Weathering the Storm - Everything Flashcards
Weather
Short term day to day conditions of the atmosphere
Climate
Average conditions of a place over a long period of time
Precipitation
Moisture in the atmosphere returning to Earth
Temperature
Degree of heat in the atmosphere
Wind
Movement of air from high pressure to lower pressure areas
Sunshine
Incoming solar radiation
Most common reason for rain
Reduction in temperature
Sequence of events that causes the process of rain
Air rises, air cools, water vapour condenses, precipitation
Orographic / Relief rainfall
Mountain barrier, happens on West side of South Island
Rain shadow
Refers to area on other side of the mountain where it doesn’t rain
Cyclonic / Frontal rainfall
Warm over cool, most of the rain in North and East of New Zealand
Convectional
Evaporation, common around Equator and Auckland in summer
Latitude
Location of a place on the globe in relation to the Equator
Longitude
Location of a place on the globe in relation to the Prime Meridian
Altitude
Height above sea level
Relief
Landscape features with height / the difference between the lowest and highest point on a landscape
Size of a landform
Small landmasses have less variation, large landmasses have extremes of climates
Proximity to oceans
Sea breezes regulate temperatures
Ocean currents
Air masses passing over ocean currents are warmed or cooled
Wind and pressure systems
Different pressure belts, generally move from high to low
Dewpoint
Temperature where water vapour condenses into liquid water
Continental
Very hot summers and very cold winters, possible monsoons
Maritime
Conditioned by their position close to water, small range
Polar
Extremely cold, near the poles
Temperate
Typical warm and humid summers with mild winters
Tropical
Hot and humid, lots of rainfall
Isobars
Lines connecting areas of equal pressure, measured in millibars, plotted at intervals of 5 millibars, closely spaced = strong winds, widely spaced = gentle breezes (air pressure is measured by barometers)
Millibars
Amount of weight or pressure air exerts on ground at measured point
Anticyclones
Areas of high pressure, marked as H, winds flow anticlockwise, bring fine + settled weather, clear skies, warm temperatures, gentle breezes
Depressions
Areas of low pressure, marked as L, winds flow clockwise, bring wet + windy weather, rain, cool temperatures, stronger winds
Tropical Cyclone
Extremely low pressure zone, marked as T, winds flow clockwise (at gale force), very high rainfall
Arrows
Indicate wind direction
Cold front
Advancing cold air, brings sudden heavy rain, most common cause of rainfall in New Zealand
Warm front
Advancing warm air, brings long drizzle patches
Stationary front
No movement of air masses, brings long continuous rain
Occluded front
Warm air uplifted by cold air, brings long rainy spells
Greenhouse effect
Natural phenomenon where small particles trap heat from Sun that is reflected off Earth, greenhouse gases add to layer in the atmosphere, steadily warming up the Earth as it thickens
Climate change
Long term changes in the average weather conditions on Earth
Global warming
The increase in average temperatures of Earth’s surface, air, and oceans
Date
29th August 2005
Location
New Orleans, Gulf of Mexico
Risks
Average elevation of city was about six feet below, completely surrounded by water
Cause
Breach of levee branches led to massive flooding
