Weather

Question 1

State the four factors that affects weather?

Answer 1

• latitude
• relief
• aspect
• distance from the sea

Question 2

How does latitude affect the weather?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Explain how relief affects weather.

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Explain how aspect affects weather.

Answer 4

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

Question 5

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

Answer 5

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

Question 6

What is an air mass?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

What determines the weather an air mass brings?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Name the 5 main UK air masses.

Answer 8

• tropical maritime
• polar maritime
• arctic maritime
• polar continental
• tropical continental

Question 9

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

Answer 9

Dry

Question 10

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

Answer 10

Wet

Question 11

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

Answer 11

Warm temperatures.

Question 12

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

Answer 12

Cold temperatures

Question 13

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

Answer 13

Source area = Atlantic Ocean

Weather characteristics = warm and wet

Question 14

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

Answer 14

Tropical continental (cT)

Question 15

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

Answer 15

Source area = North Atlantic

Weather characteristics = cold and wet

Question 16

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

Answer 16

Polar continental (cP)

Question 17

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

Answer 17

Source area = Arctic Ocean

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

Question 18

What is a synoptic chart?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What is the main element that a synoptic chart measures?

Answer 19

Air pressure

Question 20

What are isobar lines?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What is a depression?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

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

Answer 22

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

Question 23

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

Answer 23

Warm front

Question 24

Explain how a warm front is produced.

Answer 24

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

Question 25

What weather does a warm front bring?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

What is the second front to pass in a depression?

Answer 26

A cold front.

Question 27

How does a cold front occur?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

What weather do cold fronts bring?

Answer 28

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

Question 29

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

Answer 29

An occluded front.

Question 30

What weather do occluded fronts bring?

Answer 30

Sudden downpours of heavy rain.

Question 31

What is the warm sector?

Answer 31

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.

Question 32

What pressure systems does widely spaced isobars indicate?

Answer 32

High pressure systems (or anticyclones).

Question 33

What are anticyclones?

Answer 33

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