Climate Of The British Isles Flashcards
What is the CTWM’s and what does it mean?
The Cool Temperate Western Maritime Climate Belt is the name given to the climate that is experienced by the UK and other countries of the same latitude and maritime influence (Ocean nearby)
What are the main influences upon the climate of the British isles?
- Latitude
- Maritime Belt (Atlantic Ocean)
What are the 5 air masses that affect the UK?
Tropical Maritime, Tropcial continental, polar maritime, polar continental, Arctic
Describe the Tropical Maritime air mass and its origin
Light, warm, moist
From SW Caribbean
Describe the the Tropcial Continental air mass and its origin
Light, dry, warm From SE (summer only)
Describe the polar maritime air mass and its origin
Dense, cold, moist
From NW Atlantic
Describe the polar continental air mass and its origins
Dense, dry, very cold From East (Siberia)
Describe the arctic air mass and its origin
Dense, VERY cold, dry
From North Pole
Outline the climate of the U.K Winter in 3 ways
1) Constant precipitation but is second driest season
2) Warmest temperatures but higher than average for latitude
3) Increase likelihood of anticyclones
Outline the climate of the U.K in summer in 3 ways
1) Constant precipitation, but is driest season
2) Warmest temperatures but lower than average for latitude
3) Increased likelihood of anticyclones
Why is the UK windy and prone to precipitation?
The British Isles experience constant rainfall and strong winds annually due to the constant presence of depressions traveling from West to East
Outline the location where depressions for the UK usually occur, what two air masses usually involved?
North Atlantic
Tropical Maritime: light, moist and warm
Polar Maritime: dense, moist, cold
What is the prevailing wind direction in the British Isles?
South West
Give 4 characteristics of British Weather?
1) Doesn’t experience weather extreme
2) Constant precipitation
3) Unpredictable
what storm events in the UK are you using?
December 2015 Storms (Eva, Desmond, Frank), St Jude’s storm, 1987 Great Storm
What was the lowest recorded pressure for the three storms in December 2015?
928mb
How many SEVERE flood warnings were announced over the UK for the 2015 storms and what does this mean?
30 - Danger to Life
What was the name of the place that received 1metre of rainfall for December?
Capel Curig
What are the impacts of Storm Frank?
6 Deaths
Cost of £5 Billion
Economic output forecast of UK cut by 0.2%
What was the name of the transport link that was destroyed by the 2015 storms storm surge?
Train line bridge between south Devon and Cornwall in Dawlish
What were the responses to the 2015 storms?
Army used to evacuate stranded people in flooded houses
30 flood warnings issued over December
What was the lowest recorded pressure in the 1987 Great Storm?
960mb
How strong were wind speeds in the 1987 great storm
150kmh
What parts of the UK were worst affected by the 1987 Great Storm?
Southern England
What were the impacts of the 1987 Great Storm?
19killed
£1.5 Billion cost
15 million trees> Disrupted the infrastructure and transport systems
What were the responses to the 1987 Great storm?
Emergency teams
Clean up of trees took months
Improved forecasting technology
What is the name of the 2013 storm?
St Jude’s
What was the lowest recorded pressure of the St Jude’s storm?
965mb
What was the highest recorded wind gust for the St Jude’s Storm?
158kmh
What were the impacts of the St Jude’s storm?
4 killed
660,000 powerless
10 million uprooted trees
Flooding in Cardiff
What were the responses to the 2013 St Jude’s storm?
1) Amber weather warnings
2) Media messages with assistance from govt., social media and transport agencies
3) Cancelations
4) Clean up
What are the uniform impacts across the storm events?
Damage to infrastructure, homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, areas of environmental importance, transport links. Storm surges at coastal regions and flooding
What are uniform responses of the storm events?
Emergency response teams trying to resume normality
