Factors Affecting Weather in the UK (SQA National 5 Geography): Revision Note

Specification checklist

This page covers what you need to know from the SQA National 5 geography specification to answer questions on:

• Within the context of the United Kingdom:

  • The effect of latitude, relief, aspect and distance from sea on local weather conditions

The impact of latitude on weather

• Temperatures decrease the further an area is from the equator

  • This is due to the curvature of the Earth

• In areas closer to the poles, the amount of insolation (solar radiation) is reduced because:

  • It has a larger area of atmosphere to pass through

  • The sun is at a lower angle in the sky 

  • The heat is spread over a larger area

    • As a result, more energy is lost and temperatures are cooler

• In the UK, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun

• This means that the sun is more intense than at other times of the year

  • For six months of the year, the poles receive little or no solar energy due to the Earth’s orbit and tilt

• In polar regions, snow and ice cover reflect much more of the solar radiation, giving a high albedo effect

The impact of relief on weather

• Altitude refers to the height above sea level

• The relief of the land refers to variations in height and shape

• Locations at higher altitudes have colder temperatures

  • Temperature usually decreases by 1°C for every 100 metres in altitude 

• This is because air at higher altitudes is thinner, as the gas molecules are further apart 

  • This makes it difficult for heat to be transferred between the molecules due to the distance between them 

• Areas at higher altitudes are also more affected by wind chill

• Wind chill is a measure of how cold the air feels on your skin because cold winds take away body heat more quickly. 

  • Upland areas, therefore, have cooler average temperatures due to strong winds and the wind chill effect  

The impact of aspect on weather

•  Aspect is the direction that a slope is facing

• In the northern hemisphere, slopes and buildings which are south-facing are warmer and places which are north-facing are colder

• The sun rises in the east and sets in the west 

  • North-facing slopes remain shaded (e.g. northern-facing slopes of the Cairngorms)

• The northern corries are used for skiing as they hold the snow, while south-facing slopes which receive more sunshine are used for:

  • Forestry

  • Grazing

  • Settlement

The impact of distance from the sea on weather

• Oceans heat up and cool down much more slowly than land

• They are ‘thermal reservoirs’

  • This means that their temperature stays more constant than the land

  • In summer, the sea is cooler than the land and in winter it is warmer

• Coastal locations are affected by this more than places inland at the same latitude and altitude

• They are:

  • Cooler in summer 

  • Milder in winter 

• In Edinburgh and other coastal areas on the east coast, summer temperatures can be significantly reduced compared to places just a few miles inland because of haar (sea fog)