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Geography > Weather and Climate > Flashcards

Weather and Climate Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a hot desert

A

A hot desert is a location in which the climate is very dry with less than 250 mm of rainfall a year.

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2
Q

Where are hot deserts found

A

Hot deserts are usually located in the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. This is between 20 - 30 degrees north of south of the equator

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3
Q

Why is there little rainfall in hot deserts

A

Global circulation - convection currents in the tropical zone (Hadley Cells) cause air to descend on the tropics, which causes higher pressure and less rainfall.

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4
Q

What are the main characteristics of a hot desert climate?

A
  • very hot days and colder nights
  • lack of cloud cover
  • low and irregular rain fall which lack a seasonal pattern
  • low levels of humidity
  • warm dry winds
  • possibly sand storms
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5
Q

What are the factors that affect desert climates?

A
  • cloud coverage
  • lines of latitude
  • proximity to sea
  • ocean currents
  • altitude
  • winds
  • air pressure
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6
Q

How does cloud coverage affect desert climates

A

Deserts have low amounts of water, which means low cloud coverage. Clouds absorb solar energy that is given from the sun, it also traps solar energy that is already in the planet. This means Deserts will exposed to extreme temperatures, and drastic nighttime falling.

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7
Q

How does Latitude affect desert climates?

A

Latitude helps determine temperature. As the sun is directly above the equator, areas closest to that will have higher temperatures. The atmosphere is also thinner at the equator, allowing more heat energy to pass through.

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8
Q

How does proximity to the sea affect desert climates?

A

As water gains or loses heat energy more slowly than land. if the temperature of the land is too high, the water will be able to absorb the temperature and moderate the temperature. This means that deserts that aren’t exposed to large amounts of water such as the sea will not have their temperatures modified and they will stay in extreme temperatures.

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9
Q

How do ocean currents affect desert climates?

A

Ocean currents are divided into two types - warm currents and cold currents. Cold ocean currents prevent the temperatures of nearby coastal deserts from becoming too hot. Warm ocean currents have the opposite effect, causing nearby deserts to become even hotter and drier.

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10
Q

How does altitude affect desert climates?

A

High-altitude deserts may be cooler than low-altitude deserts, as the atmosphere is colder. higher-altitude areas can receive more precipitation than lower-altitude areas.

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11
Q

How do winds affect desert climates?

A

Wind affects the temperature of a desert by either cooling or warming the air depending on its direction and speed. winds blowing off of nearby mountains brings in cooler air, while winds blowing from hotter areas can cause temperatures to rise.

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12
Q

How does air pressure affect desert climates?

A

high-pressure areas experience very dry and warm conditions resulting in a hot desert climate.

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13
Q

What is the location of the Sonoran desert? What is it known for?

A

The Sonoran desert is located primarily in North America - Mexico - Baja California. It is the second-hottest desert in North America.

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14
Q

What is the climate in the Sonoran desert

A

Some characteristics of the Sonoran desert are :
- Arid and hot
- Barren land
- complex geological structures
- variety of plants & animals
- High temperature (48 C)
- Low rainfall (400mm)

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15
Q

What are some causes of the characteristics in the Sonoran desert?

A

Lack of evaporation due to cold temp in pacific ocean

mountains nearby, winds bring in cold temp

Global circulization

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16
Q

What are some of the animals and vegetations in the Sonoran desert

A

Animals:
Tarantulas
Kangaroo rat
Plants:
Ephedra
Acacias
CACTI

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17
Q

How are some species adapted to live in the Sonoran desert?

A
  • Some plants such as cacti reduce their number/size of leaves to reduce water loss
    Some plants have wider roots to absorb more water
  • Deciduous plants grow out their leaves in the monsoon season to have a higher intake of water and then shed them after to reduce water loss.
  • The stem of some plants is modified to reduce transpiration
  • Camels have large feet to stop sinking in the sand. they also have large humps which store fats for energy which allows them to go long periods without food or water
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18
Q

What is the desert soil like in the Sonoran desert?

A
  • The soil in the Sonoran desert is mostly sandy soil with a bright orange/red appearance.
  • There is a low amount of nitrogen but a high amount of phosphate making it infertile.
  • There is more calcium in the lower layers of soil which is essential for plant growth.
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19
Q

What are some Human impacts on the Sonoran desert

A
  • The high amounts of mining have left trash dumps all around the desert
  • Agriculture has led to the clearing of miles and miles of natural vegetation
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20
Q

Where are tropical rainforests located?

A

Tropical rainforests are located in the tropical region, usually 10 degrees north or south of the equator

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21
Q

What is a tropical rainforest?

A

a hot, moist biome where it rains all year long.

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22
Q

give two reasons why a forest has high amounts of rainfall.

A
  1. Global circulation - Hadley cells cause there to be less air pressure here so water will condense and precipitate
  2. Evapotranspiration
23
Q

How many layers are in a tropical rainforest and what are they

A
  • 4 layers
    1. forest floor 2. Understory 3. Canopy 4. Emergent
24
Q

What is the climate like in tropical rainforests?

A
  • Hot & Humid
  • High temperatures all year round
  • High amounts of precipitaiton
  • Not barren
25
Q

What are the characteristics of the forest floor and what organisms would you find there

A
  • Dark and shady, Organisms are camouflaged
  • Tigers, Snakes, Insects
26
Q

What are the characteristics of the understory layer and what organisms would you find there

A
  • Dark and shady, young trees
  • Bats, Snakes, Emerald tree
27
Q

What are the characteristics of the canopy layer and what organisms would you find there

A
  • Network of leaves, Roof of the rainforest
  • Monkeys, rubber tree
    Most species - highest diversity
28
Q

What are the characteristics of the emergent layer and what organisms would you find there

A
  • Bright, Very high trees
  • Eagles, Kapok tree
    Trees emerging to reach the sun
    60m tall
29
Q

Name two animals that have adapted to tropical rainforests and explain their adaptations

A

Jaguar - fur designed for camouflage, excellent swimmers
Frogs - Can camouflage, contains toxins

30
Q

Name two plants that have adapted to tropical rainforests and explain their adaptations

A

Philodendrons - Leaves have a drip tip
Lianas - roots go deep, Climbs high into canopy layer

31
Q

True or false - Tropical rainforest soils are fertile - What is the cause of this

A

False - Because organic material decays & is recycled so fast the soil cannot absorb any nutrients

32
Q

If a tropical rainforest is removed to allow farming, will it be successful?

A

No, the rain will wash away fertilizers and nutrients so the soil will remain infertile

33
Q

Where is the Amazon rainforest located?

A

South America - Brazil

34
Q

Why is the Amazon rainforest valuable to people?

A
  • Stabilizes the world via photosynthesis
  • Releases (20 billion tones) lots of water per day
  • Home to 10% of species on earth
  • Used in medical industry - compounds in plants can help fight cancer
35
Q

Why is the Amazon rainforest being destroyed?

A
  • Paper
  • Space
  • Extraction of fossil fuels
  • Soybeans
36
Q

List ways we can conserve tropical rainforests

A

Afforestation
Recycling
Limiting power consumption
Moving to eco-friendly appliances
Ecotourism

37
Q

What is the difference between weather and climate?

A

Weather is day to day so it’s ever-changing, while Climate is an average over a long period of time

38
Q

What is a Stevenson Screen?

A

a small weather station that is used to measure local weather conditions. White, on grass, slats, 1.5 m high legs etc

39
Q

What is the equipment inside a Stevenson Screen?

A
  • Barometer
  • Maximum - minimum thermometer
  • Wet and dry bulb thermometer/Hygrometer
40
Q

What is a sunlight recorder and how does it work

A
  • Measures hours of sunlight
  • A glass sphere concentrates sunlight onto a card and the amount of sunlight that had fallen on it
41
Q

What is a rain gauge and how does it work

A
  • Sees how much precipitation has fallen
  • Water from precipitation falls into a funnel and then emptied into a cylindrical cup, the water in the cup is the accumulated rainfall total
42
Q

What is a wind vane and how does it work

A
  • tells the direction the wind is blowing from
  • Wind catches a rudder blade and makes it rotate, the narrow end of the vane points into the wind and tells you the direction the wind is coming from
43
Q

What is an anemometer and how does it work

A
  • Measures wind speed
  • The anemometer spins around fast when there is a fast winds, you count the number of turns to calculate wind speed
44
Q

What is a barometer and how does it work

A
  • Measures air pressure
  • There is mecurary inside a large dish, due to changes in air pressure the mercuary will expand/shrink which forces a line to move around the dish showing the temperatures
45
Q

What is a maximum minimum thermometer and how does it work

A
  • measures the highest temp and lowest temp in the day
  • Alchohol and Mercury inside will expand and shrink based on temperatures, this moves metal indicies. you always read from the bottom of the indicie
46
Q

what is a wet&dry bulb thermometer / hygrometer and how does it work

A
  • Measures humidity
  • The wet bulb thermometer is cooled by evaporation, and the dry bulb thermometer measures the actual air temperature. By comparing their readings, you can calculate the relative humidity
47
Q

What is a compass and how does it work

A
  • Shows direction and bearing it’s facing
  • Needle that rotates when reacting to magnetic fields
48
Q

What are some characteristics of a Stevenson screen and why are they there

A
  • Placed on grass - to avoid reflection/absorption from surfaces
  • Faced away from the sun - to give more accurate results
  • Sloped roof - to protect instruments from rainfall
  • Slats - to allow air freely in
  • Painted white - to reflect heat
  • Placed in open space - to help circulate air and avoid heat from buildings
  • (1.2M) above ground - to stop puddles from entering and to reduce heat energy transferred from ground
49
Q

How do clouds form

A

Warm moist air rises, and the air will cool as it rises. When it reaches the dew point, condensation occurs and water vapor turns into water and ice crystals which are held by suspended air (pressurized air).

50
Q

What is cloud cover measured in, is it a positive correlation or inverse relationship between octas and cloud coverage

A

Cloud coverage is measured in Oktas (eights) - the more oktas the more cloud coverage (so positive correlation)

51
Q

How many levels of clouds are there and what are they

A
  • Three levels
  • High / Middle / Low
52
Q

What type of cloud exists in each level

A

Cumulonimbus

53
Q

Apart from cumulonimbus, give 2 names of clouds that are in

  1. High
  2. Middle
  3. Low
A
  1. Cirrus 1. Cirrocumulus
  2. Alto cumulus 2. Altostratus
  3. cumulus 2. stratus
54
Q

Give a list of typical weather measuring equipment

A

Sunlight recorder
Rain gauge
Wind vane
Anemometer
Barometer
Maximum - minimum thermometer
Wet and dry bulb thermometer / hygrometer
compass

Geography (12 decks)

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