Eduqas GCSE (9-1) Geography B (C112) · Spec 2.3
Weather and climate
Read the notes, then try the questions. Each one is marked the moment you press Check, and shows the right answer and why.
Key ideas
- The UK climate changes with the seasons and from place to place. Latitude, altitude and distance from the sea are all controls.
- Air rises at the Equator, giving low pressure and heavy rain. Air sinks near 30 degrees north and south, giving high pressure and dry weather, where many hot deserts lie.
- A hot semi-arid climate is hot all year, with a wet season and a dry season.
- Low pressure means rising air, cloud, rain and wind. High pressure means sinking air and settled, dry weather. Isobars close together mean strong winds.
- You study two extreme events outside the UK: a long-lasting high-pressure event and an intense low-pressure event, such as a tropical cyclone.
- A tropical cyclone forms over warm seas of about 27 degrees C or more, and away from the Equator so that the Coriolis effect can make it spin. It weakens over land.
Key terms
- Latitude
- Distance north or south of the Equator.
- Altitude
- Height above sea level.
- Isobar
- A line on a weather chart joining places with the same air pressure.
- Low pressure
- Rising air, which brings cloud, rain and wind.
- High pressure
- Sinking air, which brings dry, settled weather.
- Tropical cyclone
- An intense low-pressure storm with very strong winds and heavy rain that forms over warm tropical seas.
- Primary effect
- Damage caused directly by the storm, such as wind damage and flooding.
- Secondary effect
- A later problem that follows, such as disease or food shortages.
Common mistakes
- Thinking latitude means height above sea level. That is altitude.
- Calling a hurricane or cyclone a high-pressure event. It is an intense low-pressure event.
- Using a UK storm or drought as the extreme event. The events you study are outside the UK.
- Saying heavy rain at a cold front is only because the air is cold. Warm air is forced to rise, cools and condenses.
Exam tip
For a describe question with a graph or table, quote figures and name the months or places, or you cannot get full marks. For your extreme event, learn the name, the place, the date, the causes, the effects on different groups and the responses, and use that named detail.
Free practice questions
7 questions, 17 marks. Answer, then press Check. The marking guide explains how the marks are worked out. Nothing is saved.
- Question 1 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
Air sinks near 30° north and south of the Equator. What does this cause at the surface?
- Question 2 · Fill the gaps[2 marks]
Near 30° north and south of the Equator, air ___ and gives ___ pressure.
Word bank: sinks · rises · low · high
- Question 3 · Matching[4 marks]
Match each feature of global atmospheric circulation to its description.
- Question 4 · Put in order[1 mark]
Put the stages of tropical storm formation in order, starting with the warm ocean.
Use the arrows to put these in the right order, first at the top.
- 1The Coriolis effect makes the storm spin
- 2Pressure falls and winds are drawn in
- 3Warm ocean water heats the air above it
- 4Warm, moist air rises
- 5Water vapour condenses and releases heat
- Question 5 · Sort into groups[6 marks]
Sort each effect of a tropical storm into primary or secondary.
People lose their jobs
Deaths from wind and flood
Storm-surge flooding
Disease spreads
Food and water shortages
Wind damage to buildings
- Question 6 · Choose more than one[2 marks]
Which **two** are needed for a tropical storm to form?
Choose 2.
- Question 7 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
On a weather chart, what do isobars drawn close together show?