The Coriolis effect

Question 1

What does atmospheric circulation mean?

Answer 1

The earths atmosphere is constantly in motion, meaning there is a worldwide system of winds moving heat FROM the equator TO the poles to reach a balance in temperature.

Question 2

What is pressure of rising air ?

Answer 2

Low

Question 3

What is the pressure of sinking air?

Answer 3

High

Question 4

What causes winds?

Answer 4

Differences in pressure

Question 5

How much radiation does the equator receive and why?

Answer 5

Receives the most radiation, as sun rays hit here directly the most

Question 6

What is the Coriolis effect?

Answer 6

This deflects the direction of the wind to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere.

Question 7

What are the distribution areas like with areas of incoming solar radiation at the Earths poles?

Answer 7

large distribution area

Question 8

What is the distribution area like with areas of incoming solar radiation at the Earth’s equator?

Answer 8

small distribution area

Question 9

State 3 things affected by the Coriolis effect?

Answer 9

Weather patterns, ocean currents, air travel.

Question 10

Where are jet streams formed?

Answer 10

They form mostly at the boundaries of the main circulation cells, (e.g at the boundary of a polar cell and a ferrel cell) where there is a significant temperature difference.

Question 11

What do jet streams affect?

Answer 11

They can affect the movement of other weather systems and can therefore change the weather for different areas.

Question 12

Define global atmospheric circulation

Answer 12

Thé worldwide movement of air which transports heat from tropical to polar latitudes.

Question 13

Define latitude

Answer 13

The distance north or south of the equator, it is measured in degrees with the maximum being 90°N or 90°S

Question 14

Define air pressure

Answer 14

The weight of the air pushing down onto the ground.

Question 15

State characteristics of an environment where warm air rises

Answer 15

Condensation is occurring
Low pressure
Evaporation occurring

Question 16

State characteristics of an environment where cold air sinks

Answer 16

High pressure,
No evaporation
No precipitation
No condensation

Question 17

What are the 3 stages to rainfall

Answer 17

Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation

Question 18

What is global circulation?

Answer 18

Warm air is taken from the equator and transferred to the poles, as well as transferring warm air from the poles to the equator.

Question 19

Why is there an imbalance of heat around the earth?

Answer 19

Because it had a curved surface, meaning, the equator heats up more than the poles.

Question 20

How does the earth try and correct the equator being hottest?

Answer 20

By moving warm air from the equator to the poles, and to drag cool air from the poles back to the equator to warm up. This occurs through large scale convection currents.

Question 21

What is the Hadley cell and where is it located?

Answer 21

Warm air cannot travel the full distance to the poles as it cools down too quickly. It falls at the 50° N/S latitude and travels back to the equator.

Question 22

What is the polar cell and where is it located?

Answer 22

Cold air is pushed down at the 90° N/S latitude at both poles, forcing the air to move across the Earth’s surface away from the poles. This air travels to the 60° N/S latitude where it warms up and rises again.

Question 23

What is the ferrel cell and where is it located?

Answer 23

In between the polar and Hadley cells there is an incomplete cell called the ferrel cell. Here warm air rises at the 60° N/S latitude and travels back towards the equator. This air cools and falls at the 30°N/S latitude completing the cycle.

Question 24

Is it dry / wet in high pressure environments?

Answer 24

Dry

Question 25

Is it dry / wet in low pressure environments?

Answer 25

Wet

Question 26

What are the fiver layers to the earths atmosphere?

Answer 26

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere

Question 27

What are jet streams?

Answer 27

A fast moving current of air in the upper atmosphere (troposphere) 240-250 mph

Question 28

What is the subtropical jet stream?

Answer 28

When warm tropical air meets cool air from the Harley cell - it divides the ferrel and the Hadley cell.

Question 29

What are polar jet streams?

Answer 29

When cold, polar air meets warm tropical air- it divides the polar cell and the ferrel cell.

Question 30

What latitude is the polar jet streams located?

Answer 30

60° N/S

Question 31

What latitude is the subtropical jet streams located?

Answer 31

30° N/S

Question 32

What is insulation known as?

Answer 32

The earth is not flat, therefore the sun will hit the earth at different angles and different amounts of radiation will pass through.

Question 33

Where receives the most solar radiation and why?

Answer 33

The equator receives the most intense solar radiation as the sun is directly hitting this area of the earth.

Question 34

Where receives the least solar radiation and why?

Answer 34

Thé polar régions receive the least intense solar radiation as the sun does not directly hit these areas.

Question 35

In simple terms, what is the Coriolis effect?

Answer 35

This is the deflection of air movement by the Earth’s rotation.

Question 36

What path does the projectile fired northward actually take? Left or right?

Answer 36

Right

Question 37

What pattern do ocean currents follow and what is their major obstacle?

Answer 37

They follow the same pattern as the air currents are in the three cell model, however they have the continents and their biggest barrier.

Question 38

What is insolation?

Answer 38

the energy from the sun that reaches the earth in short waves

Question 39

State examples of high pressure ecosystems.

Answer 39

Déserts, arctic / Antarctica
— places with drier conditions

Question 40

State examples of low pressure ecosystems.

Answer 40

Tropical rainforests, deciduous woodlands and mountains.
Areas which are hot and wet