Ap Human Geography Chapter 1 Study Guide

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Geography: Weather 1. What is meant by weather and climate? Weather: the state of atmosphere over a short period of time, usually hours or days, in a particular place Climate: the average state of the atmosphere over a longer period of time, usually 30 years, it tells us the expected conditions rather than what they are actually like at the moment. We can talk about climate over larger regions 2. The structure of the atmosphere Atmosphere: - thin envelope of gasses surrounding Earth - composed off 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.93% argon - small traces of water vapour, carbon dioxide and ozone - effects on the earth’s climate - divided into vertical layers determined by the way the temperature changes with height - troposphere:…show more content…
7. That there are particular patterns to local winds Mountain and valley winds Anabatic Winds are upslope winds driven by warmer surface temperatures on a mountain slope than the surrounding air column. Katabatic winds are downslope winds created when the mountain surface is colder than the surrounding air and creates a down slope wind. Anabatic (upslope) winds occur over slopes which are heated by the sun. Air which is in contact with slopes that are warmed expands upward and cool and sinks over neighbouring valleys Katabatic (downslope) winds occur over slopes which are cooled. Katabatic winds occur where air in contact with sloping ground is colder than air at the same level away from the hillside over the valley. Katabatic winds are nocturnal phenomena in most parts of the world (i.e. they tend to happen at night) as there is surface cooling, especially when there is little cloud and due to lack of heating by the sun. Katabatic winds may lead to the formation of frost, mist and fog in valleys. Land and sea…show more content…
Once the condensation point has been reached it cools with 6°C/km, because oft he release of latant heat during condensation. 8. The main weather types in Switzerland West wind dominant The high pressure system lies over southern Spain and north Africa. Low pressure systems rest over Great Britiain and Scandinavia. A moist westerly wind blows between the two. The low pressure systems over Great Britain toward Scandinavia. Warm and cold fronts pass over in rapid successio, bringing rain to west and central Europe. Typical weather: changeable weather with lots of precipitation. North East wind dominant A cold, dry, air current flows between the high pressure area over Scandinavia and the low pressure region over the Mediterranean sea. In winter this wind is cold and dry. It becomes channelled between the Alps and the Jura, leading to strong winds and very low temperatures over lake Geneva. Typical weather: In winter central Switzerland experiences very cold ground temperatures with a thick blanket of higher level fog. The North East wind is rare in summer, but it does come it brings warm continental

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