Unit 1 - Topic 1 Flashcards
what is solar insolation
the sun’s energy
why is there more heat at the equator
more direct and intense solar insolation
why is there less heat at the poles
the rays are at a lower angle and so solar insolation is spread over a larger area and this causes less heat
give 2 ways heat is redistributed globally
pressure differences and ocean currents
why are there areas of low pressure over land masses in summer
dark surfaces on land like soil and forest heat faster in summer, heating the air above which rises and expands and gets lighter, rising further forming areas of low pressure
land heats ___ in summer and cools ___ in winter
quickly quickly
give 2 reasons it takes longer for the sea to heat up
some sunlight is reflected from the surface
and some is absorbed to 30m of depth
the sea heats ___ and cools ____
slowly
slowly
in summer, there is an area of ___ pressure over the sea
high
why is there an area of high pressure over the sea in summer
air remains cooler and denser (as the sea takes longer to heat up) and so it has a high pressure
why does wind happen
differences in pressure cause air to move
why does wind move in a circular way
the earth rotates
which direction does the wind blow in
high to low pressure
in the summer in the northern hemisphere there is ___ pressure over land/continents but at the same time in the southern hemisphere there is ___ pressure over continents
low
high
give one area of england whose climate is strongly affected by ocean currents
the isles of scilly
what is the gulf stream
a warm ocean current
what warm ocean current heats cornwall
the gulf stream
the gulf stream when heading to europe is called what
the north atlantic drift
the north atlantic drift turns into what when it hits greenland and canada and turns what direction
the labrador current - south
why does the gulf stream exist? describe the mechanisms of it
in the north atlantic cold, salty water is heavy and sinks - creates a convection current - dragging surface water downwards - drawing warmer salty water over the ocean surface from areas of the equator such as the gulf of mexico
why is the water salty and being dragged down in the north atlantic ocean
hotter water from the equator evaporates leaving a higher salt concentration in the cooler water which then flows in the north atlantic ocean
what pressure does the inter tropical convergence zone have
low pressure
what do areas of low pressure bring
rain
where does the ITCZ form
within the tropics
the ITCZ is formed where two masses of __ meet
air
how many different cells are there in the global circulation model
3
which is the largest cell in the global circulation model
hadley cell
describe how the hadley cell works
air is heated over land and rises as it expands and becomes larger - forms a low pressure area
then it cools and forms another side of high pressure
then the trade winds go from high to low pressure
in what cell are the trade winds located
the hadley cell
what is the global circulation model
a theory that explains how the atmosphere operates in a series of 3 cells each side of the equator
give the 3 names of the atmospheric cells
ferrel cell
polar cell
hadley cell
What is differential heating
Different parts of the earth heat up at different rates due to solar insolation
The solar radiation is absorbed by ___, ___ and ____
Clouds, land, seas
At higher latitudes, Solar insolation is spread over a ___ surface area
Larger
Give one other reason apart from latitudes that the poles are colder than the equator - to do with atmosphere
Radiation travels through a greater depth of atmosphere
And so more radiation is lost to scattering and absorption by gases and particles in the atmosphere
Give a reason to do with daylight that the poles are colder than the equator
There are periods of time, due to the tilt of the earth, where there is little to no daylight for parts of the year (winter)
This means the earth is radiating out heat without any incoming from the sun
Give a final reason the poles are colder than the equator to do with the type of surface in the poles
Snow, ice and thick cloud reflect allot of the sun’s radiation into space
What is another term for the reflectivity of surfaces of land
Albedo
Differential heating creates a ___ ___between the poles and equator
Thermal gradient
The warm air rising at the equator spreads out underneath the ___
Tropopause
What is the tropopause and what does it contain
A lid for the lowest part of the atmosphere
Contains all of our weather
Warm air rises, hits the tropopause and then ___ and ___
Cools and sinks
What are the smallest cells
Polar cells
Cold air descends from polar regions to ___ degrees north and south in the polar cell
60
Polar cells:
Cold air sinks, flows along the____ and then rises at around 60 degrees north and south
Land
The Ferrell cells are not driven by ___ unlike the other cells
Temperature
Ferrel cells flow in the ___ direction to the Hadley and polar cells
Opposite
Where air is rising there is an area of ____
Low pressure
Why are the largest areas of rainforest found near the equator
They are in low pressure areas - rainy areas - at the equator
Where air is descending there is an area of ____ pressure
High
High pressure leads to ____ climates
Dry
High = ____
Dry
The earth’s surface rotates __ at the equator compared to the poles
Faster
The ___ effect means that as air moves away from the equator it doesn’t move in a straight line
Coriolis
The turning effect (from the ground view) of the wind from equator north and south is due to the air passing from a region that is moving___ to one that is moving___
Faster
Slower
Winds blow ____ around low pressure and ___around high pressure
Anti clockwise
Clockwise
What is another term for the ITCZ
The doldrums - as it leaves ships stranded due to the lack of wind
Why do the westerlies and easterlies happen? Give general description
Due to the cells:
Air travels southward along the surface in the Hadley cell. But as the earth is moving slower at the top compared to the further south area it appears to be shifted towards the left (even though it isn’t) so it appears to turn
Apply this logic to all other cells
It’s opposite in the easterlies vs westerlies as the Ferrell cell travels in the opposite direction to the others
Air moving away from the equator speeds up as it gets closer to ____ in a process known as ___
The earth’s spin axis
The conservation of angular momentum
The magnitude of the coriolis force increases towards the ____due to the conservation of ___
Poles
Angular momentum
Where is the polar front jet
Between polar and Ferrell
The polar front jet is stronger in the ___ than the ___ as it is created by a ___contrast
Winter
Summer
Temperature
Wiggles in the jet stream are known as what
Depressions
Westerly winds are known as ___ winds
Trade
The trade winds in the southern hemisphere are the _____ trade winds
South east
The trade winds in the northern hemisphere are the ____trade winds
North east
Why are the Trade winds called that
They opened up trade routes between Europe and America
Westerlies are under what cell
Ferrel cell
The polar easterlies are located under what cell
The polar cell
Draw a diagram of the circulatory cells of the earth’s atmospheric circulation including easterlies and westerlies
Well done!! (Check your answer online!)
investigate the Coriolis force!!
what two substances do volcanic eruptions produce
ash and sulphur dioxide gas
what level of atmosphere can ash from volcanic eruptions reach and block out the sun
stratosphere
how does ash and gas from volcanic eruptions cool the planet if it covers the atmosphere
sunlight is reflected off the gas and ash and also stops some sunlight reaching earth’s surface
the stratosphere is above the _____
troposphere
where do clouds live (what level?)
troposphere
give an example of a volcano that erupted in 1991
mount pinatubo
when did mount pinatubo erupt?
1991
How many million tonnes of sulphur dioxide release
17
where is mount pinatubo
the Philippines
mount pinatubo cooled the planet by ___ for about ____ in ___
0.5 degrees
a year
1991
give an example of a volcanic eruption in Indonesia
tambora 1815
when did tambora erupt
1815
where is tambora volcano
indonesia
1816 was the year ________
without a summer
Tambora eruption led to what event
the year without a summer in 1816
the effects of the eruption of tambora lasted how many years
4-5
in general, how many years of effects are experienced after volcanic eruptions
only a few years
1km sized asteroids strike every ____ years
500 000
the effect of a 1km asteroid could last ____ years
5-10 ( similar to a large volcano)
sunspots appear what colour on the sun’s surface
black
more sunspots = more/less solar energy fired at earth
more
give 2 periods that people think were caused by sunspots
the little ice age and the medieval warm period
give 2 reason to doubt sunspot theory as a cause of the little ice age
greenland experienced a warmer period
the summers weren’t actually much colder than average and the sixth warmest winter in English records happened during this time - just a couple of years after the coldest on record
what is the length of time between the earth changing from circular to elliptical orbits and back again
100 000
how long is the cycle of earth’s rotational axis change
41 000 years
the orientation of earth’s access changes in a cycle every ___ years
26 000 years
give 3 ways the orientation of the earth and its orbit changes
orbit shape moves circular to elliptical
axis tilts (from upright to on its side)
axis wobbles (like a spinning top)
what is the general name for the cycles the earth undergoes in terms of its orbit and orientation
milankovitch cycles
give 3 physical pieces of evidence about past climates
fossils
landforms
ice cores
give an example of a landform
u shaped valley
what are warm periods known as
interglacials
what are colder periods known as
glacials
ice sheets contain layers of ice: ____at the bottom and ___ at the top
oldest
youngest
ice contains air bubbles - which have differing amounts of ____ which can be measured to find the composition of past climates
co2
climatologists do what to find the air bubbles trapped in the ice
drill
we know about the _____ period from ice cores which was about ___ million years ago
quaternary - 2.6
when was the last ice age
30 000 - 10 000 years ago
how can trees be used to find out about the climate of the past
tree rings can be measured
each ring on the tree is a ___ of growth for the tree
year
larger tree rings indicate what type of climate
warmer and wetter climates - more growth
smaller tree rings indicate what type of climate
cooler and drier climate
how can tree rings be used to find records of trees from thousands of years ago
fossilised trees in peat bogs can be investigated
give 3 ways human records can inform us of the past climates
old photos, drawings and paintings
dairies, books and newspapers
records of harvests, blossom times and the time of bird migration
give one reason human records like diaries aren’t very reliable
they weren’t intended to record the climate
what was the coldest time in the little ice age
1700
what was the warm period before the medieval warm period
the roman warm period - romans grew grape vines in Britain
what % of the atmosphere is nitrogen
78.1
what % of the atmosphere is co2
0.04%
what % of the atmosphere is oxygen
20.9%
what % of the atmosphere is water vapour
1%
nitrogen is important for what
plant growth
what is the greenhouse effect
the way gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun - letting heat in and preventing some from getting out
___wave radiation passes into earth’s atmosphere from the sun
short
___wave radiation is reflected back from earth and passes into space
long
methane is ___ times more powerful than CO2
21
nitrous oxide is ___ times more powerful than CO2
250
what is nitrous oxide produced by
jet engines, cars, sewage farms
methane is produced by what
melting of permafrost
farming rice in paddy fields
cattle farming
halocarbons are __ times more powerful than CO2
3 0000
what are halocarbons used for
solvents and cooling equipment and used in industry
give the 2 biggest source software carbon emissions by the UK in 2019
energy supply
transport
which two continents were responsible for highest co2 emissions per person 2016
oceania and North America
china emits __ of emissions
29%
EU, USA and Japan combined = ___% of emissions
27%
do consumers in the developing or developed world produce more CO2 per person
developed
global warming is caused by what
the enhanced greenhouse effect
sea levels rise due to ____ and ___
thermal expansion
glaciers melting
___% of the world’s valley glaciers are shrinking
90
what panel exists in the UN to deal with climate change
the intergovernmental panel on climate change
by 2100 sea levels will rise between __ and ___
30 cm and 1m
temperatures will rise between __and __ by 2100
1.1
6.4
give 3 reasons its difficult to predict the climate in the next century
we don’t know population change
we don’t know if fossil fuels will be replaced with renewables and to what extent
we don’t know if people will change their lifestyles to use less energy
give 3 things which climate change could do
make more climate refugees
make more frequent natural disasters
make more dangerous/stronger natural disasters
what is a tropical cyclone
a rotating system of clouds and storms that form and develop over tropical or subtropical waters
once a topical cyclone develops and gains a wind speed above ___ it is known as ___, or ___, or ____
118 km/h
hurricane
typhoon
cyclone
where is the word hurricane used
North America (both pacific coast and North Atlantic coast)
where is the word cyclone used
india/Indian Ocean and around Australia (South Pacific)
where is the word typhoon used
north pacific around japan’s coast
what are tropical storms measured with ( what scale)
saffir simpson hurricane scale
how many categories does the saffir Simpson scale have
5
Japan uses its own scale called what
the meteorological agency’s scale
what scale is used In Australia to measure cyclone intensity
tropical cyclone intensity scale
the saffir Simpson scale is used where
in North America and North Pacific
the saffir Simpson scale has categories based on what
wind speed
give 4 hazards associated with tropical cyclones
strong winds
storm surges
intense rainfall
landslides
what are storm surges
coastal flooding caused by unusually high tides
why do storm surges happen during cyclones
air pressure is so low so sea level is raised and waves are driven onshore
why does lots of rainfall occur in a short space of time during cyclones
thick and dense cloudsand very low air pressure
why do landslides(slumping) happen during cyclones
the ground becomes saturated and heavy and slumps down
give an example of a tropical storm name in the philippines where landslides occurred
Jangmi
what is the record for the most amount of rain in a single storm
2700mm
where do tropical cyclones form
between the tropics
what is the movement of a cyclone called
the track
what is the track of a cyclone directed by
global wind circulation
what is used to spot tropical cyclones forming
satellite photograpy
what are the areas where cyclones form called
source regions
what temperature does the ocean have to exceed for a tropical cyclone to form
26.5 degrees celcius
the deeper and broader the area of warm ocean the more ___ available for the cyclone
energy
when do cyclones form
late summer - when oceans are warmest
give 3 conditions needed for a tropical cyclone to form
ocean above 26.5
strong winds in the troposphere
the coriolis force
why are strong winds in the troposphere needed to have a cyclone form
to draw warm air up from the ocean surface
topical cyclones dont form at _____where the coriolis force is minimal
equator
why dont tropical cyclones form at the equator
there isnt a strong enough coriolis force
tropical cyclones form between __and ___ degrees latitude
5 and 30
what is the coriolis force created by
the earths rotation
tropical cyclones rely on a supply of ___, ___ air
warm, moist
warm air rising creates what
an updraft
why does warm air rise
it is lighter than cooler air and expands
where is the lowest area of pressure in a tropical cyclone
the centre
what is air ressure
the weight of air on the earth’s surface
the bigger the difference in air pressure in the cyclone vs the rest of the air around it the more what
wind
where is the lowest pressure area of a storm
at its centre ( i think its the rotating warm air around the eye)
in the eye of the storm there is ___, ___air
descending, dense air
the eye of the storm is calm/stormy
calm
give stage 1 of the formation of a tropical cyclone
warm air rises from the ocean
as warm air rises air rushes in to replace it and rises, drawn up by the air above
why does an updraft happen
warm air rises and air below it follows it upwards to replace it
what type of clouds form a cyclone
cumulonimbus
give stage 2 of the formation of tropical cyclones
updraft air has lots of water vapour which condenses forming cumulonimbus clouds
why are cumulonimbus clouds produced in the formation of a tropical cyclone
updraft air contains lots of water vapour which then condenses
what force causes the cyclone air currents to spiral
coriolis force
the coriolis force causes rotation around a centre ___ of the storm
eye
as air rises, it ___ and air ____ forming the eye of the storm
cools
descends
what is stage 4 of the formation of a tropical cyclone
the cyclone is fed by heat and moisture from the oceans and gets bigger
what happens to the cyclone as it reaches a landmass
it loses its energy
how does a cyclone decay
air pressure rises as temperature fall, winds drop, rainfall decreases - when it hits land
what is the population of bangladesh
163 million
what % of bangladesh is less than 10m above sea level
80%
give an example of a river in bangladesh
Ganges
during monsoon season, if one river floods what happens
they all flood
what is bangladesh’s rainy season called
monsoon season
what is the capital of bangladesh
dhaka
is dhaka at risk of floods
yes
give an example of a cyclone in bangladesh
cyclone amphan
when was cyclone amphan
may 2020
give 3 things which made cyclone amphan severe
rain intensity
wind strength
storm surge
on 20 May the estuary region of bangladesh received __mm of rain in a few hours
220
what was the peak wind strength in cyclone amphan
260kmph
what was air pressure in the bay of bengal (hint it was very low)
920mb
what is the average air pressure at sea level
1013mb
what is air pressure measured in
milibars
what did low pressure in the bay of bengal cause
sea level rise - a storm surge
the storm surge in storm amphan left a __m high tide
5m
how many were killed in storm amphan
20
how many were made homeless from storm amphan
500 000
what % of people displaced after storm amphan were from bangladesh’s lowest income groups
90%
how many hectares of farmland was flooded
176 000
how were crops killed by storm surges
they were flooded with salt water
over how many people were affected (by damage to homes or livelihoods)
1 million
a year after the storm how many people were still displaced
thousands
amphan caused migration to ___
dhaka
amphan caused long term damage to children how
made it hard to resume normal schooling
what jobs did people who migrated to dhaka after amphan get
low skilled labouring jobs
pulling rickshaws
give 3 possible impact categories of cyclone amphan
social economic and environmental
give 3 environmental impacts of the cyclone amphan
loss of animals
sickness
mangrove forests damaged
what did loss of animals due to cyclone amphan lead to
loss of animal dung as a fuel source
what did loss of animal dung as a fuel source lead to
pressure on firewood sources for cooking fuel
what is the issue with using firewood instead of dung as cooking fuel
rising population in Bangladesh means firewood forests are already in decline
give 2 example of a sickness that resulted from cyclone amphans effects
typhoid and malaria
why did typhoid come as a result of cyclone amphan
flooding contaminated freshwater with sewage
why did malaria come as a result of cyclone amphan
moist air brought mosquitoes
what is the name of an area of mangrove forest in Bangladesh
the sundarbans
what is the mangrove forest called the sundarbans home to
the royal Bengal tiger
how many km of mud embankments in the sundurbans burst
150km
true or false: no tigers were killed during cyclone amphan
false - some were killed by drowning
what % of Bangladesh’s population lives below the poverty line
22%
who are the poorest in society - give a job category
landless labourers - in particular women
why are landless labourers at risk from cyclones
they live on flood prone land (cheaper as less desirable) in poorly built housing
why do many landless labourers live by the roads
they are built on embankments designed to protect from floods
Bangladesh suffers __% of the worlds death and damage caused by cyclones
85%
give 4 methods of protection Bangladesh has developed
forecasting using satellite technology
warning systems
evacuation strategies
storm surge defences
what group in Bangladesh issues weather forecasts on tv and radio
bangladesh’s meteorological department
what is an issue with weather forecasts and warnings being on tv and radio
few outside Dhaka have access to tv and radio
