Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

z Geog 111 > Week 3 - Heat and temperature of the Earth > Flashcards

Week 3 - Heat and temperature of the Earth Flashcards

1
Q

What is energy?

A

It’s a property of substances; it’s the ability to do work on mass.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is temperature?

A

It is average kinetic energy, as well as the property that dictates the flow of heat energy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How is temperature measured?

A

“Hot” and “cold” with a thermometer.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is heat and how does it relate to temperature?

A

Heat is the flow of energy from something that is relatively warm to something that is relatively cold; it will continue to flow until the temperature of the two things are the same.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How is heat transferred?

A

It can be transferred via radiation, conduction, or convection/advection.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is solar altitude?

A

Solar altitude is the angle of the sun above the horizon.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How much is the Earth’s axial tilt?

A

23.4

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

At what latitudes are the tropics and polar circles?

A

23.5, 66.5

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is axial parallelism?

A

As the Earth rotates around the sun, its axis is always parallel to itself, no matter what its position to the sun is.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is normal lapse rate?

A

It’s the rate at which atmospheric temperature drops in relation to increased altitude.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is the average normal lapse rate?

A

6.5 C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is specific heat?

A

The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Land has ___ specific heat.

A

Land has low specific heat; it’s quick to heat and cool.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Water has ___ specific heat.

A

Water has high specific heat; it’s slow to heat and cool.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is continentality?

A

The fact that places inland have higher temperature variations due to the low specific heat of land.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are the main geographic controls on Earth’s temperature?

A

Latitude, altitude, land cover, continentality.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is air pressure?

A

It’s the force exerted by the weight of air molecules.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is high pressure in terms of altitude and temperature?

A

Low altitude, low temperatures.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is low pressure in terms of altitude and temperature?

A

High altitude, high temperatures.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Where does air flow, pressure-wise?

A

From high to low pressure.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

How do we measure air pressure?

A

With a barometer.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

How does a barometer work?

A

When air pressure is high, it exerts more force on the mercury, causing it to rise from the dish into the tube.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What’s an isobar?

A

It’s a line on a map connecting places with the same atmospheric pressure.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What does a bigger pressure gradient mean?

A

It means a greater difference in pressures closer together, which creates much higher wind speeds.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is the Coriolis Effect?

A

It’s the apparent deflection in the paths of objects—e.g. planes, wind, ocean currents—caused by the rotation of the Earth.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What controls the Coriolis Force?

A

The Earth’s rotation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Explain the pattern of highs and lows around the world.

A

The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) – low pressure; Hadley Cells (northeast and southeast trade winds); Sub-Tropical High – high pressure; Ferrell Cells (westerlies); Polar Front (mid-latitude cyclone areas) – low pressure; Polar Cells (polar easterlies); Polar Vortez – high pressure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What sort of climate is the sub-tropical high associated with?

A

Deserts.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What are the two main controls on the strength of the Coriolis force?

A

Latitude (absent at equator, stronger at poles) and wind speed.

30
Q

Which way does the Coriolis force deflect?

A

If you are looking in the direction that the wind is blowing, it deflects to the right in the N. hemisphere and to the left in the S. hemisphere.

31
Q

What is teleconnection?

A

A strong connection between weather events in distant parts of the globe associated with large-scale atmospheric waves or circulation patterns.

32
Q

What are the two main forces that control air movement?

A

The pressure gradient and the Coriolis force.

33
Q

Low altitude / low temp =

A

high pressure

34
Q

High altitude / high temp =

A

low pressure

35
Q

The direction of the pressure gradient force is always _______ to the isobars.

A

perpendicular

36
Q

If the isobars are far apart, what does that mean for the pressure gradient force and wind speeds?

A

Both will be relatively low.

37
Q

In which direction does the Earth rotate?

A

Looking down from the North Pole, counter-clockwise.

38
Q

What are the “normal” conditions for trade winds in the equatorial Pacific?

A

They blow from the east.

39
Q

Under “normal” conditions in the equatorial Pacific, where would you find warmer sea surface temperatures?

A

In the western Pacific (Indonesia and Australia).

40
Q

What is upwelling and, under “normal” conditions in the equatorial Pacific, where does it occur?

A

Upwelling is deep, cold, nutrient-rich water being brought up from the deep, and it occurs under normal conditions off the coast of Ecuador and Peru. Great for fisherman!

41
Q

Under “normal” conditions in the equatorial Pacific, where would you find the most precipitation?

A

In the western Pacific, where warm air rises, cools, and sheds the moisture it picked up while travelling across the Pacific. The eastern Pacific region is relatively dry.

42
Q

What is the Walker Circulation?

A

Basically, a causal description of “normal” conditions in the equatorial Pacific.

43
Q

What is ENSO?

A

The El Niño Southern Oscillation; a flip-flopping of conditions in the equatorial Pacific.

44
Q

What is El Niño?

A

A reversal of normal conditions in the equatorial Pacific.

45
Q

What is La Niña?

A

A strengthening of normal conditions in the equatorial Pacific.

46
Q

Are El Niño and ENSO the same thing?

A

No, because ENSO is a combination of both La Niña and El Niño.

47
Q

What are the effects of El Niño in California?

A

Usually (though not always) storms, landslides, and floods.

48
Q

What are the effects of El Niño in Northern US and Canada?

A

The jetstream is pushed northward, so relatively mild winters. The East is relatively moist.

49
Q

What are the effects of El Niño in Peru?

A

Heavy rain, floods, landslides.

50
Q

What are the effects of El Niño in Australia?

A

Droughts and bush-fires.

51
Q

What are the effects of El Niño in India and Oceania?

A

Erratic or failed monsoons.

52
Q

What are the effects of El Niño in Africa?

A

Possible drought and famine.

53
Q

What are the effects of El Niño in eastern Pacific?

A

Lots of tropical cyclones.

54
Q

What are the effects of El Niño in western Atlantic?

A

Less tropical cyclones.

55
Q

What is it called (in the equatorial Pacific) when conditions are fairly neutral?

A

La Nada.

56
Q

What does PDO stand for?

A

Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

57
Q

What is the PDO?

A

Warm or cool waters in the Pacific north of 20 degrees.

58
Q

What happens during a warm (positive) phase of the PDO?

A

The east Pacific is warm and the west Pacific is cool

59
Q

What happens during a cool (negative) phase of the PDO?

A

The east Pacific is cool and the west Pacific is warm.

60
Q

What are the major patterns whose teleconnections account for much of the weather variability around the world?

A

ENSO, PDO, Northern Annular Mode (NAM), Southern Annular Mode (SAM), etc.

61
Q

The Northern Annular Mode (NAM) is closely associated with which two oscillations?

A

North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO)

62
Q

What are annular modes?

A

Hemispheric-scale circulation pattern defined by changes

in the westerly winds at mid-latitudes.

63
Q

How do the annular modes oscillate?

A

See-saw (dipole) pattern between positive and negative

phases.

64
Q

What are the two annular modes?

A

NAM (also called the Arctic Oscillation and closely related to the NAO) and SAM (also called the Antarctic Oscillation)

65
Q

How is ENSO measured?

A

By measuring trade winds, measuring pressure and calculating the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), and by measuring sea surface temperatures using the TAO array and calculating an index.

66
Q

How are PDO and ENSO related?

A

PDO tends to amplify ENSO.

67
Q

Which annular mode are we most affected by?

A

The Arctic Oscillation

68
Q

If there is higher pressure at the poles, what happens to the Polar Front?

A

It’s pushed down toward the equator.

69
Q

What is a front?

A

It’s a LINE that separates warm air masses from cold air masses.

70
Q

Why does precipitation occur when fronts move in?

A

Because dew point temps are reached.

71
Q

Why does cold air generally tend to over take warm air in mid-latitude cyclones?

A

Because it’s higher pressure and therefore moving with more force.

72
Q

What controls solar altitude?

A

It is controlled by many factors, including the Earth’s rotation, the Earth’s axial tilt, and the progression of the equinoxes or march of the seasons.

z Geog 111 (11 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions