Weather Flashcards
What factors affect the temperature? (6)
Latitude
Altitude
Depression
Distance from sea
Distance from city
Aspect of a slope
How does aspect of a slope affect temperature?
Slopes facing the south will be warmer
How does distance from the sea affect temperature?
In the summer, closer to the sea is cooler and being inland is warmer.
How does distance from the city affect temperature?
The closer you are to a city, the warmer it is
How does altitude affect temperature?
for every 100m above sea level, the temperature drops by 1 degree celcius
How does latitude affect temperature?
It is always hotter at low latitudes and colder at high latitudes
Why is it warmer at lower latitudes? (4)
- The suns rays have to pass through less atmosphere at the equator
- The curve of the earth means that the suns rays are more concentrated at the equator
- The tilt of the earth means that the equator gets strong sunlight all year while the poles get 6 months of darkness
- The albedo is higher at the poles and lower at the equator
Why does the suns rays having to pass through more atmosphere make it colder?
More of the suns rays are reflected before they can heat up the ground
What is ‘albedo’?
‘Albedo’ is how much of the suns rays are reflected by a surfaces. White surfaces like the snow and ice at the poles reflect light while the dark green forests at the equator absorb it.
What are the 5 types of air masses?
Arctic Maritime
Polar Maritime
Polar continental
Tropical Maritime
Tropical continental
Arctic Maritime source and weather:
Arctic Ocean
Cold and wet (snow)
Polar Maritime source and weather:
Northern Atlantic Ocean
Cold and wet
Polar Continental source and weather:
Russia (Siberia)
Cold and dry (unless moisture picked up over north sea)
Tropical Maritime source and weather:
South Atlantic Ocean
Warm and wet
Tropical Continental source and weather:
Africa (Sahara desert)
Hot and dry
Which air masses effect britan the most?
Polar Maritime and Tropical Maritime
What are depressions?
Areas of low pressure formed when cold air and warm air meet
What are the three types of front in a depression?
- Cold
- Warm
- Occluded
When the isobars are closer together does that mean the wind is faster or slower?
Faster
Describe the temperature in a depression
Between the cold and warm fronts is the ‘warm sector’. Anywhere outside of the warm sector is colder.
Why is the warm sector warm? (in a depression)
Because the air here has been pushed up from the tropics
Why is it cold outside of the warm sector? (in a depression)
Because the air here is being pushed down from the polar area
Describe the wind direction in a depression:
(in the northern hemisphere)
The wind blows anticlockwise, parallel to the isobars
Describe the cloud cover over a front in a depression:
Cloud cover is at its most under the fronts (8 Oktas)
