Our Atmosphere Flashcards

Question

What is weather

Answer 1

Weather is the state of the atmosphere over a short period of time

Answer 2

Cumulus - these are puffy clouds that sometimes look like pieces of floating cotton. The base of each cloud is often flat and may only be 1000m (3300ft) above the ground

Answer 3

Stratus - are uniform clouds (greyish) that often cover the entire sky. They resemble fog that does not reach the ground. Usually no prescription falls from stratus clouds, but sometimes they drizzle

Answer 4

Cirrus - the most common form of high level clouds are thin, often wispy cirrus clouds. Typically found at heights greater than 20,000 feet (6,000 metres), cirrus clouds are composed of ice crystals that originate from the freezing of super cooled water droplets

Answer 5

Here the air rises because the ground heats it. It rises n warm currents. We call these convection currents. So we call the rain Convectional rainfall. In the UK we get Convectional rainfall island in summer, where the ground gets hottest far from the cooling effects of the sea

Answer 6

Wind is moving air. When the wind meets a line of high hills or mountains there's only 1 way to go, up. So the air rises and cools, and we call this Relief rainfall. In the UK the prevailing wind is from the South West. So we get Relief rainfall on the high land along the West Coast

Answer 7

Huge blocks of air called air mases move around the earth. When a warm air mass meets a cold one the warm is forced to rise. So we get rain. This is called Frontal rainfall. Frontal rain can fall anywhere, since masses can travel in anywhere. But in the UK, they often arrive in the Atlantic Ocean. So the west of the UK gets a lot of Frontal rain.

Answer 8

Although we can't feel it, all the air above us is pressing down on us, giving sir pressure. If air pressure is low, it means air is rising. If it is high, it means air is sinking. If it is low, it means air is rising. Each brings different weather.

Answer 9

Rain and wind

Answer 10

It gives us our hottest summer and coldest winter weather

Answer 11

Depressions are low systems which developed when warm or cold air masses meet. They are the most common weather system affecting the British Isles bringing rain, cloud and increased wind speeds.