Weather Flashcards

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1
Q

State the four factors that affects weather?

A
  • latitude
  • relief
  • aspect
  • distance from the sea
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2
Q

How does latitude affect the weather?

A

Places closer to the equator are usually warmer, and places nearer the poles are colder.

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3
Q

Explain how relief affects weather.

A

Places located on flat low-lying land are warmer and higher up are colder and wetter.

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4
Q

Explain how aspect affects weather.

A

Places which are south-facing are warmer and places which are north-facing are colder.

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5
Q

Explain how the distance from the sea can affect the weather.

A

Places nearer to the sea are mild and wet, and places further from the sea are drier but temperatures are more extreme.

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6
Q

What is an air mass?

A

A large volume of air which travels from one area to another.

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7
Q

What determines the weather an air mass brings?

A

The region the air mass has come from and the surface it has moved over.

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8
Q

Name the 5 main UK air masses.

A
  • tropical maritime
  • polar maritime
  • arctic maritime
  • polar continental
  • tropical continental
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9
Q

If an air mass passes over land will the weather be dry or wet?

A

Dry

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10
Q

If an air mass passes over an ocean will the weather by dry or wet?

A

Wet

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11
Q

What weather will an air mass that has passed over tropics bring?

A

Warm temperatures.

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12
Q

What weather will an air mass that has passed over the arctic bring?

A

Cold temperatures

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13
Q

What is the source area and weather characteristics of the Tropical Maritime (mT) air mass?

A

Source area = Atlantic Ocean

Weather characteristics = warm and wet

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14
Q

What air mass passes over Southern Europe and North Africa and brings warm and dry weather?

A

Tropical continental (cT)

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15
Q

What is the source area and weather characteristics of the Polar Maritime (mP) air mass?

A

Source area = North Atlantic

Weather characteristics = cold and wet

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16
Q

What air mass passes over Northern Europe and brings cold and dry weather?

A

Polar continental (cP)

17
Q

What is the source area and weather characteristics of the Arctic Maritime (mA) air mass?

A

Source area = Arctic Ocean

Weather characteristics = very cold but not always wet due to low humidity

18
Q

What is a synoptic chart?

A

A more detailed weather map which shows which type of weather system is moving over Britain.

19
Q

What is the main element that a synoptic chart measures?

A

Air pressure

20
Q

What are isobar lines?

A

Lines that join up areas of equal air pressure. The pattern they make shows areas of low or high pressure.

21
Q

What is a depression?

A

An area of low pressure which moves from west to east in the northern hemisphere.

22
Q

How can low pressure systems be identified from a synoptic chart?

A
  • cold fronts
  • warm fronts
  • possible occluded fronts
  • tightly packed isobars
  • isobars showing pressure decreasing towards centre
23
Q

In a low pressure system what front if the first to pass over?

A

Warm front

24
Q

Explain how a warm front is produced.

A

A warm front occurs when warm air meets cold air and the warm air rises above it.

25
Q

What weather does a warm front bring?

A

Steady continuous rain (and increasing winds, cloud cover and a slight rise in temperatures).

26
Q

What is the second front to pass in a depression?

A

A cold front.

27
Q

How does a cold front occur?

A

When cold air meets warm air. The cold air pushes the warm air upwards.

28
Q

What weather do cold fronts bring?

A

Heavy rain showers (and stronger winds and large clouds).

29
Q

What is formed when the cold front catches up with the warm front in a depression?

A

An occluded front.

30
Q

What weather do occluded fronts bring?

A

Sudden downpours of heavy rain.

31
Q

What is the warm sector?

A

The warm sector is found between the warm and cold fronts and conditions tend to settle, skies are dull and cloudy, temperatures rise slightly and there is little rain.

32
Q

What pressure systems does widely spaced isobars indicate?

A

High pressure systems (or anticyclones).

33
Q

What are anticyclones?

A

Anticyclones are areas of high pressure which bring calm, bright sunny conditions. (However temperature depends on time of year).