Weather Hazards and Climate Change

Question 1

Air pressure

Answer 1

Force exerted on a surface by the weight of the air

Question 2

High pressure features?
Low pressure features?

Answer 2

Air sinks, dry conditions
Air rises, cools and condenses, high rain

Question 3

3 cells in the tri-cellular model and their latitudes?

Answer 3

Hadley cell 0-30
Ferrel cell 30-60
Polar cell 60-90

Question 4

Why is it cold at the poles and warm at equator?

Answer 4

There is a surplus of heat at equator, air rises and moves north and south. As it reaches poles it sinks and flows back to equator as surface winds.

Question 5

What happens at the equator in the tri-cellular model?

Answer 5

Low pressure, warm temps cause air to rise- called ITCZ. Air condenses, causes rain
TRFs

Question 6

What happens at 30 degrees in the tri-cellular model?

Answer 6

Air spreads from the equator to the North and South, when at the top of the troposphere. High pressure, air cools and sinks, dry
Deserts

Question 7

What happens at 60 degrees in the tri-cellular model?

Answer 7

Low pressure, air rises, rainy

Question 8

What happens at 90 degrees in the tri-cellular model?

Answer 8

Cool air sinks, high pressure, dry

Question 9

Jet streams?
What?
Why are they caused?
What causes their direction?
Located?

Answer 9

Currents of air travelling very fast, can move cells
Differences in temp and pressure
Coriolis effect
Subtropical-> between Ferrel and Hadley cell
Polar-> between Ferrel and Polar cell

Question 10

Coriolis force?

Answer 10

Deflection of air movement by the Earth’s rotation

Question 11

Surface winds in northern hemisphere are deflected?
Surface winds in southern hemisphere are deflected?

Answer 11

To their right

To their left

Question 12

Surface winds called..
between 0-30?
between 30-60?
between 60-90?

Answer 12

Trade winds
Westerlies
Polar easterlies

Question 13

Thermohaline circulation def?

Answer 13

Flow of the ocean to the North and South due to the heat of the equator

Question 14

What do ocean currents do?

Answer 14

Transfer heat from the equator towards poles. Driven by water sinking and rising due to changes in temp, deflected by the Coriolis Force

Question 15

Ice Age?

Answer 15

A period of long-term low Earth temps, creating ice sheets and glaciers all year round

Question 16

Glacials

Answer 16

Periods of cold climates where ice presence is expanding

Question 17

Interglacials

Answer 17

Period of warm climates where ice presence is decreasing

Question 18

Trend of the Earth’s temp change since last Ice Age?

Answer 18

Increases at different rates through time. Significant increase recently (1960s)

Question 19

3 natural causes of climate change

Answer 19

Milankovitch cycles, solar variation, volcanism

Question 20

3 Milankovitch cycles and description

Answer 20

Eccentricity- Earth’s orbit isn’t always circular. More oval, Earth is slightly cooler (glacial). More circular, Earth is slightly warmer (interglacial)
Axial tilt- Earth’s tilt can vary from 22.1-24.5 degrees. Smaller tilt, less significant season change. Current 23.5, great difs
Precession- direction of Earth’s axis changes, creates difs in summer and winter.

Question 21

Solar variation

Answer 21

Stronger solar radiation=interglacial
Weaker solar radiation=glacial

Question 22

Volcanism
Short term?
Long term?

Answer 22

Ash blocks sun=colder
Greenhouse gases e.g CO2= warmer climate

Question 23

Glacial retreat
How is it measured?
How it shows climate change?
Ad?
Dis?

Answer 23

Taking photos of glaciers over many years
Glaciers melt as temps rise, causes retreat
Easy to measure
Shows recent evidence

Question 24

Tree rings (dendroclimatology)
How is it measured?
How it shows climate change?
Ad?
Dis?

Answer 24

Cutting trees, comparing size of rings inside
Size changes depending on temp, warm year=wider ring
Long evidence
Trees have to be cut down

Question 25

Ice cores
How is it measured?
How it shows climate change?
Ad?
Dis?

Answer 25

Drilling ice cylinders, measure conc of gases
Shows greenhouse gases present at time of snow fall
Long evidence
Needs expensive equipment

Question 26

Pollen analysis
How is it measured?
How it shows climate change?
Ad?
Dis?

Answer 26

Pollen grains are preserved in waterlogged sediments
Shows ecosystems responses to climate change
Long evidence
Based on plant life

Question 27

Historical artefacts
How is it measured?
How it shows climate change?
Ad?
Dis?

Answer 27

Diary entries of extreme weather, landscape paintings
Shows periods of extreme cold, e.g little ice age
Idea of life
Could be biased

Question 28

Natural greenhouse effect
What happens to radiation?

Answer 28

Earth absorbs some solar radiation, most of the rest is reflected into space with a small amount reabsorbed

Question 29

Enhanced greenhouse effect
What happens to radiation?

Answer 29

Earth absorbs some solar radiation, a small amount of the rest is reflected into space with a large amount reabsorbed

Question 30

Farming producing greenhouse gases?
What gas?
Statistic?

Answer 30

Increased pop requires more crops, rice fields produce methane
Rice produces 10% of global methane emissions

Question 31

Energy producing greenhouse gases?
What gas?
Statistic?

Answer 31

Increased pop requires more energy, produced by burning fossil fuels, releases carbon dioxide
Largest emitter of carbon dioxide

Question 32

Transport producing
greenhouse gases?
What gas?
Statistic?

Answer 32

Increased use of long distance flights, burns fossil fuels, releases carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide
Transport produced 26% of UK’s total emissions in 2021

Question 33

Product consumption producing greenhouse gas?
What gas?
Statistic?

Answer 33

Growth in industry sector, burns fossil fuels, produces carbon dioxide
Produced 12% of combustion emissions in 2021