Geography

Geography

1. Weather refers to the condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and specific time

   • Elements of weather
     • Temperature
       • Factors Affecting temperature
         • Latitude
           • distance from any point of the earth that can be measured north or south of the equator
           • The lower the latitude, when solar angle is high, sun ray's are more concentrated on the are hence higher mean annual temperature. Hence, if solar angle is lower, sun ray is spread out on a wider area, therefore, lower mean annual temperature
         • Altitude
           • Height of place in relation to sea level
             • Main Idea!! General decrease of 6.5 degrees celsius for every 100m increase in altitude
             • R/S : the higher the altitude, the lower the temperature
             • Distance from the sea; Solar energy reaches the earth as shortwave radiation. About 45% of shortwave radiation is directly absorbed by the earth's surface. The earth's surface is heated up and emits long wave radiation. The longwave radiation is absorbed by GHG in the atmosphere and this warms the earth. Air nearer the earth's surface traps more heat than at places with higher altitudes. Therefore the further up you move away from the surface of the earth[ which is heated up by the sun]the temperature decreases
             • Density of air; Air density is a result of gravity. Dense air near the surface is able to trap more heat from longwave radiation therefore has a higher temperature. Less dense air on top of the mountain, has less ability to absorb heat than the other denser air at sea level therefore resulting in lower temperature.
         • Distance from the sea
           • The continents (land) heating and cooling more quickly than oceans, this influences the temperatures of inland and coastal areas
           • The difference in the rate of heating and cooling of land and sea affects the temperature of coastal and inland areas
           • Maritime effect refers to the effect of large ocean bodies have on climate of coastal areas; It occurs at the coastal areas . During summer, air over the sea is cooler than air over land . Sea heats up slower than the land. The cooler air over the sea helps to lower the temperature of coastal areas. During winter, air over the sea remains.Warmer than the land as the sea cools more slowly than the land. The warmer air over the sea increases temperature over the coastal areas. so, cooler summers and warmer winters. This then results in a small annual temperature range . E.g. of some places include Anchorage, Alaska
           • Continental effect refers to the effect of huge land surfaces have on climate of inland areas; It occurs at inland areas. During summer, air over sea is warmer than land. Sea heats up faster than the land. The hotter air over the sea helps to increase the temperature of the coastal areas. During winters, air over the sea remains cooler than air over the land as the sea cools fasterthan the land. The cooler air over the sea decreases temperature over the coastal areas. THis results in warmer summer and cooler winter. this is also due to the fact that the inland areas are located away from the sea so temperature is not influenced by the sea.this results in large annual temperature range. e.g. could be New York and Fairbanks
         • Cloud cover which is the extent of sky covered by the clouds; Higher amount of cloud cover results in smaller daily temperature range.
           • The higher the cloud cover, the lower the temperature in the day
           • Presence of clouds : During the day, clouds reflect large portion of the sun's energy back to space. This then absorbs the heat radiated from the earth's surface. This keeps the earth cool during the day. During the night the clouds absorb more of the heat that is radiated from the earth's surface and prevent it from escaping into space. This keeps the earth warm at night. So the presence of more clouds result in smaller diurnal temperature range
     • Rainfall
     • Humidity
     • Cloud Cover
     • Wind
     • Pressure

2. Climate refers to the average condition of the atmosphere of a particular place over a long period of time, usually over 30 years

3. Atmosphere of the earth is the layer of gases, commonly known as air that surrounds the planet Earth and is retained by the Earth's gravity