level: rainfall and cryospheric process
Questions and Answers List
level questions: rainfall and cryospheric process
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| what are the three types of rainfall | convectional, frontal, relief |
| what is frontal rainfall | when area of warm air meets area of cold air. Warm air rises above more dense cold air. as it rises warm air cools therefore can hold less moisture, condenses and falls as rain. |
| what is convectional rainfall | water evaporated as it rises air cools condensates and water is released as rainfall |
| what is relief rainfall | when a physical barrier forces air mass upwards this cools air, reduces water it can hold, condensates and fall as rain. |
| where is frontal rainfall common | mid latitude area eg UK |
| where is convectional rainfall common | at the equator |
| where is relief rainfall common | mountain ranges eg alps |
| what are the two cryospheric processes | ablation and accumulation |
| what is ablation | where outputs exceed inputs, mass is lost |
| what is accumulation | where inputs exceed outputs, mass is gained |
| what happens when accumulation is bigger than ablation | glacial advance |
| what happens when accumulation is less than ablation | glacial retreat |
| what happens if ablation and accumulation are equal | glacier remains in the same place |
| how many major glacial periods have there been | 5 (present day one is the quartanery period) |