CH 2 Physical Envrio

Question 1

Differentiate between weather and climate

Answer 1

weather = short term. current conditions, temperature, precipitation, humidity etc.

climate = long term. based on averages and variation measured over decades

Question 2

define Albedo

Answer 2

reflectance of incoming solar radiation

Question 3

What types of things can affect albedo?

Answer 3

angle of the earth

weather (clouds)

color of the surface

ground cover (forests etc)

Question 4

Does Earth absorb or emit short wavelength radiation?

Answer 4

Earth absorbs short wavelength radiation

Question 5

Does Earth absorb or emit long wavelength radiation?

Answer 5

Earth emits long wavelength radiation

Question 6

What is the angle of incidence?

Answer 6

the angle of incidence is the angle between the solar radiation on the earth and the line perpendicular to the surface

Question 7

Does the angle of incidence increase or decrease as the distance from the equator increases?

Answer 7

it decreases as the distance from the equator increases

Question 8

define air pressure

Answer 8

the weight of a column of air above you or a refernce point

(decreases with increasing altitude)

Question 9

How are Hadley cells generated?

Answer 9

They are formed by the uplift of warm air at the equator

Question 10

How are polar cells generated?

Answer 10

The polar cell is formed by subsidence of cold air at the poles

Question 11

How are Ferrell cells generated?

Answer 11

they are driven by the movement of Hadley and Polar cells and by the exchange of energy bwtween tropical and polar air masses at the Polar Front

Question 12

Coriolis effect

Answer 12

when something is not fixed to the earth, the observer will see it appear to move clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter clock wise in the southern hemisphere.

Question 13

Polar Zone pressure and precipitation

Answer 13

High pressure, sparse precipitation in all seasons

Question 14

Temperate Zone pressure and precipitation

Answer 14

Low pressure, ample precipitation in all seasons

Question 15

Tropics pressure and precipitation

Answer 15

Low pressure, abundant precipitation in all seasons

Question 16

What is the ITCZ?

Why does it migrate throughout the year?

Answer 16

The Intertropical Convergence Zone

As the earth rotates, solar radiation will increase in other areas than directly on the equator. Low pressure zones will “pull” the ITCZ North and South throughout the year

Question 17

Is Primary production high or low in areas of downwelling?

Answer 17

Primary production is low

Question 18

Is Primary production high or low in areas of upwelling?

Answer 18

Primary production is high

Question 19

Define the rain-shadow effect.

What does it result in?

Answer 19

The rain shadow effect is the loss of moisture and the warming of air as it moves down eastern slopes.

This results in lower precipitation and soil moisture on sloped facing away from the prevailing wind and higher precipitation and soil moisture on the windward slopes.

Question 20

maritime climate characteristics?

where does this occur?

Answer 20

little variation in seasonal temps and often have a higher humidity

Maritime climates occur in coastal terristrial regions that are influenced by an adjacent ocean

Question 21

Continental climate characeristics?

Where does this occur?

Answer 21

Much greater variation in daily and seasonal temps.

This occurs in areas centered in large continental land masses

Question 22

How will albedo, sensible heat loss, and latent heat loss be effected by a vegetated region?

Answer 22

Albedo is lower, sensible heat loss is lower (vegetation buffers the wind) and there will be a high latent heat loss

Question 23

How will albedo, sensible heat loss, and latent heat loss be effected by a deforested region?

Answer 23

High albedo, high sensible heat loss, low latent heat loss (which leads to lower precipitation)

Question 24

what is Latent heat loss?

Answer 24

the transfer of heat associated with the phase change in water. i.e. evapotranspiration

Question 25

Earth’s surface releases (more/less/about the same) energy than it receives by solar radiation. Additional energy inputs to Earth’s surface occur in part from back radiation due to (greenhouse gases/evapotranspiration)

Answer 25

Earth’s surface releases more energy than it receives by solar radiation. Additional energy inputs to Earth’s surface occur in part from back radiation due to greenhouse gases

Question 26

Heat loss due to exchange of kinetic energy by molecules in direct contact with one another is referred to as

Answer 26

conduction

Question 27

The process by which heat is transferred by movement of a heated fluid such as air or water is reffered to as

Answer 27

convection

Question 28

T or F

The Coriolis effect has a major impact on determining global patterns of ocean currents as well as winds

Answer 28

True

Question 29

T or F

The Coriolis effect occurs because points on Earth close to the equator are rotating around Earth’s axis more slowly than points further away from the equator

Answer 29

False

The Coriolis effect occurs because points on Earth close to the equator are rotating around Earth’s axis more quickly than points further away from the equator