Sustainability, Climate & Weather Flashcards
What are the factors affecting climate?
Latitude, ocean currents, winds & air masses, elevation, relief, nearness to water
What is latitude?
How far north or south of the equator you are.
What is one thing that latitude will determine?Why?
How warm or cold it is. Further away from equator - cooler because the sun’s rays will have a larger surface area.
What angle is the Earth tilted at? What is this called?
23.5°, the Coriolis Effect.
How are seasons related to the earth’s tilt?
In the summer, the sun is shining more on the Northern hemisphere. In the winter, it is shining more on the Southern hemisphere
What 3 major ocean currents is Canada affected by?/
North Pacific Drift, Gulf Stream, Labrador Current
What temperature is the North Pacific Drift and what does it do?
Warm, moderates temperatures on the B.C. coast
What temperature is the Gulf Stream and what does it do?
Warm, moderates maritime climate
What temperature is the Labrador Current and what does it do?
Cold, creates foggy conditions on East Coast
What are air masses?
large air bodieswith same moisture and temperatureconditions throughout
Whether an air mass is warm or cold depends on where it _____
originates
What are air masses influenced by?
Jet streams
What are winds created by?
Differences in air pressure
The lower the air pressure, the ____ (better/worse) the weather gets
worse
Jet streams are zones of what?
Fast moving air
Which jet stream is Canada affected by?
Polar Jet Stream
What happens in high pressure areas?
Air heating as it rises, cools, condenses, and falls
What happens in low pressure areas?
Air cooling as it sinks
Temperature _____ (decreases/increases) as altitude increases.
decreases
As air rises it expands, and _____ (gains/loses) heat.
loses
What is the rate of heat loss for every 100m up you go?
1 degree, 0.6 with condensation (water holds the heat)
Cold air descending eastern Rocky foothills towards Calgary becomes warm and dry, called “______” winds
Chinook
What is relief?
Differences in elevation of land
Mountains act as what to air masses?
Barriers
Water heats up and cools ____ times slower than air
five
What is the lake effect?
Warming effect in winter, cooling effect in summer.
What is a continental climate? Is its annual temperature range large or small? High or low precipitation?
A climate type that develops away from the ocean. High annual temperature range. Low precipitation.
What is a maritime climate? Is its annual temperature range large or small? High or low precipitation?
A climate type that is strongly influenced by its nearness to the ocean. Small annual temperature range. High precipitation.
What is a front? What is the difference between a warm front and a cold front?
the boundary between two different air masses. warm fronts are warm air moving into cold air. vice versa for cold fronts
Cold fronts can create heavy ______.
precipitation
What direction does the Polar Jet Stream move in?
West to East.
What is convectional precipitation? When does it occur and what is the process?
On hot summer days heated land warms air and makes it rise (convection). It cools and condenses into thunder clouds. Rain or hail may fall from them.
What is relief precipitation?
When an air mass rises and cools because of a mountain barrier. Precipitation occurs.
What is cyclonic precipitation?
when a warm, moist air mass is forced to rise by a cool, dry air mass.
