Weather Flashcards
What is weather
The day to day conditions of the atmosphere in a specific place
What is climate
The average weather conditions over a long period of time in a region
Give 3 weather recording instruments
Rain Gauge
Minimum - Maximum thermometer
Wet/Dry Bulb thermometer
What is a rain gauge
Must be used in open space
Any snow or frost must be melted first
Recordings should be totalled to give monthly and annual rainfalls
It measures all forms of precipitation
What is a maximum/minimum thermometer
Used to measure the warmest and coldest temperatures of the day
The air temperature can also be read form it at any time
Often uses Mercury to gauge the instruments
Is reset by shaking
What is a wet/dry bulb thermometer
The reading is given as a percentage
One bulb is an ordinary thermometer giving the air temperature
The bulb of the other thermometer has a fine muslin cloth wrapped around it
It measures humidity
Give some requirements for a Stevenson screen
1.2m above ground so it doesn’t receive heat released from the ground
Screen has a roof to protect the instruments
Door of the screen should always face away from the sun
Slats to allow air to circulate freely
How do you calculate the humidity from a wet and dry bulb thermometer
Dry bulb - Wet bulb = …%
What do digital weather recording instruments do
Transmit data to computers
Others are hand held with a screen to show recordings
Give an example of a digital weather recording instrument
Hygrometer
Maximum minimum thermometers
What are isoline maps
Lines drawn to link different places that share a common value. ‘Iso’ means equal, so a isoline must be a line joining equal points together
What are Isophytes
Lines joining places with the same rainfall
What are isotherms
Lines joining places with the same temperatures
What are Isobars
Lines joining places with the same pressure
What are the 3 types of cloud
Stratus
Cumulus
Cirrus
Describe stratus clouds
Where there is little vertical uplift, but the uplift is over a wide area, clouds form in layers and are known as Statuses
Sheet like
Describe Cumulus clouds
More vertical but localised uplift results in heaped Cumulus clouds with flat bases and globular upper surfaces.
Usually a flat bottom and a cauliflower like top
Globby
Describe Cirrus clouds
Where condensation occurs at very high levels, whips cirrus clouds are formed 9made form ice crystals)
Feather like
How is cloud cover measured
measured in oktas (eighths)
Estimated by sight
Sky is divided into 8, how much of the sky is covered is the measurement given in oktas
How do clouds form
Sun heats water up,rises away from the surface
Calls down and starts sticking to microscopic dust particles all sticking together to forma cloud
Clouds start to fall to Earth very slowly, but warm air pushes them back up faster than it can fall
As they rise more droplets join until they are heavy enough to fall faster than the hot air is pushing them up
Rain, snow, sleet or hail
