Cold Environments Flashcards
What is the UK’s latitude?
50-60 degrees
What is Worcester’s latitude?
52 degrees
What is the latitude of the arctic circle?
66 degrees north
What is insolation?
Incoming solar radiation
What are the 5 reasons why some places are called cold environments?
High latitude High altitude Continentality Albedo effect 24hrs sunlight/darkness
Where is considered high latitude?
Above 70 degrees
Give some examples of cold environments
Antarctica North Pole - no land pass Greenland Arctic - region The European alps Scottish highlands
Where are cold environments located?
Very north and south
Furthest away from the equator
Give a definition of cold environments
Regions, or countries, located at high altitude or latitude
What is an ice sheet?
A continuous area of ice that is at least 50,000km squared
Where are the 2 ice sheets in the world located?
Greenland - northern hemisphere
Antarctica - southern hemisphere
Explain how the albedo effect can help keep regions cold?
Ice, water and snow are good reflectors of solar radiation. This means that up to 95% of the sun’s rays are reflected back into space and heat is not absorbed therefore the area is kept cold.
Explain how high latitude can cause an environment to be cold
The sun’s rays hit the Earth and are concentrated at the Equator this causes countries in this area to be warmer.
High latitudes receive less solar radiation as the sun’s rays have a longer distance to travel and a larger sufferance area to heat.
Explain how high altitude can cause an environment to be cold
High altitudes are colder because air temperature decreased with increasing altitude.
Less of the sun’s energy reflected back from the earth is trapped at higher altitudes making it colder.
Lower air pressures higher up also mean that temperatures decrease. It gets between 6 and 10 degrees colder fro every 1000m you go up.
Explain how continentality causes an environment to be cold
Places at the same latitude have different climates because of the sea.
The UK has a maritime influence which means the earth is able to transport heat from the equator through the sea to higher latitude countries.
The Gulf Stream brings warm,moist air and warm water to the UK which makes it hospitable
Areas that are land locked do not have a maritime influence and experience a much more extreme climate
Land heats up quickly and the sea heats up slowly. Therefore the land loses heat quickly whilst the sea loses heat slower causing a more temperate climate.
