Studying weather patterns in Neath and Cardiff in winter.

These are the winter results at Neath: -

 Temperature:

Comparing the results from Cardiff and Neath. Cardiff would naturally have a higher temperature overall due to that it is closer to the sea. These are proven by the results above, for instance day 1: Neath had a highest temperature of 8°C and a minimum temperature of 2°C and in Cardiff, the highest temperature was 9.1°C and a minimum temperature of 4.4°C. Day 10: Neath had a highest temperature of 6°C and a minimum temperature of 2°C and in Cardiff the highest temperature was 11.2°C and A minimum temperature of 1.9°C. Day 20: Neath had a highest temperature of 8°C and a minimum temperature of 3°C, whereas Cardiff had a highest temperature of 12.1°C and a minimum temperature of 3.7°C.

Factors that might affect the temperatures are the Latitude, Distance from the sea, Prevailing winds, and Altitude.

Factors affecting temperatures:

Ocean currents can increase or reduce temperatures.   The diagram to the left shows the ocean currents of the world.  The main ocean current that affects the UK is the Gulf Stream. 

 

The Gulf of Mexico has higher air temperatures than Britain, as it's closer to the equator.  This means that the air coming from the Gulf of Mexico to Britain is also warm.  However, the air is also quite moist as it travels over the Atlantic Ocean.  This is one reason why Britain often receives wet weather. Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to the coast and dry weather to inland areas.

Prevailing Winds:

Prevailing winds will bring warm weather if they pass over warm surfaces (the land in summer, the sea in winter) and cold weather if they blow across cold surfaces (the land in winter, the sea in summer). Britain’s prevailing winds come from a southwesterly direction over the Atlantic. The winds are cool in the summer and mild in the winter.

Altitude:

Temperatures decrease, on average, by 1°C for every 100 metres in height.

Latitude:

        Places nearer the Equator are much warmer than places nearer the Poles. This is due to the curvature of the Earth and the angle of the sun. At the Equator the sun is always high in the sky. When it is overhead it shines directly downwards, concentrating its heat into a small area, which will become very hot. In contrast, the sun is always low in the sky towards the Poles. This means that its heat is spread over a wide area, and so temperatures remain lower. Also that the lower the angle of the sun, the greater the amount of atmosphere through which the rays have to pass. This means that more heat will be lost to gases, dust and cloud in the atmosphere. This is why places in the south of Britain can expect to be warmer, especially in summer, than places further north.

Distance from the sea:

        The sea is less dense than the land and can be heated to a greater depth. This means that the sea takes much longer to heat up in summer than does the land. Once warmed, however, the sea retains its heat for much longer, and cools down more slowly than the land in winter. This is why places that are inland are warmer in summer but colder in winter than places on the coast.

        As Briton is surrounded by the sea, it tends to get cool summers and mild winters. The largest reservoir of heat in winter is the Atlantic Ocean, even though it is cold enough to die from hypothermia within minuets should you fall into it. This explains why western parts of Briton are warmer than places to the east in winter.

Here is a satellite picture:

CHAPTER 2:

Temperature:

Cardiff is nearer to the sea than Neath and so this is why during the winter the temperatures are higher than of Neath. The area in which I recorded the results in Neath was higher up than the site in which the Cardiff results were recorded. This is due to the prevailing winds. The winds reaching Cardiff are warmer as they pick up moisture from the sea. The winds reaching Neath are colder as Neath is further inland and is the temperature is forced to decreased when having to rise up and over mountains as shown in the diagram below:

Rainfall:

There are three main types of rainfall: relief, frontal and convectional. In all three cases rainfall results from warm air, which contains water vapour, being forced to rise until it cools sufficiently for condensation to take place.

        

Condensation can only occur when two conditions are met:

• Cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air. As the warm air and water vapour rises, it cools until a critical temperature is reached, at which point the air becomes saturated. This critical temperature is called the dew point. If air continues to rise and cool, some of the water vapour in it condenses back into minute droplets of water.
• Condensation requires the presence of large numbers of microscopic particles known as hygroscopic nuclei. This is because condensation can only take place on solid surfaces such as volcanic

Dust, salt or smoke (or on windows and walls in a bathroom or kitchen).

The difference between the three types of rainfall is the condition that forces the warm air to rise in the first place.

A diagram of the formation of rain:

The three types of rainfall:

A diagram of Relief Rainfall:

A diagram of Convectional Rainfall:

A diagram of Frontal Rainfall:

           Neath receives more rainfall than Cardiff because it is at a higher altitude. There the highest amount of rainfall received in Neath was 32.9 mm and the highest amount of rainfall received in Cardiff was 31.5mm. Rain falls because it is forced to. Warm moist air is forced to rise up and over mountains. It is called Relief rainfall. The actual process is shown above.