Ch 4 Test Flashcards
two variables that determine an area’s climate
precipitation and temperature
what factors affect precipitation and temperature?
prevailing winds, geography/mountains (rain shadow effect), latitude, altitude, distance from sea, etc
layers of the atmosphere
1) troposphere
2) stratosphere
3) mesosphere
4) thermosphere
layer of the atmosphere that has good ozone
stratosphere
what is the importance of good ozone?
filters harmful UV rays
as altitude increases, temperature:
1) troposphere - decreases
2) stratosphere - increases
3) mesosphere - decreases
4) thermosphere - increases
as Earth angle increases, light intensity _____
decreases (shines most intensely on equator and least on poles)
albedo
a measure of a surface’s reflectivity
what is the Earth’s tilt?
23.5 degrees
what latitude is associated with 90 degree incoming solar energy?
23.5 degrees N, related to Earth’s tilt
what layer of the atmosphere has the Northern Lights in it?
thermosphere
which temperature of air can hold more water, warm or cold?
warm has a higher saturation point
what are some examples of surfaces with high albedos vs examples of surfaces with low albedos?
high - snow, sand, ice, concrete/light colored stone
low - water, forest, grass
what is adiabatic heating and cooling?
changes in temperature simply caused by expansion or compression of a body of air as it rises or descends in the atmosphere
in terms of adiabatic heating and cooling, does expansion of a body of air cause heating or cooling? and does compression of a body of air cause heating or cooling?
expansion = cooling
compression = heating
what is latent heat release and when does it occur?
the release of energy when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into liquid water
why does it rain so much at the equator?
the equator receives more direct sunlight resulting in more evaporation and therefore more precipitation once it condenses
ITCZ
intertropical convergence zone - lies near the equator
what is the weather like at the ITCZ?
frequent thunderstorms and heavy rain
the “reason for the seasons”
the tilt of the Earth (23.5 degrees)
greenhouse effect (good)
greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere trap some of the heat radiated from the planet’s surface
climate change (bad)
too many greenhouse gases trap too much heat and result in overheating and increased climate temperatures
what are the boundaries in the atmosphere?
tropopause, stratopause, mesopause, thermopause
prevailing winds
winds that blow a single direction over a specific area of the Earth (WI usually come from the W)
convection currents
heat driven cycles - hot air rises, cool air rushes in, the previous hot air cools as it rises and sinks to replace where the cold air previously was
summer solstice (June 21)
suns rays directly over Tropic of Cancer
winter solstice (December 21)
suns rays directly over Tropic of Capricorn)
polar cells
between 60-70 degrees N and S, air sinks at poles and flows towards the lower latitudes
Hadley cells
30 degrees N and S, air rises at equator and sinks at mid latitudes
do all spots on the globe rotate at the same speed?
no, equator rotates the fastest and the poles rotate the slowest. equator has more surface area to make it around in the same period of time that the smaller surface area of the poles has.
