Climate Flashcards
Define “Weather”
The day to day conditions of the atmosphere
Give four examples of weather
Temperature, Precipitation (rain,snow,fog), Cloud cover, Wind
Define Climate
The average weather conditions over a long period of time
What is the greenhouse effect?
A possible cause of global warming in which the earths heat is trapped by carbon dioxide is released into atmosphere by fossil fuel consumption
Name two climate features that influence weather
El Niño and The Polar Vortex
What is El Niño?
A low pressure system that is developed in the North Pacific ocean and disrupts normal weather patterns
what is the polar vortex?
A prevailing wind of extremely cold air that circles the arctic
What is the largest financial loss due to natural causes in Canada’s history?
Ice storm 1998
When was “snowmaggedon”?
December 14, 2010
Describe the events during snowmaggedon.
A snowstorm in which white out conditions two separate 30 car pile up when death and the closing of highway 402 between Sarnia and Strathroy.
When was hurricane Sandy and how was it created?
October 25, 2012 and it was created by the combination of a hurricane and low pressure system in late October
What was the single most costly storm ever in US history?
Hurricane Sandy
Define a hurricane
Intense tropical storm developing in the south Atlantic ocean but bringing heavy rain and winds over the east coast of North America
Hurricanes are called ________ in the western pacific and __________ in the Indian Ocean
Typhoons
Cyclones
Define a tornado and how it is formed
A violently rotating column of air of which contact the ground with great destructive power
Formed from rotating thunderstorms (supercells)
how does latitude affect climate
- Distance from the equator
- When locations are closer to the equator suns energy is a concentrated in small area
- when locations are farther from the equator the same amount of sun hit and it spreads out over a large area
How does a body of water keep land temperatures moderate?
Water warms and cools slower than air does.
In early winter water is warmer than land.
The wind blowing over the water will warm the air above the land.
In early summer weather is cooler than air.
The wind blowing over the water will cool the air.
How do ocean currents affect climate?
the air blowing over the ocean can become warmer and cooler based on the water temperature. The air that blew over the water blows over the land and depending on the air temperature the land will either heat up or cool down
What is the polar jetstream?
A column of wind
How does the polar jetstream affect the movement of air masses?
Not allowing them to blow over and therefore keeping the cool air in the north and warm air in the south
Name three types of precipitation
Frontal conventional relief
What common thing takes place in all three types of precipitation
The air mass will rise and expand because of low air pressure this will result in the air mass cooling and since it is cooler cannot hold much water so the water will condense
Describe relief precipitation
moist air is forced to rise up a mountain cools and condenses and causes precipitation
It comes down the other side of the mountain as a chinook which means dry warm wind
Describe convection precipitation
The heat from the sun hits the ground and causes the ground to heat up. The hot air rises, cools and condenses and causes precipitation. there can also be lightning during convectional precipitation
