Midterm 1 Study Guide Flashcards
March of the seasons, what happens on these significant days and where?
June solstice (June 21st) - sun over tropic of cancer
September equinox (Sept. 21st) - over the equator (sun 12 hours a day)
December solstice (Dec. 21st) - sun over tropic of capricorn
March equinox (March 21st) - sun over equinox
Electromagnetic spectrum, what can we see, where is UV, where is infrared? What color is UV?
-Visible light
-UV (too short to see) - unknown colors
-Infrared (too long to see) - unknown colors
Coriolis effect, what are the effects? Where?
Northern hemisphere - turns to its right
Southern hemisphere - turns to its left
Density of atmosphere, where is there more or less and what does that mean?
More dense in the ground because of gravity, less dense in the atmosphere
Climate vs weather
Climate - long term, aggregate of daily weather conditions
Weather - short-term atmospheric conditions for a specific time at a specific region
Controls on climate
Latitude, altitude, atmospheric general circulation, oceanic circulation, coriolis effect
Radiation
sun radiates shortwave wavelength
Absorption
energy assimilated into an object
Reflection
repels energy that strikes it
reflected energy that is deflected = same wavelength
Albedo
overall reflectivity of an object
high albedo = snow low albedo = ocean
Scattering
deflection of light waves by gas/particles like dust, happens before it hits surface
Transmission
light waves passing through a medium (car window glass example)
Greenhouse effect
warming caused by differential transmission of shortwave and longwave radiation
Conduction
transfer of heat/energy
Convection
transfer of energy by vertical circulation of fluid or gas