Climate - Chapter 10 Flashcards

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1
Q

All life on earth exists in the _____.

A

Biosphere

  • a thin layer of air and land.
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2
Q

What does the term “Radiation Budget” mean?

A

Energy from the sun must be balanced by the energy lost back to space, or else the planet will warm up.

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3
Q

Albedo

A

The ability of a surface to reflect energy.

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4
Q

What is the Earth’s atmosphere made of?

A

21% oxygen gas, 78% nitrogen gas and 1% trace gases.

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5
Q

What is the difference between Climate and Weather?

A

Climate is a long-term trend in temp

  • pressure, humidity, precipitation…

Weather is what is happening now

  • Rain, thunder, snow…
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6
Q

What is the Earth’s angle of inclination?

A

23.5 degrees

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7
Q

What are the three major climate zones on Earth?

A

Polar, temperate and tropical.

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8
Q

What are the dividing lines for the climate zones?

A

Arctic Circle, the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle.

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9
Q

Specific heat capacity

A

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1g of a substance to 1 degree.

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10
Q

True or False :

  1. Water is a fluid, and the heat absorbed can be mixed
  2. Water has a small heat capacity
  3. Water has large heats of fusion and vaporization
  4. Water has a high albedo
A
  1. True
  2. False
  3. True
  4. False
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11
Q

What is the Gulf Stream?

A

the Gulf Stream is a large surface current that starts in the Caribbean’s warm shallow seas and follows North America’s eastern coastline, curving past Newfoundland and ending up at the British Isles, where it is called the North Atlantic Drift.

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12
Q

What causes the Coriolis effect?

A

Convection currents on a rotating Earth.

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