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GEOG 121 > Chapter 8 > Flashcards

Chapter 8 Flashcards

1
Q

Weather vs Climate

A

weather is short term and local
climate is long term and regional

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2
Q

early climate classification

A

frigid, temperate, torrid

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3
Q

koppen climate system

A

based on annual and monthly average temp and precipitation

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4
Q

Tropical

A

almost entirely confined to the equator and tropics of Capricorn and cancer

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5
Q

dry

A

potential evaporation exceeds precipitation

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6
Q

mid latitude

A

summers are hot and coldest month has an average temp of -3 C

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7
Q

severe midlatitude

A

winters have at least occasional snow cover with the mean temp going below -3 C; summers are mild

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8
Q

polar

A

all months have mean temps below 10 C

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9
Q

Tropical Humid Climates

A

tropical latitudes, winterless climates, little temp change, high humidity; precipitation influenced by ITCZ

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10
Q

Dry Climates

A

30% of land area worldwide; lack of moisture or uplift; typically in subtropics; marine deserts

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11
Q

mild midlatitude climates

A

transition between warmer tropical climates and colder severe climates; hot summers, mild winters, high variable precipitation amounts

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12
Q

severe midlatitude climates

A

northern hemisphere; continentality: far from oceans; long, cold winter and short summer

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13
Q

polar climates

A

receive little insolation; no average temp over 50; extremely dry but NOT arid

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14
Q

Highland climate

A

variable; altitude is more significant than latitude; high diurnal temp variations due to dry, thin air

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15
Q

humid continental climate

A

climate of the US; dominated by westerlies and associated with frequent weather changes; warm summer, cold winter; low precipitation but high at coastal; winter precipitation associated with cyclones, summer with convection

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16
Q

boundary conditions

A

external factors that Earth’s climate responds to

17
Q

forcing agents

A

external factors driving climate change

18
Q

reasons why climate change happens

A
  1. solar output fluctuations: sunspot activity related to solar output
  2. continents shift positions: this changes patterns of temp, winds, ocean currents, and albedo
  3. Milankovitch cycle: changes total solar energy arriving at top of atmosphere and distribution of this energy around the globe
  4. changes in oceans: absorb energy, store energy, transfer energy
  5. atmospheric changes: volcanoes release aerosols (cool atmosphere) and CO2 (warms the atmosphere)
19
Q

feedback mechanisms

A

one factor affects another
positive: feedback magnifies further change in a variable
negative: feedback acts to inhibit further change

20
Q

pleistocene ice age

A
  • rapid climate change (colder)
  • CO2 was low, sea levels low
  • caused ice sheets
21
Q

Holocene Epoch

A
  • changing orbital parameters
  • rapid warming: melting of the laurentide ice sheet
  • initiated younger dryas event: rapid cooling
22
Q

medieval climate anomaly

A

the north atlantic region was unreasonably warm

23
Q

little ice age

A

followed the medieval climate anomaly; north atlantic was unreasonably cold

24
Q

hockey curve

A

medieval climate anomaly and LIA pictured

25
Q

Permafrost melting

A

high albedo reflects as much as 90% of suns energy (positive feedback bc increases melting)

26
Q

effects of climate change

A

more wildfires, longer growing season, water vapor in air increases, more intense rainfall, increased flooding
- more hurricanes: increase in intensity

27
Q

what does hurricane frequency depend on?

A

el nino (decreases frequency) and atlantic multidecadal oscillation (increases frequency)

28
Q

isotopes that affect climate change

A

oxygen 16 and 18
O18 requires more energy to evaporate and condenses faster

29
Q

Ice cores to determine past climates

A
  • ice cores determine oxygen ratios
  • used to obtain temperature data from isotope ratios, provide info on past chem of atmosphere, and past volcanoes
30
Q

oceanic sediment deposits to determine past climates

A
  • cores include the bones and shells of plankton and other animals
  • CaCO3 important for determining past climate
31
Q

biological methods to determine past climate

A

fossils: leaf fossils (serrated edge means cooler climate)
plant fossils: used to estimate CO2 concentration
- fewer stoma= high CO2
fossil pollen: widely dispersed; shows record of past vegetation

32
Q

remnant landforms to determine past climate

A

the movement of water, the slow-moving of ice sheets expanding across the surface, wave action across coastlines, wind, and floating icebergs carrying debris

GEOG 121 (7 decks)

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