GEOG220 Flashcards
How is pressure measured?
From above mean sea level
What direction does air circulate around low and high pressure systems?
Air flows clockwise around low pressure, anti-clockwise around high pressure.
Earth Circumference
40,000km
Earth Diameter
12,740km
Earth Surface Area
510 million km cubed, 70% ocean
Why does the difference between the Earth’s circumference and diameter matter in regards to rotation?
Because the earth rotates and completes a rotation every 24 hours, the equator has much further to travel than higher latitudes.
This creates a rotation speed gradient.
What forms the Coriolis Effect?
Objects at lower latitudes are moving at a greater velocity than objects at higher latitudes, due to the rotation speed gradient. Large-scale horizontal motion results in ‘apparent deflection’ of movement. This gradient creates the Coriolis effect, the deflection of horizontal movement.
Coriolis Effect
Deflection of horizontal movement. Causes air to circulate around high and low pressure systems, storm systems to spin, and different weather patterns and climate across latitudes.
Atmospheric Water (%)
0.001%
Why is atmospheric water important?
Responsible for energy transport (latent heat during phase transition), high heat storage, and is an extreme greenhouse gas - warming the earth.
What forms seasons?
The Earth is rotating on a tilted axis of 23.5* around the sun, meaning incoming solar radiation is targeted towards on hemisphere. When the rotation is perpendicular, neither hemisphere pointed towards or away, the Earth is in equinox to give spring/autumn. This gives us seasons.
True or False, distance from the sun influences seasons?
False, distance has no influence on seasonality.
What causes the tropics to be warmer?
The curvature of the Earth results in the uneven distribution of incoming radiation, with higher concentration at the equator. Tropics receive more direct radiation, giving warm tropics and cold poles.
Solar Zenith Angle
Angle of incoming radiation relative to the vertical. Near zero for direction radiation, near 90* for no radiation. This is why the tropics are warm and the poles are cold.
High Zenith Angle
= low net short-wave radiation = cooler climate
Energy
The ability or capacity to do work on matter.
Heat
Energy being transferred from one object to another because of temperature difference.
Celsius Scale
Based on freezing and boiling of pure water
Specific Heat
Heat energy needed to raise one gram of a substance one *C
Latent Heat
Heat energy required to change the state
Evaporation and Melt
Take in heat and cool surrounding environment
Condensation and freezing
Release heat and warm surrounding environment
Conduction
transfer of heat within a substance (solid).
Convection
transfer of heat by mass movement of a fluid (liquids and gases are able to move freely and form currents). Driven by differences in temperature.