Geology Flashcards
1
Q
Capillarity waves (ripples)
A
gravity waves
2
Q
crest
A
the highest part of a wave.
3
Q
trough
A
lowest part of a wave
4
Q
wavelength
A
the distance between successive crests
5
Q
wave height
A
the vertical distance from the crest to the
trough.
6
Q
still water level
A
halfway between crest and trough
7
Q
wave period
A
the time it takes for a wave to move a distance
of one wavelength.
8
Q
wave frequency
A
is the number of waves passing a fixed point
per second.
9
Q
frequency=
A
Frequency (f) =
1/
period (T)
10
Q
water on a wave surface moves in______
A
circular orbital motion
11
Q
Wave energy increases
rapidly with the ____ of the
wave _____.
A
square; height
12
Q
How tall a wave becomes depends on:
A
1) The speed of wind
2) The duration of time the wind blows
3) The fetch
4) The consistency of wind direction
13
Q
Fetch
A
the distance over which wind blows without
interruption.
14
Q
interference
A
overlapping of waves.
15
Q
Constructive interference
A
in phase → higher waves.
16
Q
Destructive interference
A
out of phase → smaller waves.
17
Q
Swell
A
combination of constructive and destructive
interference of multiple sets of waves
18
Q
As a wave begins to feel bottom near a shoreline, its wave
height _____and wavelength _____.
A
increases; decreases
19
Q
Breaker
A
the collapse of a steepened wave as it approaches
the shoreline.
20
Q
Surf Zone
A
zone of breaking waves
21
Q
Refraction
A
the bending of wave (light or sound) as it passes
from one medium to another
22
Q
Wave Refraction
A
the bending of a wave due to slowing when
the wave enters shallow water
23
Q
Seiche
A
is an oscillating wave that sloshes back and forth
within an enclosed body of waters such as a sea, bay, lake, or
swimming pool
24
Q
Tsunami
A
or seismic sea wave, is produced by a sudden
movement of the sea floor
25
Tsunami is a _____wave everywhere in the ocean.
shallow-water
26
______generate more tsunami than any other
| source
Subduction zones
27
Land-caused Tsunami Flank collapse
the whole side of an oceanic volcano breaks
| off and falls into the sea.
28
Most tsunami are generated in the ____ Ocean basin.
Pacific
29
Tsunami Warning System
1) sea surface buoys;
2) ocean bottom pressure
sensors
30
Weather
is the condition of the
atmosphere at any particular
time and place.
31
Meterology
is the study of the
atmosphere and its
phenomena.
32
Climate
the average
weather condition over a
long period of time.
33
Climatology
```
is the study of
the varieties of climates,
both past and present, and
their distribution over the
Earth’s surface
```
34
Insolation
is an acronym for incoming solar radiation.
35
Insolation is measured in
units of watts per square meter
36
Isolation depends on
the angle of the sun above the horizon
| and the length of time of exposure to the rays.
37
Electromagnetic spectrum
UV + visible + IR
38
Visible light (visible region)
violet is the shortest (0.4 μm),
| red is the longest (0.7 μm) wavelength
39
UV
waves are shorter than violet.
40
Infrared
waves are longer than red
41
short-wave radiation
Visible light, ultraviolet rays, X rays, and gamma rays are
| called
42
Shortwave solar radiation
clouds tops and
| scattered by clouds; a high percentage is returned to space.
43
Longwave infrared radiation emitted by
Earth is absorbed
and reradiated by clouds; some infrared energy is radiated to
space and some back toward the surface.
44
The earth’s radiative equilibrium temperature is
–18°C(0°F).
45
Reflection
When sunlight bounces off a surface at the same angle at
| which it strikes the surface, the light is reflected,
46
Albedo
```
is the percent of
radiation reflected by a
surface compared to the
amount of radiation
striking that surface.
```
47
Hydrologic cycle
movement of water between oceans, air,
| and land.
48
Water molecule is ____ – one side of water molecule has
an excessive negative charge; another side has an excessive
positive charge.
dipolar
49
hydrogen bonding
The bonding between water
| molecules
50
Hydrogen bonding creates the
surface tension
51
What is the universal solvent?
Water
52
Heat capacity
is the amount of heat needed to raise the
temperature of one gram (g) of a substance one degree
Celsius.
53
heat capacity of water is about __ times greater than rock
5
54
transfer of
| heat by molecular activity.
Conduction
55
Convection
is the VERTICAL transfer of heat by mass movement
| of a fluid.
56
Advection
is the horizontal transfer of any atmospheric
| property by the wind.
57
____is the amount of water vapor present in the air.
Humidity
58
The _____ is the ratio of the amount of water vapor
actually in the air compared to the maximum amount of water
vapor it can hold at that particular temp.
relative humidity
59
Air with a 100 percent relative humidity is _____.
saturated
60
___ (of air) is an atmospheric
condition whereby the level of water vapor
is the maximum possible at the existing
temp.
Saturation
61
_____is the temperature to which air
would have to be cooled (with no change in
moisture content) for saturation to occur.
Dew Point
62
___is a phase change from ice directly into vapor.
Sublimation
63
___is a phase change from ice directly into vapor.
Deposition
64
___from water into vapor.
Evaporation
65
___from vapor into water
Condensation
66
___from ice into water
Melting
67
___from water into ice
Freezing
68
___is the energy either released or absorbed when
| water changes a state.
Latent heat
69
When air in the parcel remains unsaturated the rate of
| cooling or warming remains constant and is called ____
dry
| adiabatic rate.
70
The rate at which the air temperature changes with elevation
| is called____
the environmental lapse rate.
71
When the rising or sinking air is saturated it cools or warms
at a lesser rate called ____
the moist adiabatic rate.
72
Unlike the dry adiabatic rate, the moist adiabatic rate is not
constant, but varies greatly with temperature and, hence, with
moisture content.
--
73
The altitude at which condensation starts is the
lifting
| condensation level
74
A system is one that changes direction
| seasonally.
monsoon wind; That seasonal reversal of winds is especially well
developed in eastern and southern Asia.
75
The ____, which lasts from about December
| through February, means ___season.
winter monsoon;dry
76
The ____, which lasts from about June through
| September, means ____season.
summer monsoon;rainy
77
Land and Water Contrasts
1) Water is transparent. 2) Water is moving
| 3) High heat capacity. 4) Latent heat of evaporation.
78
_______of water moderates temperature regime.
Thermostatic effect
79
____:moderating influence of the ocean.
Marine effect
80
____in the interior of a continent.
Continental effect
81
is the weight of air
| above a given level.
air pressure
82
Atmospheric pressure
_____with ____
altitude above the Earth's
surface.
decreases;increasing
83
___is air in horizontal motion.
Wind
84
The ___ is given as the direction from which it is
| blowing.
wind direction
85
The __ is the name given to the wind direction
| most often observed during a given time period.
prevailing wind
86
___is the rate of decrease of pressure per unit
| of horizontal distance (per mile or per kilometer).
Pressure Gradient
87
The Earth ___on its
axis once every day or
approximately once every
24 hours.
rotates
88
the ____
describes an apparent force due to the rotation
of the earth.
Coriolis effect
89
___are high pressure cells.
Anticyclones
90
___are low pressure cells
Cyclones
91
_____ is a system of
| large-scale atmospheric motions over the entire earth.
General circulation of the atmosphere
92
```
The underlying
cause of the
general
circulation is
the ____
```
unequal
heating of the
earth’s surface.
93
At latitudes near 30°, the convergence of air aloft produces
belts of high air pressure called ____, or horse
latitudes.
subtropical highs
94
___are high air-pressure cells situated over polar
| regions.
Polar highs
95
From the area of subtropical highs air moves toward the
| equator and forms ___
trade winds
96
Near the equator, the northeast trades converge with the
| southeast trades along a boundary called ___ or the doldrums.
```
the intertropical
convergence zone (ITCZ)
```
97
From the area of subtropical highs air moves toward the
| poles and deflects to the west, resulting in ___
westerlies
98
The cold air from the poles moves to the lower latitudes and
| forms the ___
polar easterlies
99
____semicircular air circulation generated by
ascending air at the equator and descending air around
30°N and S latitudes
Hadley cells
100
```
____ is a large body of air
whose properties of temperature
and moisture are fairly similar in
any horizontal direction at any
given altitude.
```
Air mass
101
regions where air masses originate.
Ideal source regions are
usually those areas dominated by surface high pressure.
source regions
102
__air masses form over land
Continental
103
___air masses form over water
Maritime
104
the transition zone between two air masses of
| different densities.
Front
105
zone where warm air is replacing cold air.
The average speed of a warm front is about a half of an
average cold front.
Warm front
106
zone where cold air is replacing warm air. The leading edge of cold front is steep.
COLD FRONT
107
is a narrow, fast-moving, easterly-flowing air
| mass.
jet stream
108
masses of ocean water that flow from one
| place to another.
ocean currents
109
near surface and are wind driven.
Surface currents
110
move
from warmer waters to
colder waters.
warm currents
111
move from colder waters to warmer waters
cold currents
112
___ differences creates deep currents.
density
113
overturning circulation of deep
| current.
thermohaline circulation
114
suffering from cold. Starts when body
| temperature is less than 35° C (95° F)
Hypothermia
115
characterized by
low temperatures and strong
winds (greater than 30 knots)
with heavy snow.
Blizzard
116
localized snowstorms that form on the
downwind side of a lake, such storms are common in late fall
and early winter near the Great Lakes as cold, dry air picks
up moisture and warmth from the unfrozen surface of lakes.
lake effect snow
117
is a
storm containing
lightning and thunder.
thunderstorm
118
intense discharge of electricity
lightning
119
```
the sound
due to rapidly
expanding gases
along the channel of
a lightning
discharge.
```
thunder
120
A thunderstorm
| begins to grow up when ___ rises in a conditionally unstable environment.
warm, humid air
121
1st stage of thunderstorm: Cumulus, or growth stage.
As a parcel of humid air rises, it
cools and condenses into a cumulus
cloud.
122
2nd stage of thunderstorm: mature thunderstorm
The appearance of the
| downdraft
123
```
The ____
occurs when the updrafts
weaken. Light rain falls from
the cloud, accompanied by
weak downdrafts.
```
dissipating stage
124
is a severe downdraft of wind from a
| thundercloud
Microburst
125
Damage from thunderstorm is caused by:
(1) heavy rains and flash floods;(2) hail;
(3) lightning;
(4) high-speed winds
126
are pieces of ice, either transparent or partially
opaque, ranging in size from that of small peas to that of golf
balls, or larger.
Hailstones
127
Requirements for
| hail to form:
thunderstorm,
upper-level cold air,
strong updrafts
128
a widespread, powerful wind storm with
| straight-line winds.
Derecho
129
```
a rapidly rotating
column of air that blows
around a small area of intense
low pressure with a circulation
that reaches the ground.
```
tornado
130
conditions for thunderstorm to turn into tornado
(a) a low-altitude, northerly
flow of moist tropical air
from the Gulf of Mexico;
(b) a cold, dry air mass
moving down from Canada
or out of the Rocky
Mountains at > 50 mph;
(c) westerly jet-stream
winds at > 150 mph;
131
Facors of destructive actions of tornadoes
a) High-wind speeds;
(b) Winds rushing up the funnel;
(c) An explosive situation because of the very low pressure
inside a tornado funnel and the higher pressures outside it;
132
scale to measure tornadoes
Fujita Intensity Scale
133
a rotating column of air
| over a large body of water.
waterspouts smaller and less
| intense than tornadoes
134
in death toll from lightning in the USA.
steady decline
135
___results in the highest average annual death toll of all
| types of severe weather in the United States
Heat
136
___is the increased air temperatures in urban
| areas as contrasted to the cooler surrounding rural areas.
Urban heat island
137
The lines of equal air temperature delineate a___
heat island
