Strand 4: urban climate Good On

Question 1

What is Venturi effect

Answer 1

Wind funnelled into narrow urban canyons created by tall buildings, speeds up as it becomes more restricted

Question 2

What urban heat island

Answer 2

Is an Urban area that is significantly warmer then it’s surrounding rural areas due to human activity (glass from buildings reflect lights and heat)

Question 3

What is albedo

Answer 3

Measure of how much light on a surface is reflected without being absorbed. White: reflective and high albedo
Black: absorbent and low albedo

Question 4

What is a sky view factor

Answer 4

This is the amount of sky you can see without the view being impended by tall buildings

Question 5

What is specific heat capacity

Answer 5

Is a measure of the energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of material by 1 degree

Question 6

What happened in Urban heat island in a city and their different features in different urbanised areas

Answer 6

• often warmer at night
• in rural and suburban housing UHI is often lower and gradually gets increases in commercial and urban residential areas. Temperatures are at its highest in city centres

Question 7

What causes the urban heat island effect

Answer 7

• anthropogenic heat(heat of humans)
• building materials (concrete heats up quicker then soil)
• pollutants (co2 causes heat in urban dome)
• presence of water (more water means the area cools down more as evaporation uses up heat)
• height/arrangement of buildings(heat gets trapped)

Question 8

What is convection rainfall

Answer 8

1. The sun heats the ground surface
2. The radiated heat form teh ground surface warms the air above
3. The warms air rises
4. As it rises, it cools and condenses leading to cloud formation, rain and thunderstorms formation
5. cool air sinks causing high pressure in countryside
6. cool moist air moves into the urban air

Question 9

What is urban wind

Answer 9

Wind is created as air moves from areas of high pressure into areas of low pressure

Question 10

What is Venturi effect

Answer 10

the velocity of a fluid(wind) passing through a constricted area will increase and its static pressure will decrease

Question 11

Causes of urban air pollution

Answer 11

• carbon monoxide by combustion of fuel
• road transport
• sulphur dioxide form coal and oil burning

Question 12

Impacts of air pollution

Answer 12

• health problems
• weathering do buildings
• acid rain
• smog
• plant damage

Question 13

What is smog

Answer 13

Air pollution that reduces visibility