Weather And Climate Flashcards
What is an argument against climate change?
Human settlements have been getting closer to where the measurements were taken which is increasing the temperature.
What is the evidence for climate change?
Global temperature measured over the last hundred years has increased by 0.9c. Greenland ice sheet has lost and average of 195km3 of ice every year between 2003 and 2008. Sea levels have risen by 20cm in the last century.
What sort of human activity causes climate change?
Burning fossil fuels, deforestation, driving cars
What is the Kyoto protocol?
The aim is to reduce global emissions by 5%. Each country is set a target, the UK is to reduce emissions by 12.5% by 2012. Some countries have not agreed such ad the USA
What are some national repsonses to global warming?
Government improved public transport, such as covering a wider area. Increasing taxes on cars with higher emissions like the UK.
What are some local responses to climate change?
Introduce and congestion charge like in central London. Build recycling plants and give people recycling bins. Take showers. Improve insulation. Turn of lights. Don’t leave electricals on stand by.
What is a depression?
A low pressure weather system
Where do depressions form?
Over the atlantic ocean
Which way do depressions move?
East across the UK
How are depressions formed?
Warm, moist air in the tropics meets cold air from the poles. Warmer less dense air rises above the cold air. Condensation occurs as the warm air rises and forms rain clouds. Rising air calls low pressure at the earths surface. Winds blow a depression into a spiral.
What is the warm front?
The front edge of the moving warm air
What is the cold front?
The front edge of the moving cold air
What weather do you get in a depression
Wind and rain
What is an anticyclone?
A high pressure weather system
Where does and anticyclone form?
Over the Atlantic sea
Which was does an anticyclone move?
East across the UK
How are anticyclones form?
Anticyclones are where air is falling creating high pressure moving outwards. Falling air gets warmer so there are no clouds so therefore there is no rain for days or even weeks.
What can anticyclones cause in summer?
Long periods of hot dry weather
What can anticyclones cause in winter?
Long periods of cold, foggy weather
What shows that weather is becoming more extreme?
It is raining more for example in 2007 there were severe floods in the midlands. Rainfall is more intense especially in winter. The temperature is increasing the highest temperature of 36.5c has been recored since 2003
What extreme weather events have the UK had?
In the summer of 2007 there werE severe floods in the midlands. Strong winds along with high tides caused flooding in Norfolk in 2005. Heat waves lead to drought conditions in the summer of 2003.
What impact has extreme weather had?
Social-destroyed homes and floods have caused death.
Agriculture- drought, more rainfall means higher crop yield, new crops can be grown.
Health- floods lead to death, heat waves cause death and warmer winters will stop cold related deaths.
Transport- floods block roads and railways, high temperatures cause railways to buckle
How can we reduce negative impacts extreme weather?
Preparation- building flood defences
Planning- emergency services and local authorities need to plan with how do deal with extreme weather such as rescuing people form floods
Warning- warning systems give people time to prepare
What are the economic impacts of climate change?
higher crop yield means more crops to sell, industries that help reduce the impacts of climate change will get bigger and make more money. Protecting from climate change will cost more money
What are the social impacts of climate change?
Not as much food can be grown which will result in malnutrition, starvation and ultimately death. More people will die from extreme weather events. Hotter weather makes it easier for disease to spread causing ill health and death.
What are the environmental impacts of climate change?
Sea levels will rise so low lying land will be submerged and habitats will be destroyed. Higher temperature means less rainfall so some areas will turn to desserts
What are the political impacts of climate change?
Water will be more scarce so there will be competition for water which could result in war. Governments are under pressure to reduce the impacts of climate change
Where do tropical storms form?
Over seas with temperatures of above 27c
Where do tropical storms happen?
In late summer and autumn when the sea is at its hottest
How do tropical storms form?
Warm moist air rises and condensation occurs which releases large amounts of energy which makes storms powerful.
Which direction do tropical storms move in?
They move west because of easterly wind near the equator
Why do tropical storms loose strength when they move over land?
Their warm water supply is cut off
Why do most topical storms occur between 5 and 30 degrees north and south of the equator?
Because any further away the water wouldn’t be warm enough
What effect does the earths rotation have on tropical storms?
They deflect the path of the winds.
