Section 2 - Weather and Climate

Question 1

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Answer 1

Weather is the short term atmospheric conditions in a particular place and climate is the long term atmospheric conditions in a particular place.

Question 2

What are the four layers of the atmosphere?

Answer 2

Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere

Question 3

What are the characteristics of the troposphere?

Answer 3

1) Extends from the earth’s surface to about 12km up
2) Temperature decreases with altitude because the Earth’s surface warms the troposphere so the further away from the surface it gets, the cooler it gets.
3) Lots of turbulence because warm air rises through the layer and cool air sinks
4) Lots of clouds due to lots of water vapour
5) the tropopause is the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Jet streams are found just below the tropopause

Question 4

What are the characteristics of the stratosphere?

Answer 4

1) Extends from 12 km to 50 km up
2) Temperature increases with altitude in this layer because the ozone layer is found in the lower stratosphere, it absorbs UV radiation, which warms the upper stratosphere
3) Not turbulent and not many clouds
4) The stratopause is the boundary between the stratosphere and the mesosphere

Question 5

What are the characteristics of the mesosphere?

Answer 5

1) Extends from 50 km to 90 km up
2) Temperature decreases with altitude in mesosphere. This is because the mesosphere is warmed by the stratosphere - so further away it gets, the cooler it gets
3) The mesopause is the boundary of the mesosphere and the thermosphere

Question 6

What are the characteristics of the thermosphere?

Answer 6

1) Extends from 90 km to 1000 km up
2) Temperature increases with altitude because small amounts of oxygen in the layer absorb UV radiation, warming the thermosphere

Question 7

What is insolation?

Answer 7

The energy that the earth gets in short-wave solar radiation

Question 8

What happens to the solar radiation that the earth receives?

Answer 8

1) 50% is absorbed by surface of earth and released as long-wave radiation (e.g. infra-red or heat)
2) 25% reflected back into space by air and clouds in atmosphere
3) 20% absorbed by the air and clouds in the atmosphere
4) 5% reflected back to space by earth’s surface

Question 9

What are the four factors that affect how much solar radiation the atmosphere receives?

Answer 9

1) The solar constant is the amount of solar radiation the earth receives. It varies slightly with the sun’s activity, when the sun is more active, the earth receives more solar radiation
2) The earth’s distance from the sun changes as it orbits
3) The height of the sun in the sky
4) Length of day and night - varies with the seasons

Question 10

Why are higher altitudes colder?

Answer 10

1) The further you are from the Earth (which is giving out heat energy) the colder it will be
2) Air pressure decreases

Question 11

page 26

Answer 11

.

Question 12

What are the 5 air masses that affect the UK?

Answer 12

1) Arctic maritime - Very cold, wet air - causes cold weather and rain
2) Polar continental - Cold, dry air - causes cold, dry weather
3) Tropical continental - Warm, dry air - causes hot, dry weather
4) Tropical maritime - Warm, wet air - causes warm weather and rain
5) Polar maritime - Cold, wet air - causes cold weather and rain