Module 2 Quiz Flashcards
How does orbit and tilt of earth cause seasons
The earth’s spin axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane.
greenhouse effect
energy from a planet’s sun goes through its atmosphere and warms the planet’s surface, but the atmosphere prevents the heat from returning directly to space, resulting in a warmer planet
Major patterns associated with prevailing winds
trade winds - winds blowing toward the equator from the high-pressure zones are deflected to the west
westerlies- Winds blowing toward the poles from those zones of high pressure are deflected to the east
mountain range effect
The temperature gets colder the higher up the mountain you go
altitude increases, the air becomes thinner and is less able to absorb and retain heat.
cooler the temperature the less evaporation there is, so there is more moisture in the air too.
name two biomes where the following vegetation is dominant:
evergreen trees
Tropical Rainforest
Temperature Coniferous Forest
vegetation effects
influence how the ground surface interacts with solar radiation and wind and how much water it loses to the atmosphere.
how scientists are able to take direct measurements about the earth’s climate from 10,000 years ago
Scientists take ice cores where they are able to find air bubbles of ancient atmospheres to determine the greenhouse gas concentration to find out how hot the world was.
earth’s main 3 climate zones
polar
tropical
temperate
Milankovitch cycles include
shape of earth’s orbit, tilt of earth’s axis and celestial direction of earth’s axis and influence climate
Long term climate conditions are associated with
amount of incoming solar radiation and concentration of green house gases
how Milankovitch cycles influence climate
by affecting the amount of sunlight and therefore, energy, that Earth absorbs from the Sun
contribute to increased global warming
What is the reason of difference in climate of equator and poles?
equator is closer to the Sun than the North Pole = uneven heating
direction of the Earth’s poles = causes the difference in energy received at the Equator and the poles.
Equator and poles impact precipitation
higher latitudes and poles = low precipitaiton
closer to the equator - more precipitation
consequences of habitat change
loss of biodiversity
decrease in ecosystem goods and services
Types of temperature cells
Hadley
Polar
Ferrell
What regions experience vertical mixing and why do these occur?
warmer water cools ans sinks in Northern Atlantic
colder water moves southwatd along ocean floor
in areas where prevailing winds between pareallel land mass moves H2O away from the coast
WHY: Allows colder, deeper H2O to return to surafce (subsidence)
What are Polar Cells?
cold polar air mixes with tropical air and uplifts ~60 degrees N/S
water vapor condenses = winter precipitation
thermocline
zone of rapid temperature decline
transition layer between warmer mixed water at the ocean’s surface and cooler deep water below
What four major environments/factors do scientists include in their climate models?
land, sea, air, and ice
name two biomes where the following vegetation is dominant:
grasses
Tropical Grassland
Temperate Grassland
Prevailing winds
Atmospheric circulation
predicatable with high to low pressure movement along the ground
drives oceanic currents
biomes that have minimal temperature fluctuation
Tropical Grassland
Tropical Rainforest
albedo
amount of solar radiation that a surface reflects
influenced by the presence and type of vegetation as well as by soil and topography.
Hardley and Polar Cells effects on global circulation patterns
unusal climate conditions
Hadley Cells Subsidence
creates warm, dry deserts
occurs at 30 degrees N/S
types of vegetation effects
albedo and evapotranspiration