FInal exam prep Flashcards
What is Meteorology?
the scientific study of weather. short term atmospheric weather events
What is Climatology?
the scientific study of the behaviour of the atmosphere over longer time scales (usually 30years)
- frequency of events
-climate extremes
know the terms Normal, Extremes, and frequency
Normal - Average over time
Extremes - Max. Min
Frequency - how often an event occurs
What are the scales of climate (MLMSP)
Micro scale < Local scale < Meso scale < synoptic scale < Planetary scale
- scales are for geographic range and temporal range.
what are the 3 sources of energy that power the earths systems
Solar, gravitational, and radioactive(earths internal heat) Energy
Define the Lithosphere
the soft outer shell of the earth (crust and upper mantle)
the difference between Oceanic and continental crust
Oceanic crust is more dense than Continental crust
Where is water stored in the Hydrosphere? and what is the relative size of the storages?
Ocean > Cryosphere > groundwater > Lakes > Atmosphere > rivers and streams
Types of permafrost
Continuous permafrost stays year round, Discontinuous permafrost covers 50 - 90% of the surface area depending on temperature
how does snow become glacial ice
Snow flake –> Fern –> Glacial ice
What keeps the atmosphere in place
buoyancy forces keep it up, Gravity keeps it down.
what causes atmospheric Circulation
pressure and temperature differences in the atmosphere. 2nd law of thermodynamics, areas of high energy and density flow into areas of low energy and density
what did the early atmosphere look like?
mostly H2 and He.
what allowed for the creation of our modern atmosophere
Outgassing and photosynthetic plant life.
build up of oxygen led to 03 forming that reflects UV light
What are the three different categories of atmospheric molecules and give two examples of each one
Constant gases(1), Variable Gases(2), Aerosols(3)
1. Nitrogen, Oxygen, argon
2. CO2, water vapour, CH4, CFC’s, O3, Nitrous Oxide
3. ice crystals, soot, salt, clouds, fog droplets.
what drives glacial and interglacial periods
Milankovich cycles
what is the vertical structure of the atmosphere
Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
Facts about the troposphere
- thinnest layer
- most dense layer
- where weather occurs
Temperature and pressure sure decreases with height
Facts about the Stratosphere
What is the main source of energy in the climate system
The sun
where does solar energy come from
Solar fusion within the suns core
Why and how does atmospheric energy travel around the Globe
differential heating (wpoles vs equator )
what are the different atmospheric cells in order from equator to the poles
Equator - Hadley cell - ferrel cell - polar cell - pole
what is the difference between kinetic and potential energy
Kinetic energy is energy in motion
potential energy is stored energy.
What is Electromagnetic Radiation
it has wave and particle like properties
can travel through a vacuum
all travels at the same speed
what is the Difference between temperature and Heat
- temperature is the measure of the average speed of atoms and molecules making up that substrate.
- Heat, energy in the process of being transferred from a substrate with higher temperature to lower temperature (sensible heat)
what are the three forms of heat transfer
Convection, conduction, Radiation
what does the Stefan - Boltzman law calculate?
the amount of energy emitted by a blackbody
What two variables do Weins law Relate?
Relates Temperature to wavelength
What is conduction?
Movement of heat across adjacent/touching molecules, no movement
What is Convection?
Movement of heat through mixing of fluid or moving mass
What is Qh
Sensible heat, heat felt in the transfer of energy from one place to another
What is Qe
Latent heat , Heat used and stored in the phase change of water
what is Qg
ground heat, Heat stored in the ground based on the thermal conductivity of the soil
what does K* represent?
the net incoming and outgoing shortwave radiation
what are three ways incoming solar radiation interacts with the atmosphere
Transmission, absoption, scattering
Define Albedo
the reflectiveness of a surface value between 0-1
what is Q*
Surface Net radiation
- the difference between incoming solar radiation absorbed at a particular point at the earths surface
