Weather Flashcards
describe the weather elements
temp - thermometer
humidity - wet and dry bulb
rainfall - rain gauge
force of wind - anemometer
wind direction - wind vain
sunlight - glass ball
air pressure - barometer
visibility - observation
cloud cover - eyes
what factors affect local weather
latitude
aspect
relief
distance from the sea
urban heat island
how does latitude affect weather
-further north the suns rays pass through a greater depth of atmosphere and cover a wider area thus they are weaker
- poles the white snow reflects the sun this lower temps
at the equator the atmosphere has a smaller depth and rays cover a smaller area thus they are stronger at the equator dark green trees absorb the heat
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how does aspect affect weather
- places facing south are warmer bc they recieve more heat from the sun in the south at it’s warmest sheltered from the cold northerly winds
- places facing north are colder bc they recieve little if any direct sunlight are cooled by northerly winds
how does relief affect weather
temps decrease by 1oC for every 100m in height
they are also wetter bc fewer solids particles in the upper air to retain heat so heat lost to space
lowland areas are much warmer and dried
distance from the sea affecting weather
- in the winter it is warmer in the west of the uk bc :
water heats up slowest but cools down slowely
land heats up quickly but cools down quick
the atlantic ocean is warmer that the land surface because water cooled down, slower than land.
A warm ocean current North Atlantic drift, makes temp even warmer. This current comes up from the equator bringing warm water north.
winds come from sw and so they bring warmth from the atlantic to the uk
in summer it is cooler in the west bc
atlantic ocean is now cooler than the land surface as it takes longer to heat up
how does the urban heat island affect weather
- cities are warmer than rural areas bc there more densely built up and trap heat
- more cars and buses etc as well as people and these all trap heat
how does relief affect rainfall
- upland areas recieve more rain than lowland bc :
cool air containing water vapour blows from the atlantic ocean and reaches hills
the air rises over the hills and cools down
as it cools down the water vapour condenses in the liquid drops
clouds form as millions of droplets condenes
the water droplets become bigger and fall as rain
this tule of rain is called relief rainfall
how does aspect affect rainfall
- hillsides which face moist winds recieve the most rain
in the uk west facing slopes bc Atlantic ocean is west other side of the hill the air sinks and warms up
v little water vapour will condense so there are fewer clouds and less rainfall called rain shadow area
how does distance from the sea affect rainfall
water vapour in the air has evaporated from the warm atlantic ocean
winds reach the west coast they are full of water vapour and bring rain
winds move eastwards they drop their water so bring less rain to places further east
name the diff types of air masses
- polar maritime
- tropical maritime
- polar contenential
- tropical contenential
- artic
what does isobars show
how strong winds are
state the conditions in front of the warm front
cold bc experiencing cold polar air
dry bc no fronts
little sun and little sunshine bc it is dry
winds strong bc isobars are close together
winds from Sw bc winds blow anti clockwise parallel to isobars
conditions at the warm front
temp increase bc warm front is approaching
light rain and drizzle bc air rises at a gentle angle at WF
cloud cover lower and thicker bc it is raining
no sun bc the clouds block out the sun
winds will strong bc isobars are close
winds SW bc winds blow anti-clockwise
conditions in the warm sector
warm bc warm sector you get tropical air
dry bc no fronts
skies will be clear and sun sunshine bc it’s dry
winds will be strong bc the isobars are close together
winds will be West bc winds blow anti-clockwise
