Chapter 2 - Weather, climate and climate change

Question 1

What is weather?

Answer 1

Patterns of atmospheric circulation, temperature, and precipitation over short time periods such as hours to days

Question 2

What is climate?

Answer 2

The totality of weather conditions over a period of several decades or more

Question 3

What is insolation?

Answer 3

amount of solar radiation that falls on the surface of the earth it is the main source of heat for the planet and varies depending on the angle, area and duration of exposure.

Question 4

What is latent heat?

Answer 4

Heat stored in water and water vapor by melting or evaporation, not detectable by a thermometer; latent means “hidden”

Question 5

What is urban heat island?

Answer 5

 Warmer temperatures in a city compared to the surrounding rural area created by urban activities and conditions

Question 6

What is an equinox?

Answer 6

the time or date (twice a year) at which the sun crosses the celestial equator, when day and night are approximately equal lengths.

Question 7

What is solstice?

Answer 7

the time or date (twice each year) at which the sun reaches its maximum or minimum declination, marked by the longest and shortest days (about June 21 and December 22).

Question 8

What are greenhouse gasses?

Answer 8

 Trace substances in the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect; water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons are important examples

Question 9

What is the greenhouse effect?

Answer 9

Atmospheric warming that results from the passage of incoming shortwave energy and the capture of outgoing longwave energy

Question 10

Process of convection?

Answer 10

Circulation in a fluid caused by temperature-induced density differences, such as the rising of warm air in the atmosphere

Question 11

Process of advection?

Answer 11

 The horizontal movements of air or substances by wind or ocean currents

Question 12

What is adiabatic cooling?

Answer 12

 The cooling of air as a result of expansion of rising air; adiabatic means “without heat being involved”

Question 13

What is orographic rainfalls?

Answer 13

precipitation is produced when moist air is lifted as it moves over a mountain range or other elevated terrain.

Question 14

What is frontal precipitation?

Answer 14

A type of rainfall that occurs when warm and moist air meets cold and dry air.

Question 15

What is the difference between a cold front and a warm front?

Answer 15

warm front occurs on the boundary of a warm air mass moving into a colder region, while a cold front occurs on the boundary of a cold air mass moving into a warmer region

Question 16

What is an intertropical convergence zone?

Answer 16

 A low-pressure zone circling the globe between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn where surface winds converge

Question 17

what are subtropical high-pressure (STH) zones?

Answer 17

 A low-pressure zone circling the globe between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn where surface winds converge

Question 18

what are the 3 ways the movement of air causes precipitation?

Answer 18

Convection —in which air warmer than its surroundings rises, expands, and cools by this expansion

Orographic uplift —in which wind forces air up and over mountains

Frontal uplift —in which air is forced up a boundary (front) between cold and warm air masses

Question 19

What are Gyres?

Answer 19

prominent features of oceanic circulation (ex the gulf stream)

Question 19

What are some factors of oceanic currents?

Answer 19

wind, seawater, temperature, salinity

Question 20

What is coriolis effect?

Answer 20

high and low-pressure zones turn in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemisphere

Question 21

What are the 4 major zones of atmospheric circulation patterns.

Answer 21

polar cells - located near the poles and are cold, dense air that sinks and flows toward the equator
Ferrel cell - located between polar and Hadley warm, moist air that rises and flows toward the poles
Hadley cell - located near the equator and is warm, moist air that rises and flows towards the poles
equatorial trough - near equator low pressure and high humidity

Question 22

What is a climograph?

Answer 22

graphical representation of a location’s basic climate (plotted line) , shows monthly average temperature and precipitation of a certain place in the world over an annual span.

Question 23

What are the major climate categories?

Answer 23

Tropical zone - near equator and experiences warm temps year round
temperate zone - located between the tropical and polar zones and experiences moderate temperatures
polar zone - located near the poles and experiences cold temps year round.

Question 24

Why are regular patterns in climate important?

Answer 24

To be able to interpret the significance of future climate change

Question 25

Why is latitude important?

Answer 25

it is due to the tilt of the earth’s axis. As the earth rotates around the sun, the angle causes different amounts of solar radiation to be absorbed by different regions of the earth leading to differences in temperature and weather patterns

Question 26

What is the greenhouse effect?

Answer 26

The heating of the atmosphere. (similar to the way glass allows solar energy to enter a greenhouse but limits the loss of heat causing the temperature inside to rise).

Question 27

How does a tropical storm move and how are summer thunderstorms formed?

Answer 27

General circulation over subtropical atlantic, pacific and indian oceans from east to west. As they travel across the warm ocean surface they often intensify. They thrive on warm, moist air and are most intense over ocean during warm season. They lose intensity over land because they lose their source of energy. The smooth ocean surface allows for high winds, the hills and trees of lands, slow the window down.

Question 28

What does climate change result from?

Answer 28

changes in the geometry of earths orbit around the sun.

Question 29

What is human induced global warming?

Answer 29

caused primarily by burning fossil fuels that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.