Climate: weather and climate Flashcards
What is weather?
It is the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. (not over a long period of time)
What is climate?
Climate is the average state of the atmosphere at a particular place over a long period of time.
Describe tropical equatorial climate.
Generally high temperatures (27°C), small annual range of temperatures, high annual precipitation (>2000mm), precipitation falls evenly.
Describe tropical monsoon climate.
Generally high temperatures (25°C), small annual range of temperatures, high annual precipitation (1500mm), distinct wet and dry seasons
What are climatic hazards?
extreme weather events, like heat waves, droughts and floods
What are the times that air temperature can vary over?
A day or a year
How does air temperature vary over a day?
Hottest-midday
Coolest-before sunrise
Takes a full 24 hours for a full rotation
How does air temperature vary of a year?
June:
- Northern hemisphere leans more to the sun, while southern leans away
December:
- Southern hemisphere leans more to the sun, while northern leans away
March and September:
- Neither leans towards sun
Northern hemisphere has spring in March and autumn in September.
Southern hemisphere has spring in September and autumn in March.
What are the variables that affect the air temperature across places?
Latitude and altitude
How does the latitude affect the air temperature of a place? (higher latitude)
The higher the latitude, the smaller the solar angle, causing the solar radiation to be less direct, spread out over a large area, hence causing it to be less concentrated and to have a lower temperature.
How does altitude affect the air temperatures in places? (higher altitude)
At higher altitudes, the air is less dense and air pressure is lower and gravity pulls the air molecules towards the ground surface, causing it to have a lower ability to absorb and radiate heat, leading to lower temperatures.
What are the other factors that affect air temperatures at specific sites?
Type of surface and distance from the sea.
How does the type of surface affect air temperature? (dark and light surface)
Dark surfaces like soil or roads tend to absorb more solar radiation and radiate more heat, resulting with higher temperatures.
Light surfaces tend to reflect solar radiation and radiate less heat, resulting in lower temperatures.
Why do urban areas have higher temperatures?
They have larger areas of dark surfaces like roads which would absorb more solar radiation and radiate more heat. Glass-covered skyscrapers or buildings would reflect solar radiation, which would increase the absorption of ground surfaces.
How does the distance from sea affect the air temperatures in some areas?
In coastal areas, they would have cooler summers and warmer winters.
In inland areas, they would have warmer summers and cooler winters.
