Weather and Climate Flashcards
What is Weather?
The condition of the atmosphere (air) at a certain place and a certain time within a short period of time (eg 24 hours)
What is climate?
The average weather condition of a place calculated over a long period of time (eg 30 to 35 years)
What are the elements of weather?
- Temperature
- Precipitation
- Wind Speed
- Cloud Type
- Wind Direction
- Cloud Cover
- Visibility
What does the element of temperature refer to?
This is a measure of how hot or cold it is.
How is temperature measured?
Thermometers are used to measure temperature accurately and is recorded in Celsius
What does the element of precipitation refer to?
This is when water in the air falls to the ground.
In which forms can precipitation occur?
Rain, Snow, Sleet, Hail, Fog, Mist, Dew…etc
How is precipitation measured?
It is recorded in millimetres (mm)
What does the element of wind speed refer to?
It tells us how strong wind is - how quickly it is traveling
How is wind speed / strength measured and in what units?
Using the Beaufort scale and in knots or km/h
What does the element of cloud type refer to?
Refers to the types of clouds including different shapes, size and heights. (eg cumulonimbus, cumulus, stratus and cirrus)
What does the element of wind direction refer to?
Shown by a wind vane, this the direction from which the wind blows
What does the element of cloud cover refer to?
This is the amount of the sky covered by cloud.
How is cloud cover measured?
In oktas
What does the element of visibility refer to?
This is the distance that can be seen
What unit is visibility measured in?
Meters
What is air pressure?
This is th weight of the atmosphere (air) on the surface of the earth
Wind blows from _________ pressure to _________ pressure
high to low
Which instrument and what unit is air pressure measured in?
It is measured by a barometer and recorded in milibars
What are the three types of thermometers and what are they used for?
- Maximum - measures highest temp reach during the day
- Minimum - measures lowest top reached during the day
- Six - combined minimum and maximum thermometer
What are the readings from the three types of thermometers used to calculate?
- Mean daily temperature
- Mean monthly temperature
- Mean annual temperature
Which instrument is used to measure rainfall? (and how does it work? and in which units?)
A rain gauge. Explain the process. And is measured in millimetres.
Which precautions should be taken to ensure accurate readings from a rain gauge?
- It is placed in an open space (avoid run off from buildings or trees)
- Should be sunk into the ground (avoid rain splashing into it from the ground and avoids evaporation)
What are the features of a Stevenson Screen?
- Has 4 thermometers placed inside
- Put one meter from the ground
- Placed in an open field
- Has wooden louvres in order to allow air to circulate freely
- Is painted white to reflect solar radiation
- Place above ground so that rain or pests cannot damage it
How do you measure sunshine?
A sunshine recorder measures the intensity and duration of sunshine and is called a Campbell-stokes sunshine recorder.
