#4 - Important terms and facts from #2 Flashcards
In what ocean do most tsunamis occur?
Pacific ocean
What is the velocity equation for tsunamis?
Root of gravitydepth or (gd)^1/2
What is the height of a tsunami in shallow water
6-15 m
How big was the 2004 Indian ocean earthquake rupture?
1,200 km fault rupture on the Indo-Australian plate
What is the ‘ring of fire’ belt?
Tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes roughly 40,000 km long and 500 km wide, surrounding most of the pacific ocean.
What is the Dart II Tsunami warning systems?
A surface buoy anchored in the sea which receives signals from ‘Bottom pressure recorder’ that is installed on the sea floor, which detects and alerts for any possible floor movement. The signal is transmitted an iridium satellite using the buoy, and then finally delivered to a monitoring centre on coast. Lots of these stations in primarily in Pacific along the ‘ring of fire’
Information on all hurricanes
Pilar, Otis, Phillipe and Lee
All daily disasters
**
What powers all the geological disasters on Earth?
Earth’s internal concentrated energy
What are the main sources of energy to Earth?
Solar radiation (99.97%), internal heat, Tidal energy (0.0017%)
How much more solar radiation does the equatorial region get vs. poles
2.4x polar absorption of solar radiation. Equator (38 degree N and S) is net heating, polars are net cooling.
How is Earth’s excess heat re-raditated?
Long wavelength; reflected back
What increases and what decreases Albedo?
Increases- Ice covers, hence poles are cold
Decreases- Liquid water Accelerates melting
Dew point
Temperature at which air becomes saturated with moisture, dew begins to form a result of excess water in the air.
Good measure for humidity as it provides information about moisture level in the air.
Latent vs Specific heat
Latent - The energy that is released or absorbed between transition of water between gas, liquid and solid
How much heat is released and absorbed between sublimation (Solid–>Gas) vs Deposition (Gas–>Solid)
Sublimation - Heat absorbed - 680 cal/g
Deposition - Heat released - 680 cal/g
Where does it rain more in summer?
It rains more on the land in summer
Lower heat capacity of rocks, heating up the land quickly, low pressure and hot air rises, cold ocean air comes in and it rains.
T/F Does force air flow from higher to lower pressure? What is this phenomenon called?
True. It is called ‘Pressure Gradient’
T/F Winds flow horizontally and perpendicularly across isobars, from high to low pressure.
True
Coriolis effect
Force due to earth’s rotation -
North Hemi - Pushed starboard (right)
South hemi - Pushed port (left)
What does friction from surface objects do to the wind?
Resists flow; slows it down
Hadley Cells
Solar radiation at the equator guides the flow of Hadley cells.
What air moves poleward and what air moves equatorward?
Westerlies - Poleward
Trade winds - Equatorward
What is the role of Intercontinental Convergence Zone in tropical cyclone formation?
ITCZ - Convergence zone between Trade winds of Northern and Southern hemispheres; Low pressure zone.
Warm ocean water and low pressure zone create suitable conditions for tropical cyclone formation in the region.
What is cold air front?
Fronts are sloping surface
In what direction to Jet streams flow?
High velocity winds - West to East
What are the two types of Jet streams?
Polar (more powerful, 60C) and Subtropical (30C)
What forms the core of cyclone and of anticyclone?
‘Trough’ (jet streams) of low pressure
Ridge of high pressure
Thermohaline
Deep ocean flow of water: Overturning circulation. Concerning with heat (thermo) and haline (salt)
What are oceans and how is water density increased?
Oceans: Layered bodies of water, more dense as you deeper. Made increasingly dens using -
Lower temperature
Saltier
What is a mesocyclone and vortex?
Mesocyclone - Rotating updraft within a severe thunderstorm (primarily supercells)
Vortex - Updraft along a vertical axis, the visible rotating part of tornado
Stepped leader
As discharge begins within clouds, electrons propagate downwards for lightening discharge.
Hypothermia and Hyperthermia
Hyper - 40 C or above
Hypo - 35 C or below
What does High and Low 18O / 16O indicate?
High levels - Colder climates
Low levels -
Milankovitch Cycles (Orbit, tilt, wobble)
Orbital Eccentricity - 100,000 year periods
Longest cycle amongst all. Circular to elliptical -
Obliquity (Axial tilt) - Tilt relative to its orbital plane. Runs approx. 41,000 years
Precession tilt - Slow wobbling or procession of Earth’s axial rotation. Shortest run - 19-23,000 years.
What timescale period are we in?
Interglacial period
What is haze?
Ash and sulfuric acid remain in stratoshphere as Haze —-> Climate cooling
Medieval maximum
warm period from 1000 to 1300 C.E.
Little Ice age
Aeresols in atmosphere blocking solar energy from entering Earth—-> Famine, disease and war as a result.
Cooling of oceans, reducing the heat water flow to Northern Pacific ocean.
Maunder minimum
Cooler period
Arctic Amplification
Essentially warming of the Arctic, 2x of midlatitudes. Changes in radiative forcing have largest effects near poles
Tipping points
points at which small changes suddenly
produce large effects
Requirements for hurricane development
Seawater temp. 27 C or higher (upper 60m)
Air - Warm, humid and unstable (cold+hot)
Coriolis effect - Gives it the spin
Weak upper-level winds and wind direction same as storm direction
What causes the most US hurricane deaths?
Inland flooding (59% of deaths)
Due to the water that the hurricane releases when dissipating
Levees
Levees are embankments or barriers built along the edges of rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water to prevent flooding
Flood crest, Flood plain, Flood way
Crest - The usual height (depth) of river flow
Plain - The natural sediment formation beside the river that also acts as flood control.
Way - Designated area within a floodplain that carries/directs the flood water
Avulsion
