Curriculum Portal

neurologyYou need to know

• Weather is the short-term state of the atmosphere, whereas climate describes long-term weather patterns, usually calculated over periods of at least 30 years.
• Temperature measures how hot or cold the air is, precipitation is water falling from clouds, and humidity describes the amount of water vapour in the air.
• Air temperature is measured with a thermometer in degrees Celsius, rainfall with a rain gauge in millimetres, and relative humidity with a hygrometer as a percentage.
• An anemometer measures wind speed, a wind vane shows the direction the wind comes from, and the prevailing wind is the direction from which wind most often blows.
• Atmospheric pressure is the force exerted by the weight of air, measured using a barometer in hectopascals or millibars, and isobars join places with equal pressure on a weather map.
• Climate zones are classified using long-term temperature and precipitation patterns: Antarctica is polar, the UK is temperate, the Sahara is arid, and much of southern India is tropical.
• Tropical climates are hot throughout the year, temperate climates have moderate temperatures and seasonal variation, polar climates are very cold, and arid climates receive very little precipitation.
• Temperatures generally decrease with increasing latitude because sunlight is less concentrated towards the poles, and they generally decrease with increasing altitude.
• Ocean currents transfer heat around the planet, while prevailing winds bring warmer, colder, wetter or drier air depending on where they originate.
• High-pressure systems usually have sinking air and settled weather, while low-pressure systems usually have rising air, cloud and precipitation.
• A front is a boundary between air masses: at a cold front, cold air advances beneath warmer air; at a warm front, warm air rises over colder air; an occluded front forms when a cold front overtakes a warm front.
• Weather maps show cold fronts with triangles, warm fronts with semicircles, and occluded fronts with alternating triangles and semicircles on the same side of a line.
• Meteorologists combine observations with satellite images of clouds, radar measurements of precipitation and computer models of the atmosphere to produce weather forecasts.
• Forecasts generally become less reliable further into the future because small uncertainties in observations and models grow over time.
• A microclimate is the climate of a small area that differs from its surroundings because of local features such as vegetation, buildings, water or topography.
• Trees can cool an area through shade and evapotranspiration, buildings can shelter or channel wind, and slopes facing the Sun receive more solar energy.
• Urban heat islands occur when towns and cities are warmer than surrounding rural areas because built surfaces store heat, vegetation is limited and human activities release heat.
• Comparable fieldwork measurements require consistent methods, instrument exposure and observation times, while repeated measurements help reveal natural variation and possible errors.
• An anomaly is a measurement that differs markedly from the overall pattern and may reflect a genuine local condition or a recording error, while one day's observations cannot establish a climate pattern.
• Weather forecasts support immediate decisions such as outdoor safety, climate records guide crop choices and flood-resistant infrastructure, and microclimate evidence helps locate shaded playgrounds or sheltered gardens.

• Distinguish weather statements from climate statements by identifying their timescale and whether they describe immediate conditions or long-term patterns.
• Compare temperature, precipitation and seasonality in the UK, Antarctica, the Sahara and a specified location in India using climate data, explaining differences through relevant climate controls.
• Measure temperature, rainfall, wind speed, wind direction, humidity and atmospheric pressure using suitable instruments, recording readings with the correct units.
• Interpret weather maps using the key, isobars and front symbols to describe temperature, precipitation, wind and pressure patterns and predict likely changes as systems move.
• Explain how satellite images, rainfall radar and computer models contribute to a forecast, distinguishing observations from predictions.
• Evaluate forecast accuracy by comparing predicted and observed conditions, identifying discrepancies and considering the forecast lead time.
• Design and conduct a school-ground microclimate investigation by choosing contrasting sites, recording site characteristics, using consistent measurement methods and repeating observations.
• Present fieldwork data in labelled tables and appropriate graphs, including units, clear scales and site or time labels.
• Analyse fieldwork data to identify patterns, trends and anomalies, supporting explanations with recorded values and considering both local influences and possible measurement errors.
• Recommend adaptations or planning decisions using weather, climate or microclimate evidence, explaining their benefits and acknowledging limitations in the available data.