Exam 1 & 2 Flashcards
Climate
Distribution of a weather variable over a period of time
Troposphere
Layer of atmosphere in which our weather occurs
Lapse Rate
The rate of vertical temperature change within the atmosphere
Weather
Day to Day atomspheric conditions
Energy
The ability to do work
Insolation
The amount of energy received from the sun
Stefan-Boltzmann Law
Gives amount of radiation emitted by object of a certain temperature
Albedo
Fraction of radiation reflected by surface
Sun
Angle of the sun above the horizon
Isotherms
Connects equal temperatures on a map
Continental Climate
Characterized by large daily and annual temperatue swings
Transmitted
How energy from the sun interacts with the atmosphere
Closed
Pressure system in which isobars are connected
Coriolis
Force that causes wind to turn right in the N. hemisphere
Open
Energy and matter can flow in and out of this type of system
Zenith
Angle between directly overhead and the sun
Pressure Gradient
Force that results from a difference in pressure between two locations
Air Mass
Large body of air with relatively uniform characteristics
23 1/2
Angle that Earth is tilted
Latent
Form of heat released when water vapor condenses
New snow has an albedo as high as 0.95 meaning
It reflects 95% of shortwave radiation incident upon it
Climate is defined as
The distribution of any weather variable over 30 years usually
On June 21 in Brookings (44.3N) the zenith and sun angles are repsectively
20.8, 69.2
In the Northern Hemisphere, lows and highs rotate in the following manner, respectively
Clockwise, Counterclockwise
Two major factors influencing horizontal pressure variations are
Precipitation and Wind Differences
The type of atmospheric flow located near the ground is ____ and abobe the influence of the surface is _____
Turbulent & Laminar
The tropopause is the boundary between the ____ and the ______
Troposphere & Stratosphere
The atmospheric boundary layer is the part of the atmosphere affected directly by the ________
Earth’s Surface
We live in what cell of the 3 cell global circulation model
Ferrell
The Coriolis Force alwasy acts to the ____ in the Northern Hemisphere
Right
What are four weather measurements needed to calculate ET using th Penman Monteith Formula
Temperature
Wind
Humidity
Radiation
In the 3-cell model of global circulation, the trade winds occur in mid-latitudes
False
The 3-cell model of global circulation is highly idealized
True