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geog101 > climatology > Flashcards

climatology Flashcards

1
Q

defintion of weather

A

state of atmosphere at any given time

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2
Q

definition of climate

A

long term state of atmosphere

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3
Q

what is the main source of energy for the atmopshere

A

solar radiation (from sun)

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4
Q

what is a blackbody

A
  • object that absorbs all radiation that strikes it
  • emits radiation at a maximum rate
  • eg sun
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5
Q

what does stefan boltzmann law calculate for

A

energy emitted

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6
Q

what does wiens law calculate for

A

maximum wavelength

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7
Q

how does the troposhpere contain 80% of the air in the atmosphere

A

because air/gas is compactable

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8
Q

what is earths axial tilt

A

23.5 degrees

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9
Q

where in the world is there an energy surplus and what occurs there

A

equator, atmopshere has to redistribute energy using circulation systems

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10
Q

what is albedo

A

reflectivity

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11
Q

what happens to shortwave radiation

A
  • reflected at top of atmosphere
  • reflected, absorbed, or scattered by clouds/water vapour
  • transmitted to surface then either absorbed or reflected
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12
Q

what happens to longwave radiation

A
  • earths surface emits longwave radition
  • some escapes through atmosphere, leading to cooled earth
  • some is absorbed by clouds
  • clouds then emit longwave in all directions
  • downward movement warms earth, while upward movement cools earth
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13
Q

why are there seasons

A
  • earths revolution around sun
  • earths rotation on axis
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14
Q

what is latent heat

A

energy needed to change phase
- usually associated with water phase change (eg evaporation, condensation etc)

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15
Q

what is dew point temperature

A

temperature at which air needs to cool to allow condensation to occur

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16
Q

what happens to air in a stable atmosphere

A

vertical motion is suppressed

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17
Q

what happens to air in an unstable atmosphere

A

vertical motion is enhanced

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18
Q

what density is warm air

A

low density

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19
Q

what density is cool air

A

high density

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20
Q

what does low density mean

A

warm air
air rises/more buoyant

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21
Q

what does high density mean

A

cold air
air descends/less buoyant

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22
Q

what happens to rising air

A

cools by expansion

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23
Q

what happens to falling air

A

warms by compression

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24
Q

what is the dry adiabaitc lapse rate

A

the rate at which dry air cools by expansion or heats by compression

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25
Q

what is the moist adiabatic lapse rate

A

added heat offsets rate of cooling as air rises

26
Q

what are the 3 main factors that affect wind

A
  • pressure gradient force (pgf)
  • coriolis effect
  • friction
27
Q

what is the pressure gradient force

A

air moves from high to low pressure

28
Q

what is the coriolis effect

A
  • force used to explain deflection of air as it moves across the surface of earth
  • earth rotation produces effect
  • deflects air to left in southern hemisphere
29
Q

what is geostrophic wind

A

theoretical concept approximating observed wind using pressure graident force and coriolis effect
- wind tries moving from high to low, but corioilis effect brings it back

30
Q

what impact does friction have on wind

A

friction near surface disturbs balance between pressure gradient and coriolis forces
- caused by air moving over land surface

31
Q

what is agradient airflow

A

lowering wind speed from friction weakens the coriolis effect

32
Q

what direction does air flow in a high pressure zone/anti-cyclone

A
  • anti-clockwise
  • out from high pressure zone
33
Q

what direction does air flow in a low pressure zone/cyclone

A
  • clockwise
  • into low pressure zone - causing uplift and cloud
34
Q

what is an airmass

A

large body of air whose physical properties are uniform horizontally

35
Q

what happens to airmasses during summer

A

southward shift
- nz recieves more tropical maritime

36
Q

what happens to airmasses during winter

A

northward shift
- south island of nz recieves more polar maritime
- tropical maritime shifts further north so doesn’t affect

37
Q

what happens in a cyclone

A

low pressure zone -> convergence of air -> uplift -> cloud development

38
Q

what happens in an anti-cyclone

A

high pressure zone -> divergence of air -> descending

39
Q

what is frontogenesis

A

when 2 contrasting airmasses collide

40
Q

what is a warm front

A

occurs when an advancing airmass replaces cold airmass
- slow moving

41
Q

what is a cold front

A

represents boundary of cold airmass advancing towards warm air mass
- forced to rise quickly

42
Q

what is an occluded front

A
  • cold front moves faster than warm front
  • as it catches up, warm air mass is wedged and lifted up
43
Q

what is a stationary front

A

occurs when neither warm or cold front dominates
- remains stationary

44
Q

what happens to stable air when blocked

A

has to flow around obstacle

45
Q

what happens to unstable air when blocked

A

air able to pass over obstacle
- forms lee waves

46
Q

what is the foehn effect

A
  • northwesterly wind
  • results in precicptation on windward side of mountain range and a drying effect on leeward side
  • eg southern alps/west coast
47
Q

what is the land-sea breeze circulation system

A

during day
- sun is shining - warms land surface faster than ocean surface
- leads to breeze onshore

during night
- no sun shining - ocean surface warmer than land surface
- leads to offshore wind

48
Q

what are the two energy balance equations

A

Q* = K* + L*
(Q* = net allwave radiation, K* = net shortwave radiation, L* = net longwave radiation)

Q* = K(intake) - K(output) + L(intake) - L(output)

49
Q

what is the energy balance equation for heat flux density

A

Q* = Q(G) + Q(H) + Q(E)

(Q(G) = ground/conductive heat, Q(H) = sensible heat, Q(E) = latent heat)

50
Q

what happens to the surface during night (energy balance)

A
  • no sunlight = no shortwave
  • recieve longwave from atmosphere, lose from surface
  • net defecit of energy = surface cools
  • sensible heat - atmosphere warmer than surface, heat governed to surface
  • latent heat - governed to surface to compensate for defecit of radiation
  • ground/conductive heat - soil warmer than surface, heat governed to surface
51
Q

what happens to the surface during the day (energy balance)

A
  • incoming solar radiation (some reflected)
  • recieve longwave from atmopshere, lose from surface
  • net surplus of energy = surface warms
  • sensible heat - surface heats lower atmosphere
  • latent heat - energy available to evaporate water at surface
  • ground/conductive heat - surface warmer than soil, heat goverened to soil
52
Q

is the albedo of snow or ice higher and what does this mean

A

snow is higher
once glacier loses snow in summer, glacier absorbs more energy and melts as it is less reflective

53
Q

what is the greenhouse effect

A
  • absorption of longwave radiation by atmopshere results in warming of earths surface and lower atmosphere
54
Q

what would the surface temperature be if there was no atmosphere

A

-18deg celcius

55
Q

what is the enhanced greenhouse effect

A

if extra greenhouse gases are added to atmosphere from humans, they will absorb more longwave radiation and therefore lead to extra warming of the earth

56
Q

what is an el nino southern oscillation (enso) event

A
  • fluctuations in intensity of walker circulation are characterised by southern oscilalltion index (soi)
  • soi derived from pressure difference between tahiti and darwin
  • soi index leads to either el nino or la nina events
57
Q

what happens when the soi is high/positive

A

la nina event
- normal walker circulation

58
Q

what happens when the soi is low/negative

A

el nino event
- weaker walker circulation

59
Q

what happens in nz during a la nina event

A
  • low pressure zone to northwest of nz
  • leads to northwesterly/northeasterly flow
60
Q

what happens in nz during an el nino event

A
  • migration of warm water
  • replace low pressure zone with high to northwest of nz
  • low zone to south
  • southwesterly flow
  • colder
  • more precipiation on west coast
61
Q

what is the projected temperature by the end of the century

A

global surface temperature likely to exceed increase of 1.5deg
- could be as large as 4.8deg

62
Q

what is the projected sea level by the end of the century

A

global mean sea level likely to rise between 0.4-0.8m

geog101 (4 decks)

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