Topic 4 of 6 · Form 3
Weather, climate and ecosystems
Measuring weather at a station: Stevenson screen, maximum–minimum thermometer, rain gauge, wet and dry bulb hygrometer, barometer, wind vane, anemometer, sunshine recorder; cloud types.
Notes for this topic 1 file, in order
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Weather
Measuring weather at a station: Stevenson screen, maximum–minimum thermometer, rain gauge, wet and dry bulb hygrometer, barometer, wind vane, anemometer, sunshine recorder; cloud types.
Climate
Factors affecting climate: latitude, altitude, distance from the sea, ocean currents, prevailing winds. Characteristics of equatorial, tropical savanna and hot desert climates; reading climate graphs.
Worked example: A station records a maximum of 31 °C and a minimum of 17 °C. Find the mean temperature and range.
Mean = (31 + 17) ÷ 2 = 24 °C; range = 14 °C
Ecosystems
- Tropical rainforest: structure (layers), adaptations of plants and animals, nutrient cycling; deforestation causes, impacts and management.
- Hot deserts: adaptations; desertification and its management.
- Savanna: seasonal rainfall and adaptations.
Check yourself
- Which instrument measures relative humidity?
- Why does temperature decrease with altitude?
- Give two causes of deforestation in tropical rainforests.
Show answers
- Wet and dry bulb thermometers (hygrometer).
- Air is thinner and less able to retain heat; it is heated from the ground, so higher places are further from the heat source.
- Any two: logging, farming/ranching, mining, roads, settlement, hydroelectric dams.
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