AS Module 1 Core Concepts in Physical Geography

10.2 Climatic Hazards and Change

Cost and Benefits of Weather and Climate (R or N)

• Controls over climate - solar energy, pressure, winds.
• An understanding of the global distribution (G) of Cool Temperate Western Maritime climate type.
• The climatic conditions associated with this climatic type.
• Atmospheric processes responsible for this climatic regime, air masses, depressions and anticyclones.
• The opportunities and constraints for human activity associated with this climate type.

Climatic Hazards (R or N)

• Severe gales, tropical revolving storms and tornadoes.
• The atmospheric processes responsible for these hazards.
• The human impact and responses to the above hazards must include contrasts in the context of the MEDW and the LEDW.

Climatic Change: The Micro Scale (S)

• City climates: how the urban landscape can modify temperatures, humidity, precipitation, winds and air quality.
• Urban air quality: photochemical smog. The atmospheric processes and human activities responsible for photochemical smog formation.
• The impact of changes in urban air quality on human activities, the strategies and the responses introduced to alleviate the problem.
• An evaluation of the success of these responses; the attitudes and values of decision-makers.

Climatic Change at The Global scale (G)

• Evidence for and possible causes of global warming.
• The types and sources of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.
• The predicted impact of global warming on climatic conditions and human well being in the UK and at a global scale.
• The political responses to this issue and the values and attitudes influencing such responses.
• Candidates are to explore their own values in relation to the concept of "think globally, act locally"
• Awareness of the links with sustainable development and global interdependence.

weblinks

Global Energy Budget - http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7i.html - a good introduction to the heat budget

Pressure Patterns - http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/Climate/Older/Pressure_Patterns.html - well defined explanation of pressure systems around the world

Cool Temperate Western Maritime Climate - http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/Resources/Teaching_Packs/Key_Stage_4/Weather_Climate/11.htm
or in other words....the British Climate!

Depressions and Anti-cyclones - http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/kingworc/departments/geography/nottingham/atmosphere/pages/depres01.html

Create your own hurricane! http://www.nationalgeographic.com/forcesofnature/interactive/index.html?section=h

BBC website - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/hottopics/climatechange/

The meteorological office - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/hadleycentre/index.html

EPA - US Environmental Protection Agency

http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ClimateFutureClimateSeaLevel.html