Ch 28 Flashcards
Our weather takes place in what; a layer extending an average of 12 km above earth’s surface.
troposphere
what occurs when air temperature increases with altitude and the air becomes stable
temperature inversion
what is a natural process in which certain gases in the atmosphere warm a planet as they absorb and emit infrared radiation
greenhouse effect
how are earth’s atmospheric layers divided
based on composition and temperature
what gas makes up the majority of the atmosphere
nitrogen; 78%
what is the second most abundant gas found in the atmosphere
oxygen 21%
what is the 1% of the gasses called
trace gasses which is mostly argon
in the troposphere layer does the temperature increase or decrease with altitude
decreases
how many layers are there in earth’s atmosphere
there are 5 layers
what are the names of the layers starting closest to the surface
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
which layer is the ozone layer located in
the stratosphere
does the temperature increase or decrease in the stratosphere
temperature increases
does temperature increase or decrease in the mesosphere
decreases until reaching higher layer than increases
does the thermosphere and the exosphere impact weather
no they do not
what is a narrow band of fast-moving, high-altitude air
jet stream
the apparent deflection of an object due to Earth’s rotations is called what
Coriolis Effect
what is a large volume of air within uniform moisture and temperature throughout
Air mass
Air masses interact in zones are called what
Weather fronts
is there only one jet stream in the world
no there is 4
how many pressure systems are there
there are two
what is the low pressure system also known as
a low
which direction does a low pressure system flow
counterclockwise
what are some results of a low pressure system
air rises, clouds form, precipitation happens
what is a high pressure system also known as
a high
what direction does a high pressure system flow
clockwise
what does a high pressure system cause
air sinks. clear skies
what are the 4 weather fronts
cold front, warm front, stationary front, and occluded front
what causes cold front
when cold causes warm air to rise
what is a cold front represented by on the news
they are represented by blue triangles
how are warm fronts created
warm air rises gently above cold air
what are the warm fronts represented by in the news
red cemi-circles
how do stationary fronts form
cold and warm air masses meeting together and neither front advances
how are stationary fronts represented by in the news
alternating cemi-circles and triangles
how are occluded fronts created
a fast moving cold front overtakes a warm front
how are occluded fronts represented in the news
purple alternating cemi-circles
what is a climate that is strongly affected by an ocean
Maritime climate
what is a climate that is not directly affected by an ocean
continental climate
what blows from over the water toward land in the afternoon, when the land is warmer than the water
sea breeze
what is climate
its long term average of weather conditions
what is weather
is the day to day outside conditions
what are the five spheres
lithosphere,hydrosphere,cryosphere,biosphere,and atmosphere
what is the atmosphere
the air around us
what is the biosphere
is everything organic
what is the hydrosphere
is liquid water
what is the cryosphere
is frozen water in snow, ice, and glaciers
what is the lithosphere
earths outermost layer
what is the primary factor that influences climate
latitude
where is the solar radiation most intense on earth
the equator
at what degrees do the sun rays hit earth’s tropic zone
90 degrees
what degrees does the suns rays hit the temperate zone
45 degrees
what degrees does the suns rays hit hit the polar zone
30 degrees
what zone are we located in
temperate zone
what factors determine climate
precipitation, mountains, bodies of water
what is the windward side like on the mountain range
air is cool and wet and lots of vegetation
what is it like on the leeward side of a mountain range
its warm and dry with little to no vegetation
which climate zone and what type of vegetation does colorado have
warm and semi-arid
an increase in the average temperatures of Earth’s near-surface air and ocean is called what
global warming
what is the warming of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of western South Africa that occurs every 3 to 10 years
el nino
the opposite of el nino is what, which occurs when trade winds in the Pacific are unusually strong and surface water is colder than normal
la nina
what are two climate changes the earth undergoes
seasonal and long-term
how do seasonal changes to happen on earth
it revolving around the sun
which hemisphere is in summer
the hemisphere that is tilted toward the sun
what is the period of time that the earth was covered in ice
the ice age
how long ago did the world reach its current pattern
about 3000 years ago
what are some factors that cause climate change
earths axis, the shape of the orbit, timing of the season
what causes an increase in climate
energy consumption, deforestation, and industrial and agricultural practice
what is deforestation
is when a large area of trees get cut or burned
how does deforestation cause climate to increase
because trees absorb co2 and if fewer trees are around the bigger the amount of co32 is in the atmosphere
what are the two ways the carbon cycle is affected
by deforestation and loss of vegetation
