Climate Flashcards
determines the availability of thermal energy and water on Earth’s surface and influences the amount of solar energy that plants may harness
climate
climate is the __ __ __ of weather
long-term average pattern
climate may be __, __, or __
- local
- regional
- global
travels more or less unimpeded through the vacuum of space until it reaches the Earth’s atmosphere
electromagnetic energy from Sun
(solar radiation)
how do scienctists characterize waves of energy
- wavelength
- frequency (v)
- number of crests that pass a given point per second
electromagnetic spectrum division
- ultraviolet
- visible
- near infrared
- far infrared
ultraviolet
100-400 nm
visible
400-700 nm
near infrared
700-5000 nm
far infrared
5,000-100,000 nm
what is the wavelentgh of radiation emitted by an object
function of its temperature
surface temperature of the sun
5800 °C
average surface temperature of Earth
15 °C
expressed as a proportion of the shortwave radiation striking a surface that is reflected and differs for different surfaces
albedo
what is albedo
fraction of light that a surface reflects
difference between the amount of shortwave radiation absorbed by a surface and the amount of longwave radiation emitted back into space by the surface
net radiation
the net surface radiation from the equator towards the poles __
decreases
Two factors which affects net radiation
- higher latitudes - solar radiation hits surface at steeper angle spreading sunlight over larger area
- steeper angle = solar radiation penetrates deeper layer of air
Earth’s two distinct motions
- orbits Sun
- Rotates about an axis
brightness of day followed by darkness of night
diurnal cycle
solar radiation falls directly on the Tropic of Cancer, with increased input and day length in the Northern Hemisphere
Summer solstice June 22
solar radiation falls directly on the equator
Vernal and autumnal equinoxes
solar radiation falls directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, with increased input and day length in the Southern Hemisphere
Winter solstice December 22
As the Earth follows its elliptical orbit about the Sun, the location on the surface where the Sun is directly overhead at midday migrates between __ and __ over the course of the year
23.5° N
23.5° S
warm air __
rises
why does warm air rise
less dense
cool air __
sinks
why does cool air sink
denser
where does the air heated rise to
troposphere
the low atmospheric pressure at the surface causes air to what?
air from north and south to flow towards the equator
air moves from areas of __ __ to __ __
higher pressure to lower pressure
resulting convergence winds from the north and south in the region of the equator
intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)
air spirals upwards __ at low levels
anticlockwise
air spirals out __ at low levels
clockwise
day time
sea: cool air
land: warm air
night time
sea: warm air
land: cool air
refers to the apparent deflection of objects (such as airplanes, wind, missiles, and ocean currents) moving in a straight path relative to the Earth’s surface
The Coriolis effect
each ocean is dominated by two grat circular motions, or __
gyre
direction of ocean movement in northern hemisphere
clockwise
direction of ocean movement in southern hemisphere
counterclockwise
along the equator, where does the wins push warm surface water?
westward
systematic patterns of water movement
currents
zone of low pressure (the subpolar low) where surface air converges and rises
polar front
band of low pressure located, in the mean, between 50° and 70° latitude
subpolar low
winds that reliably blow east to west just north and south of the equator
trade winds
maintain the South Equatorial Current, which flows toward the west where it divides into two branches
southeast trade winds
trade winds that blow from the northeast in the northern hemisphere
northeast trade winds
plays a crucial role in the exchange of water between the atmosphere and Earth’s surface
air temperature
when is energy either abosrbed or released
whenever matter changes from one state to another
transformation of water from liquid to gas
evaporation
energy required to change liquid water to water vapor
2,260 Joules/g
if the air cools to a point where the actual vapor pressure is equal to the saturation vapor pressure, what happens to the moisture in the air?
condense
- measurement of the amount of water vapor in a volume of air
- increases as the amount of water vapor increases
Actual vapor pressure
- pressure of a vapor which is in equilibrium with its liquid (as steam with water) specifically
- maximum pressure possible by water vapor at a given temperature
saturation vapor pressure
when does water condense and dew forms?
air temperature reaches dew point
what happens to the water in air when dew are formed?
decreases
as the sun rises, what happens to the saturation vapor pressure?
increases
directly linked to the seasonal changes in the surface ration balance and its effect on the movement of global pressure systems and air masses
temporal variation
line of latitude approximately 23°27′ north of Earth’s Equator
Tropic of Cancer
lies at 23d 26’ 22” (23.4394 degrees) south of the Equator
Tropic of Capricorn
side of the mountain which supports denser, more vigorous vegetation and different speacies of plants and associated animals
windward side
phenomemnon where one side (windward) of the mountain is abundant in life while the other side (leeward) is arid and dry
rain shadow
most organisms live in local conditions that do not match the __ __ __ of the larger region surrounding them
general climate profile
side of the mountain which is dry, desert-like conditions exist
leeward side
what influences the local climatic conditions
topography, particularly the direction that a slope faces
in the northern hemisphere, what slope receives the most solar energy
south-facing slopes
examples of slopes that have the same microclimatic conditions on north- and south-facing slopes
- large ant hills
- mounds of soil
- dunes
- small ground ridges in otherwise falt terrain
- buildings
- trees
- logs
where do microclimatic extresmes also occur
- depressions in the ground
- concave surface of valleys
smaller area that differs from the surrounding macroclimate
microclimate
