Formations Flashcards
What is precipitation
All the moisture that falls from the Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the Earth’s surface
Includes rain,hail,sleet,snow and dew
How does precipitation form
when warm air rises up through the atmosphere
What happens to the warm air
When warm air rises it hits the cold air above it cools. This causes condensation water droplets formed
As the water droplets collide they form clouds
The water droplets become bigger and heavier and fall to earth
When it is cold they form ice crystals and fall as snow
What are hurricanes
Large tropical storm
How do hurricanes form
When the sea temperatures reach 27 degrees celsius or above
What happens when sea temperatures rise
rapid evaporation of water off the ocean surface
creates large anvil shaped thunder clouds
The storms rotate and merge with the spinning of the earth
They can form tropical storms that can lead to hurricanes
How are hurricanes fuelled
by warm water
When do hurricanes travel quickly
across smooth ocean surfaces
What happens when hurricanes hit land
the warm water which fuels them is gone and the land creates friction
Slows them down but the winds are still strong
what are different features of hurricanes
Thick clouds
Winds over 120Kph
What gets worse the closer you get to the centre of the storm
Heavy rainfall
What is the eye wall of a hurricane
an area of very low pressure near the centre of the storm, where winds and precipitation are at their highest
What is the eye of a hurricane
An area at the centre of the hurricane where cold air is sinking. This provides calm and sunny conditions
What do coastal areas get if there is a hurricane on the way
storm surges
How does relief rainfall work
warm moist air rises over high ground
Air cools and condenses as it rises over the high ground
Clouds and rain form
Cool air is dense and starts to sink
Rain stops
How does Convectional rainfall work
the ground is heated by the sun
causing the warm air above to rise
The air rises, cools and condenses.
Clouds form and then rain
Sometimes thunder and lightning
How does frontal rainfall work
warm front meets a cold front. The heavier cold air sinks to the ground and the warm air rises above it.
When the warm air rises, it cools.
The cooler air condenses and forms clouds.
The clouds bring heavy rain.
