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Abi Geography 2015 > Climate Regions > Flashcards

Climate Regions Flashcards

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1
Q

What is climate?

A

Climate describes the general weather that a certain area has. It has been observed over a long period of time.

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2
Q

What are the two important parts of climate?

A

Rainfall and temperature

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3
Q

What is temperature?

A

Temperature describes how hot or cold a place gets.

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4
Q

What are climate graphs?

A

Climate graphs are a way of representing climate information like temperature and rainfall.

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5
Q

What five factors influence temperature and rainfall?

A 
Distance from the equator (latitude)
Distance from the sea
Height above sea level
Ocean currents
Mountains (relief)
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6
Q

How does distance from the equator affect temperature and rainfall?

A

Areas closer to the equator receive more direct sunlight. The sunlight is also more concentrated closer to the equator, so the closer to the equator a place is, the warmer that place will be. The warmer a place is, the more evaporation and therefore precipitation, can take place

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7
Q

How does distance form the sea influence temperature?

A

Temperatures in coastal areas will be more regulated than places far from the sea.

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8
Q

How does the sea help to regulate temperature?

A

Liquids take longer to heat up than solids, but they are able to retain heat for longer. The sea absorbs heat during the day, and releases this heat at night. The sea therefore heats and cools coastal areas, while the air does the opposite. These alternating changes regulate the temperatures.

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9
Q

How does height above sea level (altitude) affect temperature and rainfall?

A

Temperature decreases with altitude.

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10
Q

Why does temperature decrease with altitude?

A

Air heats up from below. As altitude increases, air molecules move further apart, and the heat energy is not distributed evenly. The overall heat, therefore, is reduced.

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11
Q

By how many degrees does temperature decrease at different altitude?

A

It decreases by 6.5°C for every 1000 metres of altitude.

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12
Q

What are ocean currents?

A

Ocean currents are large masses of water that constantly move.

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13
Q

Where do ocean currents come from?

A

Warm ocean currents flow from the equator and cold Ocean currents flow from Antartica and the Arctic.

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14
Q

What is weather?

A

Weather is the day to day conditions of the state of the atmosphere.

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15
Q

Why do Ocean currents always flow to the right (East)?

A

The Earth spins in an Easterly direction, so causes Ocean currents to flow to the right.

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16
Q

How does the relief (mountains) influence temperature?

A

Because of the tilt of the Earth’s axis, the North and South sides of a mountain will receive different amounts of solar radiation.

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17
Q

How do mountains influence rainfall?

A

Mountains sometimes cause air to rise, but it cools because of the altitude and rains on that side of the mountain, before it can reach the other side of the mountain and distribute there.

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18
Q

What is a physical map?

A

A physical map shows the way the land is formed. It focuses on the physical features of a country rather than the roads and man made features.

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19
Q

What is another name for a physical map?

A

A topographic map.

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20
Q

What is a map maker called?

A

A cartographer.

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21
Q

How is the average minimum temperature calculated?

A

It is calculated by adding all of the minimum temperatures for each day of the month, then dividing them by the number of days in the month.

22
Q

What is the difference between the highest and the lowest temperatures called?

A

It is called the temperature range.

23
Q

Why is the East side of South Africa warmer than the West side?

A

The warm Agulhas current brings the heat from the equator to the East side of South Africa, whereas the cold Benguela current brings the cold from Antartica to the West side.

24
Q

What are rain shadow areas?

A

Rain shadow areas are areas that have low rainfall because of mountains.

25
Q

What are the most important elements of weather?

A

Precipitation, winds and humidity

26
Q

What is precipitation?

A

Any form of water that falls out of the sky. e.g. Rain, hail, sleet, snow

27
Q

What is humidity?

A

Humidity is the amount of water contained in the air.

28
Q

How are winds caused?

A

Winds are caused by moving air.

29
Q

How many climate regions are there?

A

There are nine.

31
Q

What are the different types of climate?

A

Tropical, sub-tropical, temperate, desert, semi desert, continental, polar, Mediterranean, tundra and alpine.

32
Q

Where do tropical climates occur?

A

25° North and South of the equator.

33
Q

What are tropical climates like?

A

They are usually warm and wet, and do not have a high temperature range. The average temperature is 25°C. The average rainfall is about 2000mm per year. The usual vegetation is that of a rainforest.

34
Q

Where do sub-tropical climates occur?

A

They occur further from the equator than tropical climates, mainly between 20° and 40° North and South of the equator.

35
Q

What are sub-tropical climates like?

A

They are relatively warm. They have Summer and Winter. The temperatures range between 15°-20°C. The annual precipitation is high- normally over 1000mm.

36
Q

Where do temperate climates occur?

A

Normally between 40°-65° North and South of the equator.

37
Q

What are temperate climates like?

A

They are mild climates. The average temperature is 10°C. Its rainy season is during winter. The annual rainfall total is around 1400mm.

38
Q

What is a desert?

A

A desert is an area that receives less than 250mm of rain year. There are hot deserts and cold deserts.

39
Q

What is the temperature range for a hot desert?

A

A hot desert can reach 50°C during the day and almost 0°C at night.

40
Q

Where can you find a semi-desert climate?

A

They occur on the borders of true deserts.

41
Q

What is a semi-desert climate like?

A

A semi-desert receives between 250-500mm of rain a year with high temperatures. Droughts are common.

42
Q

Where can a continental climate be found?

A

It can be found between 30° and 60° North of the equator.

43
Q

What is a continental climate like?

A

It has rainfall of between 500mm and 1250mm per year. Summers are short and winters are long. Summers have temperatures above 20°C, and winters can drop to below freezing.

44
Q

Where do polar climates occur?

A

They occur near the North and South Poles.

45
Q

What are polar climates like?

A

They have Summer and Winter, although Summers are warmer, the temperature rarely rises above freezing. Because of the low temperatures there is little precipitation.

46
Q

Where do tundra climates occur?

A

They occur between 60° and 75° North and South of the equator.

47
Q

What are tundra climates like?

A

They have average temperatures of 2°-12°C. They have an average precipitation of 100mm-400mm.

48
Q

Where do alpine climates occur?

A

They occur in mountainous areas.

49
Q

What are alpine climates like?

A

They are similar to tundra and polar climates. The temperatures are very low.

50
Q

Where can Mediterranean climates be found?

A

They occur mainly near the Mediterranean Sea and in a few other places.

51
Q

What are Mediterranean climates like?

A

They are known for their warm summers and cool wet winters. The temperature range is from 10°-15°C in Winter and 20°C in Summer. The average rainfall is 400mm-600mm.

52
Q

What does a climate graph look like?

A

It represents the temperatures with a line. The degrees for temperature are normally on the right. It represents the precipitation with bars. The measurements for the rainfall are normally on the left.

53
Q

How do ocean currents affect temperatures and rainfall?

A

Ocean currents are caused by warm winds and cold winds and the differences in water temperature. Ocean currents carry whichever temperatures they were caused by to wherever they flow.

Abi Geography 2015 (7 decks)

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