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Atmospheric Processes Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 5 components of the climate system?

A 
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Cryosphere
Land surface
Biosphere
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2
Q

What is the main energy input into the climate system?

A

Solar energy

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3
Q

What are the annual and seasonal variations in wind systems caused by?

A

Coriolis effect

Inequalities in the distribution of solar radiation leading to atmospheric circulation.

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4
Q

What are the 3 cells in the cell circulation model?

A

Hadley
Ferrel
Polar

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5
Q

What is the Polar Front?

A

The boundary between the Ferrel and Polar cells

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6
Q

What is the pressure like at the Polar Front?

A

A low pressure zone where warm, moist air from the Ferrel cell runs into relatively cold, dry air from the Polar cell

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7
Q

Why is the positioning of the Polar Front important?

A

Weather is variable here

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8
Q

What does ITCZ stand for?

A

Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone

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9
Q

Where is the ITCZ located?

A

Near to the equator, where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together

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10
Q

What happens at the ITCZ?

A

Intense sun and warm water warm the air and make it humid. This leads to thunderstorms as the air rises causing it to expand and cool.

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11
Q

How does the ITCZ affect the climate around the equatorial regions?

A

The equatorial regions experience wet and dry seasons rather than hot and cold.

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12
Q

What are the two reasons for seasonal differences in climate across the globe?

A

Spherical shape of the Earth which also leads to large N-S temperature differences.
Tilt of the Earth’s axis of rotation

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13
Q

What degree is the tilt of the Earth’s axis?

A

23.5

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14
Q

What are Trade Winds?

A

Equator-ward flowing easterly winds

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15
Q

What is the Jet Stream?

A

Relatively narrow bands of strong wind in the upper atmosphere. Embedded in Rossby waves.

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16
Q

In which direction does the Jet Stream flow?

A

From west to east

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17
Q

When is the Jet Stream strongest?

A

In Northern and Southern Hemisphere winters

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18
Q

What does the first law of thermodynamics state?

A

Energy can be converted but not created or destroyed.

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19
Q

What is responsible for the formation of weather systems?

A

The transformation of heat into mechanical energy.

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20
Q

What is entropy?

A

The measure of unavailability of heat energy for conversion.

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21
Q

What is the second law of thermodynamics?

A

Entropy increases with time, so overtime the system becomes more disordered

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22
Q

According to the second law of thermodynamics, what will happen to organised atmospheric motion overtime?

A

It will break down

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23
Q

What does medium and large atmospheric motion show?

A

A high degree of stability, suggesting that entropy does not increase with time and that there is a source of low input entropy.

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24
Q

What objects emit radiation?

A

Anything above absolute zero

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25
What determines the intensity of insolation on the ground?
The angle of the Sun's energy
26
What is temperature?
The mean kinetic energy per molecule of an object
27
What is heat?
Measure of total kinetic energy
28
What happens to molecules at absolute zero?
They are at rest
29
What is latent heat?
Heat that is stored and used when a substance changes state.
30
What is latent heat transfer?
Transfer of heat from an evaporating surface to the atmosphere.
31
What do heat transfer processes include? (2)
Conduction and convection
32
What is insolation?
Incoming solar radiation
33
What are the units of insolation?
Wm-2
34
What does insolation vary by? (2)
Latitude and season
35
Which objects emit more energy at shorter wavelengths?
Hotter objects
36
What is the change in state for sublimation?
Solid to gas
37
What happens to the latent heat in sublimation?
Latent heat is absorbed
38
What is the change in state for deposition?
Gas to solid
39
What happens to the latent heat in deposition?
Latent heat is released
40
What happens to the latent heat if a substance becomes less disordered?
Latent heat is released.
41
What is albedo?
How reflective the Earth's surface is
42
What will happen to albedo as a result of sea ice decline?
Less solar energy will be reflected leading to more absorption by the sea.
43
What are the two types of radiation?
Direct solar radiation or indirect diffuse radiation
44
What do clouds trap?
Radiation
45
What is net radiation?
The difference between incoming and outgoing radiation
46
Where is there an energy deficit?
At high latitudes
47
Where does heat transfer move surplus energy?
From low to high latitudes
48
What does radiation not require to travel?
Radiation
49
What structures does radiation have?
Both a wave and photon structure
50
What wavelength is solar radiation?
Shortwave
51
What wavelength is terrestrial radiation?
Long wave
52
How does temperature control the amount of radiation emitted?
The higher the temperature, the more radiation emitted
53
What does the global water balance constantly cycle between?
Stores
54
What part of the hydrological cycle contains little water?
The atmopshere
55
What part of the hydrological cycle is responsible for the largest flow of water?
The atmosphere
56
What is humidity?
The amount of water vapour in the atmosphere
57
What type of air can hold more water vapour?
Warm air can hold more water vapour than cold air
58
What is relative humidity?
Saturated air
59
What happens to air as it rises?
It cools and becomes saturated
60
What is the dew point?
The temperature of saturation
61
What happens after the dew point is reached?
Condensation occurs, dew forms and it may rain
62
What decreases as temperature increases?
Relative humidity
63
What happens as a gas expands?
Its volume increases and its pressure and temperature decrease
64
What does the adiabatic lapse rate do?
Quantify how the temperature of air decreases as it rises
65
What can cause the adiabatic lapse rate to differ?
Wet and dry masses have different rates
66
What happens to the dew point as air rises?
The dew point decreases
67
What is the dominant process for transferring heat?
Convection
68
What do temperature variations occur with?
Vertical motions
69
What is meant by the term adiabatic process?
Energy is transferred in the form of work to or from the system
70
What does mass balance dictate?
Some air masses must rise and some must fall
71
Where does overturning occur?
In the troposphere
72
What is overturning?
The constant turning of the atmosphere
73
What is the dry adiabatic lapse rate?
Rate of temperature fall with height
74
What is dry adiabatic lapse rate measured in?
C/Km
75
What is the saturated adiabatic lapse rate?
Rate in the presence of condensation
76
When is the complete earth- atmosphere system in thermal equilibrium?
Over long time scales
77
Where is heat energy transferred to?
From the tropics to the poles
78
What transfers heat energy from the tropics to the poles?
The north-south circulations in the atmosphere and oceans
79
What is airflow almost parallel to?
Isobars
80
Where is airflow not almost parallel to isobars?
Near the surface and the equator
81
At what angle should air move to the isobars?
90 degrees
82
Why doesn't air move at 90 degrees to the isobars?
Due to the Earth's rotation
83
What are geostrophic winds?
Deflected winds that are more than 1km above the surface
84
What is speed proportional to in geostrophic winds?
Speed is proportional to pressure gradient and strength of Coriolis effect
85
In which direction is air flow for geostrophic winds?
Anti-clockwise around low pressure in the Northern Hemisphere and clock wise in the Southern Hemisphere
86
What are Rossby waves the result of?
Smooth westward flow of upper air westerlies
87
Where do Rossby waves develop?
At the Polar Front- they form convoluted waves that eventually pinch off
88
What mechanism are Rossby waves for?
They are the primary mechanism for poleward heat transfer
89
What creates low pressure?
Pools of cool air
90
What is the Jet Stream caused by?
Sharp temperature differences
91
Where is the subtropical westerly jet stream?
Poleward boundary of the tropical Hadley cell, just below the tropopause
92
What does the subtropical westerly jet stream divide around in winter?
It divides around the Tibetan Plateau
93
When does the equatorial easterly jet stream develop?
It develops in summer when the northern subtropical westerly jet stream is less developed and moves poleward.
94
What is the equatorial easterly jet stream connected with?
The formation of a high pressure, upper level system over Tibet
95
What is the Polar front jet stream associated with?
Warm and cold fronts of temperate latitude depressions.
96
Which jet stream has considerable day to day variations?
The Polar front jet stream
97
What is the climate system based on?
Ocean-atmosphere interactions
98
What are 3 ocean- atmosphere interactions?
Albedo, moisture circulation and energy transfer
99
What allows ice to form on the surface of oceans when warmer air resides below?
Density profiles of water
100
What does ice influence?
Albedo and surface winds
101
What does the North Atlantic circulation bring?
A continuous supply of heat and moisture to Western Europe
102
Why is the North Atlantic circulation more noticeable in winter?
The area is milder than other areas in the same latitude
103
What is El Nino Southern Oscillation?
An air exchange between South Pacific high and Indonesian equatorial low
104
How long is the ENSO cycle?
2-8 years
105
What happens to the trade winds during La Nina?
They are intense
106
What happens to the western tropical Pacific during La Nina?
The warm tropical waters converge
107
What happens to the eastern tropical Pacific during La Nina?
It is cold and dry
108
What happens to the trade winds during El Nino?
They relax
109
Where do warm waters move in El Nino?
Eastwards
110
What happens in the Western Tropical Pacific in El Nino?
Drought
111
What does the Eastern Tropical Pacific receive during El Nino?
Heavy rainfall and floods

GEO1020 (16 decks)

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