C o m p lete Geo gr a p hy fo r C AM B RI D GE I GCSE

Chapter 7 Answers to additional questions

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a The labels for a diagram of a rain gauge: a i Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air.
 Outer metal container ii The amount of moisture in the air, compared
 Funnel with the maximum amount it could hold at that
 13 cm diameter temperature, is the relative humidity.
 30 cm from rim to ground b ‘At that temperature’ is important in the
 Part-buried in the ground definition for relative humidity, because the
 Collecting jar amount of water vapour that air can hold
 Measuring cylinder, tapered to measure small increases as its temperature increases.
amounts accurately c i Saturation means the air is holding the
b To collect precipitation accurately, the rain gauge maximum amount of water vapour that it can
should be sited on a flat grass surface, away from hold at that temperature.
obstacles (such as trees and buildings). The ii Dew point temperature is the temperature at
distance from an obstacle should be twice its which the air is holding the maximum amount
height. of water vapour that it can hold.
c Precipitation is measured accurately using the d The labels for a diagram to show how a
following method: hygrometer works:
 Pour the contents of the collecting jar into the  Scale in ºC
measuring cylinder, which should be placed on  Mercury
a flat surface.  Dry bulb thermometer
 The lowest level of the meniscus should be  Wet bulb thermometer
read – with the eye at that level.  Wet bulb wrapped in muslin
 It should be read at the same time every day.  Container of water
d A trace of precipitation is too small an amount to  Wick
measure. e For unsaturated air to become saturated, the air
has to be cooled or have water vapour added to it.
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a The labels for a diagram of a Six’s thermometer: 5
 Bulb with partial vacuum a The pressure of the atmosphere is the weight of it.
 Alcohol b Air pressure is measured in millibars.
 Mercury c The labels for a diagram of a barograph to show
 Index for maximum temperature how it works:
 Index for minimum temperature  Corrugated metal box expands when pressure
 U-shaped glass tube is low and contracts when pressure is high
 Scale in ºC  Levers
b A Six’s thermometer gives the maximum and  Pen
minimum temperature of the period since it was  Revolving drum
last read (usually 24 hours), together with the  Graph paper
temperature at the time.
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c The Six’s thermometer is read accurately at the
a The labels for a diagram to show the instrument
same time each day by reading the temperature
that measures wind speed:
at the lower end of each index. The maximum is
 Rotating cups
on the right arm and the minimum on the left.
 Shaft
Use a magnet to reset the indices to the top of
 Dial or meter
the mercury.
b The instruments used to measure wind speed
d The Six’s thermometer should be sited on grass to
and wind direction should be sited on a pole
record temperature accurately, with the bulbs in the
10 metres above the ground in an open space
shade at 1.25 metres from the ground and away
away from obstacles (at least three times the
from buildings or anything which gives out heat.
height of the obstacle away from it).
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c An anemometer is the name of the instrument
a The mean daily temperature is calculated by
used to measure wind speed.
adding up the day’s maximum and minimum
d The speed of wind is indicated by the Beaufort
temperatures and dividing the total by two.
Scale.
b The daily temperature range is found by
subtracting the minimum from the maximum 7
temperature of the day. a Wind is named according to the compass
c The mean monthly temperature is the sum of all direction that it’s come from.
the mean daily temperatures divided by the b A wind vane indicates the direction of the wind by
number of days in the month. swinging round so that its pointer points in the
d The annual range of temperature is found by direction from which the wind has come.
subtracting the mean temperature of the c The most common wind that blows in an area is
coolest month from the mean temperature of called the prevailing wind.
the warmest month.
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© Oxford University Press 2012
 Chapter 7 Answers to additional questions C o m p lete Geo gr a p hy fo r C AM B RI D GE I GCSE

d The advantages of digital weather-recording c The changes as an intense tropical storm passes
instruments are that they: are as follows:
 read to a finer degree than non-digital i The pressure falls to very low in the eye,
instruments before rising rapidly again as the eye passes.
 can be set up to send data to a computer, so ii The wind speed increases to 119 km/hr and
that it is collected quickly and easily. above. It suddenly becomes calm in the eye
before the winds increase to hurricane
8 The types of diagram that you would draw are as
strength again (and that is followed by a fall
follows:
in speed).
a The wind directions recorded at a weather station
iii The wind directions on either side of the eye
for a month – a wind rose.
are opposites.
b July temperatures for the world – an isotherm/
iv Rain falls very heavily just before and after
isoline map, or a choropleth (density shading) map.
the eye. It is longer and more intense before
c Mean monthly temperatures for a year at a
the eye.
weather station – a line graph.
d Tropical storms usually cause more deaths in
d Monthly rainfall totals over a year at a weather
LEDCs than in MEDCs because:
station – a bar graph.
 buildings in LEDCs are less strong
e Changes in atmospheric pressure at a weather
 LEDCs have fewer emergency shelters
station over a week – a line graph.
 there is less organised evacuation in LEDCs.
9 A Stevenson screen has:
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a legs to position the bulbs 1.25 metres above the
a A drought is a longer-than-usual period of dry
ground (to avoid heat radiated from the ground)
weather.
b a white-painted surface to reflect the sun’s rays
b Soil erosion occurs during droughts because dry
c louvres to allow the free flow of air into the screen
soil is loose and light and easily blown away
d a wooden construction, because wood is a poor
(especially after the vegetation has died and
conductor of heat.
there are no roots left to hold the soil in place).
10 c A population increase in an area can lead to
a Clouds consist of tiny water droplets and/or ice desertification by causing:
crystals.  overgrazing of the limited vegetation by
b If a cloud is prefixed by ‘cirro’, it indicates that it farmers’ livestock, leaving the soil exposed to
is high cloud (over 6 km high). wind erosion (and also with less humus to
c Stratus is the name given to a low-level layer bind it together)
cloud.  over-cultivation, which ruins the soil structure
d Cumulonimbus is the cloud most likely to give and makes it loose and liable to wind erosion
heavy, thundery showers.  the cutting of greater amounts of woody
e Rain falls from dense clouds (but not from thin vegetation for firewood, which again
ones) because, where there is a high density of contributes to soil erosion.
water droplets, they join together as they bang When the soil has eroded away, nothing can grow
into each other and become bigger. They fall as there and the result is desert.
rain when they are heavy enough to fall through d Some measures which can be taken before a
the rising air currents. drought to try to reduce its effects are to store
water in wetter years in reservoirs and tanks
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for use in drier years. Canals can also be
a The names given to intense tropical storms:
constructed from wetter areas so that water can
i in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal are
be transferred more easily to places with need in
cyclones
drought years.
ii in the South China Sea are typhoons
iii in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea
are hurricanes.
b Wind speeds have to be at least 119 km/hr for
the names in question (a) to be used.

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© Oxford University Press 2012