Every card in Weather and climate, Year 8: more practice
The whole deck, in order — so you can read it through before your child ever sees it.
- The conditions of the atmosphere in one place at one moment, such as a wet afternoon
Weather
HintIt can change from hour to hour.
WhyWeather is short-term. Climate is the pattern of weather over many years.
- Climate is usually worked out by averaging weather records over about how many years?
Thirty years
HintA few decades, long enough to smooth out odd seasons.
WhyA long average stops one unusually cold or hot year from distorting the picture.
- Is "It rains a lot in Manchester throughout the year" a statement about weather or about climate?
Climate
HintDoes it describe one day or a long-term pattern?
WhyIt describes a long-term pattern. "It is raining in Manchester today" would be weather.
- Near the Equator, the sun heats the surface strongly. What happens to the air there, and what does this create?
It rises, creating low pressure
HintWarm air is lighter than cool air.
WhyThe rising air cools and its moisture condenses, which is why the Equator has heavy, regular rain.
- Around 30 degrees north and south of the Equator, air is sinking. What kind of weather does this bring?
Dry, clear weather
HintSinking air warms and cannot easily form cloud.
WhyThis is why many of the world's great hot deserts, such as the Sahara, lie near 30 degrees.
- Why does air move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, creating wind?
Air flows to even out the difference in pressure
HintThink of air spreading out from where it is crowded.
WhyThe bigger the pressure difference between two places, the stronger the wind.
- The polar regions are very cold. Why, in terms of how the sun's rays reach them?
The sun's rays arrive at a low angle and are spread over a larger area
HintThink about how a torch beam spreads when shone at a slant.
WhyNear the poles the rays are also passing through more atmosphere, so they lose more energy before reaching the ground.
- Britain has mild, wet winters and cool summers. Which climate zone is it in?
Temperate maritime
HintThe sea has a calming effect on temperature.
WhyThe sea warms and cools slowly, so coastal places have a smaller range of temperature than inland ones. The warm North Atlantic Drift also helps.
- In the northern hemisphere, which side of a building is usually the sunniest and warmest?
The south-facing side
HintThe sun is in the southern half of the sky.
WhyThe direction a surface faces is its aspect. Aspect is one reason microclimates differ over short distances.
- Why is a walled garden often warmer and calmer than an open field nearby?
The walls give shelter from the wind and store heat
HintThink of what a barrier does to moving air and to sunshine.
WhyShelter reduces wind chill, and brick or stone soaks up warmth by day and releases it slowly at night.
1★ KS3-GEOG-WEA-0039
2★ KS3-GEOG-WEA-0040
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5★ KS3-GEOG-WEA-0043
6★ KS3-GEOG-WEA-0044
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9★ KS3-GEOG-WEA-0047
10★ KS3-GEOG-WEA-0048
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