Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Climate Systems > Equations & Physical Laws > Flashcards

Equations & Physical Laws Flashcards

1
Q

What does the equation for Pressure Gradient Force state?

A

PGF is inversely proportional to air density (as one increases, the other decreases)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What does the equation for The Coriolis Effect state?

A

Magnitude of deflection is directly proportional to horizontal air velocity and the sine of latitude.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What does the Law of Inertia state?

A

Objects in motion tend to stay in motion with the same speed and direction - unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What does the equation for Lapse Rate tell you?

A

Rate at which temperature decreases with increasing altitude.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What does the Ideal Gas Law state?

A

Gas pressure in a volume is linearly proportional to it’s mass density and temperature.
Pressure always causes changes in temperature and air density when dry air gas is constant

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What does the First Law of Thermodynamics state?

A

Change in internal energy is equal to the heat added to the system, minus work done by the system.
Total energy of an isolated system is constant.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What does the Stefan-Boltzmann Law tell you?

A

Radiation emission of a black-body is directly proportional to the fourth power of it’s temperature.
Temperature increase = radiation intensity & emission increase

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What does the Planck Radiation Law tell you?

A

The hotter an object gets, the more energy is radiated.
(Radiance is a function of temperature and wavelength)
~ Hotter objects emit shorter wavelengths at a higher power

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What does the Continuity Equation state?

A

The rate at which mass enters a system is equal to the rate at which mass leaves the system.
(Upwelling and Downwelling are examples of mass continuity)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What does the Beer-Lambert Law state?

A

The absorbance of a material sample is directly proportional to it’s thickness/properties (explains why different gases have different absorbance characteristics)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What does the Hydrostatic Equation state?

A

Pressure decreases with height

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is the equation for Hydrostatic Equilibrium an expression of?

A

An air parcel in an air column which is hydro statically balanced -> whereby PGF=Gravity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What does Kirchoff’s Law state?

A

Absorptivity of a body must equal it’s emissivity at every wavelength

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Does PGF change?

A

No

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What direction does the Coriolis force send parcels in the Northern Hemisphere and what does this cause?

A

Right - winds blow anti-clockwise around low pressure zones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What does Buoys Ballot Law state?

A

In the Northern Hemisphere, when back is to the wind Low pressure is to the Left.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What movement does the Pressure Gradient force facilitate and where does this mostly occur?

A

Movement of air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure - occurs most at high altitudes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Which wind is IDEALIZED and where does it occur?

A

Geostrophic - at the point of balance between the PGF and Coriolis Effect

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

In what system does the gradient wind flow at sub-geostrophic speed?

A

Low Pressure System

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

How much Centripetal Force does the Geostrophic wind have?

A

0

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Which forces does the Gradient Wind balance?

A

Coriolis Effect, PGF and Centrifugal Force

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

When does wind flow parallel to straight isobars?

A

When it is Geostrophic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Does geostrophic wind occur at the surface? Why?

A

No - due to frictional forces from the surface (greater on land)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Which force is apparent?

A

Centrifugal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

To what degree does both the Centrifugal and Centripetal forces act in relation to a body’s motion?

A

90 degrees

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Does the Centrifugal Force alter speed?

A

No

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Give a real-life example of the Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces acting together.

A

When twirling a mass on a string, the string exerts an inward force on the mass (centripetal), while another force appears to pull the mass outward (centrifugal). The balance maintains the ‘orbit’- if centripetal becomes more dominant, the circumference of the ‘orbit’ will reduce.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What happens when Centripetal and Centrifugal forces are exactly balanced?

A

Angular velocity stays contant

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What do isobars on a map do?

A

Join places of equal atmospheric pressure.

30
Q

What is the lowest part of the atmosphere?

A

Troposphere (~10km)

31
Q

How much of the atmospheres total mass does the Troposphere contain?

A

75%

32
Q

Which layer of the atmosphere has very nigh temperatures? Why?

A

Ionosphere/Thermosphere - due to energy release from atmospheric particle & molecule dissociation (caused by incoming solar/cosmic ray particles)

33
Q

How would you describe rate of temperature decrease with height in the troposphere?

A

Constant

34
Q

Where in the atmosphere does ‘suppression of convection’ (heater particles rise, cooler particles sink) occur?

A

Stratosphere

35
Q

Where is the coldest region on Earth and why?

A

Mesopause - lack of heating and strong radiative cooling from CO2

36
Q

Why does temperature increase in the stratosphere?

A

Increase in absorption of infrared solar radiation by ozone

37
Q

Why is the Stratosphere named how it is?

A

Greek word “stratos” - reflecting how particles are arranged and not mixed.

38
Q

Which atmospheric variables rapidly decrease with height?

A

Air density, molecule number density and pressure

39
Q

What is the Environmental Lapse Rate?

A

Lapse rate of non-rising air.

40
Q

What are the 2 tropospheric regimes and which has the higher lapse rate?

A

Tropical (higher LR: 6.5K km-1) and Mid-High Latitudes

41
Q

What variable does the concept of Hydrostatic Balance ignore?

A

Motions

42
Q

What other variable is used as a vertical co-ordinate as well as height and why?

A

Pressure - higher pressure at lower altitudes

43
Q

What does WARMING air do in the vertical?

A

Expands, decreases in density and rises

44
Q

What are the 3 energies associated with dry air?

A
  1. Total Energy
  2. Heat Gain/Loss
  3. Work
45
Q

What is an Adiabatic Process?

A

One that occurs without matter/heat transfer between a system and it’s surroundings.

46
Q

When an air parcel is displaced, what are the 3 possibilities of action it could follow?

A

1) Remain at new location (neutral)
2) Rise & Accelerate (unstable)
3) Pushed back to original position (stable)

47
Q

When an air parcel is displaced, and starts to rise - what is it’s weight in relation to ambient air?

A

Lighter

48
Q

What happens when an air parcel is displaced downwards vertically?

A

It will shrink - so air pressure and temperature will decrease.

49
Q

What does the expansion/contraction effect of displaced air parcels tell us?

A

Whether it is stable or unstable

50
Q

What is relative humidity?

A

Amount of water vapor present in the air

51
Q

What will happen if environmental temperature changes with height by the same amount as when the air parcel is displaced?

A

The parcel will be neutral - won’t move forward or backward

52
Q

What is the Dew Point?

A

The temperature at which a cooled air parcel reaches saturation.

53
Q

What is the pressure of water vapor when in equilibrium with the liquid phase names?

A

Saturation Vapor Pressure

54
Q

What does the Clausius-Clapeyron equation show?

A

Rate of increase in vapor pressure per unit increase in temperature. It relates substance pressure to temperature.

55
Q

What are the two effects of air parcel saturation?

A

1) Cloud formation

2) Latent heat release from evaporation - causing the parcel to become warm & more buoyant

56
Q

What is Specific Humidity?

A

Ratio of mass of water vapor to total mass of a moist air parcel

57
Q

When temperature decreases, what happens to the amount of water vapor needed to reach saturation?

A

It decreases

58
Q

With increase in latitude, water vapor…

A

Decreases

59
Q

What decreases with altitude and latitude?

A

Pressure

60
Q

Give 3 reasons why tropospheric temperature decreases with height.

A

1) Troposphere is mostly warmed by the ground
2) Air density & pressure is highest at Earth surface - as pressure decreases, air rises and expands, so temperature decreases
3) Air mixing distributes energy vertically upwards.

61
Q

What is light composed of?

A

Elementary waves with different frequencies

62
Q

What is inversely proportional to wavelength?

A

Frequency

as wavelength increases, frequency decreases

63
Q

What causes emission of electromagnetic radiation from a solid body/gas?

A

Thermal motion of molecules/atoms leads to disorderly motion of electrons/ protons -> disorderly motion = emission.

64
Q

What is the EM radiation generated by the thermal motion of charged particles in matter?

A

Thermal Radiation = HEAT

65
Q

What is thermal motion?

A

Movement of a particle associated with the particles thermal energy/temperature

66
Q

Above what temperature do objects radiate EM energy (thus cool/lose energy)

A

0K

67
Q

What is the equivalent to 1K in degrees Celcius?

A

-272.15

68
Q

Wht electron movement releases EM radiation?

A

Jumping to and from higher atomic ‘shells’ due to excitation from collisions

69
Q

What are the two properties of a Black Body?

A

1) Ideal Emitter

2) Diffuse Emitter

70
Q

What is a Diffuse Emitter able to do?

A

Emit radiation at the same intensity in all directions (isotropic properties)

71
Q

What is an Ideal Emitter able to do?

A

Emit as much/more thermal radiative energy as any other body at the same temperature, at every frequency.

72
Q

3 ways heat is transported:

A

1) Radiation - no mass exchange, no medium needed
2) Conduction - no mass exchange, medium needed
3) Convection - mass exchange

Climate Systems (3 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions