How Man Affects the Weather
1: What is the difference between regional climate and microclimate?
Regional climate describes the general climatic conditions of the plants and animals while microclimate is the local scale that influences the presence and distribution of the organisms in the area.
2: Why is vegetation important in climate?
They change the microclimate of an area by changing things such as wind movement, evaporation, and moisture.
3: What are impervious surfaces? How can impervious surface affect local climates?
An impervious surface is a hard surface that prevents water from entering the soil mantle. It makes local climates hotter as water will not be able to reach soil making the surface dry because the sun will heat of the moisture.
4: What is an urban environment?
They are occupied by buildings and structures made for the use of residents, institution, and industry.
5: What is a suburban environment?
An environment located just outside of the city with smaller structures, population, and much more space.
6: What is a rural environment?
Areas that have plenty if land with lower population that both suburban and urban areas.
7: What is an urban heat island? Explain.
These are urban areas that were once permeable and moist but are now impermeable and dry.
8: Why do we care about urban heat islands? What do they do to urban environments?
We care about urban heat islands because the have negative impacts on the environment and the quality of life of the community. Some negative impacts on urban environments are increased temperatures, increased emissions of greenhouse gasses, and bad water quality.
9: What can be done about the urban heat island effect?
Some things that can be done are:
10: What are green roofs and what are their advantages?
Green roofs are roofs such as solar panels or roofs with vegetation on it that is made for cooling the sun's heat in return providing a cooler environment as less heat is being reflected.
11: What is a cool pavement?
Cool pavement is basically like green roofs but instead of roofs, it is pavement. The pavement is a chosen material which can lessen the temperature by increasing pavement reflectivity.
12: What is a pervious pavement? What is the advantage?
A pervious pavement is any type of pavement that allows the passing of water and air.
FRQ
A: Describe how the temperature of urban areas like Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Chicago differs
from that of surrounding rural areas.
The temperature of these urban areas are hotter due to the increased amount of imperious pavement that doesn't allow the passing of air and water creating an urban heat island effect.
B: Identify and describe TWO differences between urban and surrounding rural areas that
contribute to the temperature differences between them.
Urban areas have an imperious surface which doesn't allow water, air, and sunlight through to the soil. Rural areas have a pervious surface which allow water and air through to reach the soil. Urban areas
C: Urban areas typically have levels of air pollution that are significantly higher than those found
in surrounding rural areas. Identify a characteristic of the urban microclimate that lead to
higher levels of air pollution and describe how that characteristic contributes to this increase.
Regional climate describes the general climatic conditions of the plants and animals while microclimate is the local scale that influences the presence and distribution of the organisms in the area.
2: Why is vegetation important in climate?
They change the microclimate of an area by changing things such as wind movement, evaporation, and moisture.
3: What are impervious surfaces? How can impervious surface affect local climates?
An impervious surface is a hard surface that prevents water from entering the soil mantle. It makes local climates hotter as water will not be able to reach soil making the surface dry because the sun will heat of the moisture.
4: What is an urban environment?
They are occupied by buildings and structures made for the use of residents, institution, and industry.
5: What is a suburban environment?
An environment located just outside of the city with smaller structures, population, and much more space.
6: What is a rural environment?
Areas that have plenty if land with lower population that both suburban and urban areas.
7: What is an urban heat island? Explain.
These are urban areas that were once permeable and moist but are now impermeable and dry.
8: Why do we care about urban heat islands? What do they do to urban environments?
We care about urban heat islands because the have negative impacts on the environment and the quality of life of the community. Some negative impacts on urban environments are increased temperatures, increased emissions of greenhouse gasses, and bad water quality.
9: What can be done about the urban heat island effect?
Some things that can be done are:
- Create green roofs
- Use cool pavement
- Increase tree and vegetation coverage.
10: What are green roofs and what are their advantages?
Green roofs are roofs such as solar panels or roofs with vegetation on it that is made for cooling the sun's heat in return providing a cooler environment as less heat is being reflected.
11: What is a cool pavement?
Cool pavement is basically like green roofs but instead of roofs, it is pavement. The pavement is a chosen material which can lessen the temperature by increasing pavement reflectivity.
12: What is a pervious pavement? What is the advantage?
A pervious pavement is any type of pavement that allows the passing of water and air.
FRQ
A: Describe how the temperature of urban areas like Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Chicago differs
from that of surrounding rural areas.
The temperature of these urban areas are hotter due to the increased amount of imperious pavement that doesn't allow the passing of air and water creating an urban heat island effect.
B: Identify and describe TWO differences between urban and surrounding rural areas that
contribute to the temperature differences between them.
Urban areas have an imperious surface which doesn't allow water, air, and sunlight through to the soil. Rural areas have a pervious surface which allow water and air through to reach the soil. Urban areas
C: Urban areas typically have levels of air pollution that are significantly higher than those found
in surrounding rural areas. Identify a characteristic of the urban microclimate that lead to
higher levels of air pollution and describe how that characteristic contributes to this increase.