Weather And Climate

Question 1

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Answer 1

Weather is day to day and climate is usually measured in a period of 30 years.

Question 2

What are the key elements of weather?

Answer 2

Sunshine duration/cloud cover, wind speed/direction, precipitation, air pressure, temperature, relative humidity (R.H.)

Question 3

What are the instruments to measure elements of weather?

Answer 3

Thermometer, Barometer, Wet and dry thermometers, wind vane, Anemometer, rain gauge, sunshine recorder

Question 4

What is the unit used for measuring air pressure?

Answer 4

hPa

Question 5

What are the possible units for measuring wind speed?

Answer 5

m/s, or km/h for strong winds like typhoons

Question 6

True or false: Anemometers are used to measure air pressure.

Answer 6

False. Barometers are used for air pressure.

Question 7

True or false: Wind vanes measure wind speed.

Answer 7

False. Wind speeds are measured by Anemometers.

Question 8

True or false: the tool used to measure sunshine duration is called Sunshine Recorder.

Answer 8

True.

Question 9

What are symbolised by these symbols?
•
*
，
Inverted Δ
What category of weather elements do they belong to?

Answer 9

Rain, snow, drizzle, shower

Precipitation

Question 10

What are symbolised by these symbols?
|-
|—
What category of weather elements do they belong to?

Answer 10

2.5m/s, 5m/s

Wind speed

Question 11

What are symbolised by these symbols?

Ξ
♾

Answer 11

Mist, fog, haze

Question 12

How do typhoons form?

Answer 12

1. > =26.5°C warm sea surface temperature
2. Moist air is evaporated from the ocean and condenses to form clouds
3. More warm air rises and form towering clouds
4. The clouds form a low pressure system and suck air into it
5. The air and clouds spirals upwards
6. The low pressure system sucks in more air, creating strong winds

Question 13

What are the preventive measures for typhoons?

Answer 13

1. Well-developed warning system
2. Appropriate housing: concrete houses with four-sided roofs and shatter-resistant glass films (May be built on stilts)
3. Urban planning: avoid building houses in areas that can be potentially flooded
4. Education of people in case of emergency

Question 14

What are the remedial measures for typhoons?

Answer 14

1. Well-trained rescue teams

2. Temporary shelter centres for people whose homes are lost/heavily damaged

Question 15

What is the definition of air pressure?

Answer 15

The force which the air exerts on the ground

Question 16

What is usually the weather condition in days with low air pressure?

Answer 16

The temperature is high and the weather is cloudy and unstable.

Question 17

What is usually the weather condition for days with high air pressure?

Answer 17

The temperature is low and it is sunny.

Question 18

In July in Hong Kong, which direction are most winds from? What weather characteristics does it form? Explain using theory of air pressure.

Answer 18

In July in Hong Kong, the temperature is hot and the air is heated. This results in low air pressure. Meanwhile, in Australia, the temperature is low and the air is cooled. This results in high air pressure. As air flows from high pressure areas to low pressure areas, Hong Kong receives winds from the South. As the winds pass through the Southern China Sea, the weather of Hong Kong in July is humid.

Question 19

What is the normal air pressure?

Answer 19

1013.5hPa

Question 20

What are the factors affecting climate?

Answer 20

Latitude and angle of the sun, land and sea, altitude, relief barrier

Question 21

What are the properties of land and sea?

Answer 21

Land heats up (in summer) and cools down (in winter) faster than the sea.

Question 22

The temperature at sea level is 30°C. What is the temperature at the peak of Mount Everest (approx. 9000m altitude)?

Answer 22

-24°C

Question 23

What happens on a windward slope of a mountain near the sea?

Answer 23

1. Wet onshore winds blow from the sea
2. Air is forced to go up the slope
3. Air cools
4. R. H. Increases
5. At dew point, the air is saturated
6. Water vapour condenses into clouds
7. Rain falls

Question 24

What happens on a leeward slope of a mountain near the sea?

Answer 24

1. Air sinks
2. Air is compressed and becomes warm
3. The air becomes dry, resulting in little rainfall

Question 25

What is an example of relief barrier in Hong Kong?

Answer 25

Tai Mo Shan

Question 26

Why does the angle of the sun (latitude) affect climate? Explain in terms of concentration of radiation.

Answer 26

Sunlight forms a right angle when in contact with regions of low latitude, and shines at a smaller area of land. Meanwhile, sunlight forms an acute angle when in contact with regions of high latitude, and shines at a larger area of land. Therefore, the solar radiation is more concentrated in lower-latitude areas than higher-latitude areas.

Question 27

Are there any other reasons why the angle of the sun (latitude) affects climate?

Answer 27

Yes. In lower-latitude regions, the solar radiation has to pass through a shorter distance through the atmosphere to reach the ground. Meanwhile, in higher-latitude regions, the solar radiation has to pass through a longe distance o the atmosphere. As the atmosphere contains dust and clouds which can absorb or reflect the radiation, more energy reaches the ground in lower-latitude regions than that of higher-latitude regions, so the temperature is higher in lower-latitude regions.

Question 28

What is the climate of inland areas called? | What are usually the climatic characteristics in inland areas?

Answer 28

Continental climate There is a very high seasonal distribution of temperature. There is no seasonal distribution of rainfall, it is consistently very low.

Question 29

What is the climate of costal areas called?

Answer 29

Maritime climate

Question 30

For every 1000m you go higher in altitude, the temperature decreases by 6’C. What is this effect called?

Answer 30

Environmental lapse rate

Question 31

What are the names of the five climatic zones of China?

Answer 31

Temperate monsoon, subtropical monsoon, tropical monsoon, temperate continental, highland

Question 32

Which climatic zone is Hong Kong in? What are the characteristics of this climatic zone?

Answer 32

Subtropical monsoon climate | It has hot summers, mild winters, and 1000-1500 annual precipitation

Question 33

Arrange the five climatic zones in China from the zone with the most precipitation to the least. State the average approximate annual precipitation of each zone.

Answer 33

Tropical monsoon (1500-2000mm), subtropical monsoon (1000-1500mm), temperate monsoon (500-1000mm), temperate continental (200-500mm), highland (less than 50mm to more than 4000mm)