Weather And Climate Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the difference between weather and climate?

A

Weather is day to day and climate is usually measured in a period of 30 years.

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2
Q

What are the key elements of weather?

A

Sunshine duration/cloud cover, wind speed/direction, precipitation, air pressure, temperature, relative humidity (R.H.)

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3
Q

What are the instruments to measure elements of weather?

A

Thermometer, Barometer, Wet and dry thermometers, wind vane, Anemometer, rain gauge, sunshine recorder

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4
Q

What is the unit used for measuring air pressure?

A

hPa

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5
Q

What are the possible units for measuring wind speed?

A

m/s, or km/h for strong winds like typhoons

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6
Q

True or false: Anemometers are used to measure air pressure.

A

False. Barometers are used for air pressure.

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7
Q

True or false: Wind vanes measure wind speed.

A

False. Wind speeds are measured by Anemometers.

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8
Q

True or false: the tool used to measure sunshine duration is called Sunshine Recorder.

A

True.

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9
Q
What are symbolised by these symbols?
•
*
,
Inverted Δ
What category of weather elements do they belong to?
A

Rain, snow, drizzle, shower

Precipitation

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10
Q

What are symbolised by these symbols?
|-
|—
What category of weather elements do they belong to?

A

2.5m/s, 5m/s

Wind speed

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11
Q

What are symbolised by these symbols?

Ξ

A

Mist, fog, haze

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12
Q

How do typhoons form?

A
  1. > =26.5°C warm sea surface temperature
  2. Moist air is evaporated from the ocean and condenses to form clouds
  3. More warm air rises and form towering clouds
  4. The clouds form a low pressure system and suck air into it
  5. The air and clouds spirals upwards
  6. The low pressure system sucks in more air, creating strong winds
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13
Q

What are the preventive measures for typhoons?

A
  1. Well-developed warning system
  2. Appropriate housing: concrete houses with four-sided roofs and shatter-resistant glass films (May be built on stilts)
  3. Urban planning: avoid building houses in areas that can be potentially flooded
  4. Education of people in case of emergency
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14
Q

What are the remedial measures for typhoons?

A
  1. Well-trained rescue teams

2. Temporary shelter centres for people whose homes are lost/heavily damaged

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15
Q

What is the definition of air pressure?

A

The force which the air exerts on the ground

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16
Q

What is usually the weather condition in days with low air pressure?

A

The temperature is high and the weather is cloudy and unstable.

17
Q

What is usually the weather condition for days with high air pressure?

A

The temperature is low and it is sunny.

18
Q

In July in Hong Kong, which direction are most winds from? What weather characteristics does it form? Explain using theory of air pressure.

A

In July in Hong Kong, the temperature is hot and the air is heated. This results in low air pressure. Meanwhile, in Australia, the temperature is low and the air is cooled. This results in high air pressure. As air flows from high pressure areas to low pressure areas, Hong Kong receives winds from the South. As the winds pass through the Southern China Sea, the weather of Hong Kong in July is humid.

19
Q

What is the normal air pressure?

A

1013.5hPa

20
Q

What are the factors affecting climate?

A

Latitude and angle of the sun, land and sea, altitude, relief barrier

21
Q

What are the properties of land and sea?

A

Land heats up (in summer) and cools down (in winter) faster than the sea.

22
Q

The temperature at sea level is 30°C. What is the temperature at the peak of Mount Everest (approx. 9000m altitude)?

A

-24°C

23
Q

What happens on a windward slope of a mountain near the sea?

A
  1. Wet onshore winds blow from the sea
  2. Air is forced to go up the slope
  3. Air cools
  4. R. H. Increases
  5. At dew point, the air is saturated
  6. Water vapour condenses into clouds
  7. Rain falls
24
Q

What happens on a leeward slope of a mountain near the sea?

A
  1. Air sinks
  2. Air is compressed and becomes warm
  3. The air becomes dry, resulting in little rainfall
25
Q

What is an example of relief barrier in Hong Kong?

A

Tai Mo Shan

26
Q

Why does the angle of the sun (latitude) affect climate? Explain in terms of concentration of radiation.

A

Sunlight forms a right angle when in contact with regions of low latitude, and shines at a smaller area of land. Meanwhile, sunlight forms an acute angle when in contact with regions of high latitude, and shines at a larger area of land. Therefore, the solar radiation is more concentrated in lower-latitude areas than higher-latitude areas.

27
Q

Are there any other reasons why the angle of the sun (latitude) affects climate?

A

Yes. In lower-latitude regions, the solar radiation has to pass through a shorter distance through the atmosphere to reach the ground. Meanwhile, in higher-latitude regions, the solar radiation has to pass through a longe distance o the atmosphere. As the atmosphere contains dust and clouds which can absorb or reflect the radiation, more energy reaches the ground in lower-latitude regions than that of higher-latitude regions, so the temperature is higher in lower-latitude regions.

28
Q

What is the climate of inland areas called?

What are usually the climatic characteristics in inland areas?

A

Continental climate
There is a very high seasonal distribution of temperature. There is no seasonal distribution of rainfall, it is consistently very low.

29
Q

What is the climate of costal areas called?

A

Maritime climate

30
Q

For every 1000m you go higher in altitude, the temperature decreases by 6’C. What is this effect called?

A

Environmental lapse rate

31
Q

What are the names of the five climatic zones of China?

A

Temperate monsoon, subtropical monsoon, tropical monsoon, temperate continental, highland

32
Q

Which climatic zone is Hong Kong in? What are the characteristics of this climatic zone?

A

Subtropical monsoon climate

It has hot summers, mild winters, and 1000-1500 annual precipitation

33
Q

Arrange the five climatic zones in China from the zone with the most precipitation to the least. State the average approximate annual precipitation of each zone.

A

Tropical monsoon (1500-2000mm), subtropical monsoon (1000-1500mm), temperate monsoon (500-1000mm), temperate continental (200-500mm), highland (less than 50mm to more than 4000mm)