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IGCSE Geography > Weather > Flashcards

Weather Flashcards

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1
Q

What is weather?

A

the state of the atmosphere at a particular time.

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2
Q

What is the zone of weather called?

A

the troposphere.

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3
Q

How is precipitation measured?

A

a rain gauge.

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4
Q

How is a rain gauge set up?

A
  • part buried in the ground
  • on grass (no hard surface)
  • no trees/roofs around
  • upright
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5
Q

What is air temperature and what is it measured in?

A

the degree of warmth in the air.
celsius.

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6
Q

What measures the warmest and coldest temperatures of the day?

A

a maximum-minimum thermometer.

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7
Q

What is humidity?

A

the amount of water vapour in a given volume of air.

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8
Q

What is the dew point?

A

when the air is saturated.

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9
Q

What is the equation for relative humidity?

A

(amount of water vapour in the air/maximum amount of water vapour the air can hold at that temperature) x 100

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10
Q

What is the relative humidity of saturated air?

A

100%

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11
Q

How is humidity measured?

A

wet and dry bulb thermometers
hygrometer

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12
Q

How is the wet bulb different from the dry bulb?

A
  • has fine muslin cloth wrapped around it with a container of water underneath it that has a wick of cloth that leads to the muslin so the bulb is always moist.
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13
Q

What happens to the pressure as the altitude increases?

A

gets lower because there is less air.

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14
Q

Which isolines on a map show pressure?

A

isobars.

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15
Q

How do you measure pressure?

A

mercury barometer
aneroid barometer
barograph

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16
Q

What are the site requirements to measure pressure?

A

kept away from strong air movements
direct sunlight

17
Q

How is wind velocity measured?

A

an anemometer.

18
Q

What scale is used to classify wind destructiveness?

A

the Beaufort scale.

19
Q

What instrument shows wind direction?

A

a wind vane.

20
Q

What is the prevailing wind?

A

the most frequently occuring wind in an area.

21
Q

What are the site requirements for anemometers and wind vanes?

A
  • at least 10m above the ground
  • in an open space
  • at least 3x the height of the nearest obstacle
22
Q

What are the different isolines for?

A

isohyets - lines joining places with the same rainfall
isotherms - lines joining places with the same temperatures
isobars - lines joing places with the same pressure

23
Q

What is the Stevenson screen?

A
  • houses maximum-minimum thermometers
  • wooden box
  • can also contain barometer
  • door opens away from the sun
  • slatted sides allow free-flow of air
  • painted white to reflect sun
  • sited on grass
24
Q

What are clouds?

A

tiny water dorplets or ice particles that are too light to fall to earth.

25
Q

How do clouds form?

A

water vapour rises -> lower pressure -> air expands -> causes cooling

26
Q

What factors determine the colour of a cloud?

A

density and verical extent

27
Q

What are the three main types of cloud?

A

stratus, cumulus, cirrus

28
Q

What are features of stratus clouds?

A
  • little vertical uplift
  • cover a wide area
  • form in layers
29
Q

What are features of cumulus clouds?

A
  • more vertical
  • localised
  • flat bases
  • globular upper surfaces
30
Q

What are features of cirrus clouds?

A
  • occurs at high altitudes
  • wispy
  • made of ice crystals
  • feather-like
31
Q

What is cloud extent?

A

estimated by eye, expressed in number of oktas (eigths) of the sky covered with cloud.

32
Q

What is a weather hazard?

A

tropical storms

33
Q

Where do tropical storms form?

A

in tropics between 5-20 degrees north and south.

34
Q

How do tropical storms form?

A
  • heated/very moist air rises from the ocean creating low pressure at surface
  • more warm air rises
  • mass rises rapidly
  • cumulonimbus clouds are produced and they produce rain
  • air cools at high levesl and sinks forming the eye
  • continue + intensify over hot water
35
Q

What is the tropical storm case study?

A
  • Hurricane Katrina
  • August 2005 in Louisiana
  • 1 million people homeless
  • $150 billion
  • lots of looting and unemployment
  • 1.7 million people lost electricity

IGCSE Geography (12 decks)

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