Climate and Geography Quiz

Weather and Climate

• Weather describes the day-to-day changes or patterns in the atmosphere at a specific place and time.
• Climate is the average weather pattern in a location over a long period of time, typically 30 years or more.
• Climate is more general than weather.

Factors Affecting Weather and Climate

• Air Temperature: Measures how hot or cold the air is. Higher temperatures cause air molecules to move faster and water to evaporate more quickly. A thermometer measures temperature.
• Air Pressure: The force of air molecules pushing on an area. Higher air pressure indicates fair weather, and lower air pressure indicates stormy weather.
• Precipitation: Occurs when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into larger droplets, forming clouds, and eventually falling to Earth (rain, snow, sleet, hail).
• Wind: Winds from warm areas bring warm temperatures; winds from cold areas cool temperatures.
• Proximity to Large Bodies of Water: Bodies of water moderate temperature. Land heats and cools faster than water. Coastal areas have milder climates than inland areas.
• Latitude: The distance north or south from the equator. As latitude increases, temperature generally decreases.
  Different latitudinal locations receive different amounts of direct sunlight which influences temperature variations.
• Proximity to Mountain Ranges: Orographic effect: Moist air is pushed up a mountain slope and condenses, which leads to precipitation. Rain shadow effect: Dry air descends on the other side of the mountain, resulting in little or no precipitation.
• Climate Change: Long-term average increase in global temperature. Activities like burning fossil fuels and deforestation contribute to this.

Climate Change Causes

• Greenhouse Gases: Gaseous substances like carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and nitrous oxide, trap heat in the atmosphere.
• Burning Gasoline: Carbon dioxide emissions from burning gasoline, a major source of greenhouse gases from motor vehicles.
• Burning Fossil Fuels: Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels for electricity generation. This includes burning coal.
• Increased Use of Chemical Fertilizers: Nitrogen in fertilizers converts to nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas.
• Deforestation: Trees absorb carbon dioxide; deforestation reduces the absorption capacity and contributes to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Impacts of Climate Change

• El Niño/La Niña: El Niño is an irregular warming of Pacific surface waters that affects trade winds; La Niña is the opposite, a cooling effect.
• Poor Water Quality/Water Scarcity: Flood deposits, silt, chemicals from agricultural pesticides and fertilizers impact water quality and create water scarcity.
• Emergence of Climate-Sensitive Diseases and Illnesses: Conditions like heatstroke, dengue fever, and waterborne diseases (like leptospirosis, and diarrhea) are affected by climate change.