Weather And Climate

Question 1

Define the term weather

Answer 1

Weather is the short term atmospheric conditions of a specific place. Examples include: rain, temperature, wind speed and cloud cover

Question 2

Define the term climate.

Answer 2

Climate is the long term atmospheric conditions of a specific place. Example include the average measurmenabt to of temperature and precipitation over a period of time.

Question 3

What are the four main layers of the earths atmosphere?

Answer 3

Thermosphere

Mesosphere

Stratosphere

Troposphere

Question 4

What is the atmosphere?

Answer 4

A mixture of gases that surrounds the earth

Question 5

Describe the conditions of the troposphere.

Answer 5

1. Extends 12km up from the earths surface
2. Temperature decreases with altitude because the earths surface warms the troposphere
3. Lots of turbulence because warm air rises and cooler air sink

Question 6

Describe the conditions of the stratosphere.

Answer 6

1. Extends from 12km to 50km up
2. Temperature increase with altitude because the ozone layer is found in the lower stratosphere which absorbed UV radiation
3. There isn’t any turbulence and no clouds

Question 7

Describe the conditions of the mesosphere.

Answer 7

1. The mesosphere extends from 50km to 90km up

2. Temperature decreases with altitude because the mesosphere is warmed by the stratosphere

Question 8

Describe the conditions of the Thermosphere

Answer 8

1. The thermosphere extends deal
   Around 90km to 1000km up
2. Temperature increases with altitude because small amounts of oxygen in this later absorb UV radiation.

Question 9

What happens to solar radiation as it as it reaches the earth?

Answer 9

50% of insolation is absorbed by the earths surface

25% is reflected back into space by the air and clouds in the atmosphere

20% is absorbed by the air and clouds in the atmosphere

5% is reflected back into space but the earths surface

Question 10

What are the four main factors which affect how much solar radiation the atmosphere receives?

Answer 10

1. The solar constant
2. The distance from the sun through orbit
3. Height of the sun in the sky
4. Length of day and night

Question 11

Why are higher latitudes colder?

Answer 11

they received less solar radiation because the sun is lower in the sky and because there are fewer hours of daylight in winter.

Question 12

Why are higher altitudes colder?

Answer 12

The temperature is greatest closer to the source and decrease away from it.

Air pressure decreases and so there are fewer air molecules moving so less heat is formed.

Question 13

What is wind?

Answer 13

Large scale movements of air caused by differences in are pressure

Question 14

How does wind move?

Answer 14

Winds move from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

Question 15

What is the ITCZ?

Answer 15

A zone at the equator of low pressure, high rainfall and high cloud formation.

Question 16

What happens to warm air once it rises at the ITCZ?

Answer 16

It cools and moves out to 30º north or south of equator.

Question 17

What happens to the cooler air once it reaches 30º north or south of equator?

Answer 17

It sinks creating high pressure. Sub tropical jet streams are also found here.

Question 18

What happens once the cool air has sank to the surface at 30º north and south of equator?

Answer 18

Winds move it either back to the equator (via trade winds) or towards the poles (westerly winds).

Question 19

What happens to winds once they reach 60º north or south of equator?

Answer 19

Warm winds meet cooler winds from the poles. The warm air is less dense so it rises and the cold air sink beneath creating low pressure.

Question 20

Explain why the UK’s Latitude has an effect on the climate?

Answer 20

The UK is at mid latitude (between 50 to 55º N. It doesn’t get very hot because the sun is never very high. It also doesn’t get too cold because there are several hours of daylight in winter.

Question 21

Explain why the UK’s maritime Location has an effect on the climate?

Answer 21

The UK is surrounded by water which gains and relates heat more slowly than land which means there is cooler wind in summer and warmer winds in winter.

Question 22

Why does temperature vary within the UK?

Answer 22

It is warmer in the south because there is more insolation because the sun is higher in the sky compared to the north where it is lower which mean there are more hours of daylight in the south. Average max temp in south is 13.6˚C and 9.3˚C in the north.

Question 23

Why does precipitation vary within the UK?

Answer 23

It is wetter in the west than in the east because south westerly winds bring warm wet air from the atlantic. The air reaches the west coast and is first up over the land.
The west is more mountainous than the eastern side so the air masses lose most their moisture in the west.

Question 24

Why does wind vary within the UK?

Answer 24

Winds are more stronger in the west because south westerly winds come over the ocean which is flat and there is nothing blocking them. Winds are also stronger at higher altitudes because there is less obstacles blocking them.

Question 25

What are the 5 main air masses affecting the UK?

Answer 25

- Artic maritime - Polar continental - Polar maritime - Tropical continental - Tropical maritime

Question 26

Describe polar maritime air masses.

Answer 26

Air masses which form over the north atlantic can. They bring cold, wet air which causes cold weather and rain.

Question 27

Describe tropical maritime air masses.

Answer 27

Air masses form over the atlantic ocean. They bring warm wet are which causes warm weather and rain.

Question 28

Describe Artic maritime air masses.

Answer 28

air masses for over the artic ocean. They bring cold, wet air which causes cold weather and rainfall.

Question 29

Describe polar continental air masses.

Answer 29

Air masses which form over Siberia. They bring cold dry are which causes very cold, dry weather. These air masses can bring snow.

Question 30

Describe tropical continental air masses.

Answer 30

Air masses which form over Africa. They bring warm dry air which causes hot, dry weather.

Question 31

Where do depressions form in the UK ?

Answer 31

Over the atlantic ocean then they move east towards the UK.

Question 32

What happens when two air masses meet in a depression?

Answer 32

The warm air heading toward the poles rises above the cold air heading toward the tropics because warm air is less dense then cold air.

Question 33

What fronts move faster in a depression, cold or warm?

Answer 33

Cold front move more quickly than warm fronts so cold fronts always catch up with the warmth.

Question 34

What happens when the cold front catches up with the warmer front in a depression?

Answer 34

The warm air behind the warm front is undercut by the cold front and is lifted away front the ground. It now sits above the cold air. This is called an occluded front.

Question 35

Explain why depressions bring bad weather.

Answer 35

When the warm air is undercut and pushed up over the cold air it forms low, thick clouds and sustained heavy showers. Rapidly rising air makes it very windy at the surface.

Question 36

What are anticyclones?

Answer 36

Areas of high pressure cause by large masses of falling air.

Question 37

How do anticyclones form?

Answer 37

Air falls from the upper atmosphere and warms on its way down. This causes humidity to decrease because air masses can hold more moisture as they get warmer which means clouds do not develop.

Question 38

Describe the characteristics of an anticyclone.

Answer 38

There is not much difference in air pressure between the centre and the edges. Thereby there is little and weak winds. The winds flow clockwise to the centre.

Question 39

Describe the weather of a summer anticyclone in UK.

Answer 39

- Low temperatures during the day because sun is at low angle. - Extremely cold in night because clear skies allow loss of heat through radiation - Low level clouds and radiation fog High levels of atmospheric pollution. Lack of winds means that pollutants aren't dispersed.

Question 40

Describe the weather of a winter anticyclone in UK.

Answer 40

- No clouds mean there is greater insolation - Temperature inversions can cause dew in morning and mist - Very high temperatures - Coastal areas may get fog and strong breezes. - Risk of thunderstorms due to rapidly rising warm air.

Question 41

What are the characteristics of an equatorial climate?

Answer 41

- Hot temperature all year round with colder temperatures at night - High rainfall all year round with a fairly even distribution through the year. It rains every day - Winds are mostly warm trade winds and vary in strength over the year

Question 42

What causes the characteristics of an equatorial climate?

Answer 42

- The sun is overhead all year round. - The ITCZ influences the weather all year round, bringing rain every day. - Strong convection currents causes regular rainfall. Rainfall is heated and rises where it cools and condenses back into rainfall.

Question 43

What are the characteristics of a monsoon climate?

Answer 43

- Hot temperatures all year round varying by up to 10ºC between summer and winter. - Rainfall is high. Most of the rain falls in the wet season and little falls in the dry season - Wind changes direction with the season. In the wet season, winds blow towards the land in in the dry season, winds blow towards the sea.

Question 44

What causes the characteristics of a monsoon climate?

Answer 44

- The sun is overhead all year round - Seasonal changes in rainfall, temp, wind are caused by seasonal shifts in the position of the ITCZ and zones of high pressure.

Question 45

What happens to during the cool, dry season of a monsoon climate?

Answer 45

- The ITCZ moves south, northern hemisphere monsoon areas lie under high pressure so get little rain. - The ITCZ is over the ocean and a zone of high pressure is over land. This forces winds from the land to the ocean - The land is cooler than the ocean so the NE winds are cool and bring lower temperatures.

Question 46

What happens during the warm, wet season of a monsoon climate?

Answer 46

- The ITCZ moves north which brings low pressure and heavy rainfall to the tropical monsoon areas in the northern hemisphere. - The ITCZ is over land so this forces winds from the ocean towards the land. - The ocean is warmer than the land so the SE winds bring warmer air and higher temperatures to the land.

Question 47

What conditions are needed for tropical revolving storms to form?

Answer 47

- A disturbance such as an area of low pressure near the sea surface that triggers a storm. - Sea water that is warm so lots of water will evaporate. - Convergence of air in the lower atmosphere either ate the ITCZ or at a front which forces warm air to rise. - A location at least 5º from the equator because anything less won't be affected because the Coriolis effect isn't strong enough.