Weather and Climate Flashcards

Weather vs. Climate

• Weather: Short-term state of the atmosphere (minutes/hours).
• Climate: Long-term pattern of weather (many years).

Key Vocabulary

• Rain gauge
• Thermometer
• Stevenson screen

Weather

• State of the atmosphere at a particular time; short-term changes.
• Described by temperature, precipitation, wind speed/direction, visibility, cloud amounts.

Climate

• Average weather in a specific area over a long period.
• E.g., Britain: cool summers, mild winters, moderate rainfall.

Difference Between Weather and Climate

• Weather: Daily conditions, rapid changes.
• Climate: Average weather over a long period; influenced by slow changes (ocean, land, Earth's orbit, sun's energy).

Elements of Weather and Climate

1. Temperature: Hotness/coldness of the atmosphere; influences precipitation, humidity, etc. Measured via thermometers in a Stevenson screen.
2. Precipitation: Moisture falling from the air (snow, hail, sleet, rain).

Instruments for Measuring Weather

How Weather and Climate Affect People

• Influences clothing, food/water supply, housing, travel/tourism, electricity.

Climate Zones

• Tropical: High temperature and rainfall.
• Arid: High temperature and low rainfall.
• Temperate: Four seasons, moderate temperature and rainfall.
• Mediterranean: Hot, dry summers, mild, wet winters.
• Polar: Low temperature and precipitation (snow).
• Mountain: Colder and wetter than surrounding zones.

Climate of British Isles

• Temperate oceanic climate with four seasons.
• Variations due to latitude, altitude, distance from the sea, prevailing wind, Jet Stream, North Atlantic Drift.

The Water Cycle

• Key processes: Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection, transpiration, percolation

Types of Rainfall

1. Relief: Air cools rising over hills/mountains (1°C per 100m).
2. Convectional: Ground heats air, warm air rises, cools, and forms clouds.
3. Frontal: Warm, moist air meets cold, dense air, warm air rises and cools.

Microclimate

• Local climate in a small area, differing from surroundings.
• Influenced by shelter, surface, aspect, buildings, natural features.