EXAM 2 Flashcards
what is meridianal transport of energy?
energy carried poleward by ocean and atmospheric systems
what country has had the most tropical cyclones since 1970?
China
what can the diameter of a hurricane be?
between 100 to 300 mi
what is radiation fog? where do they occur?
- at night when air layer above ground falls below the dew point
- often occurs in low lying areas
what is advection fog? where does it occur?
- when warm, moist, air mass moves over a cold surface. air cools and dew point is reached
- often occurs along coastal areas
what are stratiform (stratus) clouds?
horizontal development. blanket-like.
what are cirriform (cirrus) clouds?
very high-altitude clouds (ice crystal)
what are cumuliform (cumulus) clouds?
vertical development
what is the rossby wave?
undulations in the jet stream
what percent of the earth is surface water?
70%
what percent of the earth’s ocean water salt water?
97.2%
what percent of the earth’s water is fresh?
2.8%
approx. __% freshwater is in glaciers and ice sheets
70%
when the sun is high, it is ___
wet
when the sun is low, it is ___
dry
what kind of cells are dry tropical climates dominated by?
high
who was the first to propose that evidence of much colder temperatures in the past-prehistoric ice ages?
Louis Agassig
for the most recent ice age, what was the interval known as?
Pleistocene Epoch
what are the characteristics of weather at the equator?
wet, warm, convective precipitation, year long rainy season
what is the name of the intense wind aloft in troposphere?
jet stream
do oceans have a significant impact on climate?
yes!
what is the Hadley Cell?
a pattern of atmospheric circulation where warm air rises near the equator, cools as it travels poleward, sinks, and repeats
what kind of pressure system is the Hadley Cell?
low-pressure
what are trade winds?
winds in the tropics that blow toward the equator
what are monsoons?
seasonal wind patterns
what monsoon season occurs during high sun?
wet
what monsoon season occurs during low sun?
dry
how does the jet stream impact air traffic?
main cause of turbulence
can cause planes to travel faster or slower
what is El Nino?
a warming of the ocean surface
what are the effects of El Nino?
wetter conditions in the Southern US, warmer and drier conditions in the north
what is La Nina?
a cooling of the ocean surface
what are the effects of La Nina?
hot and dry in the southern US, rainy with potential for flooding in the north
how long is the cycle between El Nino and La Nina?
change every 2-7 years
are we currently in a period of El Nino or La Nina?
currently in year three of La Nina
what is Pacific Decadal Oscillations?
- 20-30 year cycle of warm and cool phases in the ocean
- has a significant impact on climate
what system is used to classify hurricanes?
Saffir-Simpson
at what point is a tropical storm upgraded to a hurricane?
when winds reach above 74 mph
what are other names for hurricanes?
typhoons and cyclones
what state has had the most hurricanes?
Florida
what percentage of the population in the US uses groundwater as the main source of drinking water?
44%
what is relative humidity?
percent of water vapor relative to the maximum capacity
what is specific humidity?
specific measurement of the amount of water vapor in the air
how is specific humidity measured?
g/Kg
what is the adiabatic lapse rate?
5.5ºF per 1000ft
what is the wet adiabatic lapse rate?
2.2-4.9ºF per 1000ft
what does the wet adiabatic lapse rate depend on?
the intensity of precipitation
what is the environmental lapse rate?
3.5ºF per 1000ft
what state has the most hail damage recorded?
Texas
what is orographic precipitation?
precipitation caused by the lifting of moist air over a mountain barrier
what is convective precipitation?
water vapor in the air condenses into clouds and causes rain (afternoon showers)
what is frontal/cyclonic precipitation?
caused by a warm/cold front moving into an area
what type of fog is most common here?
radiation fog
what are the three types of clouds?
stratus, cumulus, and cirrus
what are the variations on cloud types?
alto (high/medium height) and nimbus (rain-bearing)
what scale is used to measure the intensity or tornadoes?
Enhanced Fujita scale
what scientist developed the current system of climate classification?
Vladimir Koppen in 1918
what are some characteristics of wet tropical climates?
warm, precipitation all year, lungs of the earth
what are some characteristics of wet dry tropics?
wet during high sun, dry during low sun
what are some characteristics of dry tropics?
major deserts of the world, dominated by high pressure systems, stable air
what are some characteristics of dry subtropical?
poleward extension of dry tropics, greater annual temperature range
what are characteristics of humid subtropics?
rain throughout the year, south east portion of the country
what are characteristics of Mediterranean climate?
summer drought, areas bordering Mediterranean sea, central/southern California, wet winter dry summer
what are characteristics of marine west coast climate?
long, wet winter with storms, along the west coast
what are characteristics of dry midlatitudes?
great plains/basin, grasslands
what are characteristics of moist continental climate?
mixed farming, warm/hot summers, 20-45 inches of rainfall
what climate is Ohio in?
moist continental climate
what are characteristics of boreal forest?
taiga vegetation, long and cool winters, relatively cool summers
what are characteristics of tundra climate?
cold all year, permafrost soil
what are characteristics of ice sheet climate?
extreme cold
who was the first scientist to discover past glaciation?
Louis Agassiz in 1837
when did the most recent ice age begin? when did it end?
began 2.6 million years ago
ended 12,000 years ago
what epoch are we in?
Pleistocene Epoch
what are the key developments in dating in the 1950’s?
radio-carbon dating and Oxygen Isotope Analysis
what is radio-carbon dating?
measuring decay of radioactive elements
what is Oxygen Isotope Analysis?
the type of oxygen isotopes in seawater can be related to temperature
what are some causes for climate change?
astronomical variations, oceanic circulation, distribution of land mass, asteroids, changes in the atmosphere
what are Milankovitch’s three cycles?
eccentricity, obliquity/tilt, and precession
what is eccentricity?
longest cycle, modification of the Earth’s orbit around the sun, shift from elliptical to oval
what is obliquity?
the tilt of the earth’s axis
what does it mean when there is more tilt?
there are a greater variation in the mid-high latitudes
what does it mean when there is less tilt?
cooler summers poleward, more ice
what is precession?
wobbling of earth’s axis during orbit, effects the orientation
what is precession?
wobbling of earth’s axis during orbit, effects the orientation
