Author Question: Describe the main factors that determine seasonal temperature variations. What will be an ideal ... (Read 68 times)

RODY.ELKHALIL

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 591
Describe the main factors that determine seasonal temperature variations.
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Explain how the weather can affect people's comfort and health.
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 3

What types of temperature data might be appropriate to include in a short description of a city or region's climate?
  What will be an ideal response?



peilian

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 316
Answer to Question 1

ANSWER: Our seasons are regulated by the amount of solar energy received at Earth's surface. This amount is determined primarily by the angle at which sunlight strikes the surface and by how long the Sun shines on any latitude (daylight hours).

Answer to Question 2

ANSWER: Student answers may vary somewhat, but need to contain information that the human body's perception of temperature changes with varying atmospheric conditions. The reason for these changes is related to how we exchange heat energy with our environment. The body stabilizes its temperature primarily by converting food into heat. To maintain a constant temperature, the heat produced and absorbed by the body must be equal to the heat it loses to its surroundings. There is, therefore, a constant exchange of heatespecially at the surface of the skinbetween the body and the environment.

One way the body loses heat is by emitting infrared energy. But we not only emit radiant energy, we absorb it as well. Another way the body loses and gains heat is by conduction and convection, which transfers heat to and from the body by air motions. On a cold day, a thin layer of warm air molecules forms close to the skin, protecting it from the surrounding cooler air and from the rapid transfer of heat. Thus, in cold weather, when the air is calm, the temperature we perceivecalled the sensible temperatureis often higher than a thermometer might indicate. Once the wind starts to blow, the insulating layer of warm air is swept away and heat is rapidly removed from the skin by the constant bombardment of cold air. When all other factors are the same, the faster the wind blows, the greater the heat loss and the colder we feel. How cold the wind makes us feel is usually expressed as a wind-chill index. The index takes into account the wind speed at about 1.5 m (5 ft) above the ground instead of the 10 m (33 ft) where official readings are usually taken. In addition, it translates the ability of the air to take heat away from a person's face (the air's cooling power) into a wind-chill equivalent temperature.

High winds, in below-freezing air, can remove heat from exposed skin so quickly that the skin may actually freeze and discolor. The freezing of skin, called frostbite, usually occurs on the body extremities first because they are the greatest distance from the source of body heat. In cold weather, wet skin can be a factor in how cold we feel. A cold rainy day (drizzly or even foggy) often feels colder than a dry one because water on exposed skin conducts heat away from the body better than air does. In fact, in cold, wet, and windy weather a person may actually lose body heat faster than the body can produce it. This may even occur in relatively mild weather with air temperatures as high as 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit). The rapid loss of body heat may lower the body temperature below its normal level and bring on a condition known as hypothermiathe rapid, progressive mental and physical collapse that accompanies the lowering of human body temperature.

Answer to Question 3

ANSWER: Students should be able to point out that the two most appropriate types of temperature data would be the annual range of temperature, which is the difference in average temperature between the warmest month (often July in the Northern Hemisphere) and coldest month (often January), and the mean (average) annual temperature, which represents the average of the twelve monthly average temperatures.



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
 

Did you know?

During the twentieth century, a variant of the metric system was used in Russia and France in which the base unit of mass was the tonne. Instead of kilograms, this system used millitonnes (mt).

Did you know?

Drying your hands with a paper towel will reduce the bacterial count on your hands by 45–60%.

Did you know?

Since 1988, the CDC has reported a 99% reduction in bacterial meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae, due to the introduction of the vaccine against it.

Did you know?

Nitroglycerin is used to alleviate various heart-related conditions, and it is also the chief component of dynamite (but mixed in a solid clay base to stabilize it).

Did you know?

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, more than 50 million Americans have some kind of food allergy. Food allergies affect between 4 and 6% of children, and 4% of adults, according to the CDC. The most common food allergies include shellfish, peanuts, walnuts, fish, eggs, milk, and soy.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library