Author Topic: NZLWN Quiz (Read 75075 times)

gabba · « **Reply #60 on:** October 02, 2012, 08:11:51 AM »

That's right RWood - I thought that one was going to be a tough one! I'll post some interesting info about it later on.

Anyone want to have a guess at the number of people it was estimated to have killed?

hbweather · « **Reply #61 on:** October 02, 2012, 09:10:38 AM »

Approximately 12000 died through direct or indirect causes, the single worst air-pollution event London's ever seen. The banning of open fires in the greater London area was one measure resulting from this event...

George

Rwood · « **Reply #62 on:** October 02, 2012, 09:20:20 AM »

Even worse, there was an initial attempt to keep the death toll lower by not counting later deaths which were clearly due to the event. At least decisive actions followed as above.

gabba · « **Reply #63 on:** October 02, 2012, 07:12:30 PM »

Yes the following articles make interesting reading, and I've provide some extracts below:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens/case-studies/great-smog (thanks Beetlejuice)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog

The Great Smog of '52 or Big Smoke was a severe air pollution event that affected London during December 1952. A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants mostly from the use of coal to form a thick layer of smog over the city. It lasted from Friday 5 to Tuesday 9 December 1952, and then dispersed quickly after a change of weather.

Although it caused major disruption due to the effect on visibility, and even penetrated indoor areas, it was not thought to be a significant event at the time, with London having experienced many smog events in the past, so called "pea soupers". However, medical reports in the following weeks estimated that 4,000 people had died prematurely and 100,000 more were made ill because of the smog's effects on the human respiratory tract. More recent research suggests that the number of fatalities was considerably greater at about 12,000.

It is considered the worst air pollution event in the history of the United Kingdom, and the most significant in terms of its effect on environmental research, government regulation, and public awareness of the relationship between air quality and health. It led to several changes in practices and regulations, including the Clean Air Act 1956.

gabba · « **Reply #64 on:** October 02, 2012, 07:14:51 PM »

Tonights question

Which mascot has the catch phrase "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires"?

hbweather · « **Reply #65 on:** October 02, 2012, 08:03:11 PM »

Smokey the Bear, of course...

Deano · « **Reply #66 on:** October 02, 2012, 08:16:35 PM »

Smarter than the average bear!

gabba · « **Reply #67 on:** October 02, 2012, 10:51:06 PM »

....and who is he the mascot for?

Sent from my Ideos using Tapatalk 2

TokWW · « **Reply #68 on:** October 03, 2012, 07:21:41 AM »

the National Park Rangers...?

gabba · « **Reply #69 on:** October 03, 2012, 09:07:42 PM »

Smokey the Bear, Old Smokey, or just plain Smokey is the mascot for the United States Forest Service. You can read all about him here:

http://www.smokeybear.com/

Congrats to hbweather - but only a half pint for you since you only got half the question right ;-)

Tonights question: What is a Hadley Cell and where would you see the effects of one?

TonyC · « **Reply #70 on:** October 04, 2012, 09:02:43 AM »

Hadley Cell.....

A collective noun for the family of Christchurch cricketers ....?

Dredging the memory banks I seem to recollect it had something to do with wind or clouds, bit like sea currents. but up in the air.

Weather Display · « **Reply #71 on:** October 04, 2012, 01:40:14 PM »

I think it refers to the semi permanent high pressure cells/zones that exist between the tropical low pressure belt and the procession of lows in the roaring forties
i.e there is one to the west of south america and another over the azores

gabba · « **Reply #72 on:** October 04, 2012, 07:29:29 PM »

Well done weather display. A picture says a thousand words, in fact this one answers most of the questions I had lined up for you guys:

Tonights question(s): What is a hygrometer, who made the first one , and what year?

gabba · « **Reply #73 on:** October 05, 2012, 10:05:43 PM »

Finally - one to the quiz master at last!

Last nights answers were:
(a) A device for measuring humidity
(b) Leonardo Da Vinci
(c) For the year I would have accepted any year in the 1400's

Tonights question:
In the States they are called chinook winds. Where else in the world are these winds found, and what causes them?

Rwood · « **Reply #74 on:** October 05, 2012, 10:38:28 PM »

Foehn winds in Europe and NZ (among other places - called Chinook in Canada as well as the US) - moist air ascends over a mountain range, dries out after precipitating most or all of the moisture and descends on the other side, warming at the (dry) adiabatic rate, which is faster than the lapse rate involved in the ascent. Therefore the air is warmed considerably by the time it has descended.

gabba · « **Reply #75 on:** October 06, 2012, 08:31:12 PM »

Well done RWood. Of course in NZ the Southern Alps creates the foen wind, heavy rainfall on the west coast and dry warm temperatures on the east coast - and of course the Nor West Arch. It's actually one of my earliest memories of weather observation - I remember our teacher telling us about how unique it was while I was in primary school!

Tonights question (this one might create a few arguments!)

Q: Where is the wettest place in the world?

iomkiwi · « **Reply #76 on:** October 06, 2012, 09:15:20 PM »

The Ocean?

gabba · « **Reply #77 on:** October 06, 2012, 10:22:14 PM »

Sorry to clarify I should ask what is the wettest regularly measured place in the world

Weather Display · « **Reply #78 on:** October 06, 2012, 10:41:28 PM »

something like either kurrangupai (spelling!) in the foot hills of the himalayas, Nepal/India bordeder
or, is it resolution island in the indian ocean
OR
the main island of hawaii (upslope side)

Rwood · « **Reply #79 on:** October 06, 2012, 10:44:56 PM »

The Ocean?

Sorry to clarify I should ask what is the wettest regularly measured place in the world

[/quote]

Quibdo, Colombia is generally agreed upon. However there are undoubtedly wetter 'unmeasured" places, including some NZ areas (the Cleddau valley near Milford is already estimated to get at least 13,000mm in parts, and it's possible some areas upwind of about Mt Cook (probably at about the 950m -1000m mark) get as much as 16,000mm.

News:

Author Topic: NZLWN Quiz (Read 75075 times)