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Geography > Weather > Flashcards

Weather Flashcards

1
Q

Climate

A

The weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period

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2
Q

Weather

A

The state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time as regards heat, cloudiness, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain etc.

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3
Q

Measuring the weather - Devices

A

Rain gauge - Precipitation
Maximum/ Minimum thermometer - Temperature
Sunshine recorder - Sunshine
Wind vane - Wind direction
Barometer - Air pressure
Anemometer - Wind speed
Hygrometer - Humidity

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4
Q

How to measure cloud cover

A

Hold a card with 8 equal squares up to the sky + count the amount of sqaures filled.

1 square = 1 okta

More oktas = more cloud coverage

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5
Q

Cirrus - Characteristics

A
  • Found at high altitudes
  • Wispy, with a silky sheen (tufts of hair)
  • White, but can take on colours of sunset / sunrise.
  • Made up of ice crystals
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6
Q

Cumulus - Characteristics

A
  • Detached, individual, cauliflower-shaped clouds.
  • Usually spotted in fair weather conditions.
  • Tops of these clouds = mostly brilliant white tufts when lit by the Sun
  • Base is usually relatively dark.
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7
Q

Stratus - Characteristics

A
  • Low-level layers
  • Fairly uniform grey or white colour.
  • Often overcast days
  • Can persist for long periods of time.
  • Sometimes appear at surface of fog/mist
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8
Q

Cumulonimbus - Characteristics

A
  • Menacing looking
  • Extend high into the sky in towers or plumes.
  • Thunderclouds.
  • Can produce hail, thunder and lightning.
  • Base of the cloud is often flat, + dark wall-like feature hanging underneath,
  • May only lie a few hundred feet above the Earth’s surface.
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9
Q

What type of weather do cirrus clouds bring?

A
  • Often form in advance of a warm front.
  • Often indicate a change in weather.
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10
Q

What type of weather do cumulus clouds bring?

A
  • Cumulus indicates fair weather, often popping up on bright sunny days.
  • Can however, grow into cumulonimbus
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11
Q

What type of weather do stratus clouds bring?

A
  • Little to no rainfall but if it is thick enough, it can produce light drizzle.
  • This drizzle can also fall in the form of light snow if cold enough
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12
Q

What type of weather do cumulonimbus clouds bring?

A
  • Extreme weather (Heavy torrential downpours, hail storms, lightning and even tornadoes)
  • Usually dissipate within an hour once showers start falling (Short-lived, heavy rainfall)
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13
Q

Hygrometer - How it works

A
  • Two thermometers (wet and dry thermometer)
  • Dry thermometer measures current temperature
  • Wet thermometer covered with a muslin cloth submerged in water.
  • If air is extremely saturated (no water will evaporate from cloth bc air can’t hold more humidity)
  • If air isn’t humid, water evaporates from cloth
  • Evaporation = endothermic –> therefore temperature of wet thermometer decreases
  • Use of relative humidity chart to find percentage in relative humidty using differences in humidity.
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14
Q

Anemometer - How it works

A
  • Measures wind speed (km/h)
  • 3 or 4 metal cups that can rotate on a vertical shaft.
  • When there is wind, the cups rotate

Faster wind = Faster rotation
- Number of rotations recorded on a meter = speed in km/h

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15
Q

Where should an anemometer be placed?

A
  • Placed far away from trees/ buildings.
  • Can slow down winds / buildings can channel air through narrow passages between two buildings.
  • Placed high up
  • (avoids interference by animals)
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16
Q

Wind vane - How it works

A
  • Measures wind direction
  • Wind vane (points of the compass fixed + points in NESW directions)
  • Above compass an arrow lies that can be moved by very light winds
  • Winds blows it moves the arrow so it points to the direction the wind is coming (bc wind pushes on larger metal feather part on the arrow)
17
Q

How is wind speed shown on weather diagrams?

A
  • Winds shown by arrows on weather maps
  • Shaft of arrow = wind direction
  • Feathers on arrow = wind speed (more feathers = faster wind)
18
Q

Aneroid barometer - How it works

A
  • Measures air pressure in millibars (mb)
  • Above 1013 mb is said to be high pressure and below this is low pressure.
  • Has a sealed box that can change shape
  • As air pushes down on box, it changes shape + moves needle on the dial —> produces a reading on a calibrated scale.
  • Readings from an aneroid barometer = shown on a barograph.

(Barometers = often stored inside stevenson screen)

19
Q

Low air pressure (weather conditions)

A
  • Unsettled conditions –> bc warm air can easily rise of the surface of the earth which leads to condensation + clouds + maybe rain.
20
Q

High air pressure (weather conditions)

A
  • Settled / clear conditions bc cool air is descending + warming up (no clouds formed from rising air)
21
Q

Maximum / Minimum thermometer - How it works

A
  • U-shaped tube filled with alcohol + mercury
  • Right side of tube shows maximum temp, left side shows minimum temperature
  • Temperature increases –> alcohol in left tube expands –> Mercury moves toward right tube –> metal index in right tube also shifts –> Gives maximum temp for the day.
  • Temp decreases –> alcohol contracts in left tube –> mercury moves into the left tube –> metal index in left tube shifts –> gies minimum temp

Instrument reset using a magnet

Daily temperature range = difference beteween maximum and minimum temperature

Usually stored inside stevenson screen so temp can be recorded in shade

22
Q

Rain gauge - How it works

A
  • Precipitation measured in rain gauge
  • Collected in a cylinder with a mm scale on the side
  • Placed in open space so only raindrops enter funnel + ehld above ground to stop water splashing up from teh ground
  • Emptied every 24 hours usually.
23
Q

Sunshine recorder - How it works

A
  • Glass sphere partially surrounded by metal frame.
  • Strip of special card (divided into hours + mintues = placed below sphere)
  • When sun shines –> sphere focuses suns rays on card
  • As sun moves –> rays burn trace on the card

Card replaced each day

  • Length of trace = amount of sunshine the area recieved.
24
Q

What is a Stevenson Screen?

A

Shelter used to house metrological instruments.

Protects them from precipitation, sunshine, strong winds + ground heat. (Allows accurate readings to be taken)

25
Q

Characteristics of a stevenson screen

A
  • Stored away from artificial sources of heat (eg. central heating systems)
  • Sited on flat land
  • Painted white to reflect sunlight
  • Slats allow air to circulate freely
  • Kept in fenced off area to avoid damage from people/ animals
  • Made from wood bc bad conductor of heat
  • Door of screen faces away from sun to prevent sunshine through slats.
  • Kept 1.25 meteres above ground to stop ground heat from reflecting upwards.
  • Placed on vegetation bc rocks/ concrete absorb heat, making area warmer.
26
Q

What weather measuring equipment is placed in a stevenson screen?

A
  • Maximum-minimum thermometer
  • Barometer
  • Hygrometer
27
Q

How is cloud cover shown on weather station models?

A

Circle partially filled in.

% of circle filled in = amount of cloud coverage.

28
Q

Why rain falls….

A

Water condenses as it rises + forms clouds…

  • Sometimes water droplets combine o orm larger drops / crystals.

If they become too large + heavy –> they fall from sky as precipitation.

29
Q

Relief rainfall

A
  • Relief rainfall occurs when air has been blown over the sea and is then forced up over an area of high land.
  • This causes the air to cool and the moisture in the air condenses and rain falls.
30
Q

Frontal rainfall

A
  • Frontal rainfall occurs when warm air is forced to rise over cold air.
  • The moisture in the warm air condenses as it cools which causes clouds and rain.
31
Q

Convectional rainfall

A
  • Occurs mostly in tropics where it is hot.
  • When air is hot is rises and cools and condenses forming rain.
  • If the air is hot enough, it rises very quickly and can cause thunderstorms.

Geography (14 decks)

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