Geography revision YEAR 9

Weather describes the day to day condition of the atmosphere at one particular place.

Meteorology

Meteorologists

• Temperature
• Precipitation
• Visibility
• General weather
• Wind direction
• Wind speed
• Cloud cover

• Degrees celcius and farenheight
• Thermometer

• mm
• Rain gauge

• mph
• anemometer

compass points and wind vane

eighths and the naked eye

metres and the visibility meter

Millibars and with a barometer

The warm air rises, cools, condenses (forming clouds) and eventually rain.

Areas of HIGH atmosphetic pressure. They usually give good weather. In a high pressure system the cool air sinks towards the surface of the atmosphere.

In cold conditions anticyclones may also bring fog and mist as the cold forces moisture in the air to condense at low altitudes.

Climate is the average weather experienced by a particular area over a period of atleast 30 years.

EG. The UK has a mild climate.

• Latitude
• Distance from the coast
• Prevailing wind
• Altitude
• Ocean currents

If you move north or south from the Equator, temperatures reduce. Latitude is the distance in degrees north or south of the Equator.

Summer- The land heats up quicker than the sea. The heat is stronger on the land and it is retained for a short while. The sea takes longer to heat but once it is heated it will retain it. Thus, inland areas have higher temperatures than coastal areas.

Winter- In winter the land loses it's heat quickly, but the sea maintains its heat built up from summer. Therefore, coastal areas will have warmer temperatures than the inland.

Prevailing wind affects our climate because Ireland is bside the Atlantic Ocean and the water vapour is blown over to Ireland (in a south westerley direction) which leads to lots of rain.

Altitude affects the climate. The higher you are above sea level the cooler it is. For every 100 metres the temperature drops by roughly 1 degree celcius.

EG. In the alps, if you live on a mountain the temperatures would be much lower than somewhere like Cambridge where it is flat.

(EG) A warm ocean current called the North Atlantic Drift warms the west coast of the UK in winter, by warming the wind. This ocean current originates in the Gulf of Mexico where it is very hot, therefore it warms the water. As the wind blows over the warm current it warms the wind making our winters a little bit warmer. Coastal areas are mainly affected (west)