weather and climate Flashcards

1
Q

what is weather

A

The day to day condition of the atmosphere including temperature, rainfall, sunshine and wind.​

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2
Q

what is climate

A

The average weather conditions in an area over a prolonged period of time, around 30 years.

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3
Q

what are the elements of weather (7)

A
Sun​
Temperature​
Pressure​
Wind direction and wind speed​
Humidity​
Cloud type and cloud cover​
Precipitation
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4
Q

what is a stevensons screen (5)

A

Stevenson’s Screen: contains the thermometers

Painted white to reflect sun with double lid for insulation

Slatted sides to let the air circulate, but slanted downwards to prevent light getting in

Legs 1m long to prevent heating from ground

On short grass for same amount of reflection

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5
Q

how to measure sunshine

A

sunshine recorder
The number of hours and minutes of sunshine received at a place can be measured and recorded by a sunshine recorder.
This is a glass sphere partly surrounded by a metal frame. A strip of special card, divided up into hours and minutes, is placed below the sphere.
When the sun shines, the sphere burns the ray’s trace on the card and at the end of the day the length of the trace represents the amount of sunshine the location received

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6
Q

how to measure temperature

A

thermometer
Measures temperature degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit​
Consists of a glass tube filled with mercury (or ink)​
When the thermometer is warmed, the mercury expands pushing itself up the glass tube​
When it is cool, it contracts moving back down towards the reservoir​
The thermometers can be placed in a Stevenson Screen to make sure that the temperature is taken in a shady environment. This is a wooden box with slatted sides, a sloping roof and legs to keep the screen off the ground. It is painted white to reflect the sun.

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7
Q

how to measure air pressure

A
  • barometer
    Used to measure air pressure – the amount of pressure that is being subjected on the earth’s surface by the atmosphere above​
    Measures in millibars (mb)​
    Works by measuring how much a series of corrugated metal strips expand or contract
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8
Q

how to measure windspeed

A

anemometer
Measures wind velocity​
Wind spins the cups on a shaft and a reading is given in meters per second​
Usually used continuously to give an average wind speed

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9
Q

how to measure wind direction

A

wind vane
Measures the direction the wind is blowing in​
Wind catches the thick end of the vane and spins the arrow towards the direction the wind is blowing​
Needs to be situated in open ground, above the height of buildings/vegetation nearby

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10
Q

how to measure humidity

A

wet and dry bulb thermometers
Measure the humidity in the air​
Consist of a regular thermometer (dry) and a wet thermometer
Dry air will absorb moisture from the muslin and cool the wet thermometer, moist air will not.

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11
Q

how to measure cloud type/cover

A

visual assessment
The ten main types of clouds can be separated into three broad categories according to the height of their base above ground
Cloud cover is measured in Oltas (eights) and is measured by a visual assessment of how much of the sky is covered in clouds

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12
Q

how to measure precipitation

A

rain gauge
Measures the amount of precipitation that has fallen in a give area​
Must be placed in an open space to avoid runoff from vegetation/buildings​
The funnel should be sunk into the ground to prevent evaporation from the sun

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13
Q

what are the climate zones

A
Polar
Temperate 
Arid
Tropical
Mediterranean
Mountains
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14
Q

what are the factors affecting climate

A
latitude
pressure systems
winds
distance from the sea
altitude
ocean currents
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15
Q

how does latitude affect climate

A

Highest temperatures are recorded between the tropics (Cancer and Capricorn) 23.5 degrees north and south of the equator ​
As you move away from the equator, temperatures decrease​
The Sun’s energy is more concentrated on or near the equator and becomes more dispersed as you move further north or south​
The tilt of the earth and orbit throughout the year expand the warmest regions

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16
Q

how does pressure systems affect climate

A

Rising air at the equator causes a warm, wet climate​
Descending air at the tropics causes dry, arid conditions​
Temperate regions experience cold air descending from the poles and warm air from the tropics​
The meeting of warm and cool air brings mild temperature and increased precipitation​

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17
Q

how do winds affect climate

A

The prevailing wind is the most frequent wind direction a location experiences. In Britain the prevailing wind is from the South West, which brings warm, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean. This contributes to the frequent rainfall. When prevailing winds blow over land areas it can contribute to creating desert climates.

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18
Q

how does the distance from the sea affect climate

A

Land heats up and cools down quicker than the sea​
Water takes longer to heat up than the land so in summer months, areas by the coast are cooled by the water​
In winter, the opposite occurs – coastal areas are kept warmer as the sea loses temperature slower​
Inland areas are more likely to experience extremes of temperature and increased temperature range ​

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19
Q

how does the altitude affect climate

A

Air temperature decreases as altitude increases​
Air at sea level is under greater pressure and therefore denser. Denser air is able to hold more warmth ​
As you increased in altitude, air pressure drops and the air becomes thinner and cooler​
For every 100m increase in altitude you can expect a drop in temperature by 1⁰C​

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20
Q

how do ocean currents affect the climate

A

Warm ocean currents from lower latitudes warm cooler regions​
Cold currents from polar regions can cool temperatures​
Cold currents can increase aridity in certain areas

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21
Q

what is the latitude of equatorial regions and how does this affect the climate

A
  • Close to the equator/on tropics

- closer to the equator = higher temperature

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22
Q

what is the wind amount of equatorial regions and how does this affect the climate

A
  • low

- more humid and warm

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23
Q

what is the cloud amount of equatorial regions and how does this affect the climate

A
  • heavy

- more rain and more humid

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24
Q

what is the humidity of equatorial regions and how does this affect the climate

A

-high

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25
what is the pressure of equatorial regions and how does this affect the climate
- low | - strong convection
26
what is the mean temp. of hottest month for equatorial regions
25C
27
what is the mean temp. of coldest month for equatorial regions
25C
28
what is the annual temp range for equatorial
less than 5C
29
what is the rainfall amount for equatorial
more than 200mm
30
what is the rainfall distribution for equatorial
same throughout the year
31
what is the latitude of dry desert regions and how does this affect the climate
- Between 5° and 30° north and south of the equator | - on the tropics -> high temperature
32
what is the wind amount of dry desert regions and how does this affect the climate
- strong winds | - dry climate
33
what is the cloud amount of dry desert regions and how does this affect the climate
- almost none | - low levels of rain and humidity
34
what is the humidity of dry desert regions and how does this affect the climate
- low | - dry climate
35
what is the pressure of dry desert regions and how does this affect the climate
- high pressure | - fluctuating temperature
36
what is the mean temp. of hottest month for dry desert regions
30C
37
what is the mean temp. of coldest month for dry desert regions
18C
38
what is the annual temp range for desert
less than 5C
39
what is the rainfall amount for desert
less than 250mm
40
what is the rainfall distribution for desert
irregular
41
what is convectional rainfall
When the land warms up, it heats the air above it. This causes the air to expand and rise. As the air rises it cools and condenses. If this process continues then rain will fall. This type of rainfall is very common in tropical areas
42
what is relief rainfall
Prevailing winds bring warm, moist air to high areas Air is forced to rise over high areas. Air cools and condenses. Clouds form and it rains. Air descends on the other side of the mountains. It warms up and therefore becomes drier.
43
what kind of rainfall does equatorial regions have
convectional rainfall
44
what kind of rainfall does desert regions have
relief (near highlands)
45
what are the natural vegetation characteristics of tropical rainforest ecosystem
Lianas: use large trees as support to reach sunlight Fan Palms: wide leaved plants that capture as much sunlight & rainfall as possible Buttress Roots: very long roots that support tall trees & suck up maximum amount of nutrients in poor soil Drip tip leaves: leaves that let rainfall travel over them & drip to the ground, causing less damage by excess water
46
what are the soil characteristics of tropical rainforest ecosystem
Humus Layer: decaying biological matter; rainforest soil fertility is dependent on this
47
what are the wildlife of tropical rainforest ecosystem
Home to many mammals Tigers in SE Asia Jaguars in Central & South America Leopards in Africa Sloths Primates Lemurs Home to birds, amphibians, reptiles & insects too Animals adapt in differently to survive e.g. camouflage
48
what are the natural vegetation characteristics of hot desert ecosystem
Succulents: fat fleshy plants that store water in leaves, trunks and roots e.g. cacti Ephemeral: plants with very short life cycles - typically 6-8 weeks; use very short wet seasons to pollinate Long & wide roots: can absorb the maximum amount of rainfall, also aids stability in very loose soil Spiky & waxy surface: protect themselves with spikes & wax so they are not eaten/damaged by animals
49
what are the soil characteristics of hot desert ecosystem
``` Thin layer of topsoil​ Low humus content​ Rocky – poor water retention​ Sandy – poor water retention​ Hard packed surface – poor infiltration​ Highly saline ```
50
what are the wildlife of hot desert ecosystem
Don't have same variety as tropical rainforests Many insects, reptiles and mammals adapt to survive Nocturnal: animals hide in burrows or rocks & plants during hot daylight hours & only emerge at night Camels: store fatty tissue in their humps which is later metabolized, releasing water & fat to survive in deserts
51
what are the effects of deforestation on the natural environment
Flooding: less interception by plants thus more flash floods Landslides: removal of vegetation causes soil to become unstable Biodiversity Loss: kills off unknown species, since they have no home Less Photosynthesis: causes imbalance of O2 & CO2 in atmosphere Silting: rivers & oceans are difficult to navigate due to reduced depth Desertification: soil loses components vital to survival of plants
52
what are the reasons for deforestation
Farming: demand for food increases with population - need to clear more ground Hydro-Electric Power: land may need to be removed to build dam Mining: demand for resources increase – rainforests hold plenty Road building: increased traffic requires roads – rainforests in the way Settlements: cities are bigger with population – requires more land Timber: used for biofuels and furniture
53
what are the effects of deforestation on people
Indigenous: people lose their homes & impacts their society
54
what are the layers of the rainforest
- emergent - canopy - understory - shrub
55
what is emergent layer
tall trees up to 50m, few lower branches, grows above others to get full sunlight
56
what is canopy layer
trees 20-40m forming a continuous canopy, few lower branches, makes up 50% of vegetation
57
what is understory layer
The understory usually reaches about 12 meters. It receives only 2 to 15% of the sunlight that the canopy gets. ​
58
what is shrub layer
low shrubs & saplings, plants that adapt because they are extremely close to the forest floor
59
climate of sabah borneo (rainforest)
- jan -april : 200-300mm rainfall - may-august : 350-450 mm - september to december : 400-500mm
60
fauna sabah borneo
reticulated python Pattern - the dark patterns of the reticulated python allow it to blend in with the shrubs on the forest floor or tree bark when gliding up trees Strong, large body - the reticulated python kills its prey by constriction and suffocation so a large, strong body aids in holding the prey steady and suffocating it Unhingeable jar - the python is known to eat prey as large as deer and on some occasions even humans. Its unchangeable jar allows it to swallow down large prey
61
flora sabah borneo
banana tree Specialized underground storage organs to store nutrients and water, useful because banana trees have to compete for sustenance in a rainforest because of all the other plants Large leaves for larger surface area to capture sunlight for photosynthesis Strong roots that help it stay upright even with its heavy fruit
62
climate sahara desert
climate variability around borders, mainly due to topography and ocean currents, more tropical
63
fauna sahara desert
fennec fox It is well known feature is its large ears, which has a large surface area helping the fox cool itself in the warm heat. The fennec is the smallest breed of fox in the entire world. Its coat and ears have adapted to high-temperature and low supply of water within the large vast desert The fox also has excellent hearing and is sensitive enough to hear prey moving even underground. It main supply of food is insects, small mammals, and birds
64
flora sahara desert
Sahara Olive tree The Olive tree can survive on almost no water at all during the year. The Olive tree has shallow, exposed roots for collecting water. Due to lack of abundant life in the Sahara Desert, the Olive tree is mainly self-pollinating.