i) show knowledge of the short term effects of high pressure hazards;
ii) show knowledge of long term effects
iii) give an assessment of both time scales
There may be reference to the human effects
such as:
Demographic effects at both time scales such as deaths and long term
migration.
Economic effects may analyse losses in the short term such as cessation
of production and costs of damage in the long term, such as the effects
on economic activity and infrastructure.
Social effects may include observations on health, homelessness and
bereavement.
There may also be consideration of the effects on the physical
environment such as deforestation, desertification, falling water tables
and salinisation.
Evaluation may take a number of approaches, an assessment of which effects are the most important, demographic, social, economic or environmental; an assessment of whether short or long term effects are most significant or an evaluation in different areas, MEDC / LEDC.
In order to reach the 'GOOD' band (16+ out of 25), in addition to factual content of the impacts associated with low pressure systems, there needs to be some critical assessment of these. Full mark scheme criteria here.
There is a double rainy season between March and May and between November and December, with two intervening dry seasons. Temperatures over much of Kenya are subtropical or temperate, because of the reduction of temperature with altitude, and are similar to those in California, summer in France or southern Britain rather than those elsewhere in equatorial Africa.
The variety of relief and the range of
altitude in Kenya produce a considerable number of distinctive local
climates and local weather too numerous to be detailed here. The country
can be divided broadly into four climatic regions, each with certain
features of equatorial climates.
The Northern
Frontier Districts and the Lower Inland Plateau
Much of this region has a very low annual rainfall for an equatorial
region. Rainfall is generally below 500 mm and in the far north is often
below 250 mm.
In the lower districts temperatures are high round the year, there is much sunshine, and the region is a typical hot desert like the adjoining southern parts of Somalia and Ethiopia. Humidity is low and, apart from occasional excessive heat, it is a healthy climate.
The Kenya Highlands
Most of this region lies between 1,220m and 2,150m and occupies the centre and west of the country on either side of the
eastern Rift valley, extending to the Ugandan border. It is the most
densely populated part of the country and contains the most productive
agricultural land.
There is a double rainy season but rainfall is moderate and only exceeds 1,250mm a year on the higher parts. Over most of the region the sunniest time of the year is from December to March. The cloudiest period is from June to September when there is much drizzle but little heavy rain. This period is often called 'winter' in the Kenya Highlands and the evenings may feel chilly compared with the sunnier months.
The Coastal Region
The average annual rainfall is over 1,000mm, except in the north
where it is rather less
The higher mountain
regions
These are the small regions above 2,500m and isolated higher
mountains such as Mount Elgon and Mount Kenya. Here temperatures fall
low enough for frost to occur and at higher levels some precipitation
may be snow. Mount Kenya has permanent snowfields.
Climate Change indicators - heatwaves are increasing. Temperatures are generally more extreme, water is evaporating faster, and the wells are drying. Larger areas are being affected by droughts, and flooding is now more serious.
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Continuing Drought in NE Kenya 2009 - LEDC |
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/03/climate-change-kenya-10-10
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Drought is often viewed as an event rather than a process, which explains how the international community responds – distributing relief food to stricken communities. While nobody can dispute the benefits of doing this in emergency situations, widespread use of this response in drought management is highly debatable: not only does relief food tend to keep the receiving communities in a state of absolute dependency, but it also comes at a tremendous cost. During the 2000/2001 fiscal year, Kenya spent 140 million dollars on relief food. It is argued that with a quarter of this amount, the country could have put in place a much more effective and sustainable system to address long-term food insecurity in the ASALs (arid and semi-arid lands)
Source: http://www.worldagroforestry.org/downloads/publications/PDFs/NL06291.pdf