1. Atmosphere and Weather
Topic 2, Section 1: Diurnal Energy Budgets

2. Explain what is an energy budget. Scalings?
Opening Question
Explain what is an energy budget. Scalings?

3. Daytime Energy Budget
Outline and explain the daytime energy budget?

4. Nighttime Energy Budget
Outline and explain the nighttime energy budget?

5. Case Study: Svalbard, Norway
Discuss the surface energy budget of this arctic site.

6. Final Points
There are different types of micro-climates. If you are discussing an urban area, refer to it as a very small- scale micro-climate. However, if you mentioning a mountainous or coastal region, refer to it as a regional micro-climate.
Lastly, the exam may ask you to draw a simple labelled diagram to show the daytime and nighttime energy budgets.

7. Atmosphere and Weather
Topic 2, Section 2: The Global Energy Budget

8. Global Energy Budget Explain the global energy budget.
Outline annual temperature patterns.

9. Surface Pressure Belts
Discuss how surface pressure affects temperature.
Describe the global pressure belts.

10. Surface Wind Belts Explain the ITCZ.
Outline the wind patterns and the types of weather they produce?
Discuss how latitude, specific heat capacity, and ocean currents explain temperature variations.

11. Ocean Conveyor Belt
Describe and explain the ocean conveyor belt model.

12. Air Movement
Briefly explain how pressure and wind affect air movement.
Define and describe pressure gradient.

13. Final Points
Remember to make sure when you talk about summer or winter you discuss months since if it is summer in one hemisphere, then it is winter in the other.
You can abbreviate a term (like SH for southern hemisphere), however, make sure you write it out first and add the abbreviation in parenthesis so that the reader will know what you mean when reading forward.
Lastly, it is not current to state that all coastal areas have mild temperatures. It depends on the ocean current’s temperature.

14. Atmosphere and Weather
Topic 2, Section 3: Weather Processes and Phenomena

15. Opening Questions What are the three stages of atmospheric moisture?
Define and explain evaporation.
Define and explain condensation.
Outline and describe the types of precipitation.

16. Precipitation Causes Outline and explain the types of rainfall.
Suggest precipitation types.

17. Clouds
Discuss how clouds are formed.
What are hail and snow?

18. Briefly discuss dew formation.

19. Fog
Outline and explain the types of fog formation.

20. Final Points
Remember: saturated air is air with a 100% relative humidity. As air temperature rises, if there is no increase in water vapor in the air, its relative humidity decreases. As the air is warmed, the amount of moisture it can hold increases.
Lastly, past students have thought that fog is common all year round. It is more commonplace in temperate areas during spring and autumn seasons. In the summer, the sea is cooler than the land so air is not cooled when it blows onto the land. While in the winter there are more low pressure systems that cause higher winds and air mixing.

21. Atmosphere and Weather
Topic 2, Section 4: The Human Impact

22. Greenhouse Gas Effect Define and describe greenhouse gases.
Outline and explain the greenhouse gas effect.

23. Human Activities
Discuss how human activities have increased greenhouse gas levels.
What are the global warming arguments? Complexities?
Suggest possible global warming “effects.”

24. Urban Climates Explain how urban climates differ from rural climates.
Discuss the urban heat island effect.
What is the canyon effect?

25. London Case Study Discuss London’s temperature gradient.
How does the topography influence rainfall?

26. Seoul Case Study
Describe and explain the major changes to this urban microclimate.

27. Melbourne & L.A. Case Studies
Suggest reasons for Melbourne’s current microclimate.
Outline and describe Los Angeles’ microclimate.
What is the significance for both areas?