Module 1

Question 1

The tropics

Answer 1

Where the sun hits directly overhead at least once per year, between the tropic of cancer (23.5ºN) and tropic of capricorn (23.5ºS).

Question 2

Neotropics

Answer 2

“New world” tropics, central and south america

Question 3

Paleotropics

Answer 3

“old world” tropics, asia, africa, australia

Question 4

Characteristics of the tropical climate

Answer 4

• higher average temperatures
• more rain
• no extended cold season
• higher insolation
• constant day length
• no temperature seasonality
• daily temperature fluctuations greater than annual temperature fluctuations

Question 5

Insolation

Answer 5

The solar energy input

Question 6

Photon flux density

Answer 6

how many photos hit a unit area per time

Question 7

What causes the seasons?

Answer 7

The tilt of the earth

Question 8

ITCZ

Answer 8

Intertropical Convergence Zone, the zone of maximum heating. Loosely follows the path on earth where the sun is directly overhead over the course of the year. Does not actually follow the sun’s path; land heats faster than water, which draws the zone towards big areas of land (e.g. the ITCZ is over India/China in July when it should be closer to the equator).

Question 9

Hadley Cells

Answer 9

the tropical circulation pattern that follows the ITCZ (shifts north and south through the year), explains the rainfall patterns and dry patterns. Over the ITCZ, there is low pressure and warm air, which then rises, and moisture precipitates. As air rises, it is deflected by the atmosphere, where it then is cool and dry, and it falls down to the subtropical high pressure areas that correspond with deserts at about 30º N and S as they get very little rainfall

Question 10

Equatorial rainforest

Answer 10

no true dry season due to high convection, trade winds, and local cycling

Question 11

Rainfall seasonality

Answer 11

2 rainy seasons near equator, 1 rainy season near the two Tropics, no true dry season on the equator

Question 12

Climate diagrams

Answer 12

visual representation of rainfall and temperature for a given location. Temperature represented by red line, precipitation represented by bars.

Question 13

Coriolis force

Answer 13

the deflection of moving objects due to the rotation of Earth, acts on both air and water

Question 14

Northeast trade winds

Answer 14

Northern hemisphere tropical winds, deflected clockwise, originate in the northeast and go towards the southwest

Question 15

Southeast trade winds

Answer 15

Southern hemisphere tropical winds, deflected counter-clockwise, originate in the southeast and go towards the northwest

Question 16

Trade winds

Answer 16

push the tropical waters westward

Question 17

Gyres

Answer 17

Ocean currents, circulate:
- clockwise in the Northern hemisphere
- counterclockwise in the Southern hemisphere
Due to trade winds pushing the warm surface water to the west, and due to the coriolis force

Question 18

The warmer side of the oceans

Answer 18

West

Question 19

The drier side of the continents

Answer 19

West

Question 20

Adiabatic lapse rate

Answer 20

how quickly air cools as it rises (relatively constant), air temp drops about 6ºC every 1000 m

Question 21

Rainshadow

Answer 21

On the leeward side of mountains, dry, due to no more water in air because all of it precipitated out as the air rose over the windward side

Question 22

Orographic lift

Answer 22

the rising of air caused by topography

Question 23

El Niño Southern Oscillation

Answer 23

aka ENSO, trade winds weaken, so pacific warm water is further east. This causes a drought in the West Pacific, and more rain in the East Pacific.

Question 24

La Niña Southern Oscillation

Answer 24

aka LNSO, trade winds strengthen, causes the West Pacific warm water pool to be more intense, causes more rain in the West pacific and drought in the East pacific