1.6 Australia’s Climate & Vegetation

1.     Climate is the pattern of weather that is expected in a particular place.

2.    Latitude influences climate as the Earth receives more of the Sun’s energy at the Equator than at the Poles. Hence, temperatures increase as latitude increases.

3.    During the summer in Australia, the pressure is low in the North and high in the South. During winter, the pressure is high in the north and low in the south.

4.    Oceans influence climate as currents from nearer the poles bring cooler conditions and those from nearer the Equator bring warmer conditions.

5.    Relief has an influence on climate as the temperature decreases with height. Moist air that is forced to rise by Mountains cools, and the water vapour condenses, producing increased cloud cover and precipitation. Highland areas are cooler and wetter than lowland areas.

6.    a.) The usefulness of average climate statistics for an Australian Farmer      helps them understand which crop they should plant in each month and shows them how much they need to irrigate the crops.

b.) The usefulness of average climate statistics for an Australian Tourist helps them understand where they should visit and at what times so that they can avoid bad weather.

     7.  The relationship between climate and vegetation is that in the tropical areas, the more rainforests and woodlands and in the drier areas, there are more shrubs and desert plants. This is because as rainfall decreases towards the centre of the continent trees give way to shrubs and then low-growing desert plants.

     8. a.) Darwin:

·         The Rainfall is 142.4mm

·         The Average Max Temperature is 31.96 Degrees Celsius

·         The Average Min Temperature is 23.22 Degrees Celsius

Hobart:

·         The Average Rainfall is 47.43mm

·         The Average Max Temperature is 17.05 Degrees Celsius

·         The Average Min Temperature is 7.78 Degrees Celsius

b.) The limitations of using average figures to describe the climate are that you can’t mention every temperature and precipitation of every day.

9.   a.) Alice Springs has the greatest temperature range.

      b.) Melbourne has the most seasonable rainfall.