Geography

• What is weather?


  weather is a set of conditions in the atmosphere at a particular time and place. It changes all the time and the weather in one place can be different to the conditions elsewhere.
• Eg. of weather?


  eg. it may be dry in the morning then rainy in the afternoon or it may be calm at your home but windy at school.
• Define the term ''Climate.''


  is a pattern of weather in a place over a longer period.
• climate


  the climate of a place controls the weather eg; it would be very unusual to have a snowstorm in Trinidad because our climate is generally warm and mild.
• Elements of weather are;


  temperature, precipitation, wind, cloudiness, sunshine, humidity, and, air pressure.
• The term ''Temperature''


  The measure of heat energy in the atmosphere around the Earth, when air has ''less'' heat energy, it feels ''cooler''. Air temperature changes all of time, and it varies from place to place. We use a ''TERMOMETER'' in ''DEGREES, CELCIUS'' (*C) or ''DEGREES FAHERENHEIT'' (*F).
• The term ''Precipitation''


  is any kind of moisture that falls onto the earth's surface.
• Examples of ''Precipitation'' include;


  Rain, Snow and sleat.
• The term ''Wind''


  is air moving over the earth's surface.
• The term cloudiness;


  as warm air rises it expands and cools. Cool air cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air. As the water vapor cools, it condenses forming Tiny Droplets around dust particles in the atmosphere. These droplets gather together to form ''Clouds''.
• The term Sunshine;


  Light and Heat come from sun.
• The term Humidity;


  The measure of how much water vapor is in the air at a given time. The warmer the air is the more water vapor it holds, when air holds the maximum amount of water vapor possible, we say it is ''Saturated''.
• The term Air Pressure;


  The weight of the earth's atmosphere on it's surface. Air pressure changes with weather. It also varies from one place to another. Cold Air is denser and heavier than warm air.
• The term ''seasons''


  seasons are how a year is divided and they generally have specific weather patterns.
• The term ''Climatic zones''


  climatic zones are horizontal belts found at different latitudes and have varying average weather conditions. Each climate zone has different weather conditions and different seasons.
• There are five (5) main climate zones;

  they are; Equatorial (Tropical) climate, Hot desert climates, Mediterranean climate, Temperature climate and Tundra (Cold desert) climate.
• which climate zone is the tropical climate?

  Equatorial Climate.
• Which climate zone is the cold desert climate?

  Tundra Climate.
• Equatorial (Tropical) Climate;


  ''LOCATION''; 10* to 10.5* of the equator, referred to as tropical climates as they are found between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn. ''COUNTRIES''; Brazil, Venezuela and Trinidad + Tobago. ''RAINFALL''; around 1500mm per year. ''TEMPERATURES''; average about 27*C.
• Hot Desert Climate;

  ''LOCATION''; 20* to 35* N (North) and S (South) of the Equator. ''COUNTRIES''; Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. ''TEMPERATURE''; Can go as high as 50*C but will fall at night. Temperatures are hottest between April and October .''RAINFALL''; Very little rainfall in hot desert regions. In order to be classified as a desert there must be less than 250mm of rainfall a year. ''SEASONS''; Two seasons; Summer and Winter.
• Mediterranean Climate;

  ''LOCATION''; 30* to 45* N (NORTH) and S (SOUTH) of the equator. ''COUNTRIES''; Italy, Spain, Southern Australia. ''TEMPERATURES''; Hot in summer months (Up to 40*C) Winter temperatures average 10 - 15*C. ''RAINFALL''; there is rainfall in most months other than June, July and August. ''SEASONS''; Two seasons; Summer and Winter.
• Temperature Climates;

  ''LOCATION''; 40* to 60* N (NORTH) and S (SOUTH) of the Equator. ''COUNTRIES''; UK and Western USA. ''TEMPERATURES''; Summer months average 20*C, Winter can be as cold as below 0*C. ''RAINFALL''; Rainfall all year round, including the summer months although Autumn and Winter have the most Rainfall. ''SEASONS''; FOUR (4) Seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
• Tundra (Cold Desert) Climate;


  ''LOCATION''; 60* to 75* N(North) and S(South) of the Equator. ''COUNTRIES''; Greenland, N Canada, N Russia. ''TEMPERATURES''; Can go down to 50*C. ''RAINFALL''; Very low in cold desert regions, Fewer than 250mm of rainfall, precipitation is most likely to fall as snow rather than rain. ''SEASONS''; Two seasons; Summer and Winter.
• CLIMATE GRAPHS;


  Climate information is shown using Climate graphs.
• What are climate graphs used for?

  Climate graphs are used to show temperatures and rainfall statistics for a country or area over a period of time.
• The most common type of climate graphs shows the Annual Temperature and Rainfall over a one-year period.
• Temperatures are show as a Line Graphs and rainfall is shown as a Bar Graph.