Mid term 2

Question 1

Whats Air pressure

Answer 1

Weight of the atmosphere(Motion, size, and number of molecules in the air) Heating of the air lowers the pressure of the air

Question 2

What does Pressure Do ?

Answer 2

ITS responsible for the initial movement of air and The closer spacing of isobars, the higher pressure gradiant= the stronger wind

Question 3

Whats the Coriolis effect

Answer 3

Since the earth rotates The wind/ Air masses deflect to the right in the northern hemisphere, deflect to the left in the southern hemisphere, No deflection at the equator and max deflection at the poles.

Question 4

What occurs at a Low pressure system

Answer 4

Cyclones form at the centre of low atmospheric pressure.
- Air spirals inward and upward
-Associated with cloudy and rainy weather
- makes warm moist air

Question 5

what happens at high pressure systems

Answer 5

Anti cyclone: center of high atmospheric pressure
- Air spirals downward and outward
- Fair weather
- makes cold, dry air masses

Question 6

Hadley cells

Answer 6

• The closest cell to the equator
• Warm surface=low pressure
• Lighter(less dense) ascending air
• Converging air holding a lot of moisture

Question 7

Ferrel Cells

Answer 7

• Between 30-60 degrees latitude
  -Air sinks at 30 and moves towards the poles
• ## Produces the “westerlies” at the surface (because of coreilos

Question 8

Polar cells

Answer 8

• cold and dry air
  -Air descends as it reaches the poles because it becomes colder and denser
  -Variable wind direction because of weak heating =polar easterlies

Question 9

Jet streams(polar)

Answer 9

• Due to Ferrel and polar cells and the Coriolis force converging
  -winds of different temperatures and densities meet
  -stronger when there are larger differences
  -weak in summer strong in winter

Question 10

Jet stream(subtropical)

Answer 10

Air from equator is warm and moist
-Air from poles is cold and dry = subtropical jet stream s
-where the Hadley and Ferrel cells meet
- weaker than the polar jet stream

Question 12

Isobars

Answer 12

Lines on a map drawn through all points having the same atmospheric pressure

Question 13

Global Circulation

Answer 13

Since the earth is rotating the equator receives more heat then the poles

Question 14

Whats the order of the cells

Answer 14

Hadley at the Equator passes through the Subtropical jet stream, then into the Ferrel cell, then passes through the polar jet stream into Polar cells and at the very top, it’s the polar vortex

Question 15

General Atmospheric Circulation Summary

Answer 15

1. Polar circulation(60 degrees-> 90 degrees): polar front and polar jet stream cold air moves south
2. latitude circulation(30-60 degrees): westerlies, subtropical high, sub-tropical jet stream
3. tropical circulation(0-30degrees):
   Trade winds, equatorial, Hadley cells
4. jet streams: polar and subtropical jet separate circulation zones

Question 16

Thermocline

Answer 16

• The transition between warmer, well-mixed surface water and cold, stratified deep water.
• Epipelagic zone: region with enough sunlight for algae to use photosynthesis

Question 17

Primary ocean forces

Answer 17

• solar heating
• winds
• coriolis
• gravity

Question 18

solar heating

Answer 18

Heating causes water expansion
- 8 cm higher at equator than at mid-latitudes
- creates a slope water flows down the slope

Question 19

Winds +gravity+Coriolis

Answer 19

• water will pile up in the direction the wind is blowing
• creates a a mound with slope- gravity tries to pull downhill
• but Coriolis acts against this and causes deflection to the right in the North hemosphere and left the south hemisphere
• This creates mounds in the ocean that water circulates: gyres

Question 20

Gyres

Answer 20

• these are large circular currents in all major ocean basins
• there are 5 primary gyres in our oceans and one in the artic

Question 21

what are the level of clouds

Answer 21

low clouds: nimbostratus, stratus, stratocumulos
middle clouds: lenticular, altocumulus, altostratus
High clouds: cirrocumulus, Cirrostratus, cirrus, anvil head clouds

Question 22

Cloud formation process

Answer 22

1. adiabatic cooling by vertical lift
2. Air parcel cools to the dew point temperature
3. Air parcel becomes saturated
4. Condensation occurs

Question 23

Lifting condensation

Answer 23

The point in the atmosphere where it becomes saturated (i.e. bottom level of clouds

Question 24

Clouds with vertical development

Answer 24

Cumalos, Cumulonnimbus

Question 25

Convergent lifting

Answer 25

- air flows toward an area of low-pressure - low pressure center, air converging and ascending, cooling condensation occuring

Question 26

Convectional lifting

Answer 26

- warmer surfaces produce conventional lifting due to local heating - The air above the warmer surfaces is heated and rises - Examples include water to land, urban heat islands, ploughed field

Question 27

Orographic lifting

Answer 27

Orographic lifting occurs when air is forced to ascend upslope as it is pushed against a mountain

Question 28

Frontal lifting

Answer 28

A front is the transition zone between two air masses of different densities Usually separate air masses with contrasting temperatures

Question 29

cold front

Answer 29

-The leading edge of advancing cold air masses is a cold front - cold air forces warm air aloft -400km wide - precipitation behind the cold front

Question 30

Warm front

Answer 30

- The leading edge of an advancing warm air mass is a warm front - warm air moves up and over cold air - Precipitation ahead of the warm front - 1000km

Question 31

Occluded front

Answer 31

- when a cold front overtakes a warm front - dense cold air moves faster than the warm front - usually form in low pressure regions

Question 32

Life cycle of a midlatitude cyclone

Answer 32

1. Cyclogenesis 2. Open stage 3. occluded stage 4.dissolving stage Cycle takes 3-10 days

Question 33

ENSO( El Nino Southern Oscillation)

Answer 33

Occurs when - Higher pressure than normal over western pacific -Lower pressure over eastern pacific - trade winds(normally east to west) weaken - shift in air pressure and winds= Southern oscillation

Question 34

Impacts of ENSO

Answer 34

- Upwelling blocked in the eastern Pacific - Fewer Nutrients - Decrease in plankton - can occur every 2-12 years (normally 3-5)

Question 35

Cyclogenesis

Answer 35

- The development of strengthening of low-pressure region - begins with boundary of cold polar air to the north and moist warm air to south - a disturbance allows warm air to converge on the boundary and begin to rise over the cold front, setting up counter- clockwise circulation

Question 36

Open stage

Answer 36

- Counter-clockwise flow draws warm, moist air into the low-pressure center - cold air moves to replace the warm air - convergence causes air to rise(no-where else to go)

Question 37

occluded stage

Answer 37

- faster moving cold front wedges beneath the slow warm front - forms an occluded front which pushes warm air up causing precipitation

Question 38

dissolving stage

Answer 38

-The cold air mass cuts off the warm air mass from its source of energy and moisture - warm air trapped above cold air weakens the low-pressure system - the cyclone then dissolves

Question 39

principles of superposition

Answer 39

Rocks and sediments are always arranged with the youngest bed toward the top of the rock formation and the oldest at the base(only if undisturbed)

Question 40

Physical structure of a hurricane

Answer 40

- The central area of a hurricane is called the eye, which is quiet and warm(air sinks rather than rises and prevents cloud formation) - around the eye swirls a thunderstorm cloud called the eyewall, which is the area of most intense precipitation

Question 41

Tornados

Answer 41

-visible condensation funnel from the bottom of the storm cloud usually -80m across -wind speed 180km/h -travel a few km before disappearing Extreme -3km diamater -wind speed greater than 480km/h -Travel 100km

Question 42

storm surges

Answer 42

- coastal flood - low-pressure region pulls up water into a dome beneath the storm - water level falls in surrounding areas of high-pressure - high wind speeds drive water build-up - low lying areas are very vulnerable - Hurricane Katrina caused an 8 m storm surge and Ian caused a 4m

Question 43

Endogenic system

Answer 43

Internal processes that produce flows of heat and material from deep below the earths crust

Question 44

Earth's Mantle

Answer 44

-Average depth is about 2900km -Two parts, upper and lower mantle -consists 80% of earths volume -Rocks in lower mantle are hot enough to deform and flow slowly -Moho is the name for the boundary between uppermost mantle and the crust above

Question 45

Minerals and rocks

Answer 45

Mineral: natural solid compound with a unique chemical structure and a crystalline structure Rock: Assemblage of minerals that can be divided into categories: * Igneous * Metamorphic * Sedimentary

Question 46

Exogenic systems

Answer 46

- external processes that set into motion that erode by( Air, water, and ice) - all of these are summed into the term "denudation" or "Strip off"

Question 47

Divergent Boundaries

Answer 47

- plates move apart - magma upwells and forms a new crust - most at mid-ocean ridges (Iceland) - a few within continents (great rift valley of west Africa)

Question 48

subduction

Answer 48

The edge of one plate descends beneath another plate and dives into the mantle - Denser dives beneath lighter crust (e.g. ocean below continental) - This subducting plate then melts in the mantle - Occurs at the edge of the seafloor spreading plates - Where you find the deepest ocean trenches

Question 49

Transform Boundaries

Answer 49

Where plates slide past each other - Forms a fault - Found between two segments of mid-ocean ridge - The motion produces earthquake

Question 50

ring of fire

Answer 50

Surrounds the Pacific Basin - Frequent volcano and earthquake occurrence due to subduction - 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur in the Ring of Fire