Unit 1 - Topic 1 Flashcards
what is solar insolation
the sun’s energy
why is there more heat at the equator
more direct and intense solar insolation
why is there less heat at the poles
the rays are at a lower angle and so solar insolation is spread over a larger area and this causes less heat
give 2 ways heat is redistributed globally
pressure differences and ocean currents
why are there areas of low pressure over land masses in summer
dark surfaces on land like soil and forest heat faster in summer, heating the air above which rises and expands and gets lighter, rising further forming areas of low pressure
land heats ___ in summer and cools ___ in winter
quickly quickly
give 2 reasons it takes longer for the sea to heat up
some sunlight is reflected from the surface
and some is absorbed to 30m of depth
the sea heats ___ and cools ____
slowly
slowly
in summer, there is an area of ___ pressure over the sea
high
why is there an area of high pressure over the sea in summer
air remains cooler and denser (as the sea takes longer to heat up) and so it has a high pressure
why does wind happen
differences in pressure cause air to move
why does wind move in a circular way
the earth rotates
which direction does the wind blow in
high to low pressure
in the summer in the northern hemisphere there is ___ pressure over land/continents but at the same time in the southern hemisphere there is ___ pressure over continents
low
high
give one area of england whose climate is strongly affected by ocean currents
the isles of scilly
what is the gulf stream
a warm ocean current
what warm ocean current heats cornwall
the gulf stream
the gulf stream when heading to europe is called what
the north atlantic drift
the north atlantic drift turns into what when it hits greenland and canada and turns what direction
the labrador current - south
why does the gulf stream exist? describe the mechanisms of it
in the north atlantic cold, salty water is heavy and sinks - creates a convection current - dragging surface water downwards - drawing warmer salty water over the ocean surface from areas of the equator such as the gulf of mexico
why is the water salty and being dragged down in the north atlantic ocean
hotter water from the equator evaporates leaving a higher salt concentration in the cooler water which then flows in the north atlantic ocean
what pressure does the inter tropical convergence zone have
low pressure
what do areas of low pressure bring
rain
where does the ITCZ form
within the tropics