Chapter 2: Climate Flashcards
The combination of temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, cloudiness, and other atmospheric conditions at a specific place and time
weather
Long-term average pattern of local, regional, or global weather
climate
Selective energy absorption by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which allows short wavelength energy to pass through but absorbs longer wavelengths and reflects heat back to Earth
greenhouse effect
Water movements that result in the horizontal transport of water masses
currents
Circular motion of water in major ocean basins
gyre
Loss of water vapor from soil or open water or another exposed surface
evaporation
The transformation of water vapor to a liquid state
condensation
Water vapor content of a parcel of air when it is saturated;
Saturation is defined as a condition when the rate of evaporation equals the rate of condensation
saturation vapor pressure
Water vapor content of air at a given temperature, expressed as a percentage of the water vapor needed for saturation at that temperature
relative humidity
Temperature at which condensation of water in the atmosphere begins
dew point temperature
The boundary zone separating the northeast trade winds of the Northern Hemisphere from the southeast trade winds of the Southern Hemisphere
Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)
A dry region on the leeward side of a mountain range resulting from a reduction in rainfall
rain shadow
Climate on a very local scale, which differs from the general climate of the area;
Influences the presence and distribution of organisms
microclimate
A city or metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities
heat island
Human activity chemically alters air and weather characteristics over and around urban areas, making it different from air and weather over rural areas
urban microclimates
Physical structure of the landscape
topography
Because Earth tilts on its axis, parts of Earth encounter seasonal differences in solar radiation;
These differences give rise to seasonal variations in net radiation and temperature
seasonal variation
Land areas farther from the coast (or other large bodies of water) experience a greater seasonal variation in temperature than do coastal areas
continentality
A period of cooling that lasted from approximately the mid-14th to the mid-19th century;
Brought bitterly cold winters to many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, affecting agriculture, health, politics, economics, emigration, and even art and literature
Little Ice Age
The influence the ocean water has on the continental land that regulates the region’s temperature;
As a result of the ocean water holding the temperature throughout the year, the region’s temperature is much more consistent than a more inland region;
Coastal regions have smaller temperature ranges as a result of this
maritime influence
