Unit 5- Uk climate Flashcards
What is the uk climate?
-Mild
-Maritime
How does altitude effect Uk temp?
-Scotland
-1 degree drops every 100m climbed
How does maritime climate effect the Uk?
effectd by the ocean
-Gulf stream carries warm air from mexico across the Atlantic towards Europe
-Transfer warm moist air
-Meaning Uk is warmer and wetter than most European countries at the same latitude
How many air masses affect the uk?
-5
What are these air masses called?
that affect the Uk
-Polar maritime air
-Tropical maritime air
-Tropical continental air
-Polar continental air
-Atlantic maritime air
Which air affects the uk most in winter?
Polar maritime air
cold, long snowy periods
What happen when these airs meet?
-Warmer rises over colder
-Colder effects more
What is the jet stream?
-Ribben of wind that circles the globe between 9 and 16km above surface
How does the jet stream effect the Uk?
-Crosses the uk (curvingly)
-Seperates polar air (north) and tropical air (south)
What happens when the jet stream takes a northernly track to the west of the Uk?
-Brings high pressure air from the south
-Cuasing anticyclones (period of dry, settled weather)
What happens if the jet steam stays fixed in the same position for a long time?
normally it shifts
-Weather stays the same
-Brings cold, sunny, dry weather in winter
-Heatwaves in summer
How to read a weather map?
-Shapes point in movement direction
-Closer lines mean stronger wind/change
What is an occluded front?
-Warm air mass trapped between two cold air masses
What are depressions?
-Areas of low pressure
-Warm air and cold air battle and swirl around eachother (anticlockwise)
-Rain heaviest at front where different temp air meets and form clouds
When are deppressions deaper?
winter months
What do depressions cuase?
-flood
-strong winds
What is the path of the depressions?
-Formed in the North Atlantic
-Move east
What is stage 5 of a depression?
Front, clouds
-Cold front
-Cumulus clouds
midsize cloud
What is stage 4 of a depression?
-Cumulo-nimbus
-heavy rain
massive clouds
What is stage 3 of a depression?
-Warm sector
-Stratus
skinny clouds
What is stage 2 of a depression?
-Stratus
-Rain
What is stage 1 of a depression?
-Cirrus clouds
-Rising warm front
-Cold air underneath warm rising air
What is an urban heat island and how does it happen?
-City acts a store for heat
-Building absorb heat
-Badly insulated buildings loose heat energy to surroundings
What combats urban’s warm microclimates?
-Parks
-Reduces dust and noise pollution
-Open space for heat to dissipate
