Weather And Climate

Question 1

Altitude

Answer 1

Height above sea level. Lose up to 1C per 100m gain

Question 2

Anthropogenic climate change

Answer 2

Human induced climate change

Question 3

Anticyclone

Answer 3

An area of high atmospheric pressure

Question 4

Atmosphere

Answer 4

The envelope of air surrounding the Earth

Question 5

Atmospheric pressure

Answer 5

Pressure exerted by the atmosphere on any surface by virtue of its weight

Question 6

Climate

Answer 6

The long term average weather at a location; usually over a 30yr period

Question 7

Cold front

Answer 7

Cold air catching up the arm air mass, forcing its way under

Question 8

Continentality

Answer 8

Inland areas being away from the coast are drier

Question 9

Continental air

Answer 9

Dry air from a continent

Question 10

Conventional rainfall

Answer 10

Caused by rapidly rising air rising, cooling and condensing

Question 11

Depression

Answer 11

Area of low atmospheric pressure

Question 12

Evaporation

Answer 12

The physical process by which a liquid or solid substance is transformed to a gas

Question 13

Eye

Answer 13

Centre of the hurricane where sinking air creates clear conditions

Question 14

Eye wall

Answer 14

A high bank of cloud around the eye where wind speeds are high and heavy rain falls

Question 15

Fetch

Answer 15

Distance waves travel before landfall

Question 16

Fog

Answer 16

Water that has condensed close to the ground to form a dense low cloud with poor visibility

Question 17

Front

Answer 17

The boundary between two air masses

Question 18

Frontal rainfall

Answer 18

Warm air pushed over cold air forcing it to rise, cool and condense

Question 19

Global warming

Answer 19

An increase in average temperatures as a result of increased greenhouse gas emissions

Question 20

Greenhouse effect

Answer 20

The blanketing effect of the atmosphere which retains heat

Question 21

Greenhouse gases

Answer 21

Gases such as carbon dioxide and methane which effectively absorb heat

Question 22

Hurricane

Answer 22

Area of extreme low pressure. Also known as cyclones/typhoons/willy willies

Question 23

Insolation

Answer 23

Energy from the sun that heats the earth

Question 24

IPCC

Answer 24

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - the global authority on the latest climate change data and predictions

Question 25

Isobar

Answer 25

Line of equal pressure

Question 26

Kyoto Protocol

Answer 26

International Agreement in 1997 to get countries to reduce their emissions

Question 27

Maritime air

Answer 27

Air with lots of moisture from the oceans

Question 28

North Atlantic Drift

Answer 28

Ocean current, originating in the Gulf of Mexico that warms Northern Europe

Question 29

Occluded front

Answer 29

Where a cold front catches up with a warm front

Question 30

Okta

Answer 30

Measurement of cloud cover, measured in 1/8ths

Question 31

Polar air

Answer 31

Cold air from one of the poles

Question 32

Precipitation

Answer 32

All forms of water particles that reach the ground

Question 33

Prevailing wind

Answer 33

The direction from which the wind most frequently blows

Question 34

Rain shadow

Answer 34

Area in the lee of uplands where there is less rainfall

Question 35

Relief/orographic rainfall

Answer 35

Caused as air masses are forced over higher land

Question 36

Seasonality

Answer 36

Periodic fluctuations in an area's climate

Question 37

South-West

Answer 37

The UK's prevailing wind

Question 38

Track

Answer 38

The path or course of a hurricane

Question 39

Tropical air

Answer 39

Warm air from one of the tropics

Question 40

Warm front

Answer 40

Warm air catching up with cold air mass, and rising above it

Question 41

Warm sector

Answer 41

Area of warm air between warm front and cold front

Question 42

Weather

Answer 42

The conditions in the atmosphere at a given point in time

Question 43

Wind

Answer 43

Movements of wind caused by changes in temperature or pressure

Question 44

Air mass

Answer 44

A large body of air that has similar temperature, pressure and moisture