‘Low pressure atmospheric systems have more of a short term impact than high pressure systems.’ Discuss. Low pressure atmospheric systems are also known as depressions or cyclones and they form in mid- and high-latitudes. They are formed by the mixing of cold and warm air, the warm air is lighter, so it rises above the denser, cold air and forms a centre of low pressure. High pressure atmospheric systems are also known as anticyclones and have very different characteristics to depressions. Anticyclones are large masses of subsiding air, which produces high pressure at the surface. There are a variety of difference between anticyclones and depressions, including the weather conditions, the length of time they last and the impact they
Furthermore, transport was disrupted because of roads melting at such high temperatures, and the London Underground was 37°, which is over the legal limit to transport animals. Finally, in the UK the cost of people taking days off work to enjoy the hot weather was between £7.5million and £10million per day.
In France, the death toll was as high as 30,000 and harvests were down by 30 to 50% on 2002. Additionally, the nuclear power plants could not produce the soaring demands for energy, which was used for refrigerators and air conditioning, because there was less water available for cooling. Portugal declared a State of Emergency after the worst forest fires in 30 years. Approximately 35,000 hectares of forest, farmland and scrub was burned, and 1300 people died. 80 families were forced to abandon their homes, and arsonists begun deliberately causing fires, to gain compensation. The impacts of anticyclones on all of these countries had a massive effect, and it lasted over a month, with the hottest temperatures for up to 500 years. This demonstrates the long and short term impacts that anticyclones have on regions, countries and on a global scale.
Location does have a result on the impact of low and high atmospheric pressure systems because they can be underdeveloped or have a lot of technology that can be damaged or ruined. MEDC’s usually lose fewer lives than LEDC’s, no matter