Storm Surge Assessment

Weather – The Basics

Depressions
Low pressure systems (often below 1000mb)
Represented on weather map with closed isobars and
decreasing pressure towards the centre
Move across the UK from west to east
Isobars are close together, indicating a steep pressure
gradient. This can cause strong winds
 Weather – The Basics
Anticyclones
High pressure systems
Closed isobars with pressure increasing towards the
centre
They move slowly and can remain stationary for
days/weeks
Isobars are far apart so there is little pressure difference
(light/no winds).
 Storms – The Basics
 Air covers the surface of our planet and has mass, that is,
it has weight and volume, and it can be made to move.
 Our atmosphere is dynamic, and it's temperature
constantly changes in response to rotation of the planet,
changes in seasons and earth's orbit around the sun.
 Hot air is less dense than cold air, and when hot and cold
air collide, the hot air is forced to rise over the colder air.
 Cold air is typically dryer than warm air and originates
from the poles. Warm air comes from the tropics/equator

(where there is more evaporation).

 Storms – The Basics
 Whenever cold dry air moves away from the poles, it
eventually encounters warm wet air moving away from the
equator.
 The warm wet air is forced up and over the cold air. When the
warm air is forced up, it causes surface air pressure to drop.
 Cold air rushes in to fill the area of lower air pressure, which
causes more warm air to be displaced upward, and more cold
air moves in, forcing more warm air upward, and a cycle
starts to develop.
 Also, factor-in that the earth rotates from west to east,
dragging the atmosphere with it. The low-pressure area starts
to rotate, and all this moving air creates wind, and lots of it.
 So a storm forms in response to an extreme difference in air
pressure, driven by the movement of cold and warm air.
 Eventually either the cold or warm air dissipates, and


 Storms – The Basics
 The greater the difference in air pressure between two
competing systems, the greater the wind.
 The greater the surface area covered by low pressure,
the greater the size of the area of wind will be.
 The deeper or lower the pressure, the stronger the
storm, the stronger the wind, and the greater the
probability for surf to be generated.
 The larger the area of low pressure, the larger the fetch
or ocean surface that will be affected by the resulting
wind.
 Storm Surges
 Strom surges occur when weather conditions create
strong winds (large fetch), which in turn produce higher
water levels than you would normally get at high tide
(basically the wind blowing across the surface off the sea
causes water to pile up to a level higher than normal).
 The North Sea and The Bay of Bengal are two areas
where these conditions can occur because they are both
narrow areas of sea.
 Strong winds drive waves ahead of the storm, which
builds up the water levels in areas where there is a
limited space for the water to go.
North Sea Storm Surge (1953)
North Sea Storm Surge (1953)
 Storm Surges in Bangladesh
 Events in 1970, 1985 &
1991.

Causes
 High winds (due to a cyclone forming to the
pushed water northwards.
south)
 The Bay of Bengal is narrow, so struggled to
contain the extra water.
 Causes of Cyclones
 Low pressure systems that develop in the tropics.
 Surface heating causes warm air to be drawn into it in a
spiralling manner.
 The sea needs to be over 27`C = maintain rising currents
Storm Surges in Bangladesh
 Sediment Cells
 Coastal sediment comes from a variety of places: sea
bed, beaches, cliffs, river channels and estuaries.
 Some believe that sediment movement occur in distinct
areas (or cells). These are closed systems with balanced
inputs and outputs.
 There are 11 cells in England and Wales.

http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/gcrdb/v28chap1.pdf
 They are separated by headlands or stretches of deep
water.
 In reality, sediment could easily move cells e.g. around a

headland.
UK sediment cells
 High & Low Energy Coastlines
High Energy
Wave power is strong for
most of the year e.g. west
coast of British Isles. The
prevailing wind is westerly
and they face the direction
of the longest fetch.
Distribution of these
coastlines is controlled by
climate and the direction lower.
they face.
Strong winds are more
frequent in areas where
there is a cool temperate
western maritime climate
High waves