geog book 3 chap 1

Question 1

what is weather?

Answer 1

state of atmosphere at a particular place and time described using variables - air temp, cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed, wind direction

Question 2

what is climate

Answer 2

average state of the atmosphere at a particular place over a long period of time, typically 30 years

Question 3

what are the characteristics of tropical equatorial climate

Answer 3

generally high temperatures all year round (27 deg C)

small annual temp range (~2-3 deg C)

high annual precipitation(>2000mm) that falls evenly throughout the year

between 10 deg N and 10 deg S of the equator

Question 4

what are the characteristics of tropical monsoon climate

Answer 4

generally high temperatures all year round (~25 deg C)

small annual temp range (~3-4 deg C)

high annual precipitation(~1500mm)

distinct wet and dry seasons

between 5 deg N/S and 30 deg N/S of the equator

Question 5

what are the characteristics of cool termperate climate

Answer 5

4 distinct seasons - spring summer autumn winter

large annual temp range (~21 deg C)

annual precipitation (300-900mm) that falls evenly throughout the year

between 45 N/S and 60 N/S

Question 6

what does a climograph show

Answer 6

avg monthly temp (deg C) and precipitation (mm)

Question 7

how does climate change cause climatic hazards?

Answer 7

climate change causes weather patterns to be unpredictable, more extreme, and more frequent, causing negative impacts to natural and human systems

Question 8

how does air temperature vary across time in a day

Answer 8

due to the Earth’s rotation on its own axis, one complete rotation is 24h

as the earth rotates, the sides of the earth that face the sun experiences day and receives solar radiation and experiences a high temperature

as the earth continues rotating, that side will face away from the sun and experiences night time where it does not receive solar radiation and thus experiences lower temperatures

Question 9

how does the air temperature vary at midday?

Answer 9

sun is directly overhead

due to earth’s spherical shape, solar radiation is spread over a smaller area

solar radiation is more concentrated

temperature is the highest in the day

Question 10

how does the air temperature vary before and after midday?

Answer 10

sun is not directly overhead

due to the earth’s spherical shape, solar radiation is spread over a larger area

solar radiation is concentrated

temperature is lower than midday

Question 11

how does the air temperature vary before sunrise?

Answer 11

place does not receive solar radiation and loses heat in the form of longwave radiation

temperature is at its lowest before sunrise as the place has lost heat over the longest period of time

Question 12

how does the temperature vary over time in a year? - June

Answer 12

northern hemisphere leans more towards the sun and receives more direct solar radiation and high temperature

southern hemisphere leans away from the sun and receives less direct solar radiation and lower temperatures

Question 13

how does the temperature vary over time in a year? - December

Answer 13

northern hemisphere leans away from the sun and receives less direct solar radiation from and lower temperatures

southern hemisphere leans more towards the sun and receives more direct solar radiation and higher temperatures

Question 14

how does the temperature vary over time in a year? - March and September

Answer 14

neither hemisphere leans towards the sun thus both experience moderate temperatures

northern hemisphere experiences spring in march and autumn in september

southern hemisphere experiences autumn in march and spring in september

Question 15

how does the temperature vary over time in a year in the tropics?

Answer 15

tropics, located close to the equator receives direct and near-direct solar radiation throughout the year

and thus experiences high temperatures throughout the year

Question 16

how does latitude cause variations in air temperature across places

Answer 16

temperatures are lower at high latitudes

due to the Earth’s spherical shape, solar angle varies at different parts of the Earth

increasing latitude means a smaller solar angle causing solar radiation is less direct and spread over a large area and is less concentrated, lowering temperatures

Question 17

how does altitude cause variations in air temperature across places

Answer 17

the higher the altitude the lower the temperature

at higher altitudes, air is less dense and there is lesser air pressure as gravity pulls most air molecules towards the ground surface

with fewer air molecules, air has a lower ability to absorb and radiate heat decreasing the temperature

Question 18

how does type of surface affect air temperature at specific sites? - dark coloured surfaces

Answer 18

dark surfaces generally absorb higher amounts of solar radiation and radiate more heat increasing temperature at a place

Question 19

how does type of surface affect air temperature at specific sites? - light coloured surfaces

Answer 19

light coloured surfaces generally reflect more solar radiation and radiate less heat decreasing temperature

Question 20

how does type of surface affect air temperature at specific sites? - urban vs rural areas

Answer 20

urban areas tend to have high temperatures compared to rural areas as there are a larger area of dark surfaces which absorb more solar radiation and radiate more heat than forests and water bodies

glass-covered buildings reflect sunlight to the ground surface increasing absorption of solar and heat radiation by ground surfaces

Question 21

how does distance from the sea affect air temperature at specific sites? - coastal areas

Answer 21

due to maritime effect coastal areas experience cooler summers and warmer winters

have a lower annual temperature

this is because the sea heats up and cools down faster than land
during winter the sea is warmer than land warming the air along coastal floods
during the summer the sea is cooler than land and cools the air along coastal areas

Question 22

how does distance from the sea affect air temperature at specific sites? - inland areas

Answer 22

due to continental effect, inland areas experience warmer summers and cooler winters

annual temp range is high

Question 23

what are the 6 steps of the water cycle

Answer 23

1. water vapour enters atmosphere through evapo-transpiration, suns heat causes water from water bodies to evaporate forming water vapour & plants give out water vapour through transpiration
2. as water vapour rises, it cools and condenses into tiny water droplets at dew point temperatures and clouds are formed
3. when water droplets in the clouds become big and heavy enough and fall to the ground as precipitation
4. water on the ground surface infiltrates subsurface soil and rock
5. water flows over ground surface run off and enters water body
6. below the Earth’s surface water moves horizontally above impermeable rocks as groundwater flows

Question 24

how does the type of soil affect the way water moves on and below the earth’s surface

Answer 24

infiltration and groundwater flows are faster in soil which has larger pores than soil with smaller pores

this is because larger pores allow more water to infiltrate and water moves more quickly

Question 25

how does how built up an area is affect the way water moves on and below the earth’s surface

Answer 25

infiltration rate decreases in built up areas as ground surfaces have tiny pores

speed and surface runoff is faster on smoother gound surface in built up areas as there are decreased obstructions and decreased friction

Question 26

how does the presence of natural vegetation affect the way water moves on and below the earth’s surface

Answer 26

infiltration rate and groundwater flows are faster at places with vegetation as roots of plants loosen the soil making more open spaces in soil for water to pass through

speed of surface runoff decreases on vegetated areas as stems and roots of grass and plants act as barriers and the increase the surface roughness

Question 27

what is the formula to calculate relative humidity

Answer 27

actl amt of wv present in air (g/m³)
/ max amt of wv the air can hold (g/m³)
x 100%

Question 28

how does temperature affect the relative humidity of a place at a specific time

Answer 28

when the temperature increases the amount of water vapour the air can hold increases decreasing relative humidity

relative humidity is at 100% when air holds the max amount if wv as air is saturated

when relative humidity is above 100%, condensation occurs when more wv is added to air througu evaporation and air temperature drops

Question 29

how are clouds formed?

Answer 29

air rises up in the atmosphere as it cools and reducing the amount if water vapoure it can hold

eventually, the amt of wv exceeds the max amt of wv can hold

at the dew point temperature, air condenses into water droplets on condensation nuclei and provides surfaces where water vapour can change into water droplets into clouds

Question 30

how is rain formed?

Answer 30

water droplets in clouds collide and coalesce and become bigger and heavier
once wd are large enough they fall to the earth as raindrops

Question 31

how is convectional rain formed?

Answer 31

1. in the day, heat from the sun is absorbed by the land and air above it gains heat
2. warm air rises and cools and condenses on condensation nuclei at dew point temperature forming clouds
3. wd in clouds collide and coalesce when they become large and heavy enough and fall to the ground as rain

Question 32

how is relief rain formed?

Answer 32

1. prevailing winds pick up moisture over the sea and push moist air the windward side of the mountain
2. rising moist air cool and condense on condensation nuclei at dew point temperature and clouds are formed
3. wv in clouds collide and coalesce and when they become large and heavy enough there is rain on the windward side
4. as most of the moisture has fallen on the windward side and leeward side experiences dry descending air causing the leeward side to be dry

Question 33

what is the definition of wind

Answer 33

horizontal movement of air across the earths surface, occurs due to unequal distribution of pressure gradients

Question 34

how is wind formed?

Answer 34

there is an increase in air temperature causing it to be heated, air become less dense and rises. there is a a void and a decrease in atmospheric pressure

decrease in air temperature causing air to cool, becomes denser and sinks increasing the atmospheric pressure

air moves from the area of high pressure to the area of low pressure to fill the void forming wind

Question 35

how does strength of pressure gradients determine wind speeds

Answer 35

a smaller pressure gradient means a smaller difference in pressure between 2 areas causing slower wind speeds

a high pressure gradient means a bigger difference in pressure between 2 areas causing faster wind speeds

Question 36

how does friction determine wind speeds

Answer 36

as moving air comes in contact with variations in the earth’s topography, it experiences frictional drag and slower wind speeds

Question 37

when is the effect of frictional drag the greatest?

Answer 37

when there is uneven relief and rough surfaces on land

Question 38

explain the formation of land breeze

Answer 38

1. in the night, the sea and land lose heat through longwave radiation
2. the sea and the air above it lose heat slowly. the warmer air is less dense and rises forming lower pressure over the sea
3. the land and the air above it lose heat quickly. the cooler air is denser and sinks forming high pressure over land
4. air moves from an area of higher pressure over the land to lower pressure over the sea forming the land breeze

Question 39

explain the formation of sea breeze

Answer 39

1. in the day heat from the sun is absorbed by both the land and the sea through shortwave radiation
2. the land and the air above it gain heat quickly. the warmer air is forming lower pressure over the land
3. the sea and the air above it gain heat slowly. the cooler air is denser and sinks forming higher pressure over the sea
4. air moves from an area of higher pressure over the sea to lower pressure over the land forming the sea breeze

Question 40

explain the formation of northeast monsoon

Answer 40

from october to february the northern hemisphere experiences winter and cooler temperatures and the southern hemisphere experiences summer and higher temperatures

in winter the air over central asia is cold and thus an area of high pressure

in summer, air over australia is warm and thus an area of low pressure

air moves from central asia to australia

in the northern hemisphere wind is deflected to the right forming the northeast monsoon

the northeast monsoon is dry and cool as less moisture is picked up from central asia, bringing less rain to india

winds blow over the south china sea picking up moisture in the form of water vapour bringing heavy rain to places such as singapore

winds cross over to the southern hemisphere, deflect to the left and pick up moisture over the indian ocean bringing rain to countries like indonesia and australia

Question 41

explain the formation of southwest monsoon

Answer 41

from june to september the northern hemisphere experiences summer and high temperatures and the southern hemisphere experiences winter and cooler temperatures

in summer, air over central asia is warm thus an area of low pressure

in winter, air over australia is cold thus an area of high pressure

air moves to australia towards central asia

winds cross northern hemisphere and they are reflected to the right and the southwest monsoon is experienced by countries such as singapore malaysia and india

as winds move over the indian ocean it picks up moisture bringing heavy rain to india