Final Review Flashcards
wednesday 12/11
What is the greenhouse effect?
when the atmosphere allows shortwave radiation to pass through and absorbs longwave radiation, delaying heat transfer to space by trapping heat within Earth
–> named for similarity to a greenhouse
What is the “energy budget by latitude”?
there is more insolation/energy as the latitude approaches the equator; energy moves poleward
albedo
how reflective a surface is
high albedo=very reflective, repels sunlight
low albedo=not reflective, absorbs sunlight
Which landcover has the lowest and highest albedo?
dark surfaces like asphalt have the lowest albedo, and light surfaces like snow have the highest albedo
What effect on average annual air temperature and annual air temperature range is caused by increasing latitude?
places with higher latitudes have lower annual temperatures and larger temperature ranges
What are the two forces that cause winds to blow from areas of High to Low Pressure and then deflect to the right (in the Northern Hemisphere)?
pressure gradient force - air flows from high to low pressure
coriolis force - path of objects deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere
What can the Hadley cell explain?
why there is low pressure in the tropics, why there is high pressure in the subtropics, why major deserts are in the subtropics, and why major rainforests are near the equator
What type of air pressure is caused at the surface by rising or sinking of air?
(think of it like the air cycling, and the forces needed for that)
sinking causes high pressure because it’s going from low to high
rising causes low pressure because it’s going from high to low
What is the name for the summer storms that occur when the ITCZ brings low pressure to India?
monsoons
Which winds are the source of the surface ocean currents?
- global wind systems energized by the Sun, the Westerlies and Northeast/trade winds
–> coriolis has an effect but does not initiate
What two characteristics can make some ocean water more dense than other ocean water?
temperature and salinity/salt concentration
What rate does unsaturated rising air cool at? What rate does saturated rising air cool at?
unsaturated air cools at the dry adiabatic rate (DAR), about 10°C/1000m
saturated air cools at the moist adiabatic rate (MAR), about 6°C/1000m
What rate does sinking air warm at?
10°C/1000m
What type of lifting is caused by air flowing over mountains?
orographic lifting, when an air mass is forcibly lifted upslope, cooling the air adiabatically
What type of lifting is caused by the Earth’s surface warming?
convectional lifting, when an air mass gains continentality, the air heats by convection over the warmer land surface
What type of lifting is caused by the collision of air masses?
frontal lifting, when an air mass is displaced upward along the leading edges of the contrasting air mass; hot or cold
For a cP or an MT air mass, what does the “c” or “m” indicate? What of those air masses would be more dense?
the “c” indicates a continental, dry air mass
the “m” indicates a maritime, wet air mass
the dry air is heavier because it lacks the lighter water vapor molecules
What is the relative humidity of saturated air?
100%
What is lithification and what two things does it require?
taking sand and loose particles and turning them into solid rock
- pressure
- cement (calcite), which is found inside the unions of individual grains and fills in the gaps
Granite is an intrusive rock, which means what about its crystals?
its grains cooled slowly, giving the minerals more time to group and presenting visible crystals
What type of rock is basalt?
extrusive igneous
What type of rock is limestone?
chemical sedimentary
Orogenesis, the creation of mountains, occurs most at which type of plate boundary?
convergent, when the plates are colliding up and together
What type of plate boundary forms the Andes?
convergent plate boundary
