longer ones

Question 1

Identify the seven precipitation regimes and the characteristics of each. Focus attention on the characteristics associated with a Midlatitude deserts and steppe precipitation regime.

Answer 1

Wet equatorial belt, Trade-wind coasts, Tropical deserts, *Midlatitude deserts and steppes, Moist subtropical regions, Midlatitude west coasts, Arctic and polar deserts

(between 30-60 degrees rain from 4 inches to 20 in. with westerly winds on the lee side of coastal mts.

Question 2

where evaporation exceeds precipitation by a wide margin
Few perennial streams
Sparse vegetation - grasses, shrubs

Answer 2

Dry climate

Question 3

where soil remains moist all year
Mostly perennial streams
Supports forest, or tall grasses

Identity the general timeframe of the “Little Ice Age” (a cooling of climate) that affected much of the Northern Hemisphere.

Answer 3

Moist climate

Question 4

Identify three examples of proxy data that can be used to reconstruct temperatures (and thus climate) from the past.

Answer 4

Info preserved over long time - can reconstruct past temps
Tree rings from stressed trees
Growth rings of coral (chemical composition)
Ice Cores (trapped air)

Question 5

Identify the characteristics associated with a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation.

Answer 5

Strong jet stream
Cold air restricted to northernmost regions
NW Europe wet

Question 6

Identify the most important negative and positive feedback mechanisms, respectively, in the Earth climate system.

Answer 6

Water Vapor-Temperature Feedback
Most important positive feedback in climate
Increased temp leads to increased evaporation
Which leads to increased greenhouse effect
Which leads to increased temp, and so on…