Weather processes Flashcards
How can condensation occur? (4 ways)
- Radiation from the ground at night, the cold ground cools the layer of air above it.
- A warm wind blowing over cold ground
- Warm air meeting cold air
- By ascent up a mountain
How does latitude affect climate?
- Length of daylight: tropics = 12 hrs per day, poles = long periods of continuous light or darkness
- Angle of the sun: more vertical the suns rays, the stronger they are
What are Hadley cells?
The basis of tropical air circulation.
What lies between two Hadley cells?
The ITCZ (Intertropical-convergence zone)
What is the ITCZ
Where the air from each cell is forced upwards and is cooled.
What are the 3 types of rainfall?
Relief, convectional, and frontal
What is frontal rainfall?
When warm air meets cold air and the lighter warm air is forced up over the cold. The line where warm and cold air meets is always called a front.
As the warm air rises, it cools and water vapour condenses - forming clouds
What is convectional rainfall?
On a hot day, the sun heats up the ground making the water evaporate and rise up into the air as water vapour.
When it gets colder, the water vapour condenses and falls as rain.
Where is convectional rainfall most common?
In equatorial and tropical regions
