Unit D: Section 2.0 Flashcards
1
Q
What is a climatograph?
A
A summary of the average temperature and precipitation for each month of the year for a given location.
2
Q
What goes on the left side of a climatograph?
A
Precipitation
3
Q
What goes on the right side of a climatograph?
A
Average temperature
4
Q
What are the 3 factors that affect climate?
A
- Insolation
- The pattern of global winds
- The pattern of warm and cold currents
5
Q
What has the strongest effect on climate?
A
Insolation
6
Q
What is solar energy?
A
A radiant energy that is transmitted in electromagnetic waves
7
Q
What does solar energy consist of?
A
Electromagnetic energy at different wavelengths. All the types of radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum
8
Q
What is insolation?
A
The amount of solar energy received by a region of the earth’s surface
9
Q
What does insolation depend on?
A
The latitude and the and the specific characterisics of the lithosphere, atmospher and hydrosphere
10
Q
How are radiant energies distinguished from one another?
A
By their wavelengths
11
Q
What are the type of waves in the electromagnetic spectrum?
A
- Radio
- Radar
- Micro
- Infrared
- Ultraviolet
- X-rays
- Gamma rays
- Cosmic rays
12
Q
What is the angle of inclination?
A
The degree by which the earth’s poles are tilted from the perpendicular plane of its orbit. 23.5
13
Q
How often does earth orbit the sun?
A
Once a year
14
Q
When is the first day of summer?
A
June 21
15
Q
What does the angle of inclination of the earth look like in summer?
A
The north pole is tilted toward the sun
16
Q
When is the first day of winter?
A
December 21
17
Q
What does the angle of inclination look like in the winter?
A
Tilted away from the sun
18
Q
What are latitudes?
A
Imaginary line that run parallel to the equator
19
Q
What is the highest latitude?
A
90 degrees
20
Q
What is a solstice?
A
One of the 2 points in earth’s orbit at which the north pole is most tilted toward the sun and the earth has the longest amount of daylight.
21
Q
When does the solstice occur?
A
June 21-22 December 21-22
22
Q
Which regions of the earth do not experience variation in sunlight?
A
Regions near the equator
23
Q
What is an equinox?
A
When the number of daylight hours is equal to the number of night hours
24
Q
What does the earth look like during the equinoxes?
A
They are above or below the sun
25
When do the equinoxes take place?
March and September 21-22
26
What is the angle of incidence?
The angle of a ray falling on the earth's surface and the line perpendicular to that surface
27
What is the angle of incidence at the equator?
0
28
How is the angle of incidence affected as it moves away from the equator?
It becomes larger
29
Why do some areas receive less solar energy?
Because at larger angles of incidence the same amount of radiation is spread over a larger area
30
Why is their variation of temperature as you move from the equator?
- The decrease in insolation year round
| - Variation in daylight hours during different seasons
31
What happens when particles reflect energy from the sun?
They change the rays direction
32
What happens when particles absorb the suns energy?
The energy is converted into another form
33
Where does absorption and reflection of the sun occur in the biosphere occur?
All parts, the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere
34
What does oxygen and nitrogen absorb?
X-rays and Gamma Rays
35
What absorbs most of the UV radiation?
Ozone
36
Where is the most atmospheric dust found?
The troposphere
37
Why is the air temperature colder on a cloudy day?
Clouds reflect some incoming solar radiation
38
How does atmospheric dust affect the earth's temperature?
- It shades the earth's surface from incoming radiation, reducing the amount of solar energy
- It also absorbs heat from the sun and the earth's surface
39
What does the amount of solar energy that is reflected or absorbed depend on?
The type of surface encountered
40
What is the Albedo?
The percent of solar radiation of a surface reflects
41
What is the average albedo for the earth's surface?
30%
42
Why do most places have a higher Albedo in the winter?
Because snow cover reflects more snow
43
Do places that lack forest cover have a high albedo or a low albedo?
High
44
What type of radiation is re-emitted from the earth?
Infrared radiation
45
How does infrared radiation affect the earth's temperature?
Because of its high thermal energy it helps to keep the temperature of the planet
46
What is the natural greenhouse gas effect?
The absorption of thermal energy by the earth's atmosphere that keeps the earth's temperature habitable
47
What would happen without greenhouse gasses?
The earth's heat would escape into space and the temp would be about 33 degrees lower
48
Which gas is the main contributor to the greenhouse gas affect?
Water vapour
Carbon Dioxide
Methane
Nitrous oxide
49
What is the net-radiation budget?
The difference between the amount of incoming radiation and the amount of outgoing radiation re-emitted from earth's surface and atmosphere
50
What is incoming radiation?
All the solar energy that reaches the earth's surface. Not including solar radiation that is reflected by the atmosphere by the albedo
51
What is outgoing radiation?
The thermal radiation re-emitted by the earth's surface and atmosphere that is not absorbed by the greenhouse gasses of the atmosphere
52
What is the formula for the net radiation budget?
Incoming radiation - outgoing radiation
53
When solar energy initially reaches earth what is it immeadiatley reflected by?
The atmosphere
Clouds
The earth's surface
54
Where does the solar energy get absorbs when it reaches earth?
Absorbed by:
Greenhouse gasses
Clouds
The earth's surface
55
What is absorbed solar energy re-emitted by?
Clouds and atmospheric gasses
Hydrosphere
Global winds
The earth's surface
56
Which part of the earth absorbs the most atmospheric gasses?
The earth's surface
57
Which part of the earth re-emits the most atmospheric gasses?
The atmosphere
58
Is there a large difference between outgoing radiation and incoming radiation?
No, they are usually 0
59
What is the balance of Net radiation near the poles?
Because polar radiation has lower insolation and higher albedo there is less incoming radiation than outgoing radiation
60
What is the balance of net radiation near the equator?
Becuase of high insolation there is more incoming radiation than outgoing radiation
61
What is thermal energy transfer?
The movement of thermal energy from an area of high temperature to an area of low temperature
62
What are the 3 ways thermal energy can occur?
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
63
What is radiation?
The emission of energy particles or waves
64
What does energy do?
Increases the movement of particles
65
What does an increase in kinetic energy do?
Increases heir temperature
66
What does everything that's temperature is warmer than its surroundings emit?
Radiant energy, viewed by an infrared camera
67
What is conduction?
The transfer of thermal energy by direct contact between particles of a substance without moving the particles to a new location
68
Where does conduction usually take place in?
Solids
69
How is kinetic energy moved in conduction?
Particles with more kinetic energy transfer their energy to neighbouring particles with lower kinetic energy
70
What is convection?
The transfer of thermal energy through the movement of particles from one location to another
71
Where does convection usually occur?
In fluids (gasses and liquids)
72
What happens during convection?
The movement of particles forms a current. The hotter (more energy) particles move apart and become less dense and move to the top. Then as the water cools it moves down which forms a current
73
How does wind move?
The air near the equator becomes hot and less dense and rises to the poles and as it moves it to the poles it cools down
74
What is atmospheric pressure?
The pressure exerted by the mass of air above any point on earth's surface
75
Where is there less atmospheric pressure?
Warmer regions because the air is less dense
76
What causes wind to be deflected either right or left?
The Coriolis effect of the earth spinning on its axis
77
What is the Coriolis effect?
The deflection of any object from a straight line path by rotation of Earth
78
What direction does the Coriolis effect cause the wind in the northern and southern hemisphere to go?
Northern: Left
Southern: Right
79
What do global winds transfer?
Thermal energy from regions of net radiation surplus to areas of net radiation budget deficit
80
What would happen if global winds did not occur?
Areas near the equator would be very hot while the rest of earth would be much colder
81
What are trade winds?
Rising currents of air that cause wind to blow steadily northeast and southeast
82
What are trade winds cause by?
The Coriolis effect
83
What happens at 30 degrees latitude to solar winds?
Some of the trade wind is significantly cooled and sinks and moves back down to the equator and the rest of the warm air is pushed up to the poles and turned east by the Coriolis effect
84
What are some other things that affect earth's wind patterns?
Continents and large body's of water
85
What slows global winds?
Earth's surface and the density of the troposphere produces friction
86
What is a jet stream?
A band of fast moving air in the stratosphere, that are not subject to much friction
87
How many jet streams are there in the northern or southern hemisphere?
2 or 3
88
What are jet streams formed by?
Convection currents
89
When are jet streams closer to the equator and move quicker?
During the cooler months
90
What affects the formation of severe weather events?
Jet streams
91
What is a Biome?
A large geographical region with a particular range of temperature and precipitation levels
92
What type of system are Biomes?
Open systems because they exchange matter and energy with their environment
93
What is a closed system?
A system that exchanges energy with its surrounding
94
What type of system is the Hydrosphere?
A closed system
95
What makes biomes an open system?
They allow matter from other biomes to move in and out of their boundaries
96
Where do biomes get their energy from?
Solar energy from the sun
97
What does the sun do for biomes?
- Provides energy
- Maintains the temperature
- Provide food for living organsims
98
How many different biomes are there?
6
99
Why do scientists divide the earth into biomes?
To help them study and understand the interactions between living and non-living components and how they interact with each other
100
What are the 6 types of biomes in order?
```
Tundra
Taiga
Deciduous Forest
Grassland
Desert
Rain Forest
```
101
Where is the Tundra found?
The arctic regions of North America and Eurasia
102
How does daylight vary in the Tundra?
It varies over the over the years. The summer solstice lasts for 24 hours with light. The winter solstice lasts for 24 hours with no daylight
103
What is the variation of solar energy in the winter in the Tundra?
They receive very little insolation
104
Which biome receives the least amount of solar radiation?
The Tundra
105
What covers the Tundra year round?
Ice and snow
106
What is a result of the ice and snow that cover the Tundra year round?
Permafrost, permanently frozen ground
107
What maintains cold temperatures in the tundra?
The low insolation and the high albedo
108
Why do very few plants and animals inhabit the Tundra?
Because it has very little precipitation
109
How are plants adapted to living in the Tundra?
Plants have a very short life cycle and they live close to the ground to limit their exposure to the cold and the high winds
110
What do the animals of the Tundra feed on?
Fish and other animals
111
How do animals protect themselves in the Tundra?
Small animals burrow underground
| Large animals have thick coats and squat bodies
112
Where is the Taiga Biome found?
A broad belt around the earth just south of the Tundra biomes
113
What type of trees is the Taiga dominate by?
Evergreen conifer trees, such as fur, pine, and spruce
114
Which biome is dominated by Conifer trees?
The Taiga
115
Why are their few shrubs and bushes in the Taiga?
Because thick conifer branches block out most of the light
116
What is another name for the Taiga?
Boreal forest
117
Why does the Taiga have a longer growing season than the Tundra?
Because there is more insolation at the latitude
118
In comparison to the Tundra, what is the climate of the Taiga?
Taiga has more precipitation and higher temperatures
119
Why can more plants and animals live in the Taiga?
Because of the higher insolation
120
What biome covers most of Alberta?
The Taiga
121
How is the Taiga good for the economy?
It produces lumber for the forestry business
122
What do the leaves of conifer trees have?
Resin
123
What is resin?
An adaption of conifer trees which makes them resistant to drought and freezing and can undergo photosynthesis year round
124
What adaptations do animals in the Taiga biome have?
They become inactive during the winter.
Their coat changes colours to camouflage.
And birds migrate in the fall
125
How are Deciduous forests distinguished?
By trees that lose their leaves each fall
126
Which biome has conifer trees?
The Taiga
127
Which biome has Deciduous trees?
The Deciduous forest
128
Where is the deciduous forest found?
Parts of North and South America, Europe, Asia, Japan and Australia
129
How is the climate and growing season of the Deciduous forest compared to the Taiga?
The climate is more moderate and there is a longer growing season
130
What causes very distinct seasons in the Deciduous forest?
The variation in the amount of insolation
131
Why do shrubs, mosses and lichen grow in the Deciduous Forest?
Because deciduous trees allow light to penetrate to the ground
132
What allows broadleaf trees to survive in the Deciduous forest?
The average temperature of the Taiga
133
What is a positive to broadleaf trees in the Deciduous?
They are very efficient in photosynthesis
134
What is a negative to broadleaf trees?
They freeze easily and lose high amounts of water through transpiration
135
How do animals function in the deciduous forest?
They are active year round
136
What does the Grassland biome look like?
They are grassy with no trees
137
Why is the Grassland biome grassy?
Because grass requires far less water than trees
138
Why do Grasslands occur?
They occur in regions where precipitation is at least 20 cm and too low to support the growth of trees
139
What continents do grasslands occur on?
All continents
140
What do grasslands have periods of?
Winter in the Prairies and dry season in the Savanna
141
What are the 2 types of Grasslands?
Prairies and Savanna
142
What are the seasons of the prairies?
Winter and Summer
143
What are the seasons of the Savanna?
Wet and Dry season
144
What are grasslands referred to as in North America?
Prairies
145
What has most of the prairie region in North America been change into?
Agricultural land
146
Where are Savannas located?
In Africa
147
How have Grasslands adapted to dry climate?
They have extensive root systems that allow for quick recovery
148
What are most grassland animals?
Grazers; they travel great distances in order to find sufficient food
149
What do burrowing animals in the grasslands do?
The create underground burrows to protect themselves from harsh weather and predators
150
Which biome contains the richest diversity of plants and animals?
The rainforest
151
Which biome receives the most rain?
The rainforest 200 CM
152
How does the climate affect plant life in the rainforest?
It allows plants to grow year round
153
What type of plants grow in the rainforest?
-Broadleaf evergreen or deciduous and vines and rootless air plants
154
How are plants adapted in the rainforest?
Since there are many plants in one area most plants are adapted to maximize sun exposure. Which means broad leaves, great height, and the ability to climb
155
What is the plant life like in the desert?
It has relatively plant life
156
How many biomes does Canada have and name them?
4, Tundra, Taiga, Deciduous forest, Grassland
157
What direction are water currents in the southern hemisphere driven?
Counter-clockwise
158
What direction are water currents in the northern hemisphere driven?
Clockwise
159
What is the specific heat capacity of a substance?
The amount of energy required raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance 1 degree celsius
160
What is specific heat capacity measured in?
J/g
161
What is the specific heat capacity of water?
4.19 J/g
162
What is the quantity of thermal energy?
The amount of thermal energy absorbed or released when the temperature of a specific mass of a substance goes up or down
163
What is the formula for the quantity of thermal energy?
Q=mcΔt
164
What does the Q in Q=mcΔt mean? and what is it measured in?
Quantity of thermal energy; Joules
165
What is the m in Q=mcΔt? and what is it measured in?
Mass of the substance; grams
166
What does the Δt stand for in Q=mcΔt? and what is it measured in?
Change in temperature; degrees celsius
167
How can the specific heat capacity be determined?
Using a calorimeter
168
What is a calorimeter?
Any device used to measure the transfer of thermal energy
169
How is the temperature of water affected during a phase change?
It remains constant
170
Why does the temperature of water not change during a phase change?
When a substance changes from solid to liquid te bonds become weak and break, breaking bonds absorbs energy. When a substance changes from vapour to liquid new bonds are formed and the bond formation releases energy. There is only a temperature change when there is an increase or decrease in kinetic energy. But the energy is used to break bonds so it is not used in the form of kinetic energy
171
What is the heat fusion of a substance?
The amount of energy absorbed when 1 mol of the substance changes from solid to liquid without a change in temperature
172
What does the heat curve of water look like?
It starts below 0 and goes in a diagonal line called the solid phase to 0 and plateaus called melting or fusion. then it goes in a diagonal line called liquid phase then it gets to 100 and plateaus called vaporization then it moves above 100 and goes diagonally to the vapour phase
173
What happens in the melting or fusion stage of the hydrologic cycle?
The temperature stopped increasing because the energy was being absorbed to break the bonds and turn into liquid
174
What is heat of fusion?
The amount of energy absorbed when 1 mol of the substance changes from solid to liquid, without a change in temperature
175
What is the formula for heat of fusion?
Hfus = Q/n
176
What is heat of fusion measured in?
kj
177
What is n in Hfus = Q/n?
Number of moles
