SST Flashcards

1
Q

Weather

A

The conditions of the atmosphere at a specific place or time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Climate

A

The average weather at a specific place for a long period of time normally 30 years in the UK

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Name the 5 layers of the atmosphere.

A

Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How can we describe weather?

A

By identifying the:
Temperature (e.g. cool)
Wind (e.g. calm)
Precipitation (e.g. rainy)
Humidity (e.g. muggy)
Visibility (e.g. clear)
The overall look (e.g. sunny)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How can weather be dangerous?

A

For example, lighting can shock people to death and if it’s too cold people may get frostbite

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are the features of the troposphere?

A
  • The lowest layer of the atmosphere.
  • 11 km deep.
  • Almost all water vapor is found here, so most weather occurs here.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are the 4 forms of precipitation?

A

Rain, hailstones, sleet or snow

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is the root of all weather?

A

The sun because it heats the earth-unevenly and the air warms and rises which causes wind because cold air rushed to replace the warm air. It also heats the water and creates water vapour. It cools, clouds form and it rains differently depending on the temperature

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What happens when the sun warms the air?

A

The warm air rises and the cold air flows in to replace it as Wind

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What happens when the sun warms the ocean?

A

The water evaporates and forms a gas called Water vapour. It rises, cools, clouds from and it rains

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Wind

A

Air on the move that is made when cold air rushes to replace warm air that has rose. It’s also one of the factors that influence climate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How does rain, hail, sleet or snow form?

A

The sun warms the ocean causing it to evaporate (rise), condense and form into small water droplets that then form into clouds and the 4 forms of precipitation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

The sun heats the Earth __________

A

Unevenly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Fog

A

When water vapour condenses lower down in the air and forms a thick cloud close to the earth’s surface

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Mist

A

When water vapour condenses lower down in the air but it is less dense than fog so it can hang in the air

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Dew

A

Condensed water vapour that forms overnight when grass and leaves reach dew point

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Name 3 reasons why earth is unique.

A
  • has water
  • has an oxygen atmosphere
  • can support life
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What happens to dew when the sun shines?

A

The atmospheric temperature increase and it disappears due to evaporation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Atmosphere

A

A blanket of gas around earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Why does the troposphere have most of the weather?

A

Because gravity is pulling the air molecules down

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Why is there no rain in the stratosphere?

A

Because it has very dry air containing little water vapour so few clouds are found in this layer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are the 5 things we have to measure for weather?

A
  1. Temperature
  2. Precipitation
  3. Air pressure
  4. Wind speed
  5. Wind direction
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Temperature

A

How hot or cold it is, measured in Celsius using a thermometer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Precipitation

A

How much water has fallen from the sky measured in mm or cm using a rain guage

25
Q

Air pressure

A

The force (gravity) pressing down on us because of the weight of the air measured in millibars using a barometer

26
Q

Wind speed

A

How fast the wind is blowing measured in mph or kph using anemometer

27
Q

Wind direction

A

The direction the wind is blowing from measured using compass directions and a wind vane or sock

28
Q

Met office

A

An weather station that measures the weather forecast in the UK by taking images of cloud patterns

29
Q

What do weather balloons do?

A

They are sent 4 times a day in 6 cities and they are used to collect and transmit data

30
Q

What are the 3 types of rainfall?

A

Conventional rainfall, Relief rainfall, Frontal rainfall

31
Q

Conventional rainfall

A

When the sun heats the ground and warm air rises, we call these conventional currents then it cools, clouds form and it rains

32
Q

Relief rainfall

A

When wind moves towards a landform and is forced to rise ,cool, clouds form and it rains on the windward side while the leeward side stays dry

33
Q

What side stays dry?

A

The leeward side

34
Q

Which side does rain fall on?

A

The windward side

35
Q

Frontal rainfall

A

When a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet and the warm one goes over the cold one, cools, clouds form and it rains in between the 2 air masses and can form anywhere

36
Q

What are the 2 types of clouds?

A

Cumulus clouds and stratus clouds

37
Q

Cumulus clouds

A

Fluffy clouds that form when warm air rises fast. They can cause very heavy rain by making dark thunderclouds

38
Q

Stratus clouds

A

Blackest of dull clouds that form when warm air rises slowly over a wide area and they can cause drizzles

39
Q

Low pressure

A

When all the warm air is above so a lot of rain can happen

40
Q

High pressure

A

When al the air pressure is ground-level (sinking) so the sky is clear with no clouds and very hot summers and very cold winters

41
Q

What happens in high pressure weather in summer?

A
  • The sun is strong
  • There is no rain so there may be drought
  • Cool evenings because of the earth losing heat at night
  • Dew can form overnight because of the cool temperatures
42
Q

What happens to places near the coast (inland)?

A

It can be very hot because of the distance from the coast so hot air may rise rapidly and tall black clouds can form causing thunderstorms, causing flooding

43
Q

What will happen if there is high pressure in winter?

A
  • Since there are no clouds to act like a blanket, it’s cold and bright
  • Frost freezes on cold surfaces
  • Fog forms on dust particles
  • Water freezes on roads turning into ice
  • Animals have trouble finding food
44
Q

Why is our weather so changeable?

A

Because air masses are on the move and The UK is halfway between the North Pole and Hot equator

45
Q

Where does a cold air mass come from in the UK?

A

The North Pole, it will be cold and dry so if it moves over the UK they will get cold dry weather

46
Q

Where does a warm air mass come from in the UK?

A

The warm ocean, it will be warm and damp so if it moves over the UK they will get warm dampish Whweather

47
Q

What happens when the 2 air masses meet?

A

It causes sudden changes in the weather

48
Q

What happens when a cold air mass is in its place and a warm air mass arrives?

A

The warm air mass slides over it, and as it rises, the air pressure falls so the weather gets windy, clouds form and it rains (frontal rainfall). Then the warm air mass takes over

49
Q

What happens when a warm air mass is in its place and a cold air mass arrives?

A

The cold air mass dives under the warm air mass and shoves it upwards, giving wind, clouds and heavy rain

50
Q

Front

A

The leading edge of an air mass

51
Q

Frost

A

When water vapour freezes and becomes ice crystals lower down in the air. It forms on objects that the temperature is very low

52
Q

Name 7 events that happened in the 2013 - 1 storms in UK

A
  • Homes, shops and farmland were flooded
  • At least 250,000 homes were without electricity because power lines were down
  • Flights were cancelled
  • Roads were closed because of fallen trees
  • The storms caused the death of 15 people
  • People who lived on the coast experienced sea floods
  • The government had to pay 1 billion pounds for the damages of floods and wind
53
Q

What are the factors that influence climate?

A
  • Latitude
  • The earth’s tilt
  • Distance from the coast
  • Prevailing wind direction
  • Ocean currents
  • Altitude
54
Q

How does latitude influence the climate?

A

The closer the country is to the equator the smaller the area that the sun has to strike. If it has to strike the north or south pole it will be a larger area for the sun to strike because the earth is round

55
Q

How does the earth’s tilt influence the climate?

A

In June the sun faces the Northern Hemisphere, but in December the sun faces away from the Northern Hemisphere

56
Q

How does the distance from the coast influence the climate?

A

In summer, the sea is cooler than the earth because it absorbs heat slower than the land, and in winter, the sea is warmer than the land because the land loses heat faster than the sea

57
Q

How does the prevailing wind direction influence the climate?

A

The prevailing wind direction is the direction the wind comes from most often. In the UK, the prevailing wind direction is south-west, so if wind comes from the southwest rain is most likely coming along

58
Q

How does altitude from the coast influence the climate?

A

The higher you are the colder it is because the pressure falls and the temperature falls by 1 degree every 100 metres up