Unit 5- Extreme Weather Flashcards
Why is there lots of rain at the equator?
-Sun heats air which rises
-Creates a low pressure area
-Rising air’s moisture condenses into clouds
-Cuasing rain
Where is the suns heat most intense?
-Equator (5° within latitude)
What biome is the equator
Tropical
hot and humid
What is this band of low pressure around the equator called?
Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)
ITCZ what pressure is at the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn
-High pressure
-Air pushes down (as it has cooled)
How does the ITCZ move?
which months where
-Planet tilt
-ITCZ is North in Summer (july)
-ITCS is South in Winter (december)
Where are the tropics of cancer (latitudes)
-30° N
-30° S
iIndia and Pakistan Monsoon 2015 statistics
-140 killed
-1 million displaced
What does the GAC stand for?
Global atmospheric circulation
What is the Global atmospheric circulation?
- Cells of alternating High to Low pressure (high at both polar regions)
- 3 different cells (3 North, 3 South)
- Air circle patterns is certain regions
What are the GAC cells called
Polar
Ferrel
Hadley
What condtions are needed for a tropical storm?
-Sea temperature of 27°C or higher
-Converging wind (different directions) at sea surface
-Light winds high up
How do Cyclones form?
Hurricanes (American), Typhoons (Asia)
More violant than tropical storms
-Sea temperature of 27°C or higher constinuously
-Warm ocean warms air
-Air rises
-Very Low pressure area created
-Moist air cools at top to create clouds and rain
-More warm air replaces rising air, which inturn heats up and risises in a spiral
-spiral due to Coriolis effct as tthe Earth rotates
-Extreme low pressure in the ITCZ
what are the 3 levels of the atmopshere
closest to earth frst
-Troposphere
-Stratosphere
-Hemoshpere
What type of air is a cyclone?
Converging air
air goes up and out
What type of air is an anticyclone?
-Diverging air
air goes in and down
Low pressure weather effects?
-Cloudy
-Rainy
-Mild temp
-Windy
High pressure weather effects?
-Clear skes
-Dry
-High day low night temp
-Fog, snow
-Thunderstorms
Where do tropical storms usually occur?
-Around Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
-More intense West of the Pacific ocean
south asa
Where are droughts/deserts most common?
-North Africa (sahara)
-West Asia (Iraq + Iran)
South South America
West America (califronia)
Australia
Where are droughts spreading?
-South Russia
