chapter 14 Flashcards
What is climate?
Climate is the long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region.
Why is one climate different than another?
Climates are different from one another based on latitude, altitude, the tilt of the Earth, rain shadows, and if the region is near bodies of water.
How are climates classified? What are the five types of climate?
Climates are classified based on temperature, precipitation, and their native vegetation. The five types of climates are polar, continental, dry, tropical, and mild.
What are long term climate cycles?
Long term climate cycles are when the climate stays the same for millions of years.
What are short term cycles? Examples?
Short term cycles are when the climate changes after short periods of time. (usually months)
Examples of a short term climate cycles are the El Nino and monsoons.
What are droughts? Heat waves? Cold waves?
A drought is a period with below average precipitation. A heat wave is a large, hot air mass that stays in one place for weeks or months. A cold wave is a large, cold air mass that stays in one place for weeks or months.
How have humans impacted climate change?
Humans have impacted climates because of deforestation (cutting down a lot of trees), emissions from cars and factories, and burning fossil fuels (releases aerosols.)
What are some impacts of climate change on society?
Some impacts of climate change on society is that temperatures are increasing and decreasing in specific areas. When temperatures are changing, ecosystems are also getting disrupted.
How can we predict climate change?
We can predict climate change using global climate models (GCM) which are complex equations used to predict future climates.
climate
the long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region
rain shadow
area of low rainfall on the downwind slope of a mountain
specific heat
the amount of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of 1kg of a material by 1℃
microclimate
a localized climate that is different from the climate of the larger area surrounding it
ice ages
cold periods lasting millions of years when glaciers cover much of earth
interglacials
the warm periods that occur during ice ages
El Nino/Southern Oscillation
(also known as the ENSO) the combined ocean and atmospheric cycle that results in weakened trade winds across the Pacific Ocean
monsoon
a wind circulation pattern that changes direction with the seasons
drought
a period with below average precipitation
global warming
the rise in Earth’s average temperature during the past 100 years
greenhouse gases
gases in the atmosphere that absorb Earth’s outgoing infrared radiation
deforestation
the large scale cutting and/of burning of forests
global climate model
(also known as the GCM) a set of complex equations used to predict the future climates
