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
evapotranspiration
sum of water loss by transpiration and by evaporation
transfers energy (latent heat) as well as water into the atmosphere, thereby reducing air temperature and soil moisture
Subsidence
creates a high pressure area
downward or upward motion of air in the atmosphere
equilbirum in the air temperature
Atmospheric upwelling
currents bring deep, cold nutrient-rich water to the surface of the ocean
results of winds and earth rotation
mountain uplifting
due to differences in solar heating of the ground surface
reults in air pockets that are warmer than the surrounding air.
name two biomes where the following vegetation is dominant:
low-growing shrubs, sedges, and mosses
tundra
maritime climate
influnced by nearby ocean
cool summer, mild winter
less extreme climate
Incoming solar radiation
part reaches surface and the rest gets reflected
~50 % absorbed
continental climates
influenced by nearby land
hot summer, cold winter
more extreme climate
Uneven heating of the Earth due to
the curvature of the Earth
Stratification
layering of water in oceans,lakes due to differences in
density, with temperature/salinity
temperature gradient
temperature changes across the surface causes difference in air pressure
stronger between poles and equator in the winter due to minimum of light
biomes that have (comparatively) colder temperatures
tundra
Boreal Forest
Turnover in lake
important for recycling of the nutrients that are lost from the epilimnion during summer.
occurs again in spring when the surface ice melts and the lake water has a uniform density once again.
Polar Cells Subsidence
creates very dry polar desers
occurs at the poles (90 degrees N/S)
How are temperature and greenhouse gas concentration related?
greenhouse gas concentrations increase and global temperatures rise,
epilimnion
surface layer
the warmest and contains active populations of phytoplankton and zooplankton
how do we measure planet climate
ice drill
appartus
therometer
research vessels
Prevailing winds is due to
global atmospheric circulation
difference in heat capacity between the oceans and the continents leads to seasonal changes in atmospheric pressure cells
non-seasonal climate variations – El Niño causes
disease outbreaks, malnutrition, heat stress and respiratory diseases
effect of greenhouse gases
changes in water temperature and ocean acidification
name two biomes where the following vegetation is dominant:
deciduous trees
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Tropical grasslands
regional modifications influence climate by
regions will warm much more than others, some regions will receive more rainfall, while others are exposed to more frequent droughts
large-scale deviations in latitudinal climate patterns is due to
loss of sea ice and changes in vegetation cover in the tropics
What are Hadley Cells?
intense uplift of warm air at equator
Lot’s of H2O vapor in the air mass (rain precipitation)
Occurs in the TROPICS
oceanic conveyor belt
A large system of interconnected surface and deep ocean currents that links the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans
an important means of transferring heat to the polar regions
helps balance climate
human-induced climate change evidence
more fossil fuel carbons in the air and coral
warmer oceans
warmer nights
non-seasonal climate variations – El Niño effects
climate change increases the frequency
intensifying droughts, worse floods, shift of hurricance patterns
biomes that have variant precipitation (high during some months and low during others)
Tropical Grassland
Tropical Rainforest
cold-air drainage
influences vegetation distributions in the temperate zones because of the higher frequency of subfreezing temperatures in low-lying areas
cold, dense air moving downslope and pooling in low-lying areas
hypolimnion
stable layer of the densest, coldest water in the lake
land masses complicate the prevailing windpatterns
more pronounced in the N. hemisphere
more pornounced with seasonal changes
rain shadow effect
an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region
on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side.
Seasonality on land
Tropical climate
Polar climate
Temperate climate
Polar- hevay glaciation
Temperate- soils and sediments at depth are permanently frozen (permafrost)
Tropical- warmland and lush vegetation
Ferrell Cells are driven by
surrounding cells
biomes that receive (comparatively) little precipitation
desert
tundra
role of temperature in climate
warmer surface temperatures result in more fires, which burn forests, causing us to lose a carbon sink and releasing large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Seasonality
results from the tilt of Earth’s axis
summer/winter/fall/spring
long-term variations are associated with – glacial cycles
differences in the amount of solar radiation received and the concentrations of greenhouse gases.
portions of the human population are the most adversely affected by the consequences of climate change?
low-income
children
communities of color
older adults
