meteorology Flashcards
Define Air mass
A large body of air with uniform temperature and humidity.
Air masses can affect weather patterns in a region.
What is a Front?
The boundary between two different air masses.
Fronts are associated with changes in weather.
What is Air pressure?
The force exerted by the weight of air in the atmosphere.
Changes in air pressure can lead to different weather conditions.
Define Frontal rainfall
Rainfall that occurs when warm air rises over cold air.
This type of rainfall is often associated with fronts.
What is an Anticyclone?
A high-pressure system characterized by descending air, leading to calm and clear weather.
Anticyclones can influence long periods of dry weather.
Define Humidity
The amount of water vapor present in the air.
Humidity affects comfort levels and weather patterns.
What is the Atmosphere?
The layer of gases surrounding the Earth.
The atmosphere plays a crucial role in weather and climate.
Define Isotherm
A line on a map connecting points of equal temperature.
Isotherms help visualize temperature distributions.
What is Climate?
The long-term average of weather conditions in a specific area in over 30 years
Climate influences ecosystems and human activities.
Define Jet stream
A fast-flowing air current in the upper atmosphere.
Jet streams can influence weather patterns and storm tracks.
What is Condensation?
The process by which water vapor turns into liquid water.
Condensation is a key part of the water cycle.
Define Microclimate
The local climate of a small area that differs from the surrounding region.
Microclimates can be created by natural and human factors.
What is Convectional rainfall?
Rainfall caused by the heating of the Earth’s surface, leading to rising warm air.
Common in tropical areas and during summer months.
Define North Atlantic Drift
A warm ocean current that influences the climate of northwest Europe.
It helps maintain milder temperatures in coastal areas.
What is Depression in meteorology?
A low-pressure system associated with cloudy and rainy weather.
Depressions can lead to significant weather changes.
Define Precipitation
Any form of water, liquid or solid, that falls from the atmosphere.
Includes rain, snow, sleet, and hail.
What is Drought?
An extended period of deficient rainfall relative to the statistical multi-year average for a region.
Droughts can severely impact agriculture and water supply.
Define Prevailing wind
The wind that blows predominantly from a single general direction.
Prevailing winds influence climate and weather patterns.
What is Relief rainfall?
Rainfall that occurs when moist air is forced to rise over mountains.
The windward side is where the rain comes from, and the leeward side is the side of the mountain where the wind leaves from.
What is Fog?
A thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface.
Fog reduces visibility and can have significant impacts on travel.
How do humans use reservoirs?
Reservoirs store water in areas where there may not be enough.
They are crucial for managing water supply in arid regions.
What housing adaptations are made for cold climates?
Insulation is required to retain heat.
Proper housing design is essential for energy efficiency.
Fill in the blank: Areas with more predictable weather are suitable for _______.
[travel and tourism]
True or False: Extreme weather can have significant impacts on people’s lives.
True
Extreme weather can cause death, injury, and loss of infrastructure.
What are the impacts of climate change?
Rising sea levels, spread of infectious diseases, changes to crop growing seasons.
Climate change poses serious threats to ecosystems and human societies.
What factors affect microclimates?
- Physical features (trees, lakes, rivers, hills)
- Aspect (direction in relation to the sun)
- Buildings (shelter and heat)
- Surface (artificial vs natural)
- Shelter (natural features reducing wind)
These factors can significantly alter local climate conditions.
What factors affect temperature in the British Isles?
- Latitude
- Altitude
- Distance from the sea
- Ocean currents
- Prevailing wind
These factors contribute to the temperate oceanic climate of the region.
Fill in the blank: The land warms up and cools down more quickly than the _______.
sea
What happens to temperatures further inland in summer and winter?
They become hotter in summer and colder in winter.
This is due to the land’s quicker heating and cooling compared to the sea.
What are the types of rainfall?
Relief, Frontal, Convectional
Types of rainfall describe how precipitation occurs based on different atmospheric conditions.
What properties do maritime air masses have?
Wet
Maritime air masses originate over oceans and bring moisture.
What properties do continental air masses have?
Dry
Continental air masses originate over land and are typically dry.
What properties do polar/Arctic air masses have?
Cold
Polar/Arctic air masses originate from high latitudes and are characterized by low temperatures.
What properties do tropical air masses have?
Warm
Tropical air masses originate from low latitudes and are characterized by higher temperatures.
What is the Jet Stream?
A fast flowing air current that separates warm tropical air from cold polar air
The Jet Stream migrates north and south over the UK, influencing weather patterns.
What are the three main types of climate in the British Isles?
Frontal, Convectional, Low pressure storms
These types of climate are influenced by various atmospheric conditions.
What conditions lead to droughts?
Abnormally low rainfall for an extended period of time
Droughts can last from weeks to years and significantly impact ecosystems.
What were the consequences of the drought in Australia from September 2019 to January 2020?
Worst wildfires in history, highest temperature of 41.9°C
These events were exacerbated by three years of drought.
How are extreme weather events like droughts and wildfires changing?
Increasing in number and severity due to global warming
Climate change is contributing to more frequent and intense weather events.
Fill in the blank: Each year, intense storms develop over the warm waters of the _______.
Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans
These storms include hurricanes, cyclones, and tropical storms.
True or False: Hurricane Maria hit Dominica and Puerto Rico.
True
Hurricane Maria is an example of an extreme weather event influenced by climate patterns.
What is this rainfall called?
Relief
What is this rainfall called?
convectional
What is this rainfall called?
frontal
How are hurricanes formed?
Where do the UK airmasses from?
Where are the Earth’s climate zones?
How is relief rainfall formed?
- Relief rainfall occurs when warm, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean rises up over mountains.
- When the warm air rises, it cools and condenses to form clouds, which brings rain.
- Once the air has passed over the mountains, it descends and warms.
How is convectional rainfall formed?
- Convectional rainfall usually occurs during the summer in the UK, when the sun heats the land.
- This creates rising pockets of warm air, known as convection currents.
- Warm air rises rapidly, where it starts to cool and condenses to form clouds.
- These clouds can be large cumulonimbus.
How is Frontal rainfall formed?
- Frontal rainfall occurs when a 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 form clouds.
What is the
Albedo effect
An expression of the ability of surfaces to reflect sunlight (heat from the sun).
What is the
UHI
the urban heat island effect is when a city experiences higher temperatures than rural areas
What are airmasses that effect Britain?
- Polar maritime
- Polar continental
- Arctic maritime
- Tropical maritime
- Tropical continental
