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(Temperature 1)
(Temperature 1)
Describe the relationship between latitude and temperature.
There is a negative relationship between latitude and temperature whereby at low latitude, temperature is high and at high latitude, temperature is low.
Describe the relationship between altitude and temperature.
There is a negative relationship between altitude and temperature. At low latitude, temperature is high and at high altitude, temperature is low.
State the formula to calculate relative humidity.
RH = (Actual amount of water vapour in the air / Maximum amount of water vapour the air can hold) X 100%
State the two characteristics of convectional rain.
They are often associated with lightning and thunder. It generally lasts for a short time but brings intense rainfall.
Define air pressure.
Air pressure is the force exerted on an unit area of the earth's surface by the weight of a column of air above it.
Explain how altitude affects temperature.
The sun's solar energy in the form of shortwave radiation is absorbed by the earth's surface, heating it up.
The warm surface emits heat in the form of longwave radiation.
The higher up the atmosphere, the further away a place is from the earth's surface and the heat starts to dissipate.
Places at high altitude therefore have lower temperatures.
Another explanation:
Air is more dense at lower altitudes and able to absorb more longwave radiation resulting in higher temperatures.
Explain how latitude affects temperature.
The earth tilts at 23.5 degrees on its own axis resulting in the sun's rays striking different parts of the earth at various angles.
At low latitudes, the solar angle is high and the sun's rays are more concentrated on the area resulting in higher temperatures.
At high latitudes, the solar angle is low and the sun's rays spread out over a wider area resulting in lower temperatures.
Describe the relationship between temperature and relative humidity.
There is a negative relationship between temperature and relative humidity. The lower the temperature, the higher the relative humidity.
State the two conditions for relief rain to occur at a place.
1) The place must be near the coast.
2) There is a highland near the coast.
Explain how do local winds affect the diurnal temperature range of coastal areas.
In the day, sea breeze lowers the temperatures and at night, land breeze regulate the temperature of coastal areas. This results in a smaller diurnal temperature range.
Account for the annual temperature range of coastal areas.
The effect that the seas have on the temperature/climate of coastal areas is called the maritime effect.
During summer, land heats up faster than the sea. Cooler air over the sea helps to lower the temperature of coastal areas.
During winter, land loses heat faster than the sea. Warmer air over the sea raises the temperature of coastal areas.
Due to the maritime effect, coastal areas experience cooler summers and warmer winters resulting in a smaller annual temperature range.
Account for the annual temperature range of places located far inland.
The effect that large continental lands have on the temperature/climate of places far inland is called the continental effect.
During summer, land heats up fast. This led to high summer temperatures.
During winter, land loses heat fast. This led to low winter temperatures.
Due to the continental effect, places located far inland experience hotter summers and colder winters resulting in a larger annual temperature range.
Explain how clouds are formed.
Water will be converted to water vapour through the process of evapotranspiration. As water vapour starts to rise, it starts to cool and at dew point temperature, condensation starts to occur whereby water vapour turns into water droplets. Water droplets then merged together in a process called coalescence to form clouds.
Which type of rainfall does Singapore usually experience? Explain your answer.
Singapore experiences convectional rain as it is in the tropics, resulting in large evapotranspiration rate. This will lead to more condensation, enabling the formation of large clouds called cumulonimbus clouds. This explains why the rain in Singapore is often intense.
The rain in Singapore is also often associated with lightning and thunder.
John is at East Coast Park at night. He felt some wind blowing against his face. What type of wind is this? Explain how this wind is formed.
It's land breeze.
At night, land loses heat faster than the sea. The air above the sea gets heated up, warms up and rises. This creates an area of low pressure above the sea.
The air above the land cools and sinks, creating an area of high pressure.
As wind blows from an area of high pressure to low pressure, wind blows from land to sea resulting in a land breeze being formed.
Draw a well-annotated diagram to explain how the absence of cloud cover affects the diurnal temperature range of a place.
Key words/phrases:
- shortwave radiation
- longwave radiation
- hot day temperature
- cold night temperature
- large diurnal temperature range
Draw a well-annotated diagram to explain how the presence of cloud cover affects the diurnal temperature range of a place.
Key words/phrases:
- shortwave radiation
- clouds reflect shortwave radiation
- clouds absorb longwave radiation
- cooler day temperature
- clouds absorb longwave radiation, prevent escape into space
- warmer night temperature
- small diurnal temperature range
Draw a well-annotated diagram to show how clouds are formed.
Key words/phrases:
- evapotranspiration (water changes to water vapour)
- dew point temperature, saturation, RH = 100%
- condensation (water vapour turning into water droplets)
- coalescence (water droplets merged together to form clouds)
Draw a well-annotated diagram to show how relief rain is formed.
Key words/phrases:
- prevailing wind picks up moisture
- warm, moist air forces to rise up
- air cools as it rises, dew point temperature, RH = 100%, condensation
- clouds formed, rain falls on windward side
- air dried up at leeward side, no/little rain
Draw a well-annotated diagram to explain the formation of sea breeze.
Key words/phrases:
- day time
- land heats up faster than sea
- air above land gets heated up, expands and rises
- over at land, high temperature, low pressure
- air above sea cools and sinks
- over at the sea, low temperature, high pressure
- winds blows from high pressure to low pressure
- sea breeze