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z - BIO104 - General Ecology (Lecture) > Climate > Flashcards

Climate Flashcards

1
Q

determines the availability of thermal energy and water on Earth’s surface and influences the amount of solar energy that plants may harness

A

climate

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2
Q

climate is the __ __ __ of weather

A

long-term average pattern

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3
Q

climate may be __, __, or __

A
  • local
  • regional
  • global
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4
Q

travels more or less unimpeded through the vacuum of space until it reaches the Earth’s atmosphere

A

electromagnetic energy from Sun
(solar radiation)

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5
Q

how do scienctists characterize waves of energy

A
  • wavelength
  • frequency (v)
  • number of crests that pass a given point per second
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6
Q

electromagnetic spectrum division

A
  • ultraviolet
  • visible
  • near infrared
  • far infrared
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7
Q

ultraviolet

A

100-400 nm

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8
Q

visible

A

400-700 nm

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9
Q

near infrared

A

700-5000 nm

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10
Q

far infrared

A

5,000-100,000 nm

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11
Q

what is the wavelentgh of radiation emitted by an object

A

function of its temperature

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12
Q

surface temperature of the sun

A

5800 °C

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13
Q

average surface temperature of Earth

A

15 °C

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14
Q

expressed as a proportion of the shortwave radiation striking a surface that is reflected and differs for different surfaces

A

albedo

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15
Q

what is albedo

A

fraction of light that a surface reflects

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16
Q

difference between the amount of shortwave radiation absorbed by a surface and the amount of longwave radiation emitted back into space by the surface

A

net radiation

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17
Q

the net surface radiation from the equator towards the poles __

A

decreases

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18
Q

Two factors which affects net radiation

A
  1. higher latitudes - solar radiation hits surface at steeper angle spreading sunlight over larger area
  2. steeper angle = solar radiation penetrates deeper layer of air
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19
Q

Earth’s two distinct motions

A
  1. orbits Sun
  2. Rotates about an axis
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20
Q

brightness of day followed by darkness of night

A

diurnal cycle

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21
Q

solar radiation falls directly on the Tropic of Cancer, with increased input and day length in the Northern Hemisphere

A

Summer solstice June 22

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22
Q

solar radiation falls directly on the equator

A

Vernal and autumnal equinoxes

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23
Q

solar radiation falls directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, with increased input and day length in the Southern Hemisphere

A

Winter solstice December 22

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24
Q

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

A

23.5° N
23.5° S

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25
Q

warm air __

A

rises

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26
Q

why does warm air rise

A

less dense

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27
Q

cool air __

A

sinks

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28
Q

why does cool air sink

A

denser

29
Q

where does the air heated rise to

A

troposphere

30
Q

the low atmospheric pressure at the surface causes air to what?

A

air from north and south to flow towards the equator

31
Q

air moves from areas of __ __ to __ __

A

higher pressure to lower pressure

32
Q

resulting convergence winds from the north and south in the region of the equator

A

intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)

33
Q

air spirals upwards __ at low levels

A

anticlockwise

34
Q

air spirals out __ at low levels

A

clockwise

35
Q

day time

A

sea: cool air
land: warm air

36
Q

night time

A

sea: warm air
land: cool air

37
Q

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

A

The Coriolis effect

38
Q

each ocean is dominated by two grat circular motions, or __

A

gyre

39
Q

direction of ocean movement in northern hemisphere

A

clockwise

40
Q

direction of ocean movement in southern hemisphere

A

counterclockwise

41
Q

along the equator, where does the wins push warm surface water?

A

westward

42
Q

systematic patterns of water movement

A

currents

43
Q

zone of low pressure (the subpolar low) where surface air converges and rises

A

polar front

44
Q

band of low pressure located, in the mean, between 50° and 70° latitude

A

subpolar low

45
Q

winds that reliably blow east to west just north and south of the equator

A

trade winds

46
Q

maintain the South Equatorial Current, which flows toward the west where it divides into two branches

A

southeast trade winds

47
Q

trade winds that blow from the northeast in the northern hemisphere

A

northeast trade winds

48
Q

plays a crucial role in the exchange of water between the atmosphere and Earth’s surface

A

air temperature

49
Q

when is energy either abosrbed or released

A

whenever matter changes from one state to another

50
Q

transformation of water from liquid to gas

A

evaporation

51
Q

energy required to change liquid water to water vapor

A

2,260 Joules/g

52
Q

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?

A

condense

53
Q
  • measurement of the amount of water vapor in a volume of air
  • increases as the amount of water vapor increases
A

Actual vapor pressure

54
Q
  • 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
A

saturation vapor pressure

55
Q

when does water condense and dew forms?

A

air temperature reaches dew point

56
Q

what happens to the water in air when dew are formed?

A

decreases

57
Q

as the sun rises, what happens to the saturation vapor pressure?

A

increases

58
Q

directly linked to the seasonal changes in the surface ration balance and its effect on the movement of global pressure systems and air masses

A

temporal variation

59
Q

line of latitude approximately 23°27′ north of Earth’s Equator

A

Tropic of Cancer

60
Q

lies at 23d 26’ 22” (23.4394 degrees) south of the Equator

A

Tropic of Capricorn

61
Q

side of the mountain which supports denser, more vigorous vegetation and different speacies of plants and associated animals

A

windward side

62
Q

phenomemnon where one side (windward) of the mountain is abundant in life while the other side (leeward) is arid and dry

A

rain shadow

62
Q

most organisms live in local conditions that do not match the __ __ __ of the larger region surrounding them

A

general climate profile

62
Q

side of the mountain which is dry, desert-like conditions exist

A

leeward side

63
Q

what influences the local climatic conditions

A

topography, particularly the direction that a slope faces

64
Q

in the northern hemisphere, what slope receives the most solar energy

A

south-facing slopes

65
Q

examples of slopes that have the same microclimatic conditions on north- and south-facing slopes

A
  1. large ant hills
  2. mounds of soil
  3. dunes
  4. small ground ridges in otherwise falt terrain
  5. buildings
  6. trees
  7. logs
66
Q

where do microclimatic extresmes also occur

A
  • depressions in the ground
  • concave surface of valleys
67
Q

smaller area that differs from the surrounding macroclimate

A

microclimate

z - BIO104 - General Ecology (Lecture) (10 decks)

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