Weather And Climate Flashcards
What are air masses
Huge bodies of air that have similar temperatures, humidity, and air pressure
What are fronts
When an air mass moves into an area and interacts with other masses, it causes the weather to change
What is a cold front
When fast cold dense air pushes slow moving warm air up
What is a warm front
Fast moving warm air overtakes slow moving cold air
What is a stationary front
When cold air and warm air meet but neither can move the other
What is a occluded front
A warm air mass is caught between two cold air masses
The denser air mass pushes the warm air mass up
The two cold air masses may mix underneath the warm one
Warm air mass is cut off from ground
What are cyclones and anticyclones
Fronts become distorted because of things like mountains or jet streams (bending )
Bending can cause swirls that can create low pressure centers
What are cyclones (3)
-Convergent air flow
-Swirling low pressure system
- spins counterclockwise
What are anticyclones
- high pressure systems
- divergent air flow
- swirls clockwise
What causes atmospheric pressure
Weight of air
What are variable gasses in the atmosphere (4)
- water vapor
-carbon dioxide
-methane
-ozone
What parameters do we use to determine the layers of the earths atmosphere
Altitude and temperature
What parameters do we use to determine the layers of the earths atmosphere
Altitude and temperature
What is the Montreal protocol
A global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of CFCs
What causes a increase in the thermosphere
- high UV and X-ray radiation absorbed (closer to the sun)
- FEELS cold because the molecules are so sparse and far apart
What causes a increase in the thermosphere
- high UV and X-ray radiation absorbed (closer to the sun)
- FEELS cold because the molecules are so sparse and far apart
What causes decrease in the mesopause
Air becomes thinner again
What causes decrease in the mesopause
Air becomes thinner again
What causes increase in the stratopause
Formation of ozone layer which traps heat
What causes decrease in the tropopause
Air becomes thinner (molecules farther apart)
What is weather
The set of short term atmosphereic conditions typically those occurring over hours or days for a particular area
What is climate
A general pattern of atmospheric or weather conditions measured over long periods of time ranging from decades to thousands of years
What is a gyre
Large scale water circulation that moves clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern
What is upwelling
Upward movement of ocean water
When AND where does El Niño happen
Every few years in the Pacific Ocean
What happens during El Niño (3)
- prevailing tropical trade winds (east and west) weaken or reverse direction
- western pacific warmer water moves toward S.A
- suppress the normal upwellings of cold nutrient rich water
What are some possible effects of El Niño (2)
- decrease in nutrients
- can alter the weather
What is el Nina
It is the cooling of some coastal surface waters and brings back upwellings
What are some effects of el Nina (4)
- more Atlantic hurricanes
- colder winters in Canada and NE U.S
- Warner dryer winters in the southeastern and southwestern (more wildfires )
- wetter winters in the pacific NW
-torrential rains in SE ASIA
What is precipitation
Any type of water that forms in the earths atmosphere and then drops onto the surface of the earth
How is a warm front shown on a map
Red semi circle
How is a stationary front shown on a map
Blue and red triangles
How is a occluded front shown
Purple semi circles and triangles
What is eating the ozone
CFC s
Why is the atmosphere important (4)
- provides o2 and co2
- absorbs solar radiation
- moderates climate
- transports and recycles water and nutrients
What happens to pressure as altitude increases
Pressure decreases
What is Albedo
The reflectivity of the earth
Which way does the earth rotate
West to east
Can cold air hold moisture
No
Can cold air hold moisture
No
What causes changes in pressure
Temperature
Were does upwelling happen
- far from sore
- along the steep western coasts of some continents
What is the urban heat island effecf
Have a lot of heat in cities and release at night
- heat done over cities
- warmer than other areas
- creates additional storms around the cities
