Ocean, atmosphere, and weather Flashcards
Earth is ___% covered by water. Water’s high specific heat accounts for moderate temperatures in coast line areas
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Earths early atmosphere appeared before the Sun was fully formed
Hydrogen and Helium (from volcanos)
Stages of the Earths atmosphere
Hot gasses escaped through volcanoes and fissure
Free oxygen occurred as a result of photosynthesis by cyanobacteria
Ozone bean to accumulate in the upper atmosphere
Water vapor condensed to form oceans
Continental Shelf
Shallow, underwater extension of the continent (granite)
Continental slope
Marks boundary between continental and oceanic crust
Continental rise
wedge of accumulated sediment at base of continental slope
Abyssal plains
Flattest place on Earth
Deep ocean basin
Abyssal plains-flattest part of the ocean floor due to sediment
Ocean trenches-long, deep, steep troughs at subduction zone
Mid ocean ridges
sites of seafloor spreading(volcanic and tectonic activity)
Global mid ocean ridge system winds all around the Earth
Deepest part on the ocean is near_____ Shallowest water are in the _____ of the ocean around underwater mountains
Continents, middle
Ocean trenches are the deepest parts of the ocean floor because
that is where subduction occurs
Characteristics of waves
Crest is the peak of the wave
Trough is the low area between waves
Wave height is the distance between a trough and a crest
Wavelength is the horizontal distance between crest
Wave period is the TIME interval between the passage of two successive crests
Height, Length, and period of a wave depend on
Wind speed, length of time wind has blown, Fetch- distance that the wind has traveled across open water
Waves move on the
surface
Wave energy moves forward
the disturbance moves, not the water
Waves at the shore line
Shallow water the ground begins to feel bottom
Waves grows higher as it slows and wavelength shortens
Steep wave front collapses, wave break
Turbulent water goes up the shore and forms surf
When a wave approaches the shore the water depth decreases. This affects the wave by flattening its circular motion
decreases its speed and distance between waves causing wave height to increase
Coral reef are composed of actively growing coral organisms Organisms secrete ______ _______ as the grow
Reef survive on _________ _____. Indicator of global warming is called _____
Calcium carbonate
photosynthetic algae
bleaching
Tides occur because of the difference in the _____ pull exerted by the moon on opposite sides of the Earth
gravitational
Earth spins on its axis once a day it have distinct tides ___ hours apart.
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Alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon cause ______ ____ more dramatic highs and lows
Spring tides
Ocean waves are because
mass of 2 objects
how far the objects are from each other (distance)
When the pull of the Sun and moon are perpendicular to each other, we get _____ _____ lower highs and higher lower
neap tides
Troposphere
Lowest and thinnest layer 16 km at equator 8 km at poles 90% of the atmosphere's mass where weather occurs -water vapor and clouds Temperature decreases with altitude
Stratosphere
Top of the troposphere to 50 km above the surface.
Ozone layer-absorbs harmful UV radiation
Temperatures increase because of ozone absorption of UV radiation
Mesosphere
Extends from stratosphere to altitude of 80 km
Temperature decreases with altitude
Thermosphere
Temperature increases with altitude 60 miles up
Temperature is related to average speed of gas molecules- very high speed give high temperatures
-Very low density of gas molecules means very little heat absorption it would feel colder
Ionosphere
Electrified region within the themosphere and upper mesosphere
Auroras (northern and southern lights) near the earths poles
Exosphere
interface between Earth and space
Beyond 500 km, atoms and molecules can escape to space
Solar energy- forms light
Solar radiation is electromagnetic energy emitted by the Sun
Visible, short wavelength radiation
Xray
Gama ray
ultraviolet
Terrestrial radiation is remitted solar radiation from Earths surface
infrared, longer wavelength radiation
Sun warms earths ground and the ground in turns warms the earth
Earths temperature varies according to the degree of solar intensity- amount of solar radiation per area
Where solar intensity is higher, temperatures are higher
Solar intensity is highest where the Sun’s rays strike
Earths surface straight on
Solar intensity is weaker where the Suns rays strike
Earth surface at a angle
The lower atmosphere is directly warmed
by the emission of terrestrial radiation
Which one of the following is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?
nitrogen
Ozone is concentrated in the
stratosphere
The lowest layer of the atmosphere is the
troposphere
_____ of the Earth’s axis helps to explain the different seasons
Tilit
Sun’s rays are closest to perpendicular at any spot on the Earth, that region’s Season is in _____
summer
Six months later, as the rays fall upon the same region more obliquely, the season is ______
winter
Human activities pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous, oxide, ozone, CFC’s
The result is a warming Earth
Climate
what happens over time
Weather
what is happening right now
____ pressure in Amarillo and ____ at the coast
Less
more
Atmosphere pressure=force the atmosphere exerts on an area of ____
surface
Force =
weight (mass) of air molecules above that surface
At any level in the atmosphere, ____=total weight of air above that level
Force
Atmosphere pressure is greatest near the earth’s surface because
of the weight of all the air above
Wind is air that flows horizontally from ______ pressure to ____ pressure
high
low
Pressure differences are caused by uneven heating of the earths surface. Local differences in ______ contributes to small scale local winds
heating
Plant-scale differences occur because of
solar intensity variation-equatorial regions have greater solar intensity than polar regions (different contribute to global wind patterns-prevailing winds
Warm air
expands and has lower density and lower pressure
Cool air
contracts and higher density and higher pressure
What drives air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure
pressure gradient force
Equinoxes
equal day and night
Green house effect
warming of lower atmosphere
convention current
convection cycle and thermal circulation of air results of wind
Pressure gradient force
Pressure between two different locations
Air currents are sensitive to change in pressure and temperature. In general, air moves from regions of
high pressure to region of low
The force that generates wind is
pressure gradient force
The two most important heat absorbing gases in the lower atmosphere are
water vapor and carbon dixide
The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on this date
June 21
Low pressure system turn
counter clockwise
Thunder is a result of _____
Lighting (lighting heats up the air, the air expands and we hear thunder) Every 5 second =1mile
Thunderstorms begin with humid air rising, cooling, and condensing in to a
single cumulus cloud
When fed by unstable, moist air, a cumulus cloud grows into a
thundercloud
Cyclone is an area of
low pressure around wind flow (Air converges in the center -lowest pressure- and is forced to rise upward)
3 types of Atmospheric lifting
Convectional lifting-cumulus clouds
Orographic lifting-rain shadow
frontal lifting- cirrus clouds changing to cumulonimbus clouds
Virga
evaporation occurs, raindrops may disappear before they reach the ground
Precipitation formation
- Formation of dust (must have nucleus)
- Updraft
- Growth of stationary rain drops of water
- Falling of rain drop
High clouds begin with \_\_\_\_ Middle cloud begin with \_\_\_\_ Low clouds begin with \_\_\_\_ Precipitation has with \_\_\_ Vertical clouds begin with \_\_\_
Cir Altos Strat or Nim nimbus cum
Temperature Inversion
upper region of the atmosphere are warmer than lower regions, which is opposite of what normally occurs
Clouds develop when
condensation rate exceeds evaporation rate above the lifting condensation level
Unstable air
rising air stays warmer than the surrounding air, it will continue to rise instead of retuning to its starting position
Chinooks
warm, dry winds-occur when cold air moving down a mountain slope is compressed as it moves lower elevation and becomes warm
Adiabatic processes occur when air is
expanded or compressed without heat exchange (vertical ) form when unstable, saturated air and warmer air rises
Adiabatic lapse rate
rate of cooling of dry air
Air pressure
the movement of air molecules into each other. The faster the air molecules move, the greater their kinetic energy and the greater the air pressure (Warmer air exerts more air pressure on its surrounding than cooler air)
Dew point is the
temperature at which saturation occurs
Condensation occurs when the dew point is reached
Water vapors condenses high in the atmosphere and forms clouds
Water vapor condenses close to the ground surface to form dew, fog, or frost
Four factors influence weather
Atmosphere
Temperature
Air pressure
Arrangement of land and water features
Humidity is the mass of water vapor a given volume of air contains
amount of water vapor in air
___________________________
amount of water vapor air can hold at that temperature
(Warmer air can hold more than colder air) Temperature rises humidity goes down, temperature lowers humidity goes up
Evaporation rate depends on temperature. Condensation rate dose not.
Evaporation rate is greater than condensation rate, the relative humidity is always less than 100 percent
La nina
more cold water driving storms westward (dry and warm for us )
El nino
Driving cold water east ward (cold and wet for us)
Low air
rises converging air (set up for vertical circulation)
High air
descending, diverging air
Winds is air flow
horizontally from higher to lower pressure (gradient pressure)
More energy is required to raise the temperature of water that that of land. Once heated, water will retain the heat long than land. This concept is related to
water’s high specific heat capacity
Global circulation of the atmosphere result from unequal heating of the earth’s surface and Earth rotation
our winds come from the southwest (westerly’s)
Coriolis force
deflect to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, to the left in the southern hemisphere (wind varies according to speed and latitude
The prevailing westerly winds are affected by the Coriolis effect by the deflection of winds
Right in the north and left in the southern
Factors that effect the wind
Pressure gradient force- air moves from high to low
Coriolis force- apparent deflection of wind due to earths rotation
Frictional force- air moving close to ground encounters friction
Surface currents are created by ____
Surface ocean currents correspond to the direction of the ____ wind
Wind
prevailing
Gyres
cause heat transport from equatorial regions to higher latitudes (north hemisphere rotate clockwise southern counter clockwise)
