global atmospheric circulation

Question 1

what factors affect a places climate?

Answer 1

• high/low latitude
• altitude
• coastal/inland
• east/west
• rural/urban

Question 2

do places at low latitude near the equator have high or low levels of insolation and why?

Answer 2

• higher levels of insolation
• this is because the rays are spread over a smaller area

Question 3

do the poles (higher latitude) have high or low levels of insolation and why?

Answer 3

• lower levels of insolation
• this is because the suns rays are spread over a greater distance

Question 4

warm air ……..

Answer 4

rises because its less dense than cool air

Question 5

cool air ……..

Answer 5

sinks because its more dense than warm air

Question 6

rising air creates …

Answer 6

low pressure

Question 7

sinking air creates …

Answer 7

high pressure

Question 8

what creates wind?

Answer 8

air particles moving from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure

Question 9

how do clouds form?

Answer 9

• warm air rises
• as the air rises it cools
• clouds form and eventually release precipitation

Question 10

what is the most important factor affecting climate?

Answer 10

latitude

Question 11

what are the 3 convection cells in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere?

Answer 11

Hadley cell, Ferrel cell, Polar cell

Question 12

where is the Hadley cell located?

Answer 12

between the tropics and the equator

Question 13

what are jet streams

Answer 13

high altitude currents of air (wind)

Question 14

what direction do winds flow and why?

Answer 14

West -> East
because of the spin of the earth

Question 15

what is global atmospheric circulation

Answer 15

the transfer of hear from the equator to the poles by the movement of air

Question 16

why does air move

Answer 16

due to differences in air pressure - winds blow from high pressure to low pressure areas

Question 17

what does each cell have

Answer 17

a warm rising air that creates a low pressure belt and cool sinking air that creates a high pressure belt

Question 18

how does air move in the cells:

Answer 18

• the sun warms the earth at the equator, causing the air to rise. this creates a low pressure belt
• as the air rises it cools and move away from the equator
• 30 degrees north and south of the equator, the cool air sinks, creating a high pressure belt
• at the ground surface, the cool air moves either back to the equator (as trade winds) or towards the poles (as westerlies). these winds curve because of the earths rotation - this is called the Coriolis effect
• 60 degrees north and south of the equator the warmer surface winds meet colder air from the poles. the warmer air rises, creating low pressure
• some of the air moves back towards the equator, and the rest moves towards the poles
• at the poles the cool air sinks, creating high pressure. the high pressure air is then drawn back towards the equator.

Question 19

what does global atmospheric circulation influence

Answer 19

climate and weather around the world

Question 20

climate at equator and explanation:

Answer 20

at the equator the sun is directly overhead - this means the earths surface receives a lot of solar radiation, so its hot. warm, moist air rises and forms clouds, so it rains a lot

Question 21

climate at 30 degrees north and south of equator and explanation:

Answer 21

by the time air reaches 30 degrees north and south of the equator, it had released most of its moisture as rain. the dry air means there are few clouds and little rainfall, so deserts are often found at this latitude

Question 22

climate at 60 north of equator and explanation:

Answer 22

the UK lies close to the low pressure zone at 60 degrees north. warm rising air brings lots of cloud cover and rainfall, often as low pressure systems carried from the Atlantic by westerly winds.