Year 8 Geography: Weather

What is weather?

The Day to Day atmosphere of a certain place

What is Climate

The long term atmosphere commonly over 30 years

What is Temperature measured with?

A themometer

What units is temperature in?

Degrees Celsius

What is Rainfall measured in?

Millimeters

What is Rainfall measured with?

A Rain Gauge

What is Air pressure measured in?

Milibars

What is Air pressure measured with?

A Barometer

What do you measure wind speed with?

An Anemometer

What do you measure wind speed in?

Mph

What do you measure wind Direction with?

A weather Vane

What do you measure Cloud Cover with?

Your eyes

What do you measure Cloud Cover in?

Oktas

What do you measure Wind Direction in?

Compass points

Evaporation

The process of water turning into Gas

Condensation

Water vapour turning into a liquid

Precipitation

Water falling from the sky

Surface Runoff

Water being moved by Gravity to larger water accomodations

Groundwater

Water stored in the ground/ flowing in the ground

Transpiration

The process of a plant absorbing water and releasing water vapour through it’s leaves.

Interception

when precipitation does not reach the floor and is instead interrupted by leaves, branches, the forest floor, etc.

What does water vapour accumulate and condensed onto to make cloud drops?

Nuclei

Explain the process of Clouds forming

1. Firstly, the sun heats up the ground. This causes the air at ground level to rise and the air vapour within to cool down (since the further away from the ground the colder it gets)

2. When cooled, The water vapour collides and sticks to particles found in the air known as condensation Nuclei that contain aerosols such as salt and dust.

3. As the Water Vapour rises and cools, more Water Vapour accumulates and condenses on the surface of the Nuclei.

4. When enough water vapour condenses around the Nuclei a cloud droplet is formed.

5. Individual cloud droplets are lightweight, tiny and spread out so they stay afloat as the form of a cloud.

6. At times, the cloud droplets combine to become larger droplets or crystals. As this occurs, they grow in size and weight and gradually fall from the sky as rain.

Explain Relief rainfall

occurs when warm moist air from the Atlantic Ocean rises up over mountains. When the warm air rises, it cools and condenses to form clouds, which bring rain. Once the air has passed over the mountains, it descends and warms.

Explain Frontal rainfall

occurs when a warm front meets a cold front. The heavier cold air sinks to the ground and the warm air rises above it. When the warm air rises, it cools. The cooler air condenses and form clouds. The clouds bring heavy rain.

Explain convectional rainfall

Convectional rainfall occurs when the heated air from the earth's surface rises upwards along with the water vapour and gets condensed when it reaches a higher altitude. Here the clouds carrying the water vapour are not carried away by the wind and hence, it rains in the same place.

Stratus Cloud

Flat or smooth

Cumulus/cúmulo Cloud

Heaped up/puffy

Cirrus/Cirro cloud

High up/ wispy

Alto cloud

Medium level

Nimbus/Nimbo

Rain bearing cloud

What are Biomes?

Global Scale ecosystems

5 factors that affect a Biomes Climate

1. Altitude

   Contrary to popular belief, Getting closer to the sun will not make you any warmer. This is because the sun does not hit us directly but instead comes into contact with the ground and heats it up instead. From there, the ground warms up the air which supplies

   us with warmth in the process.

The higher up we go, the further we are from the ground supplying us with warm and therefore it gets colder. This is also why we see snow at the top of mountains.

2. Rain shadow

Many deserts are found on the leeward sides of mountains while precipitation falls on the other side.

2. Distance to the Sea

   In winter, the seas are warmer than the land and therefore warms up places closest to the sea. In summer, the sea is cooler so it instead decreases the temperature of the land.

3. Ocean Currents

The world's oceans move constantly in patterns that are called currents. 

This can spread heat from the equator to places further north and south

4. Gulf stream

   Warm water from the equator travels north from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic Ocean. This part of the Gulf Stream is called the North Atlantic Drift.

What is Extreme Weather?

Any weather even which is significantly different from the average or usual weather for a place at that time.

What is an Airmass?

A large body of air that travels from one place to another

Martime + Polar Airmass

Wet and cold Weather

Maritime airmass

Wet weather

Polar airmass

Cold weather

Continental Airmass

Dry weather

Tropical Airmass

Warm weather

What is a jet stream?

A strong air current

When the polar jet stream moves North over the UK, we get ____ weather.

Hot

When the polar jet stream moves south over the UK, we get ___ weather.

Cold

The ___________ scale rates hurricanes on a scale of 1-5 according to their wind speed with 5 being the strongest.

Saffir-Simpson

What is the most dangerous main hazard of a hurricane?

Storm surges

Hurricane Katrina was a major tropical storm which hit the city of ______ (among other places) in A_____ 2___.

New Orleans, August 2005

Name 3 impacts of Hurricane Katrina?

• 1800 deaths

• 300,000 homes destroyed

• Shops were looted

• Fuel prices rose

• Tourism decreased, meaning loss of income for businesses.

• 3 million people with no electricity

• Cotton and sugar crops destroyed

• Damage to coastal habitats

• 80% of New Orleans was flooded

• $300 billion of damage ($81 in New Orleans)

• Coastal habitats were flooded

What is the eyewall of the Hurricane?

the edge of the eye where there are strong winds over 120mph , rain, thunderstorms.

Name the Aspects of the structure of tropical storms?

What causes the Monsoon?

It is caused when the winds change direction and blow moist air from the ocean over the continent. The himalayas are a physical barrier to these winds, forcing the air to rise and create relief rainfall. The winds change direction as the Land becomes warmer than the sea. In october, winds change direction again and the weather changes back to the dry season.

What heats up quicker? the land or the Ocean?

Land

The monsoon is a wet season from what months?

June to october

what percent of the population lives in areas affected by monsoons?

60%

Monsoons Account for __% of the rainfall in India

80%

__% of the indian population rely on the rain for agriculture

70% of the indian population rely on the rain for agriculture

How old is the earth?

4.55 Billion years old

Glacial period is…

Cold periods of time when there is an ice age and the ice extends down across Europe and North america

inter glacial is…

Warmer periods of time when lots of the ice melts.

List the Long term evidence for Climate change

Ice cores

Tree Rings

Artwork

List the short term evidence for Climate change

Tempreature increase

Sea levels rising

Melting ice sheets

list the natural causes of climate change…

• Sunspots

• Volcanic eruptions

• Earths orbit

What is the Enhanced green house effect?

When theres too much carbon emmisions.