Weather Flashcards
What is an advantage of a prolonged spell of tropical continental air mass on the uk?
Brings very warm and dry weather and so tourism increase, especially in coastal areas. This can increase profits for businesses in coastal areas.
What are disadvantages of a prolonged spell of tropical continental air mass on the uk?
Hose-pipe bans could be enforced due to lack of water/rainfall
• Drought conditions reduce the yield of farmers’ crops - this can have a negative impact on availability of food and affect farmers’ profits
• More people (particularly young and elderly) admitted to hospital with heatstroke putting a strain on medical resources
• Wild fires can quickly spread due to dry conditions endangering wildlife and buildings
What is an advantage to a prolonged spell of arctic maritime air mass on the uk
Increase in tourism in areas that can be used for skiing – increasing income for ski resorts in Northern Scotland
What are disadvantages of a prolonged spell of arctic maritime air mass on the uk?
• Causes very cold conditions and so gas and electric bills will increase as people try to keep their homes warm – people have less disposable income.
• The snow/ice it brings can cause dangerous traffic conditions - leading to an increase in
accidents.
• Pavements can become very slippery, making conditions dangerous for elderly
pedestrians. The increase in these accidents could put pressure on the NHS.
Describe all the stages of a depression
Before the Warm Front
Dry Cool temperature
High cirrus clouds
Little wind
Warm Front
Steady continuous rainfall
Temperature begins to increase
Nimbostratus clouds
Calm winds
Warm Sector
Intermittent showers
Temperatures at their mildest
Clear with some rain clouds
Calm
Cold Front
Really heavy rainfall
Temperature begins to decrease
Cumulonimbus Clouds
Very windy possibility of storms
Cold Front Passing
Dry
Cold
Clear Sky
Calm
Fully explain latitude
The further you travel from the equator, the colder the temperature – so the south of the UK is warmer than the North This is due to the curvature of the Earth
Fully explain distance from the sea
Compared to the rest of the UK, the west is warmer in winter.
A warm ocean current (the North Atlantic Drift) arrives and
makes temperatures milder.
Compared to the rest of the UK, the west is cooler in the summer. The Atlantic Ocean is now colder and so temperatures are
colder.
Fully explain aspect
The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Places facing south (a southerly aspect) are therefore warmer as they receive sunshine throughout the entire day. Northerly facing locations will get no direct sunlight at all.
Fully explain relief
The height (altitude) and shape of the land influences temperature and precipitation. Temperature falls by around 1 degree Celsius for every 100m. This means that
places with a higher altitude (e.g. mountainous areas) will have
lower temperatures.
Fully explain freeze thaw
• Water gets into cracks in the rock
• This water freezes and expands
• It will then melt and the process will repeat until the
rock shatters.
Fully explain plucking
• As the glacier moves it sticks to the land beneath it.
• As the glacier continues to move downhill, the bedrock it had stuck to is pulled out of the land.
• This process leaves a jagged surface.
Fully explain abrasion
• Pieces of rock are embedded in the bottom of the glacier
• These rub against the surface of the ground like sandpaper
• Wearing it away to creating a smooth surface
Fully explain corrie formation
• Snow accumulates in north facing hollows (less sun & more shelter)
• As snow builds up, increased weight squeezes air out of snow
forming firn (neve), which then forms ice.
• When the hollow becomes full it creates a glacier, which
moves downhill due to gravity
• Abrasion* occurs at base due to material embedded in ice (moraine).
• Plucking* pulls rocks off the back wall, steepening it and can
add to abrasion
• The back wall is steepened by freeze
• The ice age is over and the corrie is now fully formed
• It is a steep armchair shaped hollow.
• Occasionally, the hollow may fill up with water, creating a
lake known as a tarn.
Fully explain arête formation
• An arête needs two glaciers to
form back to back corries in order
to form. A glacier forms when:
• Snow accumulates in north facing
hollows (less sun & more shelter)
• As snow builds up, increased
weight squeezes air out of snow
forming firn (neve), which then
forms ice.
• When the hollow becomes full it
creates a glacier, which moves
downhill due to gravity
• The back walls of the two corries
are plucked* by the glaciers
• Freeze thaw* also attacks the
back wall increasing the headward
erosion
• The material from the plucking
and freeze thaw aids abrasion*
which hollows out the base of
each corrie
• Overtime they cut back leaving a
knife-edged ridge between them
Fully explain a pyramidal peak formation
• A pyramidal peak may form at the
junction of three or more corries.
A glacier forms when:
• Snow accumulates in north facing
hollows (less sun & more shelter)
• As snow builds up, increased
weight squeezes air out of snow
forming firn (neve), which then
forms ice.
• When the hollow becomes full it
creates a glacier, which moves
downhill due to gravity
• The glaciers then begin to erode
• Erosion by plucking* and freeze-
thaw action* on the back walls
and abrasion* at the base
• This causes the back walls of the
corries to retreat towards each
other, producing arêtes and a
pyramidal peak in between.
• The pyramidal peak is an angular,
sharply pointed mountain peak