Download Geography 12

Chapter 9 Objectives:
Geography 12
Worksheet 9.2
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Key
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9.3 Weather: Equatorial Weather
Read pages 177 – 186 of Planet Earth: A Physical Geography. Answer
the following questions:
Vocabulary (1 mark each)
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Trough: a weak pressure front found in tropical areas.
Intertropical Convergence Zone: a zone where the northeast and southeast trade
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winds meet.
Hurricane: an intense large cyclone, usually found in tropical areas. Also known as a
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typhoon.
Tornado: a rapidly spiraling funnel of air developed around an intense low
Identify forms of
instrumentation and
methods used to compile
weather information;
Recognize the importance of
the movement of air masses
in shaping global weather
patterns;
Distinguish between the
forces influencing the
weather in the mid-latitudes
and in the equatorial
regions;
Recognize the significance
of frontal systems in the
weather patterns of North
America;
Describe and explain the
development of a midlatitude cyclonic storm;
Appreciate the immense
power and destructive
abilities of weather events
such as hurricanes and
tornadoes;
Appreciate the complexity
of the atmosphere and the
difficulties involved in
accurately prediction the
weather.
pressure center associated with massive thunderstorms that develop along fronts
between warm tropical and cool polar air masses.
Short Answer (2 marks each)
1. Why is the weather more predictable in equatorial zones than at mid-latitude
zones? (1 mark)
-no radically different air masses.
2. What dominates air movement in equatorial zones? (1 mark)
-trade winds
3. Explain in your own words the process of Convectional rainfall (2 marks)
4. Explain in your own words the process of Orographic rainfall (2 marks)
5. Explain in your own words the process of Cyclonic or Frontal rainfall (2 marks)
6. Why is convectional rainfall the dominant process of rainfall in equatorial zones?
(2 marks)
-intense evaporation
-warm moist air meets cool trade winds aloft and results in rain.
7. Explain in your own words how a hurricane develops. (2 marks)
-warm oceans ..surface temp at least 27 C
-8 – 15 degrees north or south of equator
-as more water is evaporated…gains strength and becomes unstable
-continues to warm with condensation
-dries up and dies over land
8. Explain in your own words how a tornado develops. (2 marks)
-thick warm humid air rises over cooler, drier air and strong upper winds aloft.
-wind is drawn in towards the base of the funnel and spirals up