Geography > Chapter 12+14 > Flashcards

Chapter 12+14 Flashcards

(54 cards)

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1
Q

What are the air masses around Ireland?

A
  • Polar air
  • Continental air
  • Tropical air
  • Maritime air
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2
Q

What is polar air?

A
  • Cool in summer

- cold in winter with heavy showers and strong winds

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3
Q

What is continental air like?

A
  • warm and dry in summer

- very cold in winter, dry, sometimes with snow

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4
Q

What is tropical air like?

A
  • warm to hot in summer -dry conditions
  • gentle winds
  • leads to build-up of heat and thunderstorms
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5
Q

What is maritime air like?

A
  • warm in summer

- mild in winter, brings rain and drizzle

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6
Q

What is a depression?

A

A depression is an area of low pressure. The pressure at the centre is lower than at the edges and it usually brings changable weather.

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7
Q

What is a depression sometimes called?

A

A cyclone

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8
Q

What is a front?

A

The bondary where two air masses meet.

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9
Q

What is a cold front?

A

A cold front is where cold air is pushing into warm air. The warm air is lifted up by the heavier cold air.

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10
Q

What is a warm front?

A

A warm front is where warm air is pushing over cold air.

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11
Q

Where do the winds blow in a depression?

A

Inwards

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12
Q

What is an isobar?

A

A line joining places of equal atmospheric pressure.

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13
Q

What is an anticyclone?

A

An area of high pressure. The pressure in the centre is higher than away from the centre.

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14
Q

What is weather like in an anticyclone?

A
  • becaue the higher pressure is in the centre of an anticyclone, the air is descending. As it descends it is warming up so it can absorb more moisture and there is a less chance of rain and clouds.
  • in summer it is usually hot, sunny weather
  • in winter, there are clear skies and night and frost
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15
Q

What direction do the winds blow in?

A

Clockwise and they are weak

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16
Q

What do close together isobars mean?

A

The wind is strong

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17
Q

What do spaced apart isobars mean?

A

There is little or no wind

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18
Q

What are air masses?

A

Air masses are large amounts of air with similar tempature, pressure and humidity.

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19
Q

What is the water cycle?

A

The process by which water moves between land, sea and the atmosphere. It cleans and renews the water.

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20
Q

What are the different stages of the water cycle?

A
  1. Evaporation: the heat or the sun changes the water into a water vapour and it rises.
  2. Condensation: as the water vapour rises it cools to form clouds (tiny droplets).
  3. Precipitation: wind blows the clouds over land, the clouds cool further and rain forms and falls.
  4. Run-off: some water forms rivers and flows back into the sea, some water soaks into the land and goes back into the sea.
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21
Q

What is precipitation?

A

Rain, snow or hail

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22
Q

What is water vapour?

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A

Water vapour is moisture in the form of gas in the air.

23
Q

What is relative humidity?

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A

It is the percentage of water in the air. It is the actual water content of the air as a percentage of the full amount of water that the air can hold at a given tempature.

24
Q

How are clouds formed?

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A

Clouds are formed when water vapour is condensed into tiny droplets of water or ice crystals.

25
What ARE clouds?
Clouds are visible collections of water droplets or ice crystals
26
What are the three main cloud types?
- cirrus - cumulus - stratus
27
What are cirrus clouds like?
- These are wispy cloud types. | - They are at a high altitude and they indicate fair weather.
28
What is the water cycle?
The process by which water moves between land, sea and the atmosphere. It cleans and renews the water.
29
What are the different stages of the water cycle?
1. Evaporation: the heat or the sun changes the water into a water vapour and it rises. 2. Condensation: as the water vapour rises it cools to form clouds (tiny droplets). 3. Precipitation: wind blows the clouds over land, the clouds cool further and rain forms and falls. 4. Run-off: some water forms rivers and flows back into the sea, some water soaks into the land and goes back into the sea.
30
What is precipitation?
Rain, snow or hail
31
What is water vapour?
Water vapour is moisture in the form of gas in the air.
32
What is relative humidity?
It is the percentage of water in the air. It is the actual water content of the air as a percentage of the full amount of water that the air can hold at a given tempature.
33
How are clouds formed?
Clouds are formed when water vapour is condensed into tiny droplets of water or ice crystals.
34
What ARE clouds?
Clouds are visible collections of water droplets or ice crystals
35
What are the three main cloud types?
- cirrus - cumulus - stratus
36
What are cirrus clouds like?
- These are wispy cloud types. | - They are at a high altitude and they indicate fair weather.
37
What are cumulus clouds like?
- These are woolly clouds that sometimes bring rain. | - These occur at medium altitude.
38
What are stratus clouds like?
- These are dark layers of cloud that bring rain or drizzle. | - They occur at low altitude.
39
What causes rain?
Rain is caused when air that is saturated (full of water) is forced to rise. As it cools and the water vapour condenses into tiny droplets.
40
What is precipitation?
Precipitation is the name given to water vapour when it is formed into rain, hail, sleet or snow.
41
What are the three types of rain?
- relief rain - cyclonic rain - convectional rain
42
How does relief rain occur?
1. Warm moist air is blown in from the sea 2. Air rises over mountains 3. The air cools, condensation occurs and rain falls 4. The air has lost most of its moisture so it sinks and warms, so there is less rain, creating a rain shadow
43
What's a rain shadow?
The area in the leeward side of the mountain that receives less rain than the windward side of the mountain
44
What causes cyclonic rain?
Caused by two air masses, a cold and a warm air mass meeting E.g a depression over Ireland
45
Steps of cyclonic rain?
1. Warm, lighter air from the tropics is forced to rise over cold air 2. Air cools and condensation occurs 3. Rain falls
46
What causes convection all rain?
The sun heating the earth E.g along the equator
47
What are the steps of conventional rain?
1. Ground heated by the sun 2. Air warmed by the ground rises 3. Warm air cools, condensation occurs and rain falls
48
What are the factors affecting world climate?
* latitude (distance north and south of the equator) * distance from the seas or oceans * prevailing winds and air masses
49
How does latitude affect world climate?
The further the place is from the equator, the colder it is likely to be. The sun's rays are directly overhead near the equator but further north or south, the rays are slanted and cover less area
50
How does distance from the seas or oceans affect climate?
* land heats up quickly in the summer but also loses its heat quickly in the winter * the sea gets up more slowly but it also loses its heat more slowly * for those reasons places near the sea are cooler in the summer but warmer in the winter
51
How do prevailing winds and air masses affect climate?
* if the prevailing wind blows from the sea it will be cooler and wetter in the summer and warmer and wetter in the winter * if the prevailing wind blows from the continent it will be warmer and drier in the summer and cooler and drier in the winter
52
What factors influence local climate?
1. Altitude (height above sea level) | 2. Aspect
53
How how does altitude affect local climate?
Temperature decreases with altitude, this is because the air is thinner and less able to retain heat -stronger winds are more likely at higher altitudes and the chill factor (the effect of stronger wind) also lowers the temp
54
What is the effect of aspect?
* south-facing slopes have more hours of sunshine and receive sunlight at a more direct angle, and receive warm southerly winds * north-facing slopes receive less hours of sunshine, are often in the shade and they receive colder, northerly winds
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