Topic 2. Weather and Climate Flashcards
Definition of Weather
The day to day conditions of the atmosphere, e.g temperature, precipitation, clouds etc.
Definition of Climate
The average weather conditions of an area occurring over many years.
Definition of Climate Change
Permanent alteration to temperature and rainfall pattern.
Factors affecting Climate
Latitude or distance from the equator Altitude or height above sea level Distance from the sea Ocean currents Prevailing wind
High Pressure
Nice Weather
Calm Conditions
Sunny
Clockwise
Low Pressure
Bad Weather Windy Cloudy Cold Wet Weather
Coriolis Effect
The deflection of air movement by the Earth’s rotation.
Factors affecting Climate:
Latitude or distance from the equator
Temperatures drop the further an area is from the equator due to the curvature of the earth. In areas closer to the poles, sunlight has a larger area of atmosphere to pass through and the sun is at a lower angle in the sky. As a result, more energy is lost and temperatures are cooler.
Factors affecting Climate:
Altitude or height above sea level
Locations at a higher altitude have colder temperatures. Temperature usually decreases by 1°C for every 100 metres in altitude.
Factors affecting Climate:
Distance from the sea
Oceans heat up and cool down much more slowly than land. This means that coastal locations tend to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter than places inland at the same latitude and altitude. Glasgow, for example, is at a similar latitude to Moscow, but is much milder in winter because it is nearer to the coast than Moscow.
Factors affecting Climate:
Ocean currents
Britain has a maritime climate. A warm ocean current called the North Atlantic Drift keeps Britain warmer and wetter than places in continental Europe
Factors affecting Climate:
Prevailing wind
The prevailing wind is the most frequent wind direction a location experiences. In Britain the prevailing wind is from the south west, which brings warm, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean. This contributes to the frequent rainfall. When prevailing winds blow over land areas, it can contribute to creating desert climates.
What are some of the impacts of Climate Change?
- Food Security
- Sea level rising
- Retreating Glaciers
- Water Shortages
- Extreme weather Hazards
Impact and Cause of Food Security
Cause: Rising temperatures will have an impact on yields because plants need a certain amount of heat. If the temperature is hot some plants won’t grow.
Impacts:
* Climate change could increase the prices of major crops in some regions. For the most vulnerable people, lower agricultural output means lower incomes. – Buisness
*Changing climatic conditions could also create a vicious cycle of disease and hunger.
* Can cause migration
* Starvation leads to death.
Impact and Cause of Sea Level Rising
The burning of fossil fuels and other human and natural activities has released enormous amounts of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. These emissions have caused the Earth’s surface temperature to rise, and the oceans absorb about 80 percent of this additional heat.
3 Primary Factors:
- Thermal Expansion
- Melting Glaciers and Polar Ice Caps
- Ice Loss from Greenland and West Antarctica
Small increase can have devastating effects on coastal habitats. As seawater reaches farther inland, it can cause destructive erosion, wetland flooding, aquifer and agricultural soil contamination, and lost habitat for fish, birds, and plants.
Thermal Expansion
When water heats up, it expands. About half of the past century’s rise in sea level is attributable to warmer oceans simply occupying more space.
Melting Glaciers and Polar Ice Caps (Retreating Glacier as well)
Large ice formations, like glaciers and the polar ice caps, naturally melt back a bit each summer.persistently higher temperatures caused by global warming have led to greater-than-average summer melting as well as diminished snowfall due to later winters and earlier springs.
= Less ice forming more melting
Ice Loss from Greenland and West Antarctica (Retreating Glacier as well)
Increased heat is causing the massive ice sheets that cover Greenland and Antarctica to melt at an accelerated pace. Saltwater from above and seawater from below is seeping beneath Greenland’s and West Antarctica’s ice sheets, effectively lubricating ice streams and causing them to move more quickly into the sea. Higher sea temperatures are causing the massive ice shelves that extend out from Antarctica to melt from below, weaken, and break off.
Water Shortage: Impacts and Causes
- People from developing countries are forced to drink low quality water from flowing streams, many of which are contaminated (many water-born diseases that people die of).
- Less water also means sewage does not flow, and mosquitoes are other insects breed on still (stagnant) dirty water. The result is deadly malaria and other infections.
- We use 70% of our water sources for agriculture and irrigation and only 10% on domestic uses.
- Less water means farming and other crops that need water to grow have lower yield. It means farm animals will die and others will not do well without water.
- Access to quality water is key to economic prosperity and better living standards. Businesses and schools thrive when people come to work on time and not have to spend all morning looking for water.
Cause and Impacts of Extreme Weather
The burning of fossil fuels and other human and natural activities has released enormous amounts of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. These emissions have caused the Earth’s surface temperature to rise.
- Higher temperatures lead to increased rates of evaporation, including more loss of moisture through plant leaves. Even in areas where precipitation does not decrease, these increases in surface evaporation and loss of water from plants lead to more rapid drying of soils.
- Floods are caused or amplified by both weather- and human-related factors. Major weather factors include heavy or prolonged precipitation, snow melt, thunderstorms, storm surges from hurricanes, and ice or debris jams. Human factors include structural failures of dams and levees.
Factors affecting the UK’s climate:
- Maritime Influences
- Prevailing Wind
- Altitude
- Circulation Cells
- North Atlantic Drift
Maritime Influences
As the UK is surrounded by sea, most of the air that reaches us contains a large amount of moisture resulting in consistent rainfall throughout the year.
Prevailing Wind
Most common wind direction for the UK is from the SOUTH-WEST. It has travelled over large expanses of warm ocean currents. So the air is warm and contains a lot of moisture.
Prevailing Wind reaches the western areas of the UK first and releases this moisture as rain. This leaves the eastern side of the UK relatively dry.
Altitude
The higher the altitude of an area the colder it is. For every 100 meters above sea level 1 degrees Celsius is lost. Air is forced to rise over the high land it is cooled, causing more of the moisture in the air to condense and fall as precipitation on the hill top.
