events. However, despite many scientific discoveries, to this day some natural phenomena and processes remain poorly understood. Most often, we see the consequence of this or that event, but we can only guess about the root causes and build various theories. Researchers in many countries are working to make forecasts of their occurrence, and most importantly, to prevent their possible occurrence or at least reduce the damage caused by natural phenomena. And yet, despite all the destructive power of such processes, a person always remains a person and strives to find something beautiful and sublime in this. What natural phenomenon is most fascinating? They could be listed for a long time, but perhaps it should be noted such as a volcanic eruption, a tornado, a tsunami - they are all beautiful, despite the destruction and chaos that remain after them.
Weather phenomena of nature
Natural phenomena characterize the weather with its seasonal changes. Each season has its own set of events. For example, in the spring the following snowmelt, floods, thunderstorms, clouds, wind, and rain are observed. In the summer, the sun gives the planet an abundance of heat; natural processes at this time are most favorable: clouds, warm winds, rains and, of course, rainbows; but they can also be severe: thunderstorms, hail. In autumn the temperature changes, the days become cloudy and rainy. During this period, the following phenomena prevail: fog, leaf fall, frost, first snow. in winter vegetable world falls asleep, some animals hibernate. The most common natural phenomena are: freeze-up, blizzard, blizzard, snow, which appear on the windows
All these events are commonplace for us; we have not paid attention to them for a long time. Now let's look at the processes that remind humanity that it is not the crown of everything, and planet Earth just sheltered it for a while.
Natural hazards
These are extreme and severe climate and meteorological events that occur in all parts of the world, but some regions are considered more vulnerable to certain types of events compared to others. Natural hazards become disasters when infrastructure is destroyed and people die. These losses represent major obstacles to human development. It is almost impossible to prevent such cataclysms; all that remains is timely forecasting of events in order to prevent casualties and material damage.
However, the difficulty lies in the fact that dangerous natural phenomena can occur on different scales and in different time. In fact, each of them is unique in its own way, and therefore it is very difficult to predict it. For example, flash floods and tornadoes are destructive but short-lived events that affect relatively small areas. Other dangerous disasters, such as droughts, can develop very slowly but affect entire continents and entire populations. Such disasters last for several months and sometimes years. In order to monitor and predict these events, some national hydrological and meteorological services and special specialized centers are tasked with studying hazardous geophysical phenomena. This includes volcanic eruptions, airborne ash, tsunamis, radioactive, biological, chemical pollution, etc.
Now let's take a closer look at some natural phenomena.
Drought
The main reason for this cataclysm is the lack of precipitation. Drought is very different from other natural disasters in its slow development, often its onset is hidden by various factors. There are even recorded cases in world history when this disaster lasted for many years. Drought often has devastating consequences: first, water sources (streams, rivers, lakes, springs) dry up, many crops stop growing, then animals die, and poor health and malnutrition become widespread realities.
Tropical cyclones
These natural phenomena are areas of very low atmospheric pressure over subtropical and tropical waters, forming a colossal rotating system of thunderstorms and winds hundreds (sometimes thousands) of kilometers across. The speed of surface winds in the zone of a tropical cyclone can reach two hundred kilometers per hour or even more. Interaction low pressure and wind-driven waves often result in a coastal storm surge - a huge volume of water thrown ashore with tremendous force and high speed, washing away everything in its path.
Air pollution
These natural phenomena arise as a result of the accumulation in the air of harmful gases or particles of substances formed as a result of disasters (volcanic eruptions, fires) and human activity (the work of industrial enterprises, vehicles, etc.). Haze and smoke appear as a result of fires on undeveloped lands and forest areas, as well as burning of agricultural and logging residues; in addition, due to the formation of volcanic ash. These air pollutants have very serious consequences for the human body. As a result of such disasters, visibility is reduced and interruptions in the operation of road and air transport occur.
Desert Locust
Such natural phenomena cause serious damage in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the southern part of the European continent. When environmental and weather favor the reproduction of these insects; they concentrate, as a rule, in small areas. However, as their numbers increase, the locust ceases to be an individual creature and turns into a single living organism. Small groups form huge flocks that move in search of food. The length of such a school can reach tens of kilometers. In a day, it can cover distances of up to two hundred kilometers, sweeping away all vegetation in its path. Thus, one ton of locusts (this is a small part of the swarm) can eat as much food in a day as ten elephants or 2,500 people eat. These insects pose a threat to millions of pastoralists and farmers living in vulnerable environmental conditions.
Flash floods and flash floods
Data can occur anywhere after heavy rainfall. All floodplains are vulnerable to flooding, and severe storms cause flash floods. In addition, short-term floods sometimes even occur after periods of drought, when very heavy rain falls on a hard and dry surface through which water flow cannot seep into the ground. These natural events are characterized by a wide variety of types: from violent small floods to a powerful layer of water that covers vast areas. They may be caused by a tornado, strong thunderstorms, monsoons, extratropical and tropical cyclones (their strength can be increased as a result of the influence of warm El Niño currents), melting snow and ice jams. In coastal areas, storm surges often lead to flooding as a result of a tsunami, cyclone, or rising river levels due to unusually high tides. The reason for the flooding of vast areas located below the barrier dams is often high water on rivers, which is caused by melting snow.
Other natural hazards
1. Mud flow or landslide.
5. Lightning.
6. Extreme temperatures.
7. Tornado.
10. Fires on undeveloped lands or forests.
11. Heavy snow and rain.
12. Strong winds.
natural catastrophic danger emergency
On the territory of Russia there are more than 30 dangerous natural phenomena and processes, among which the most destructive are floods, storm winds, rainstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, forest fires, landslides, mudflows, snow avalanches. Most of the social and economic losses are associated with the destruction of buildings and structures due to insufficient reliability and protection from hazardous natural influences. The most common natural catastrophic phenomena of an atmospheric nature in Russia are storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, squalls (28%), followed by earthquakes (24%) and floods (19%). Dangerous geological processes such as landslides and collapses account for 4%. Remaining natural disasters, among which forest fires have the highest frequency, total 25%. The total annual economic damage from the development of 19 of the most dangerous processes in urban areas in Russia is 10-12 billion rubles. in year.
Among geophysical emergency events, earthquakes are one of the most powerful, terrible and destructive natural phenomena. They arise suddenly; it is extremely difficult, and most often impossible, to predict the time and place of their appearance, and even more so to prevent their development. In Russia, zones of increased seismic hazard occupy about 40% of the total area, including 9% of the territory classified as 8-9 point zones. More than 20 million people (14% of the country's population) live in seismically active zones.
Within seismically dangerous regions of Russia there are 330 settlements, including 103 cities (Vladikavkaz, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, etc.). Most dangerous consequences earthquakes cause destruction of buildings and structures; fires; releases of radioactive and emergency chemically hazardous substances due to destruction (damage) of radiation and chemically hazardous objects; transport accidents and disasters; defeat and loss of life.
A striking example of the socio-economic consequences of strong seismic phenomena is the Spitak earthquake in Northern Armenia, which occurred on December 7, 1988. During this earthquake (magnitude 7.0), 21 cities and 342 villages were affected; 277 schools and 250 healthcare facilities were destroyed or found to be in disrepair; More than 170 industrial enterprises ceased to function; About 25 thousand people died, 19 thousand received varying degrees of injury and injury. Total economic losses amounted to $14 billion.
Among geological emergency events, landslides and mudflows represent the greatest danger due to the massive nature of their spread. The development of landslides is associated with the displacement of large masses of rocks along slopes under the influence of gravitational forces. Precipitation and earthquakes contribute to the formation of landslides. In the Russian Federation, from 6 to 15 emergencies associated with the development of landslides are created annually. Landslides are widespread in the Volga region, Transbaikalia, the Caucasus and Ciscaucasia, Sakhalin and other regions. Urbanized areas are especially hard hit: 725 Russian cities are exposed to landslide phenomena. Mudflows are powerful streams, saturated with solid materials, descending through mountain valleys at tremendous speed. The formation of mudflows occurs with rainfall in the mountains, intensive melting of snow and glaciers, as well as the breakthrough of dammed lakes. Mudflow processes occur on 8% of the territory of Russia and develop in the mountainous regions of the North Caucasus, Kamchatka, Northern Urals and the Kola Peninsula. There are 13 cities under direct threat of mudflows in Russia, and another 42 cities are located in potentially mudflow-prone areas. The unexpected nature of the development of landslides and mudflows often leads to the complete destruction of buildings and structures, accompanied by casualties and large material losses. Of the hydrological extreme events, floods can be one of the most common and dangerous natural phenomena. In Russia, floods rank first among natural disasters in terms of frequency, area of distribution, and material damage, and second after earthquakes in terms of the number of victims and specific material damage (damage per unit of affected area). One severe flood covers an area of the river basin of about 200 thousand km2. On average, up to 20 cities are flooded every year and up to 1 million residents are affected, and within 20 years, serious floods cover almost the entire territory of the country.
On the territory of Russia, from 40 to 68 crisis floods occur annually. The threat of floods exists for 700 cities and tens of thousands of settlements, and a large number of economic facilities.
Floods are associated with significant material losses every year. IN last years two major floods occurred in Yakutia on the river. Lena. In 1998, 172 settlements were flooded here, 160 bridges, 133 dams, and 760 km of roads were destroyed. The total damage amounted to 1.3 billion rubles.
The flood in 2001 was even more destructive. During this flood, the water in the river. The Lene rose 17 m and flooded 10 administrative districts of Yakutia. Lensk was completely flooded. About 10,000 houses were under water, about 700 agricultural and more than 4,000 industrial facilities were damaged, and 43,000 people were displaced. The total economic damage amounted to 5.9 billion rubles.
A significant role in the increase in the frequency and destructive power of floods is played by anthropogenic factors - deforestation, irrational management Agriculture and economic development of floodplains. The formation of floods can be caused by improper implementation of flood protection measures, leading to the breach of dams; destruction of artificial dams; emergency releases of reservoirs. The aggravation of the flood problem in Russia is also associated with the progressive aging of fixed assets of the water sector and the placement of economic facilities and housing in flood-prone areas. In this regard, the development and implementation of effective flood prevention and protection measures may be an urgent task.
Among the atmospheric hazardous processes occurring in Russia, the most destructive are hurricanes, cyclones, hail, tornadoes, heavy rains, and snowfalls.
A traditional disaster in Russia is a forest fire. Every year, from 10 to 30 thousand forest fires occur in the country on an area of 0.5 to 2 million hectares.
Nature is not always as serene and beautiful as in the photograph above these lines. Sometimes she shows us her dangerous manifestations. From violent volcanic eruptions to terrifying hurricanes, nature's fury is best viewed from afar and from the sidelines. We often underestimate the amazing and destructive power of nature, and it reminds us of this from time to time. While it all looks exciting in photographs, the consequences of such events can be very scary. We must respect the power of the planet we live on. We have made this photo and video collection of frightening natural phenomena for you.
TORNADOES AND OTHER TYPES OF TOrnadoes
All these types of atmospheric phenomena are dangerous vortex manifestations of the elements.
Tornado or tornado arises in a thundercloud and spreads down, often to the very surface of the earth, in the form of a cloud arm or trunk with a diameter of tens and hundreds of meters. Tornadoes can appear in many shapes and sizes. Most tornadoes appear as a narrow funnel (only a few hundred meters across), with a small cloud of debris near the earth's surface. A tornado can be completely hidden by a wall of rain or dust. These tornadoes are especially dangerous because even experienced meteorologists may not recognize them.
Tornado with lightning:
Tornado in Oklahoma, USA (May strashno.com 2010):
Supercell thunderstorm in Montana, USA, formed by a huge rotating thundercloud 10-15 km high and d about 50 km in diameter. Such a thunderstorm creates tornadoes, gusty winds, and large hail:
Thunderclouds:
View of a hurricane tornado from space:
There are other vortex phenomena that are similar in appearance, but different in nature:
Formed as a result of the rise of warmer air from the surface of the earth. Tornado-vortices, unlike tornadoes, develop from the bottom up, and the cloud above them, if formed, is a consequence of the vortex, and not its cause.
Dust (sand) whirlwind- this is a vortex movement of air that occurs near the surface of the earth during the day in partly cloudy and usually hot weather when the earth's surface is strongly heated by the sun's rays. The whirlwind lifts dust, sand, pebbles, and small objects from the surface of the earth and sometimes carries them to strashno.com a considerable distance (hundreds of meters). The vortices pass in a narrow strip, so that in a weak wind its speed inside the vortex reaches 8-10 m/s or more.
Sandspout:
Or a firestorm forms when a column of hot, rising air interacts with or causes a fire on the ground. It is a vertical whirlpool of fire in the air. The air above it heats up, its density decreases, and it rises. From below, cold masses of air from the periphery enter in its place, which immediately heat up. Steady flows are formed, spiraling from the ground to a height of up to 5 km. A chimney effect occurs. The pressure of hot air reaches hurricane speeds. The temperature rises to 1000˚C. Everything burns or melts. At the same time, everything that is nearby is “sucked” into the fire. And so on until everything that can burn has burned.
Strashno.com is a funnel-shaped air-water vortex, similar in nature to an ordinary tornado, formed over the surface of a large body of water and connected to a cumulus cloud. A waterspout can form when a regular tornado passes over a water surface. Unlike a classic tornado, a waterspout lasts only 15-30 minutes, is much smaller in diameter, the speed of movement and rotation is two to three times lower, and is not always accompanied by hurricane winds.
DUST OR SAND STORMS
Sand (dust) storm is a dangerous atmospheric phenomenon that manifests itself in the form of wind transfer of large quantities of soil particles, dust or small grains of sand from the surface of the Earth. The height of the layer of such dust can be several meters, and horizontal visibility is noticeably deteriorated. For example, at a level of 2 meters visibility is 1-8 kilometers, but often visibility in a storm is reduced to several hundred or even tens of meters. Dust storms occur strashno.com mainly when the soil surface is dry and the wind speed is more than 10 meters per second.
The fact that a storm is approaching can be understood in advance by the incredible silence that forms around you, as if you had suddenly found yourself in a vacuum. This silence is depressing, creating an inexplicable anxiety inside you.
Sandstorm on the streets of Onslow in northwestern Australia, January 2013:
Sandstorm in Golmud village, Qinghai province, China, 2010:
Red sandstorm in Australia:
TSUNAMI
is a dangerous natural disaster consisting of sea waves resulting from the shifting of the seabed during underwater and coastal earthquakes. Once formed in any place, a tsunami can spread at high speed (up to 1000 km/h) over several thousand kilometers, with the tsunami height initially ranging from 0.1 to 5 meters. When reaching shallow water, the wave height increases sharply, reaching a height of 10 to strashno.com 50 meters. Huge masses of water washed ashore lead to flooding and destruction of the area, as well as the death of people and animals. An air shock wave propagates in front of the water shaft. It acts similarly to a blast wave, destroying buildings and structures. The tsunami wave may not be the only one. Very often this is a series of waves that roll onto the shore at intervals of 1 hour or more.
Tsunami in Thailand caused by the earthquake (9.3 points) in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004:
CATASTROPHIC FLOODS
Flood— flooding of the territory with water, which is a natural disaster. Floods come in different types and are caused by different reasons. Catastrophic floods lead to loss of life, irreparable environmental damage, and cause material damage, covering vast areas within one or more water systems. At the same time, economic strashno.com and production activities are completely paralyzed, and the lifestyle of the population is temporarily changed. The evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, an inevitable humanitarian catastrophe requires the participation of the entire world community, the problem of one country becomes a problem of the whole world.
Flood in Khabarovsk and Khabarovsk Territory, caused by intense downpours that covered the entire Amur River basin and lasted about two months (2013):
Flooding in New Orleans after a hurricane. New Orleans (USA) stands on damp soil that the city cannot support. Orleans is slowly sinking into the ground, and the Gulf of Mexico is gradually rising around it. Much of New Orleans is already 1.5 to 3 meters below sea level. This was largely due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005:
Flood in Germany, in the Rhine River basin (2013):
Flood in Iowa, USA (2008):
THUNDERLIGHTNING
Lightning discharges (lightning) represent a giant electric spark discharge in the strashno.com atmosphere, with a very long spark length, usually occurs during a thunderstorm, manifested by a bright flash of light and accompanying thunder. The total length of the lightning channel reaches several kilometers (on average 2.5 km), and a significant part of this channel is located inside a thundercloud. Some discharges extend up to 20 km in the atmosphere. The current in a lightning discharge reaches 10-20 thousand amperes, so not all people survive a lightning strike.
forest fire- This is the spontaneous, uncontrolled spread of fire across forest areas. The causes of fires in the forest can be natural (lightning, drought, etc.) or artificial, when the cause is people. There are several types of forest fires.
Underground (soil) fires in the forest are most often associated with peat fire, which becomes possible as a result of drainage of swamps. They can be barely noticeable and spread to a depth of several meters, as a result of which they pose an additional danger and are extremely difficult to extinguish. Like, for example, the peat fire in the Moscow region (2011):
At ground fire forest litter, lichens, mosses, grasses, branches that have fallen to the ground, etc. burn.
Horse forest fire covers leaves, needles, branches and the entire crown, can cover (in the event of a general fire) the grass-moss cover of the soil and undergrowth. They usually develop in dry, windy weather from a ground fire, in plantations with low-lying crowns, in stands of different ages, as well as with abundant coniferous undergrowth. This is usually the final stage of a fire.
VOLCANOES
Volcanoes are geological formations on the surface of the earth's crust, most often in the form of a mountain, where magma comes to the surface, forming lava, volcanic gases, rocks and pyroclastic flows. When molten magma pours through cracks in the earth's crust, a volcano erupts, strashno.com named after the Roman god of fire and blacksmithing.
Karymsky Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Kamchatka:
Underwater volcano – the coast of the Tonga archipelago (2009):
Underwater volcano and subsequent tsunami:
Volcanic eruption photographed from space:
Klyuchevskoy Volcano in Kamchatka (1994):
The eruption of Mount Sinabung in Sumatra was accompanied by several mini-tornadoes:
Puyehue volcano eruption in Chile:
Lightning in the ash cloud of the Chaiten volcano in Chile:
Volcanic lightning:
EARTHQUAKES
Earthquake– these are tremors and vibrations of the Earth’s surface caused by natural tectonic processes (movement of the earth’s crust and the displacements and ruptures occurring in it) or artificial processes (explosions, filling of reservoirs, collapse of underground cavities in mine workings). May result in volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.
Japan earthquake followed by tsunami (2011):
LANDSLIDE
Landslide- a separated mass of loose rocks, slowly and strashno.com gradually or abruptly sliding along the inclined plane of separation, while often maintaining its coherence, solidity and without overturning its soil.
VILLAGE
Sel- a flow with a very high concentration of mineral particles, stones and rock fragments (something between a liquid and a solid mass), suddenly appearing in the basins of small mountain rivers and usually caused by rainfall or rapid snow melting.
SNOW AVALANCHES
Snow avalanches belong to landslides. This is a mass of snow falling or sliding down the slopes of mountains.
This is one of record avalanches measuring 600 thousand cubic meters. The film crew was not injured:
“This is the consequence of an avalanche - snow dust, it flew up high, and everything disappeared as if in a fog. Everyone was doused with snow dust, which, by inertia, continued to move at the speed of a snowstorm. It became dark as night. Because of the fine snow, it was strashno.com difficult to breathe. My arms and legs instantly went numb. I didn't see anyone around. Although there were people nearby,” said Anton Voitsekhovsky, a member of the film crew.