What controls the UK's weather and climate, and how do air masses and pressure systems shape it?
Weather and climate in the UK: the factors that influence the UK climate, the air masses and the difference between depressions and anticyclones, and the causes, impacts and management of a recent extreme UK weather event.
An Eduqas GCSE Geography A (C111) answer to weather and climate in the UK in Theme 5, covering the factors that shape the UK climate, the air masses, the difference between depressions and anticyclones, and the causes, impacts and management of a recent extreme UK weather event.
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What this dot point is asking
This is part of Eduqas GCSE Geography A (C111) Theme 5, Weather, Climate and Ecosystems, a core theme in Component 2. Eduqas expects you to explain the factors that shape the UK climate, the air masses that bring different weather, the difference between depressions and anticyclones, and the causes, impacts and management of one recent extreme UK weather event.
What shapes the UK climate
The UK has a temperate maritime climate: mild, wet and changeable. Several factors explain it.
Air masses
An air mass is a large body of air with a uniform temperature and humidity, taking the character of the region it formed over. The UK sits where several meet, giving its changeable weather.
- Tropical maritime (from the warm Atlantic south-west): warm and wet.
- Tropical continental (from North Africa, summer): hot and dry, bringing heatwaves.
- Polar maritime (from the cold north-west Atlantic): cool and showery.
- Polar continental (from Eastern Europe, winter): cold and dry, bringing freezing weather.
- Arctic maritime (from the far north): very cold, with snow.
Depressions and anticyclones
Two pressure systems dominate UK weather.
- A depression is an area of low pressure. Warm air rises, cools and condenses, forming cloud and rain along warm and cold fronts. Depressions bring cloud, wind, rain and unsettled weather and sweep in quickly off the Atlantic.
- An anticyclone is an area of high pressure. Air sinks, warms and dries, so skies are clear. Anticyclones bring calm, settled weather that can last for days or weeks: hot, sunny days in summer, and cold, frosty or foggy conditions in winter.
A recent extreme UK weather event
Eduqas requires one recent extreme UK event studied in detail. Choices include the 2018 summer heatwave and drought (a persistent blocking anticyclone brought weeks of hot, dry weather, stressing water supplies, farming and health, with hosepipe bans and NHS heat alerts), the 2015-16 winter storms (a run of deep Atlantic depressions, including Storm Desmond, caused record rainfall and flooding), or the 2010 "Big Freeze" (polar continental air brought heavy snow and disruption). Learn the causes (the pressure system and air mass), the impacts (social, economic, environmental) and the responses.
Try this
Q1. Explain why the UK has a mild climate for its latitude. [4 marks]
- Cue. The warm North Atlantic Drift and the prevailing south-westerly winds bring mild, moist air off the Atlantic, keeping the UK warmer than other places at the same latitude.
Q2. Describe the weather brought by an anticyclone in winter. [2 marks]
- Cue. Calm, settled, clear weather with cold, frosty or foggy conditions, as sinking high-pressure air gives clear skies.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 2018 (style)4 marksExplain the difference between the weather of a depression and an anticyclone in the UK. (Component 2)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark "Explain" question assessing AO1 and AO2. Markers reward the contrast in pressure and weather.
Award credit for: a depression is an area of low pressure where warm air rises, cools and condenses, bringing cloud, wind, rain and unsettled weather as the warm and cold fronts pass; depressions move in quickly off the Atlantic. An anticyclone is an area of high pressure where air sinks, warms and dries, bringing calm, settled, clear weather: hot, sunny days in summer and cold, frosty or foggy conditions in winter; anticyclones can stay for days or weeks. A strong answer contrasts the pressure, the air movement and the resulting weather for both.
Eduqas 2022 (style)8 marksUsing a recent extreme weather event in the UK, assess the success of the responses to it. (Component 2)Show worked answer →
An 8-mark "Assess" question marked by levels of response, assessing AO1, AO2 and AO3, with SPaG credit. Markers reward a named UK event, named responses and a judgement of success.
Strong answers take a studied event (such as the 2018 UK summer heatwave and drought, the 2015-16 winter storms and flooding, or the 2010 "Big Freeze"). Describe the causes (a blocking anticyclone for a heatwave; a stream of deep Atlantic depressions for storms), the impacts (deaths, crop and water-supply stress, transport disruption, flooded homes), and the responses (hosepipe bans, NHS heat alerts, flood defences, emergency services, warnings). Then assess how well the responses worked: warnings and the emergency response often performed well, but flood defences were overwhelmed and water and health systems strained. A good answer names the event and reaches a clear judgement on the success of the responses. Markers reward the named event and the supported judgement.
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Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE (9-1) Geography A specification (C111) — WJEC Eduqas (2016)