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Geography - Climate and weather (Pressure (Types of rainfall (Convectional…
Geography - Climate and weather
Climate
Definition : How weather changes over long periods (30 years)
Climate is long term changes
Key terms for describing
Temperate:
Not too dry, not too wet ; not too cold, not too warm
Polar
Mediterranean
Tropical
Humid
Arid
Climate of the UK
The UK has a
temperate and mild
climate
Not too dry ; not too wet
Cool wet winters ; warm wet summers
Factors affecting it + explanation
Latitude/Longitude
Higher concentration of sunlight near equator
(Oblique sun rays)
Altitude
+100m ; -1°C
West has a lot of mountains
Creates a lot of relief rainfall as well as rain shadow
Wind direction and speeds
Wind from Polar regions brings cold weather
Prevailing wind from South - West brings wet and warm weather
Closeness to shore
Sea lags a season behind land
Coastal areas cooled in summer
Coastal area heated in winter
Continentality
Europe brings Heat/Cold and Dryness
Air and water currents
North Atlantic Drift brings wet and warm weather to coastal areas
Weather
Definition : How the elements interact over a short period, changing hour by hour, day by day.
Weather is short term changes
Key terms for describing
Precipitation
Temperature
Sunshine
Wind
Force
Direction
Cloud
Type
Cover
Visibility
Pressure
High pressure weather
Warm air rises
Pushes cold air aside
Warm air sinks further away - increasing that area pressure
Cold air sinks but is warmed up - water vapor can't condense
Low pressure weather
Leads to convectional rainfall
(look at types of rainfall below)
In short
High pressure
Clear skies
Very hot in summer
#
Very cold in winter
#
Low pressure
Unsettled, stormier weather
Types of rainfall
Convectional
Sun heats the ground. Heat dissipates into air
Warm air rises and cools till it condenses
Forms a cloud (cumulonimbus)
Rains short and heavy
Frontal
Warm and cold air meet
Warn air rises / forced up by cold air
Warm air condenses into clouds
(Cumulus or nimbo stratus)
Dry inside warm air
Some showers on cold front
Thicker clouds and more rain on warm front into next area of cold air
Relief
Warm air forced up over a mountain
It condenses and precipitates
It rains over the mountain and then the warm dry air sinks
As all the moisture has been lost it can no longer rain
#
Case Study : Hurricane Katrina
Social
Homelessness :
800,000 housing units
destroyed
Millions of people were forced to take refuge in the Super bowl
This lead to extreme conditions - diseases and illnesses
Water : Drinking water system was contaminated so disease spread easily
(Cholera, diarrhea)
More money spent on medication and doctors
Deaths :
Over 1500 people
lost their lives
Economic
Looting : Criminal gangs roamed the streets
looting homes and stealing valuables
from other places.
Insurance - Approximately
$40 billion
were spent just on insurance, as people had applied for car, house, pet, health insurance and the government had to pay for new jobs, homes etc.
Damage : Around
$300 billion worth of damage
was caused. Many houses and business were destroyed.
Environmental
Flooding : New Orleans and other states were
left below sea level
, as their levees broke due to the severity of Hurricane Katrina - causing flooding.
Dead Crops: Many crops were destroyed and meant that there
wasn't enough food
to provide for the entire community
This is because the clouds act as a blanket (and there are none due to high pressure)
This is called a rain shadow