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.