Our Changing Weather And Climate Flashcards
How does pressure very throughout a frontal depression?
Ahead of the warm front pressure falls
In the warm sector, pressure low
Behind the cold front pressure falls
How does rain and cloud vary throughout a frontal depression?
No rain More cloud Light rain, dark cloud Low cloud, some drizzle Heavy rain, towering high cloud Clear skies or clearing showers
How does Temperature very throughout a frontal depression?
Cool temperatures
Warm temperatures (some sun)
Cool and falling temperatures
How does wind direction change at a frontal depression
Wind may be strong and blow from the south east, if the centre of the depression lies on the north of Britian
Wind direction changes and will blow from the south or south west
Wind direction changes again and may blow from the west or north-west
What is weather?
The day-to day changes in the conditions of our atmosphere
What is climate?
The average conditions taken over a long period of time, usually 35 years.
List some climate zones.
Temperate - cool summers, mild winters, even distribution of rainfall
Desert - hot and dry
Equatorial - hot, wet, humid
Savanna - two seasons, warm and wet, and hot and dry
What instrument is used to measure temperature?
What units do they use?
Thermometer
Degrees Celsius
What instrument is used to measure precipitation?
What units do they use?
Rain gauge.
mm
What instrument is used to measure wind speed?
What units do they use?
Anemometer
Knots per hour
What instrument is used to measure wind direction?
What units do they use?
Wind vane
Compass points
What instrument is used to measure air pressure?
What units do they use?
Barometer
Millibars
What instrument is used to measure cloud types?
What units do they use?
Eyes
Oktas
What are the main cloud types.
Cirrus
Cumulus
Stratus
Cumulonimbus
How does wether forecast accuracy vary depending on how far ahead they are predicting?
Usually accurate for a period of 24 hours, and reasonably accurate for up to 5 days ahead. Beyond this they become increasingly unreliable.
List some sources of data wether forecasters use.
Land based stations Satellites (geostationary and polar) Buoys (moored and drifting) Ships (wether stations attached) Drones (UAV)
How do geostationary and polar satellites differ?
Geostationary satellites stay over one spot
Polar satellites orbit around the earth
What factors effect climate?
Prevailing winds
Latitude
Altitude
Distance from the sea
What is an air mass?
Give examples of air masses affecting the British isles.
A large body of air with similar temperature and moisture characteristics throughout.
Polar maritime
Polar continental
Tropical maritime
Tropical continental
What does a warm front look like on a weather map?
Red Semi circles
What does a cold front look like on a weather map?
Blue triangles
What does an occluded front look like on a weather map?
Purple semi circles + triangles
What is the name of a low pressure system?
Depression
What is a low pressure system?
Depressions generally move towards the east. The winds blow anti-clockwise and into the centre of the depression.
Depressions have fronts, be they occur when a cold air mass meets a warm air mass.
What separates the warm front and cold front?
Warm sector. All around it is the cold sector.
What happens when a depression ends?
The warm tropical air is pushed off the ground by the cold air, forming an occluded front.
What is a high pressure system called?
Anticyclone.
What happens in a high pressure system?
In the centre air is sinking slowly, swirling in a clockwise direction.
What are conditions like in an anticyclone?
The sinking air is compressed, and warmed up by the ground. This means the air can hold more water without condensation taking place, so clouds don’t form.
Dry, bright weather. Very little wind.
What are weather conditions like in an anticyclone during summer?
Cloudless skies and bright sunshine.
High temperatures during the day.
Temperatures can fall at night due to rapid cooling, as heat escapes through radiation due to a lack of cloud cover.
The mist created is usually evaporated by strong sunshine.
What are weather conditions like in an anticyclone during winter?
Often brings fog or mist.
Cold, crisp days.
What are synoptic charts?
Maps with summarise the weather conditions at a particular point in time for an area.
What are satellite images?
Photographs taken from space and sent back to earth.
Can show cloud formations and the pattern of clouds at fronts in depressions.
Why are weather forecasts limited?
Our atmosphere is very chaotic.
What is extreme weather?
When a weather event is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern. This may take place over one day or a period of time.
What is our case study for the weather topic?
Typhoon haiyan
Is a typhoon a high or low pressure system?
Low pressure
Why are the Philippines described as a disaster prone area?
Surrounded by warm, shallow water
Little land mass to slow down typhoons
Sits in a plate boundary
What are 2 main dangers of typhoons?
High winds
Storm surges
What category was typhoon Haiyan on the Saffir-Simpson scale?
Category 5
Sustained winds of 230km/h, gusts of 280km/h
What were the impacts of haiyan on people?
Over 6190 deaths and 1785 reported missing
371000 evacuates
Diseases such as cholera and dysentery due to raw sewage contaminating water supplies.
Disruption in electricity supply
What were the impacts of haiyan on property?
5 million people saw their homes damaged or destroyed
90% of all structures were wiped out across a 500 mile radius of the haiyan.
10,390 schools were destroyed
The main airport in tacloban was severely damaged by an 8 metre storm surge
When did typhoon haiyan make landfall?
8 November 2013
