10 questions🇬🇧English
🏙️ Urban Heat Islands & Climate – A-level
Geography · A-level — causes of urban heat islands, urban winds, rainfall, air pollution and ways to reduce them
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Questions
What does the term 'urban heat island' describe?
A rural area being warmer than a nearby city
A city centre cooler than its outer suburbs
A city warming only because of global climate change
A city being warmer than the surrounding rural area
20s
Which of these surfaces has the lowest albedo?
White-painted roof
Fresh black tarmac
Fresh snow
Grass field
20s
Wind speeding up as it is funnelled between rows of tall buildings is known as the:
Coriolis effect
Föhn effect
Venturi effect
Katabatic effect
20s
Why do concrete, brick and stone help keep cities warm at night?
High albedo: they reflect extra sunlight into the air
Low thermal capacity: they heat and cool very rapidly
Chemical reactions inside them give off heat after dark
High thermal capacity: they store heat by day and release it
30s
Under which weather conditions is the urban heat island usually most intense?
Windy, clear afternoons after a cold front
Calm, clear nights under an anticyclone
Windy, cloudy days under a depression
Calm, overcast nights with drizzle
30s
Photochemical smog forms when sunlight acts mainly on which pollutants?
Nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds
Carbon dioxide and methane
CFCs and water vapour
Sulphur dioxide and soot from coal fires
30s
What is the main way green roofs lower urban temperatures?
Evapotranspiration uses energy that would otherwise heat air
Soil on roofs has a much lower albedo than tarmac
Plants absorb heat and store it permanently in their roots
Green roofs speed up wind flow across the rooftops
30s
In a mid-latitude city, why is anthropogenic heat a larger share of the urban energy budget in winter?
Snow raises the city's albedo and traps waste heat
Space heating is at its peak while solar input is low
Traffic disappears in winter so less heat is lost
Air conditioning use is highest in winter
30s
Studies such as METROMEX in St Louis found that cities increase rainfall most strongly where?
In the exact city centre only
In rural areas far to the side of the city
Downwind of the city
Upwind of the city
30s
Why does a temperature inversion make urban air pollution worse?
Inversions bring strong winds that carry in pollution
Warmer air aloft stops cooler polluted air from rising
Warm air at ground level traps pollutants in the soil
Cold air aloft makes polluted air rise too quickly
30s