Climates and Biomes Flashcards
Weather
Describes current conditions. Irregular and largely unpredictable
Climate
Describes long term patterns. Based on averages and variation based on decades.
Spatial Climate Patterns Depend On…
-Unequal heating with latitude and season
-Air circulation and Coriolis affect
-Ocean Currents
-Miscellaneous other impacts of land and water
Greenhouse Effect
Solar radiation, alone, not enough to warm earth. Earths thick atmosphere acts as an insulator. Makes temperatures on earth warmer and less variable. (ex. mars temperatures fluctuate between -90 and 20 degrees Celsius in a day)
Unequal Heating With Latitude
The equator is near a lower latitude. Lower latitudes experience more direct lighting than high latitudes because the light spreads out over higher latitudes.
Seasonal Variation is Caused by
The tilt of the earth on its axis (23.5 degrees)
March Equinox
Geographic Equator. Sun directly hits equator, making the sun directly above the equator at noon.
June Solstice
Tropic of Cancer. 23.5 degrees North.
September Equinox
Geographic equator. Same as March
December Solstice
Tropic of Capricorn. 23.5 degrees South
Adiabatic Cooling
When warm air rises it cools
Adiabatic Heating
When air cools it sinks because cold air is more dense
Convection cells
What do adiabatic heating and cooling create?
Coriolis Effect
Wind direction is affected by the speed of the earths rotation. This deflects air circulation in the convection cells. To the right in the north and the left in the south
Hadley cells
Convection cells near the equator. Between equator and 30 degrees North and 30 degrees South latitudes
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ICZ)
Where the Hadley cells meet. Determined by solar equator
Convection cells create
-Wet and dry regions. Wet tropics. Dry sub tropics (Around 30 degrees north and south)
-Wet and dry seasons. One wet season near tropics of cancer and Capricorn (NOT PART OF SUBTROPICS) . Two wet seasons near geographic equator
Polar Easterlies and Tradewinds
Northeast to southwest in North Hemisphere. Southeast to northwest in south hemisphere
Polar Cells
Convections cells near the polar. 60-90 degree latitudes.
Ferrell Cells
Less distinct. Between Hadley and Polar cells
Westerlies
General mid latitude movement from west to east
Gyres
Gravity pulling warmer water away from the equator. Clockwise circulation in N, counter clockwise in S due to trade winds in westerlies.
Upwelling
Upward movement of ocean water. Where surface currents move away from western coastlines. Cold, nutrient high water brought to surface. High productivity areas.
El nino/ Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
1891 Peruvian fisherman found that there was no cold water upwelling. There was just warm water and no fish harvest in December. Lots of rain in a coastal desert area.
-Trade winds usually cause upwellings in Peru. Every 3-7 years trade wings oscillate (reverse). Warm water starts to move in the opposite direction
-See saw relationship in pressure over asia vs south america.
