Circulation Systems

Question 1

In what type of orbit does earth take around the sun?

Answer 1

elliptical

Question 2

What does perihelion mean? When is it?

Answer 2

Details when the earth is closest to the sun - 3rd January

Question 3

What does Aphelion mean? When is it?

Answer 3

Details when the earth is the furthest away from the sun - 3rd June

Question 4

What is the first law of thermodynamics?

Answer 4

Conservation of energy

Question 5

What is entropy?

Answer 5

Unavailability of heat energy for conversion

Question 6

What is the second law of thermodynamics?

Answer 6

Entropy increases with time, becoming more disordered

Question 7

What medium does radiation require?

Answer 7

It doesn’t require a medium!

Question 8

What is albedo?

Answer 8

The measure of the reflecting power of a surface expressed as a percentage of incoming radiation

Question 9

When is radiant energy the greatest?

Answer 9

Temperature is high, Wavelengths are short

Question 10

What are the two influxes contributing to full energy balance?

Answer 10

Sensible and latent heat

Question 11

What type of radiation does earth emit?

Answer 11

Infrared radiation

Question 12

What radioactive waves are visible?

Answer 12

Short wave

Question 13

What is earth’s albedo?

Answer 13

30%

Question 14

What has the greatest albedo reflection?

Answer 14

snow

Question 15

What is emissivity? What has the greatest emissivity?

Answer 15

How effectively a surface emits infrared radiation. Rainforests

Question 16

Where does diffuse radiation come from?

Answer 16

Clouds

Question 17

Where does temperature fluctuate alot?

Answer 17

Continental areas

Question 18

What does cyclonic weather systems mean?

Answer 18

Circulation systems that rotate in the same way - NZ is clockwise

Question 19

In what direction do weather systems move over the tropics?

Answer 19

To the west

Question 20

What is an orographic enhancement?

Answer 20

Placement. Depends on the area. Eg. West coast rains more than the east coast does for a reason.

Question 21

What is low-level flow influenced by?

Answer 21

Mountains

Question 22

What is a mesoscale circulation?

Answer 22

Small scale circulation systems

Question 23

What type of air is associated with higher pressure systems?

Answer 23

Denser air

Question 24

What type of winds are associated with lower pressure systems?

Answer 24

Stronger winds

Question 25

Where does air converge?

Answer 25

Up high where the atmosphere is cooler

Question 26

Where does air diverge?

Answer 26

Down low in warmer, dryer conditions

Question 27

Close isobars are associated with what strength in wind?

Answer 27

Strong wind

Question 28

What is the Coriolis force affected by?

Answer 28

Sign of the latitude

Question 29

What is the Coriolis force proportional to?

Answer 29

Velocity, rotation rate

Question 30

Why does the Coriolis force arise?

Answer 30

Due to rotation

Question 31

What is the centrifugal force and what does it affect?

Answer 31

Acts radially and has a component affecting the speed

Question 32

Why does air spiral into a cyclone?

Answer 32

Because it moves from high to low pressure

Question 33

What is the trade wind?

Answer 33

It is equatorward, easterly winds

Question 34

What is the jet stream?

Answer 34

Arise in high-pressure gradient regions

Question 35

What is cyclogenesis?

Answer 35

When upper-level divergence exceeds low-level convergence.fall in surface pressure and ascending air

Question 36

What is anticyclogenesis?

Answer 36

When strong upper-level convergence is greater than weaker lower level divergence. Causing high pressure and subsiding air

Question 37

What are frontal depressions?

Answer 37

Waves along a polar front