Weather and Climate Flashcards
What is meteorology?
The science of studying and predicting weather and climate.
What is weather?
Description of the day to day conditions of the atmosphere in a specific place.
What affects weather?
1) Temperature
2) Precipitation
3) Humidity
4) Atmospheric Pressure
What is temperature?
Temperature is the degree of hotness or coldness of the atmosphere.
What is precipitation?
Precipitation is moisture that falls from the air to the ground.
What is humidity?
Humidity is the concentration of water vapour in the air.
What is atmospheric pressure?
Atmospheric pressure is the force applied by the weight of the air
What is climate?
Average state of weather over a long period of time.
What is flora?
All types of plant species that live in a specific area.
What is fauna?
All types of animal species that live in a specific area.
What is a biome?
A biome is a large collection of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat.
Describe a tropical climate.
The tropical rainforest is a hot and moist biome with a lot of precipitation.
Describe a desert climate.
Deserts are dry, arid areas with less than 50cm rainfall per year.
What affects climate?
1) Relief
2) Landscape
What is relief?
Relief refers to the way the landscape changes in height.
What are uplands?
Uplands are areas high above sea level. They are often mountainous.
What are landscapes?
Landscapes are the visible features of an area of land. (E.g. Mountains, lakes, hills..)
What is a microclimate?
The climate of a very small area that is different from the climate of the surrounding area.
What is latitude?
The distance from the equator, measured in degrees.
How does latitude affect climate?
Sun’s rays are more concentrated at the Equator so that area tends to be hotter.
What is the albedo effect?
The albedo effects happens when solar energy reflects off light surfaces, making the area colder. (E.g. Antartica)
What is altitude?
Altitude is the height of land in relation to sea level. Temperature drops by around 6*C every 1000 meters increase in height.
What are the factors affecting climate?
1) Altitude
2) Albedo effect
3) Latitude
What is temperature?
How hot or cold a place is.
What is precipitation?
How much water has fallen from the sky.
What is wind speed measured in and what instrument is being used?
It is measured in mph (miles per hour) or kpm (kilometers per hour) using a anemometer.
What is air pressure measured in and what instrument is being used?
It is measured in mb (millibars) using a barometer.
What is temperature measured in and what instrument is being used?
It is measured in degrees Celsuis, Farenheit, or Kelvin using a thermometer.
What is presipitation measured in and what instrument is being used?
It is measured in mm (millimeters), cm (centemeters), or in (inches) using a rain guage.
What is wind direction measured in and what instrument is being used?
It is measured in compass directions using a wind vane or a wind sock.
What are the greehouse gases?
1) Methane
2) Carbon dioxide
3) Nitrous oxide
What is the greenhouse effect?
Solar radiation from the sun passes through the atmosphere. Some are absorbed by the earth, some are reflected back into space. These get absorbed by greenhouse gases and are trapped in the atmosphere, warming the earth.
What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Greenhouse gases produced by human activity add to the atmosphere, making it thicker. This means more solar radiation gets trapped, warming up the earth.
What is latitude and what is it measured in?
Latitude measures the angle between a point on the Earth’s surface and the plane of the Equator, with the center of the Earth as the vertex of the angle. It is measured in degrees.
What is air mass?
Large body of air with the relatively uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure.
What is the instrument used to measure humidity in the air?
Hygrometer
What is jet stream?
Fast moving stream of wind where cold, polar air meets warm air from the equator
What is a drought?
A long period of unusually dry weather.
What is the Coriolis effect?
The Coriolis effect is the apparent deflection of moving objects, such as air or water, caused by the rotation of the Earth. This effect influences large-scale atmospheric and oceanic motions, playing a crucial role in weather patterns and ocean currents.
What is a dew point?
The temperature at which the water vapor in the air becomes saturated and condensation begins.
