LACEMOPS Flashcards
What does LACEMOPS stand for?
Latitude
Air Masses
Continentiality
Elevation
Mountain Ranges
Ocean Currents
Pressure and Prevailing Winds
Storm Tracks
What do LACEMOPS effect?
Climate
What is latitude “do”?
Determines the intensity and duration of incoming solar radiation, or insolation. Intensity decreases with increasing latitude.
What do air masses “do”?
Takes on the temp and moisture characteristics of the surface over which they form. They transport these to other locations via surface winds and jet streams.
What are the four types of air masses?
Maritime Polar is cool and moist
Maritime Tropical is warm and wet
Continental Polar is cold and dry
Continental Tropical is hot and dry
What does continentiality mean?
Continental interiors have greater temperature extremes with season, especially with higher latitudes. They are generally sub humid to arid. Whereas proximity to large bodies of water moderates temperatures and may cause high humidity and precipitation.
What does elevation”do”?
Temperatures cool with increasing elevation regardless of latitude because the air is thinner at altitude and the immediate source of atmospheric heating is that earth’s land and water surfaces.
What do mountain ranges “do”?
Include temperature changes with elevation, but also the orographic effects of windward-side precipitation and leeward-side aridity. Mountains also block and funnel the movement of air masses
What is common with ocean currents?
In both hemispheres continental west coasts tend to have cool offshore currents because of coriolis. East coasts have warm offshore currents.
What are the exceptions for “common” in ocean currents?
The major exception is the North Atlantic Drift of the Gulf Stream, which moderates the temperatures of Western Europe, which would be much colder because of its high latitude. Where a very cold current is dominant at any latitude, arid conditions are found on shore because little atmospheric moisture is available.
What do Pressure and Prevailing Wind Currents “do”?
Global and local pressure systems cause the movement of the atmosphere via wind, which blows from areas of high pressure to low pressure centers. High pressure brings clear skies and no rain, whereas precipitation generally accompanies low atmospheric pressure.
What are storm tracks?
Includes midlatitude cyclones, also known as cold and warm frontal systems, and tropical cyclones or hurricanes. Both tend to follow similar paths because of prevailing global wind patterns
What do the specific Storms do?
Surface Westerly winds and the polar jet stream in the midlatitudes blow fronts from West to East. NE and SE Trade winds blow tropical systems eastward
