Year 8 Summer Geography Flashcards
1
Q
What are the elements of weather?
A
These are the main ‘ingredients’ of weather
2
Q
How are the elements of weather recorded?
A
They are all recorded by different instruments and are measured in different ways.
3
Q
Name the elements of weather?
A
- Temperature (the amount of heat)
- Precipitation (weather-rain, sleet, hail, snow)
- Wind speed
- Wind direction
- Cloud type
- Cloud cover
- Visibility (how far you can see)
4
Q
What is temperature?
A
This is a measure of how hot or cold it is
5
Q
How can we tell how hot or cold it is?
A
By looking at the clothes that people wear
6
Q
What do we use to measure temperature?
A
We use a thermometer to measure temperature. Remember the sun heats the ground and the ground heats the ground.
7
Q
What is a thermometer usually made from?
A
A thermometer is usually made from a tube of hollow glass with a bulb shaped base.
8
Q
What is the bulb of a thermometer filled with?
A
The bulb is filled with a liquid, usually mercury, which expands as temperatures rise and fall as temperatures drop
9
Q
What can be read on the thermometer?
A
A scale on the thermometer can be read to find out what the temperature is. Celsius (°C) is the most common scale for thermometers.
10
Q
What is precipitation?
A
Water in the air falls to the ground in one of several forms:
- Rain
- Snow
- Sleet
- Hail
11
Q
What do we use to measure the amount of rain that falls?
A
A rain gauge
12
Q
His is rain measured in a rain gauge?
A
Rain is collected through the funnel, which is 13cm wide. The flask has a scale which shows the amount of rainfall. Each day the flask is removed from the ground and the amount of rainfall is recorded.
13
Q
Name the five rules for placing a rain gauge?
A
- Grass-If you place it on cement etc. The rain may bounce back up, into the rain gauge which could change the readings.
- Sunk into the ground-This will stop the rain gauge from toppling over becUse of winds (strong).
- In a fenced off area-This will prevent animals from getting to the rain gauge, maybe adding more or less to the readings.
- Placed on flag ground-This will make sure that the rain will all be caught, rather than leaving some behind on a slope.
- Away from trees/buildings-This will make sure that the readings are correct. If it was beside a tree/building it may act like a shelter or add more rain, changing the readings.
14
Q
What does air contain?
A
Air contains water vapour-water in the form of a gas. If the air cools, the water vapour turns back into small water droplets which join together to form larger water droplets or ice crystals.
15
Q
Eventually what will happen the drops of ice or crystals?
A
Eventually the weight of the drops or crystals may be heavy enough to make them fall as precipitation (rain, snow, sleet or ice).
16
Q
How is precipitation measured?
A
Precipitation is measured in mm using a rain gauge.
17
Q
What is evaporation?
A
Evaporation-the sun heats the water and changes it to gas called water vapour.
18
Q
What is condensation?
A
Condensation-water vapeur rises and cools to become a liquid again.
19
Q
What is precipitation?
A
Precipitation-droplets form and fall as rain, hail, sleet or snow.
20
Q
What is the run-off?
A
Run-off-water reaches the ground and some flows back to the sea over ground as a run-off
21
Q
What is transpiration?
A
Transpiration-some moisture evaporates from plants
22
Q
What is wind?
A
Wind is moving air
23
Q
What does wind speed tell us?
A
This tells us how strong the wind is. Although we can get a good idea of this by looking at smoke rising and trees swaying.
24
Q
What do we use to get an accurate reading of wind speed?
A
An anemometer
25
How does an anemometer work?
As the wind blows it catches the cups and spins them. The stronger the wind the faster they spin! Wind speed can be measured in miles per hour, knots or km/h.
26
How can wind direction be measured?
Wind direction can be measured in many different ways; using a weather vane or simply holding a light object such as a flag or ribbon.
27
How does a weather vane work?
The wind catches the paddle and spins the arrow to point into the wind. Use a magnetic compass to work out the wind direction. Don't forget that it points to where the wind is coming from.
28
How is the direction of the wind expressed?
The direction of the wind is expressed as the point on the compass from where the wind is blowing.
29
If a wind is blowing from the south, where is it travelling?
If a wind is blowing from the south, it is travelling northwards but is called a southerly wind.
30
What is knowledge of wind direction important for?
Knowledge of wind direction is important for many people and activities. For example aircraft take off from the end of the runway which is going into the wind for extra lift at takeoff.
31
What do clouds come in?
Clouds come in many shapes, sizes and heights
32
What is cloud cover?
This is the amount of the sky covered by cloud. It is measured in eighths
33
What is visibility?
This is the distance that can be seen. It is measured in meters.
34
How is cloud cover measured?
Eighths of OKTAS.
35
How many basic types of clouds are there?
Four
36
Give a description of high-level clouds:cirrus?
Thin and white. Ice crystals. Fair weather.
37
Give a description of medium leveled clouds:cumulus clouds?
These clouds look like white fluffy cotton balls and show the vertical motion of air taking place in the atmosphere.
38
Give a description of medium leveled clouds:nimbus clouds?
Nimbus comes from the Latin word meaning "rain". As the clouds thicken the rain starts to fall. Nimbus clouds will be darker in colour-often grey.
39
Give a description of low level clouds-stratus?
"Stratus" is Latin for layer or blanket. The clouds consist of a feature-less low layer that can cover the entire sky like a blanket, bringing generally grey and dull, weather.
40
What does an aneroid barometer measure?
An aneroid barometer measures air pressure or the weight of air pressing down on us.
41
What causes our weather to be changed ?
Changes in atmospheric pressure cause our weather to change
42
What does High pressure often bring?
High pressure often brings settled conditions, clear skies and no wind
43
What does low pressure bring?
Low pressure brings unsettled conditions, rain and wind.
44
What does a barometer contain?
A barometer contains a small corrugated box with a partial vacuum inside.
45
What do changes in air pressure cause the box to do?
Changes in air pressure cause the box to expand (low pressure) or contract (high pressure). These movements are transferred through a series of levers to a pointer which moves along the dial to the correct reading.
46
What do meteorologists use?
Meteorologists use air pressure readings to help forecast the weather. It is measured in millibars (mb).
47
What is the standard air pressure at sea level?
1013mb
48
What are Isobars?
Isobars are lines that join places of equal pressure and are drawn on weather maps to help forecasters.
49
What is The Stevenson Screen?
This is a wooden box that is used to house some of the weather instruments. It is kept away from buildings. The box is painted white to reflect the sun's rays and has louvered sides to let air circulate, but stop wind from cooling the thermometers inside. It is usually on long legs to keep the box away from the cooling effects on the ground.
50
Why does a Stevenson Screen have a sloped roof?
A sloped roof allows precipitation to run off.
51
Why does a Stevenson Screen have louvered sides?
Louvered sides allow air to circulate but stop wind affecting instruments.
52
Why does a Stevenson Screen have a screen painted white?
Screen is painted white to reflect sun's rays
53
Why does a Stevenson Screen have front side windows?
Front side windows to allow access to instruments
54
Why does a Stevenson Screen have long legs?
Long legs keep the box off the ground so that frost can't affect it.
55
What is the atmosphere?
The atmosphere is the 'envelope' of gases surrounding the earth.
56
What are the main gases in our atmosphere?
The main gases in our atmosphere are:
- Nitrogen 78%
- Oxygen 21%
- And small amounts of carbon-dioxide and other gases
57
What is the study of the earths atmosphere called?
The study of the Earth's atmosphere, is called meteorology and gas goes back thousands of years.
58
Draw and label a diagram of the atmosphere?
Look at workbook
59
What is the atmosphere like?
The atmosphere is like a giant heat engine
60
What does the atmosphere trap?
The atmosphere traps heat from the sun. This heat creates our weather. Without it there would be no life on earth.
61
What is weather?
Weather is the day to day conditions in the atmosphere: the temperature, the cloud cover, the wind direction are all to do with the weather.
62
What is climate?
Climate is the average weather experienced in a place (what it is normally like). Average over 30-40 years.
63
When is the pattern of weather recorded?
The pattern of weather is recorded over the year
64
What can our climate be summed up as?
Our climate can be summed up as cool summers, mild winters, rain all year.
65
What is the average temperature of Northern Ireland
3°C-10°C
66
What is the average rainfall of Northern Ireland?
1600mm at its highest and 800mm at the lowest. This depends on where you live.
67
What is our weather in NI?
Our weather in NI is very changeable. Today may be warm and sunny, tomorrow may be cool and cloudy. Weather conditions can vary and our weather is very changeable because of where we are in the world.
68
Where do we live?
We live in the NW corner of the British Isles.
69
Where do winds blow towards?
Winds called air masses blow towards NI from different directions all the time bringing different weather.
70
What does polar mean?
Cold
71
What does tropical mean?
Hot
72
What does maritime mean?
Wet
73
What does continental mean?
Dry
74
What does arctic mean?
Very cold
75
What kind of weather does the NW of the British Isles get?
Polar Maritime-Mild summers, mild winters, wet.
76
What kind of weather does the NE of the British Isles get?
Arctic Maritime-Mild summers, cold winters, dry
77
What kind of weather does the SE of the British Isles get?
Tropical Continental-Warm summers, cold winters, dry
78
What kind of weather does the SW of the British Isles get?
Tropical Maritime-Warm summers, mild winters, wet.
79
Wha is an air mass?
An air mass is a large body of air with similar temperature and moisture content throughout. This means an air mass that starts over North Africa will be dry and warm. An air mass that starts over the North Atlantic will be cold and wet.
80
What are The British Isles located in?
The British Isles are located in a temperature climate zone. This means few or no extremes in weather.
81
What is our climate like?
Living in NI we do not have any extremes of temperature or rainfall.
82
What is the weather in NI generally like?
In general the weather is similar to the rest of the U.K., but Northern Ireland tends to have less sunshine and more rain.
83
What is used to show our average temperature and rainfall for a year?
A climate graph
84
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a living community of plants and animals and the environment (home) in which they live. The living things interact with their environment and with each other
85
Where can ecosystems be?
Ecosystems can be in parks, gardens, fields, forests, ponds, lakes, oceans and mountains
86
What kind of size and scale can ecosystems be?
They can be any isle or scale
87
What is every ecosystem made up of?
* Living elements- these include plants, animals, humans and bacteria.
* Non-living elements- such as sunlight, air, water, rocks and soil
88
What is the main driving point in an ecosystem?
The climate:
1. The soil
2. The vegetation
3. The animals
89
Give a description of the soil in an ecosystem?
How thick and rich the soil is depends partly on the climate. Rock breaks down fastest into soil in a hot damp climate.
90
Give a description of the vegetation in an ecosystem?
It has developed or adapted to suit the climate and soil. Plants grow fastest and thickest in a hot, damp, sunny climate
91
What have animals adapted to do?
They have adapted to feed on the plants or each other, and cope with the climate
92
Draw and label a cycle of an ecosystem?
Climate, soils, vegetation, animals, people
93
What does an ecosystem start with?
Plants
94
Why are plants really smart?
They do something no other living things can do. They make their own food inside themselves. They use the sun's energy for this- just like we use electricity for cooking
95
Draw and label a diagram of a plant?
Look at book
96
Give the steps of photosynthesis for a plant?
1. The plant traps the sun's energy in chlorophyll, the green stuff in leaves.
2. It takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen back into the atmosphere.
3. The sun's energy turns the carbon dioxide and the and the water into glucose.
4. Glucose combines with minerals from the soil to make the plant grow. These minerals are called nutrients. They include nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus
97
What does a herbivore eat and give some examples?
Herbivore- eats only plants (primary consumer)
| E.g. Giraffe, ant, caterpillar, rabbit, elephant, cow, sheep.
98
What does a carnivore eat and give some examples?
Carnivore- eats other animals (secondary consumer)
| E.g. Tiger, lion, snake, chameleon, crocodile.
99
What is an omnivore and give some examples?
Omnivore- eats both plants and animals
| E.g. Human, chicken, bears, boars, hedgehogs
100
What do fungi and bacteria in the soil feed on?
Dead animals, droppings and other waste material. They make things rote. They are recyclers
101
What do we know an ecosystem is?
An environment in which plants (flora) and animals (fauna) live and depend on each other.
102
What does a food chain show? Draw a diagram?
A food chain shows how plants and animals depend on each other as their source of food. For instance, a caterpillar eats plants, mice eat caterpillars and owls eat mice! A food chain shows what eats what. The arrows mean eaten by. Look at book for diagram
103
What does a food chain always start with?
A food chain always starts with a plant. The energy from the sun, which was trapped by the plant, is passed along the chain. That means the sun is the real source of energy for all living things.
104
What do ecosystems survive through?
The interactions between plants and animals and are referred to as food chains and food webs. Without these interactions, ecosystems risk breaking down and could be destroyed- we will look at this in more detail when we look at ecosystems under threat.
105
Give a food chain of the savannah grasses, lizard, snake and a grass hopper?
Producer- savanna grasses
Herbivore- grass hopper
Secondary consumer- lizard
Territory consumer- snake
106
What happens if a link in the food chain is broken?
If the lizards were wiped out the snakes would gradually lower in numbers as their food source would be gone. Also the locusts/ grass hoppers would become larger in number because there would be no predator to eat them
107
What do most animals eat?
Most animals eat more than 1 type of food. When more than one consumer feeds on the same plants, food chains become linked. A food web is where all the plants and animals in an ecosystem are linked together, a bit like a spider's web
108
Draw and label a diagram of a food web?
Look at book
109
How is energy transferred?
Energy is transferred by eating or being eaten. Each part is important, as each interacts and depends on the other parts. There is a natural balance
110
What is peat?
Peat is partially decomposed plant material which has been compressed under waterlogged conditions. It is mostly black in colour. Peat forms bogs in lowland areas called raised bogs or in upland areas called blanket bogs. They form in poorly drained areas, wet areas
111
What is Ballynahone Bog?
A raised bog at the bottom of the Glenshane Pass.
112
Where are blanket bogs found?
On ground over 200m in Fermanagh, the Sperrins and the Antrim Plateau.
113
Draw and label a diagram of a raised bog?
Look at book
114
Draw and label a diagram of a blanket bog?
Look at book
115
What happens to peat plants as they grow in the bog?
They accumulate and hold more moisture making the area wetter
116
Name some peatland plants?
Sphagnum moss, bladderwort, sundew, bog cotton, heather, sedges and grasses
117
What do peatlands provide?
Peatlands provide a unique habitat for wildlife
118
Name some of the local birds and animals found in local peatlands?
Curlew, snipe, hen harrier, frog, pond skater, beetle, raft spider, hare, rabbit, grouse, fox, meadow pipet, skylark, badger
119
How are peatlands being destroyed?
Peatlands ecosystems are being destroyed by a variety of activities. These include:
Cutting turf, especially by machines, for fuel to burn in homes.
People like the texture of peat for gardening and so it is milled, bagged and sold in garden centres.
Dumping rubbish – because the land is viewed as waste land.
Grazing sheep – farmers want to use mountain fields to generate income.
Draining bogs for planting trees or forests.
120
Why should peatlands be protected?
Peatlands contain rare plants only found in bogs.
They also provide habitats for numerous insects, birds and animals.
Peatlands can be analysed to get historical information about the our climate and vegetation.
They have even preserved
artifacts and bodies!
121
How can peatlands be protected?
At Peatlands Park there are wooden walkways to stop people walking over the peat and trampling rare species.
The public are kept off sensitive areas.
Information boards educate the public about bog areas.
Peatland areas can be protected as ASSIs or ESAs – Areas of Special Scientific Interest or Environmentally Sensitive Areas.
122
What are the four layers of the atmosphere?
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
