Climate e3 Flashcards
(33 cards)
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather the is temporarily condition of the atmosphere at a certain moment and a certain place. While climate is the average weather (temperature and precipitation) measured over 30 years in a large area.
What are climate differences due to?
Latitude, relief/altitude and sea’s influence
Explain the climate differences due to latitude.
Temperature: the lower the latitude, the warmer. Precipitation: wet with low pressure areas and dry at high pressure areas.
Explain the climate differences due to relief/altitude.
Temperature: the higher the altitude, the colder. Precipitation: with relief rainfall.
Explain the climate differences due to sea’s influence.
Temperature: warm/cold ocean currents. Precipitation: sea breeze (wet) / land breeze
What is the altitude?
The height of an area.
What is the vertical line called, that divides east and west. (longitude)
The Prime Meridian
Fill in: the equator has a latitude of … degrees. The North and South Pole of … degrees.
0, 90
Fill in: the Prime Meridian has a longitude of … degrees. The meridians go from … degrees to … degrees.
0, 0-180
What is latitude?
The angular distance, north or south of the equator.
What is the angle of incidence?
The angle of which the sun’s rays hit the earth.
Explain how the low latitudes get influenced by the sun rays.
At low latitudes a wider angle of incidence => sun ray have to warm a smaller area => more sun energy => warmer.
Sun ray travel a short distance through the atmosphere.
Explain how the high latitudes get influenced by the sun rays.
Narrow angle of incidence => sun rays have to warm a larger area => less sun energy => colder.
Sun rays travel a longer distance through the atmosphere => more sunlight is blocked.
Explain the sea’s influence in the summer.
- the sea is colder than the land
- a sea breeze will have a cooling effect, felt mostly near the cost
- a land breeze will not have this effect so much. It will be warmer
Explain the sea’s influence in the winter.
- sea is warmer than the land
- a sea breeze will have a warming effect, felt mostly near the cost
- a land breeze will be much colder
What way do ocean currents flow?
Warm ocean currents flow from the equator to the poles. Cold ocean currents flow from the poles to the equator.
What is the difference between the short and long water cycle?
In the short water cycle, the precipitation goes into the sea/ocean.
In the long water cycle the clouds are blown on to the land => precipitation => groundwater and rivers bring precipitation back to the ocean.
What are the 3 types of rainfall?
Relief, convectional and frontal.
What happens with relief rainfall?
When the air + water vapour is forced to rise over a mountain due to a sea breeze. Air rises => cools down => condensation => precipitation
What happens with convectional rainfall?
When air rises due to a lot of heat (equator) air rises => cools down => condensation => precipitation
What happens with a frontal rainfall?
With a warm front - moist warm air is blown by the wind over an area with cold air => air rises => cools down => precipitation
With a cold front - when cold air collides with warm air. The warm air is pushed upwards => cools down => condensation
Explain the enhanced Greenhouse effect.
People bring extra greenhouse gases into the atmosphere => this affects climate => globally temperature rises => enhanced greenhouse effect
Fill in the right words:
Winds goes from …… to …… pressure areas.
Winds goes from high to low pressure areas.
high, low
Name the climates A till E, and the characteristics.
A - tropical (always above 18 °C)
B - dry (less than 500 mm precipitation)
C - maritime (winter above -3 °C and mild summers)
D - continental (winters below -3°C and warm summers)
E - polar (always below 10°C) (tundra 10°C, polar 0°C)
