Week 6 - Drivers of Climate & Weather

Question 1

What is Climate? What is Weather?

Answer 1

Climate - is the long-term average atmospheric conditions and extremes (temperature, humidity, pressure) of a particular region

Weather - the short term highly variable atmospheric conditions of a particular region

Question 2

Why do we have different biomes? (rainforest, desert, grassland and temperate forests)

Question 3

Why is Melbourne’s climate different to Perth?

Question 4

List some basic conditions in Climate/Weather

Answer 4

• atmospheric pressure measured in millibars (mb)
• isobars represents locations of equal pressure
• Mean s.I : 1013 mb
• Pressure Gradient Force (PGF) - generated when pressure differences occurs over surface (winds- from high to low)

Question 5

What is Coriolis effect on PGF?

Answer 5

PGF - air moving from high pressure to area of low pressure

Coriolis effect (on winds) is a deflection - the Earth’s rotation causes winds to be deflected

Norther Hemisphere - deflection to right
Southern Hemisphere - deflection to left
Strongest - at poles
Weakest - at equator

Question 6

Explain Differential Heating

Answer 6

Differential heating of the Earth

• greatest receipt of solar generation is along equator, less at the poles
• Latitudinal gradient in energy absorption = pressure gradient
• effect of albedo (reflective effect of Earths surfaces)
• textures of surface areas (ice, dark wet soil) affects the absorption of reflection of solar radiation/energy

Question 7

Reason for seasonal variation.

Answer 7

• due to Earths rotation
• curvature of the Earth, tilt of the Earth
• higher latitude = greater seasonality

Question 8

What is a Solstice? What is Equinox?

Answer 8

Solstices - times of maximum or minimum sunlight (summer and winter)

Equinox - times of equal sunlight and darkness (autumn & spring)

Question 9

Discuss Seasonality

Question 10

Name the 3 cells for each hemisphere

Answer 10

*Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) - maximum zone of internal heating, can vary due to landmass and oceans

Hadley Cell - driven by heat at equator, rising moist air at equator, descending cool dry air at tropics (pole end), stable weather

Polar Cell - driven by your arctic cold land mass, a heat sink (the air is chilled and descends), stable weather

Ferrell Cell - driven by the other 2 cells, the ball bearing in the middle, zone with a lot of exchange of energy, unstable weather (different pressures, weather cells moving through)

• the cells will change their position based on northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere

Question 11

What is Continental tendency?

Answer 11

Tendency of land to experience more thermal variation than water due to the land’s lower specific heat capacity

• tends to be dryer than oceanic (maritime) climate as there is less moisture input to the atmosphere from evaporation

Question 12

What is a monsoon?

Answer 12

Seasonal shift in regional prevailing winds that bring distinct changes in weather (wet & dry) - driven by continental scale temperature and pressure differences (ITCZ)

moved by pressure gradients

Question 13

What is a oceanic current?

Answer 13

It redistributes heat e.g. cold water from deep to surface, absorbing heat from atmosphere

Driven by atmospheric circulation - winds

Distorted by landmasses - bounded, water cant travel over the land

It is a latitudinal and horizonal heat transfer

Question 14

The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt

Answer 14

• major global heat distribution system

- interactions between oceans and atmosphere; climate and weather also affected

Question 15

Discuss Organic Rainfall

Answer 15

• The Earths surface ranges up to 9km in elevation
• this OROGRAPHIC EFFECT produces uplift = vertical temperature variation

*The effect of topography of an area determines the climate of any area, determines rainfall

Question 16

What is a Biome?

Answer 16

Biome - encapsulates the fundamental relationship between climate (temperature and precipitation) and vegetation

A definable geographic area classified and mapped according to:

• predominant vegetation and organisms
• of the particular environment (climate dominant)
• each biome is a distinct ecosystem with particular plant, animal and microorganism communities linked by energy and nutrient flows

i.e. different biomes have different system “settings” primarily controlled by climate

Question 17

List types of Biomes

Answer 17

The five main groups are 
A (tropical), 
B (dry), 
C (temperate), 
D (continental), 
and E (polar). 

Tropical Rainforest, Temperate Forest, Desert, Tundra, Boreal Forest or Taiga, Grassland, Savannah, Freshwater and Marine

Question 18

Describe Tropical Climate

Answer 18

A tropical climate has warm temperatures throughout the year and a significant amount of precipitation.

Example: Tropical Rainforest

Question 19

Describe Dry climate

Answer 19

Dry climates are areas that are very dry and where the water escapes and leaves the area drier than other places. Most dry climates have summers that are very hot, winters are cool and warm, and the air is very dry.

Question 20

Describe Temperate climate

Answer 20

The Temperate climates have relatively moderate and mean annual temperatures.
Most of the regions coming under the temperate climate present four seasons, while the temperatures can change majorly between the summer and winter.

Example:
Temperate forests - are characterized as regions with high levels of precipitation, humidity, and a variety of deciduous trees.
- deciduous trees are trees that lose their leaves in winter.
- decreasing temperatures and shortened daylight hours in fall mean decreased photosynthesis for plants.

Question 21

Describe Continental climate

Answer 21

a relatively dry climate with very hot summers and very cold winters, characteristic of the central parts of Asia and North America

Question 22

Describe Polar climates

Answer 22

A polar climate is one that is characterized by the presence of ice in Antarctica. Climates that are characterized by low temperatures during the month of July and therefore do not experience warm summers are called polar climates

Question 23

What is an Epiphyte?

Answer 23

A plant that grows on another plant, especially one that is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rainforests.