Exam 2 Flashcards
El Niño
Warm ocean current come down to North to replace cold ocean current; Bad due to no fish = no birds = no fertilizer = no wind = no rain
Most energy reradiate by Earth in this wave. Wavelengths range from 5.0 to 30 microns.
Longwave Energy
Used in South America
Vertical Climate Zones
Desert Climate (Bw)
Receives <250 mm/yr of rain.
Tierra Fria
(6000-10000ft) Cooler: potatoes, cereals, and vegetables.
Winters cold, summers very warm. Precipitation year-round, but harvest in summer. Winter precipitation is mostly snow.
Humid Continental (Dfa)
June 20 or 21 where the sun is directly overhead at noon.
Summer Solstice
On the western margins of continents. Precipitation is seasonal and caused by northward and southward movement of the subtropical high pressure zones.
Mediterranean (Cs)
Tropic of Capricorn
23.5º South Latitude
Warm Front
Warm air slides on top of cold air causing warm air to lose pressure and forming clouds. (Causes days of precipitation).
Vertical Climate Zones
Used in South America
Humid Tropical (Af)
Lie mostly withing 20º N and S of the equator. Rainy ITCZ, around 1600 mm/yr.
Plates that were separated from a very early supercontinent that moved around the continents that we know today.
Tectonic Plates
Longwave Energy
Most energy reradiate by Earth in this wave. Wavelengths range from 5.0 to 30 microns.
Tierra Helada
(Above 14000ft) Above the snow line: ice caps.
Mid Latitude Warm (C)
Variation season influences temperature. In Winter, life becomes restricted to organisms that can tolerate freezing conditions. Annual precipitation and evapotranspiration are generally less than mid-latitude climates. Influenced by the polar font.
Has enough moisture to support such vegetation and typically lies in transitional areas between desert and more humid regions.
Semiarid Climate (BS)
Orographic Precipitation
Wind forces air up and over mountains.
Most energy arriving front the Sun is shortwave. Wavelengths range from 0.2 to 5.0 microns.
Shortwave Energy (Insolation)
The angle at which solar radiation strikes a particular place at any point in time.
Angle of Incidence
Variation season influences temperature. In Winter, life becomes restricted to organisms that can tolerate freezing conditions. Annual precipitation and evapotranspiration are generally less than mid-latitude climates. Influenced by the polar font.
Mid Latitude Warm (C)
23.5º North Latitude
Tropic of Cancer
Summer temps are warm because long days and high solar angles cause more radiation in a day than tropical locations receive.
Mid Latitude Cold (D)
Wind forces air up and over mountains.
Orographic Precipitation
Moderated by ocean temperatures. Typical summer temps are 60-77ºF. Stay green all year. Cyclones occur in the winter.
Marine West Coast (Cfb)
Mediterranean (Cs)
On the western margins of continents. Precipitation is seasonal and caused by northward and southward movement of the subtropical high pressure zones.
Tropic of Cancer
23.5º North Latitude
Glaciers
Mountains of moving ice.
Distinct wet and dry season, wet season caused by the ITCZ.
Seasonal Humid Tropical (Aw)
Formed by heat and pressure. Metals & gemstones Shale -> Slate Limestone -> Marble Coal -> Diamond Sandstone -> Quartzite
Metamorphic Rocks
Change in direction of object’s path due to Earth’s rotation.
Coriolis Effect
Winds exceeding 119 km/h in the Northwestern Pacific
Typhoons
Outwash Plain
The downward slopping plane from a moving glacier. In front of the moraine
January - moves south toward tropic of capricorn mainly over land July - moves north towards the tropic of cancer over land
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
Summer Solstice
June 20 or 21 where the sun is directly overhead at noon.
The blockage of outgoing long wave energy causes Earth;s atmosphere to heat.
Greenhouse Effect
Warm air slides on top of cold air causing warm air to lose pressure and forming clouds. (Causes days of precipitation).
Warm Front
Cold Front Map Symbol
Blue lines with triangles
.
Extreme form of weather created when energy conditions in the atmosphere are such, that extremely intense convection occurs.
Tornadoes
(10000-14000ft) Above the tree line: grazing.
Puna
Autumnal Equinox
September 22 or 23. The perpendicular rays of the sun strike the equator, and the sun is directly overhead at the equator.
Typhoons
Winds exceeding 119 km/h in the Northwestern Pacific
General Circulation
Winter Solstice
December 21 or 22 at noon where the sun is directly overhead of places along the Tropic of Capricorn.
Volcanoes
Surface vent where lava emerges; Magma: inside (molten rock); Lava: once it has emerged from inside
Puna
(10000-14000ft) Above the tree line: grazing.
Over 3 km thick cover vast areas of Greenland and Antarctica.
Continental Glaciers
Humid Continental (Dfa)
Winters cold, summers very warm. Precipitation year-round, but harvest in summer. Winter precipitation is mostly snow.
U-shaped Valleys
Alpine glacier flows through a V-shape valley and it scours away from the rocks and rebounds the bottom. When the ice melts, the U-shaped valley remain, surrounding the knife-edge ridges.
Lie mostly withing 20º N and S of the equator. Rainy ITCZ, around 1600 mm/yr.
Humid Tropical (Af)
Centers of low pressure that develop along the polar front.
Cyclones
Condensation
Conversion from vapor to liquid state.
(3000ft-6000ft) More temperate zone: coffee, citrus fruits, field crops.
Tierra Templada
Warm Front Map Symbol
A red line with half circles on one side.
Southeast US, Northeast South America. Occurs in latitudes between 25º to 40º on E side of continentals and between 35º and 50º on the W sides. Warm most of the year but get freezing conditions in summer.
Humid Subtropical (Cfa)
Frontal Precipitation
Forms along a front, which is a boundary between two air masses. An air mass is a large region of air with relatively uniform characteristics of temperature and humidity.
Igneous Rocks
“Hard” because it resists erosion, creating uplands. Metals, Gemstones, and Granite
A ridge formed by the leftover rocks and deposits from a moving glacial lobe.
Moraine
Breaking down boulders to rocks to pebbles to sand to silt.
Weathering
Continental Glaciers
Over 3 km thick cover vast areas of Greenland and Antarctica.
Angle of Incidence
The angle at which solar radiation strikes a particular place at any point in time.
Tectonic Plates
Plates that were separated from a very early supercontinent that moved around the continents that we know today.
March 20 or 21 at noon on the Northern Hemisphere. The perpendicular rays of the sun strike the equator, and the sun is directly overhead at the equator.
Vernal Equinox
Cold Front
When cold air mass advances against a warmer one. As the cold, denser air advances, it wedges beneath the warm air, forcing it to rise.
Vernal Equinox
March 20 or 21 at noon on the Northern Hemisphere. The perpendicular rays of the sun strike the equator, and the sun is directly overhead at the equator.
Normal Faults
Stressed cracks from plate activity.
Marine West Coast (Cfb)
Moderated by ocean temperatures. Typical summer temps are 60-77ºF. Stay green all year. Cyclones occur in the winter.
September 22 or 23. The perpendicular rays of the sun strike the equator, and the sun is directly overhead at the equator.
Autumnal Equinox
Conversion from vapor to liquid state.
Condensation
Receives <250 mm/yr of rain.
Desert Climate (Bw)
“Softer” so it erodes more easily (layered), creating mostly lowlands. Fossil Fuels, Limestones, Sandstones, Shale, Coal.
Sedimentary Rocks
General Circulation
Dry Climate (B)
Generally located in bands immediately to the N and S of the low-latitude humid climates.
The difference in pressure between two places.
Pressure Gradient
Stressed cracks from plate activity.
Normal Faults
Movement in any fluid, caused when part of the fluid is heated. The heated portion expands and becomes less dense, and rises up through the cooler portion. Causes dispersion of heat by air currents.
Convection
Tornadoes
Extreme form of weather created when energy conditions in the atmosphere are such, that extremely intense convection occurs.
A red line with half circles on one side.
Warm Front Map Symbol
The force put on a given area by the weight of the air above it.
Air Pressure
Tells us how wet air is. Actual water content of the air, expressed as a percentage of how much water the air could hold at a given temperature.
Relative Humidity
Alpine Glaciers
Accumulated mountains of snow that hasn’t melted in years. Like on the peak of mountains
Metamorphic Rocks
Formed by heat and pressure. Metals & gemstones Shale -> Slate Limestone -> Marble Coal -> Diamond Sandstone -> Quartzite
Horizontal movements transfer of air. Heat advects from tropical areas toward the poles when warm winds blow poleward. Another form is ocean currents that move toward the polar regions.
Advection
Accumulated mountains of snow that hasn’t melted in years. Like on the peak of mountains
Alpine Glaciers
Convection
Movement in any fluid, caused when part of the fluid is heated. The heated portion expands and becomes less dense, and rises up through the cooler portion. Causes dispersion of heat by air currents.
Pattern of weather in the same area over many years.
Climate
Gathers strength by drawing in warm, humid air and converting the latent heat it contains into sensible heat, which drives the motion of the storm. More water vapor more latent heat.
Hurricanes
Blue lines with triangles
.
Cold Front Map Symbol
Continental plates that haven’t been touched.
Shields
La Niña
Colder than normal ocean current in the equator.
Cyclones
Centers of low pressure that develop along the polar front.
(6000-10000ft) Cooler: potatoes, cereals, and vegetables.
Tierra Fria
Sedimentary Rocks
“Softer” so it erodes more easily (layered), creating mostly lowlands. Fossil Fuels, Limestones, Sandstones, Shale, Coal.
Surface vent where lava emerges; Magma: inside (molten rock); Lava: once it has emerged from inside
Volcanoes
Precipitation induced when warm, moist air is heated at the ground surface, rises, cools, and condenses to form water droplets, raindrops, and eventually rainfall.
Convection Precipitation
(0-3000ft) Hot zone of tropical characteristics: bananas, rice, and sugar cane.
Tierra Caliente
Coriolis Effect
Change in direction of object’s path due to Earth’s rotation.
Pressure Gradient
The difference in pressure between two places.
Humid Subtropical (Cfa)
Southeast US, Northeast South America. Occurs in latitudes between 25º to 40º on E side of continentals and between 35º and 50º on the W sides. Warm most of the year but get freezing conditions in summer.
Greater at sea level than a mile high (Denver).
Average Atmospheric Pressure (mbs)
Where every months mean >65ºF.
Tropical Climate (A)
The downward slopping plane from a moving glacier. In front of the moraine
Outwash Plain
Average Atmospheric Pressure (mbs)
Greater at sea level than a mile high (Denver).
Moraine
A ridge formed by the leftover rocks and deposits from a moving glacial lobe.
Mountains of moving ice.
Glaciers
Alpine glacier flows through a V-shape valley and it scours away from the rocks and rebounds the bottom. When the ice melts, the U-shaped valley remain, surrounding the knife-edge ridges.
U-shaped Valleys
Advection
Horizontal movements transfer of air. Heat advects from tropical areas toward the poles when warm winds blow poleward. Another form is ocean currents that move toward the polar regions.
Semiarid Climate (BS)
Has enough moisture to support such vegetation and typically lies in transitional areas between desert and more humid regions.
December 21 or 22 at noon where the sun is directly overhead of places along the Tropic of Capricorn.
Winter Solstice
Seasonal Humid Tropical (Aw)
Distinct wet and dry season, wet season caused by the ITCZ.
Colder than normal ocean current in the equator.
La Niña
When cold air mass advances against a warmer one. As the cold, denser air advances, it wedges beneath the warm air, forcing it to rise.
Cold Front
Forms along a front, which is a boundary between two air masses. An air mass is a large region of air with relatively uniform characteristics of temperature and humidity.
Frontal Precipitation
Global Atmospheric Circulation
3 types - hadley, ferril, polar Responsible for subtropical deserts. Redistribute energy (Hadley is the most important)
Relative Humidity
Tells us how wet air is. Actual water content of the air, expressed as a percentage of how much water the air could hold at a given temperature.
Study of landforms and the processes that create them.
Geomorphology
Radiant energy emitted by the sun, particularly electro magnetic.
Solar Radiation
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
January - moves south toward tropic of capricorn mainly over land July - moves north towards the tropic of cancer over land
3 types - hadley, ferril, polar Responsible for subtropical deserts. Redistribute energy (Hadley is the most important)
Global Atmospheric Circulation
Climate
Pattern of weather in the same area over many years.
Tierra Templada
(3000ft-6000ft) More temperate zone: coffee, citrus fruits, field crops.
(Above 14000ft) Above the snow line: ice caps.
Tierra Helada
Shields
Continental plates that haven’t been touched.
Tropical Climate (A)
Where every months mean >65ºF.
Generally located in bands immediately to the N and S of the low-latitude humid climates.
Dry Climate (B)
23.5º South Latitude
Tropic of Capricorn
Shortwave Energy (Insolation)
Most energy arriving front the Sun is shortwave. Wavelengths range from 0.2 to 5.0 microns.
Geomorphology
Study of landforms and the processes that create them.
Tierra Caliente
(0-3000ft) Hot zone of tropical characteristics: bananas, rice, and sugar cane.
Solar Radiation
Radiant energy emitted by the sun, particularly electro magnetic.
“Hard” because it resists erosion, creating uplands. Metals, Gemstones, and Granite
Igneous Rocks
Warm ocean current come down to North to replace cold ocean current; Bad due to no fish = no birds = no fertilizer = no wind = no rain
El Niño
Hurricanes
Gathers strength by drawing in warm, humid air and converting the latent heat it contains into sensible heat, which drives the motion of the storm. More water vapor more latent heat.
Greenhouse Effect
The blockage of outgoing long wave energy causes Earth;s atmosphere to heat.
Weathering
Breaking down boulders to rocks to pebbles to sand to silt.
Convection Precipitation
Precipitation induced when warm, moist air is heated at the ground surface, rises, cools, and condenses to form water droplets, raindrops, and eventually rainfall.
Air Pressure
The force put on a given area by the weight of the air above it.
Mid Latitude Cold (D)
Summer temps are warm because long days and high solar angles cause more radiation in a day than tropical locations receive.
