The atmosphere bitches! Flashcards
What is adiabatic cooling?
Adiabatic cooling is the idea that as pressure decreases, so does temperature.
What is albedo?
Measure of how much light hits a surface, in this case the Earth.
Explain the convection flow from the tropics to the poles.
The heat at the tropics causes air to move faster and have more energy, therefore take up less space per volume and therefore rise(Low P). In the poles, these cool and sink(High P).
Explain the Coriolis effect and how this effects winds at the poles?
The effect deflects winds to the right in the Northern hemisphere and to the left in the Southern hemisphere.
The rotation disrupts the flow of currents.
Define:
Trade winds
Hadley cell
East to west prevailing winds.
Air rises at equator and sinks at medium latitudes.
What is geostrophic flow?
Pressure force and Coriolis is in balance.
What is the Labrador current?
Cold current flowing from Arctic down to Canada.
What is meant by deep water?
Deep cold and salty water caused by oceans getting very dense to form convection cells. It brings in warm water from lower latitudes. Forms in the high latitude of North America.
Most heat is transported via where?
The atmosphere.
What does Phytoplankton do for us?
Generates 80% of O2.
