Year 8 Geography Exam Revision Flashcards
Define weather
The daily conditions in our atmosphere
Define climate
The average conditions in the atmosphere of a place over a long period of time (usually 30 years or more)
Name the different components of weather
Cloud cover
Precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, hail)
Temperature
Humidity
Air Pressure
Hours of Sunlight
Wind direction
Wind speed
Temperature:
What is it
How is it recorded
Where are the instruments cited
What is it: The relative warmth of the air
How is it recorded: Degrees centigrade (Celsius)Using a min/max thermometer
Where are the instruments cited: Inside a Stevenson screen
Humidity:
What is it
How is it recorded
Where are the instruments cited
What is it: Amount of water vapour present in the atmosphere
How is it recorded: Percentage using a Hygrometer
Where are the instruments cited: Inside a Stevenson screen
Precipitation:
What is it
How is it recorded
Where are they instruments cited
What is it: Moisture which gets deposited from the atmosphere
How is it recorded: Millimeters using a Rain Gauge
Where are the instruments cited: In an open area away from trees and buildings
Wind Speed:
What is it
How is it recorded
Where are they instruments cited
What is it: Moving air caused by differences in air pressure
How is it recorded: Km/hour, mph, or knots by anomometer
Where are the instruments cited: In the open, away from shelter, several metres above ground
Wind Direction:What is it
How is it recorded
Where are they instruments cited
What is it: The direction of the wind
How is it recorded: N, E, S, W by Wind Vane
Where are the instruments cited: In the open, away from shelter, several metres above ground
Sunshine:
What is it
How is it recorded
Where are they instruments cited
What is it: Hours of sunlight
How is it recorded: Hours of sunshine by Campbell-Stokes Sunshine Recorder
Where are the instruments cited: On a rock, away from shelter
Air Pressure:
What is it
How is it recorded
Where are they instruments cited
What is it: Weight of a column of air on the earth’s surface
How is it recorded: Millibars by a barometer
Where are the instruments cited: Inside a Stevenson Screen
Cloud Cover:
What is it
How is it recorded
Where are they instruments cited
What is it: The amount of sky covered in cloud
How is it recorded: Oktas, computers or visual
Where are the instruments cited: On a roof, away from shelter
Types of rainfall:
Relief Rainfall: Air can’t go through mountains so it has to go over causing relief rainfall.
Convection Rainfall: The sun’s heat heats the ground so the air rises and causes water to evaporate more quickly.
Frontal Rainfall: Cold and hot air cannot mix so when warm air masses meet cooler ones the warmer, less dense air is forced to rise over the top.
Why does it rain?
When the air holding the water vapour rises, it cools. Warm air can hold more water vapour than cold air, so when the air rises and cools the water vapour condenses. This process causes clouds to form. The point at which the air is saturated and cannot hold any more water vapour is called the dew point. At this point it rains.
Dew point
Point at which the air is saturated and cannot hold any more water vapour.
What causes evaporation?
Mountains
Heat from Sun
Weather fronts
Relief Rainfall
Air can’t go through mountains so it has to go over causing relief rainfall.
Convection Rainfall
The sun’s heat heats the ground so the air rises and causes water to evaporate more quickly.
Frontal Rainfall
Cold and hot air cannot mix so when warm air masses meet cooler ones the warmer, less dense air is forced to rise over the top.
Air Masses the Influence the UK
Polar Maritime: Cold and Wet, Comes from Greenland and Arctic Ocean
Arctic Maritime: Cold and Wet, Comes from Arctic
Polar Continental: Cold and Dry, Comes from Northern Russia and Sweden
Tropical Continental: Hot and Dry, Comes from Sahara Desert/North Africa
Tropical Maritime: Warm and Moist, Comes from the Atlantic Ocean
SEE DIAGRAM IN NOTES
What are different types of weather
Rain, Hail, Foggy, Sunny, Cloudy, Thunderstorms, Windy, Hurricane, Cyclone, Snow, Tornado, Sleet, Typhoon
What is used to represent a cold front?
Blue triangles
What is used to represent a warm front?
Red circles
What happens in a cold front?
Cold air pushes under the warm air producing strong winds and heavy rain.
What happens in a warm front?
Warm air rises over cold air usually producing clouds and rain.
What is a depression?
A low pressure system - when a cold mass meets a warm air mass.
What happens to the air in a low pressure system?
It rises and cools
What happens to the air in a high pressure system?
It sinks and warms
What is an isobar?
A line connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure
Satellite images
See your notes
Key to Symbols on Synoptic Chart
See images
What do satellite images measure?
weather fronts, temperature
How is a visible satellite image different from an infrared image?
The infrared image shows energy as heat and they are often colorized to bring out cloud patterns. Visible satellite images look like black and white photos.
Why can visible satellite images only be taken during the day?
They are produced by reflected sunlight.
What colours indicate cold objects in satellite images?
white, orange, yellow, green (in order of increasing temperature)
What colours indicate warm objects in satellite images?
Grey, blue, light grey, dark grey, black (from warm to warmest)
What can you look for on a satellite image to tell you if it might be raining?
A large, dense cloud mass with coloured blobs.
Evaporation
The process when water turns to water vapour.
Condensation Level
The altitude in the sky where it is cold enough for water vapour to turn to water.
Condensation
The Process when water vapour turns to water.
Prevailing Wind
The most dominant wind.
Precipitation
When moisture comes down from the sky. (Rain, hail, snow, sleet)
Snow/Glacier
They act as storage for frozen water.
Lake
Large pool of water.
Resivior
A man-made lake with a dam.
Marsh
Flooded Land
Evapo-transpiration
The act of the water going up from trees to the atmosphere.
Man-Made Water Cycle
When humans take water from the rivers (abstraction), clean it and return it to rivers.
Permeable Rock
Rock that allows water to pass through it.
Impermeable Rock
Rock that doesn’t allow water to pass through it.
Infiltrate
When water enters the soil.
Through Flow
Water flowing through the soil.
Percolation
Water entering into the rocks.
Water Table
The height of water in the rocks.
Ground Water Flow
When water flows through permeable rock
What is physical water scarcity?
The situation where there is not enough water to meet all demands.
What is economic water scarcity?
A type of water scarcity caused by an inability to afford the water as a commodity whether or not it is available.
What is the importance of water for humanity?
Water is needed for survival: to drink, to irrigate crops, to wash, etc.
Area experiencing water scarcity
Darfur Sudan
Physical factors: It is one of the dryest regions in the world and hbeen in drought for a long time.
Human/Political Factors: Sudan is in civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced 2.7mm people in part due to water inequality between Arabs and African populations.
What is a case study of how access to water can cause conflict?
The water supply conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel controls access to resources in Gaza including water.
Israelis have no restrictions put upon their water, including swimming pools, irrigated farms, and large green lawns but the Palestinians do not have access to even enough water to meet their domestic needs.
Israel’s daily water consumption is four times higher than the 70 litre per day consumed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by Palestinians.
There has been a lot of damage to the water system in Gaza on the Palestinian side due to war between the two countries.
How can water being used unsustainably?
Only 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh.
Arid regions are using water for non-essential things, such as watering lawns, golf courses, and swimming pools.
Agriculture and livestock consume vast amounts of water resources and often poison the supply as well.
Industry uses 21% of the world’s water total, leaving many without water sources (eg. Coca Cola in India)
What are the issues with bottled water?
Bottled water production relies on fossil fuels.
Plastic bottles create a great deal of waste.
The EPA tests for tap water quality are far more stringent than those for bottled water making it potentially less clean and safe than tap water.
Many times it is just marketing hype and bottled water is simply tap water.
What is there a need for a right to water?
Water is not evenly distributed, and the poor are often the ones who unfairly have the least access to fresh water.
Because water is needed for survival and is a natural resource, it should not be treted as a commodity or a product.
Geology and relief of Antarctica
Continent, a long geolgical evolution created a variety of stones and mountain ranges of up to 3,794 metres.
Climate and Oceanography of Antarctica
Single main body with a circumpolar stream which allows little circulation of heat from other regions. This leads to extremely low temperatures and is the reason for its ice sheet.
Flora of Antarctica
Almost no vegetation, mostly Lichens
Fauna of Antarctica
Marine mammals like penguins, whales, and seals
Population of Antarctica
Historically deserted except for scientific outposts
Political status of Antarctica
There are claims of sovereignty by differnet countries but these are not universally recognized.
Mineral resources, commodities of Antarctica
Rich sources of ferrous and non-ferrous metal, crude oil, and natural gas
Antactica fishing
Nutrient richness has led to fishing and whaling
Antarctica - research
Important international research stations
Signs of climate change in Antarctica
The melt rate of glaciers has tripled in the last decade
The ice that is melting is contributing to rising sea levels
The total amount of loss averaged 83 gigatons per year
Climate graphs to describe Antarctica’s past and present climate
See notes.
Possible impact of tourism in Antarctica
Enviroment becomes polluted by increasing numbers of visitors
Wildlife become affected by ships, visitors
Not all visitors have signed on to the Antarctic Treaty and natural resources could begin to be exploited.
What is the Antarctic Treaty
The original treaty that was signed in 1961 to establish Antarctica as a demilitarised, nuclear-free zone
Designed to foster international scientific cooperation and set aside disputes over territorial sovereignty
Original signatories: Argetina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Soviet Union, South Africa, UK and US
Another 34 countries have signed it since including China
Why Antarctica Should/Should Not Be Developed
Should
Rich mineral resources
Possible oil and natural gas
Tourism
Fishery potential - rich, untapped resources
Should Not
Global warming already having an impact
Tourism can destroy the pristine environment
Accessing natural resources could impact the wildlife
What is an aquifer?
A body of pemeable rock which can contain or transmit ground water.
How much of fresh water is contained in aquifers?
96% of fresh water is contained in aquifers.
How do aquifers work?
The stones in an aquifer create a filtration system. Aquifers supply irrigation to dry areas.
