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Science > Chapter 14 > Flashcards

Chapter 14 Flashcards

1
Q

what is climate

A

the long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region

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2
Q

what does climate depend on

A

temperature and precipitation

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3
Q

what effects climate

A

latitude, altitude, rain shadows, and bodies of water

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4
Q

why does latitude affect climate (ex: how would climate be different if you were near the equator, explain)

A

because the area near the equator receives more solar energy than areas closer to the poles. Therefore, regions near the equator have warmer climates, and climates become older as you move toward the poles.

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5
Q

how does altitude affect climate

A

as you increase altitude, the average temperature decreases

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6
Q

how do mountains affect climate

A

by being a barrier to preventing winds and rains

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7
Q

what is a rain shadow

A

an area of low rainfall because it is on the downwind slope of a mounatin

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8
Q

why does bodies of water affect climate

A

because bodies of water have different characteristics than the land that is near them

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9
Q

what is an example f bodies of water having different characteristics than the land that is near them

A

on a sunny day, the sand is much warmer than the water

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10
Q

are climates more stable along coasts or inland

A

coast

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11
Q

why is climate more stable along coasts than inland

A

because there is less of a temperature swing between the highs and lows

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12
Q

what is specific heat

A

the amount of thermal energy needed to raise the temp of 3kg of material to 1c

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13
Q

what is specific heat measured in

A

Joules

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14
Q

how many times greater is the specific heat of water than sand

A

6 times, it takes 6 times more energy to raise the temp of water to the same temp as sand

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15
Q

who invented a system for classifying the world’s climate

A

Wladimir Koppen

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16
Q

what factors does Koppen’s system use for classifying climate

A

temperature, precipitation, and native vegataion

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17
Q

how many different climate types are there in Koppen’s climate system

A

5

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18
Q

Where do polar climates affect

A

thundras, ice cap, highland

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19
Q

what is the weather like in a polar climate year-round

A

cold year

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20
Q

how much precipitation does a polar climate get

A

little precipitation

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21
Q

where do dry climates affect

A

arid and semiarid areas

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22
Q

what are summers and winters like in a dry climate

A

hot summers, cooler winters

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23
Q

how much precipitation do dry climates get

A

very low precipitation

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24
Q

where does tropical climate affect

A

tropical went (look in book if right) and tropical wet/dry

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25
Q

what kind of weather is in a tropical climate

A

warm year-round

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26
Q

how much precipitation does tropical climates get

A

high precipitaion

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27
Q

where does mild climate affect

A

meteradian, (look in book) humid subtropical, and marine west coast

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28
Q

what kind of summers and winters do mild climates bring

A

warm, humid summers, mild winters

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29
Q

what kind of precipitation do mild summers bring

A

high precipitation

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30
Q

what are microclimates

A

a small localized climate that is different from the climate of the larger area surrounding it

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31
Q

what can microclimates be caused by

A

by cities (concrete and asphalt) forests, hilltops, and bodies of water

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32
Q

what is (1) an example of organisms adapting to the climate that they live in

A

polar bears, they have hick fur and a layer of fat

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33
Q

what is (2) an example of organisms adapting to the climate that they live in

A

deciduous trees loose leaves during winter to prevent water loss in winter

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34
Q

what is the climate effect of humans

A

climate can dictate the crops you can grow and he buildings you can build

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35
Q

how are buildings built different in polar climates

A

buildings are built on stilts to prevent the building from melting the permafrost (soil is frozen year-round)

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36
Q

what do scientists use to learn about past climates

A

ice core samples, fossilized pollen, ocean sediment, growth rings of trees

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37
Q

what is an ice age

A

cold periods lasting from hundreds to millions of years when glaciers cover much of the earth

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38
Q

what are interglacials

A

warm periods that occur during or between ice ages

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39
Q

when did the most recent ice ages began

A

2 million years ago

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40
Q

when did the most recent ice age reach its peak

A

20,000 years ago

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41
Q

what part of the world was covered in ice during the most recent ice age

A

half of the northern hemisphere

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42
Q

how long ago did the Holocene epoch begin

A

10,000 years ago

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43
Q

what is the current interglacial period called

A

Holocene Epoch

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44
Q

did temperatures fluctuate during the holocene

A

yes

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45
Q

when were the warmest years during the holocene and where

A

950 - 1100 in Europe

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46
Q

when was the coldest years during the holocene

A

from 1250 - 1850

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47
Q

what is one causes of long-term climate cycle

A

the shape of the earths orbit

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48
Q

what does a climate cycle mean

A

how the climate changes over time

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49
Q

how does the shape of the earths orbit affect long-term climate cycle

A

the shape of earth’s orbit changes the amount of solar energy that reaches earth

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50
Q

what does elliptical mean

A

a shape

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51
Q

what shape does earth’s orbit look like

A

anywhere from circular to elliptical over 10,000 years

52
Q

what happens if earths orbit becomes more circualr

A

the earth is further from the sun and the temperatures are colder

53
Q

what are season caused by

A

by changes in the amount of solar energy at different latitudes at different time of the year

54
Q

what do seasonal changes include

A

changes in temperature, hours of day and night

55
Q

what is another factor that can cause seasons

A

changes in the tilt of earth’s axis

56
Q

how is summer brought to the northern hemisphere

A

during June, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, so it receives more direct rays and more hours of daylight

57
Q

how does the northern hemisphere have winter

A

during December, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun so it receives fewer direct rays and fewer hours of daylight

58
Q

how many days mark the start of each season

A

4 days

59
Q

what day is the summer solstice on for the northern hempisphere

A

June 21st or 22nd

60
Q

what is the day of the year called with the most daylight hours

A

summer solstice

61
Q

for the northern hemisphere, what is the day called with the least amount of daylight

A

winter solstice

62
Q

what day does the winter solstice start for the northern hempisphere

A

december 21st or 22nd

63
Q

what is an equinox

A

days when neither the northern nor the southern hemisphere are pointed towards the sun

64
Q

what is the spring equinox called

A

vernal equinox

65
Q

what day does the spring equinox start on

A

march 21st or 22nd

66
Q

what is the fall equinox called

A

autumnal equinox

67
Q

what day does the fall equinox start on

A

september 21st or 22nd

68
Q

what happens when trade winds near the equator blow from east to west

A

results in warm air pushing from south america to Australia

69
Q

what happens to south america (SA) when warm warm air pushes from south america to Australia

A

permits upwell (rising) of cold ocean water along the south america coast

70
Q

what happens when trade winds are weak

A

winds instead blow from Australia to south America- west to east

71
Q

what do trade winds blowing from west to east prevent

A

the cold water from upwell (rising)

72
Q

what are combined ocean and atmospheric cycle that results in weak trade winds across the pacific ocean called

A

el niño

73
Q

how often does the el niño cycle occur

A

every 3-8 years

74
Q

what does NAO stand for

A

north american oscillation

75
Q

what is NAO

A

it is a weather cycle that changes the position of the jet stream, causing storms, in north america and Europe

76
Q

what is another name for El nino

A

southern oscillation (Enso)

77
Q

what is la nina

A

the cool phase of ENSO

78
Q

how often do la ninas occur

A

every 3 to 5 years

79
Q

how long does a la nina last

A

around a year

80
Q

what is a monsoons

A

a wind circulation that changes with the seasons

81
Q

what causes the wind in a monsoon

A

temperature differences between land and the ocean

82
Q

where does a monsoon come in from in the summer

A

from the ocean

83
Q

in the summer what kind of weather does a monsoon bring

A

large amounts of rain

84
Q

during winter, where do monsoons blow in from

A

from the land to the ocean

85
Q

what kind of weather does winter monsoons bring

A

dryer weather

86
Q

go read the book now

A

go dookie!

87
Q

what happens to the ocean during a la nina

A

the pacific ocean cools

88
Q

how often does a complete ENSO cycle occur

A

every 3-8 years

89
Q

what is a la nina

A

the cold phase an ENSO

90
Q

what is an el nino

A

is the combined ocean and atmospheric cycle that results in weak trade winds

91
Q

how does an el nino form

A

the high and low pressure reverses and the warm water goes back towards south america from australia

92
Q

what creates the trade winds

A

the difference in air pressure across the pacific

93
Q

how do trade winds normaly blow

A

east to west

94
Q

how do weak trade winds blow

A

west to east

95
Q

what is la nina

A

it is the cooler phase of el nino with cooler ocean temperatures in the pacific

96
Q

have tempatures on earth been increasing or decreasing over the past 100 years

A

increasing

97
Q

where has the greatest tempature increase been, what did it increase by

A

in the northern hemisphere by .5 degrees C

98
Q

global warming

A

the term used to describe the rise in Earths average surface temperature

99
Q

what is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

A

is an international organization to study
climate change

100
Q

what is most of global warming due to

A

humans

101
Q

what are greenhouse gases

A

gases in the atmosphere that absorb Earths outgoing infrared radiation

102
Q

what gases do greenhouse gases include

A

includes carbon dioxide, methane & and, water vapor

103
Q

why couldnt humans live without greenhouse gases

A

greenhouse gases keep the earth at a suitable temperature for living

104
Q

what has also increased because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased

A

the average air tempature

105
Q

what do fossil fuels include

A

coal, natural gas & oil products

106
Q

what happens when coal, natural gas and oil products are burned

A

carbon dioxide goes into the air

107
Q

what is deforestation

A

large scale cutting or burning of forests

108
Q

why is deforestation bad

A

causes carbon dioxide to increase by 25%

109
Q

when do trees use carbon dioxide

A

in photophinisis

110
Q

what are some nateral sources to climate change

A

volcanic eruptions, forest fires, cellular respiration

111
Q

what are Aerosols

A

tiny liquid or solid particles in the atmosphere that can reflect sunlight

112
Q

can small aresosls or large aresosls reflect more sunlight

A

small

113
Q

how can Aerosols decrease earth’s tempature

A

Aerosols relfect earths sunlight

114
Q

what is the serious problem that the changing climate can present

A

some that can be predicted, and some
unknown

115
Q

what can ENSO change

A

preciptaion patterns

116
Q

what does increased water vapor cause

A

will cause heavy rain and storms in No. and So. America
- leads to flooding, mudslides

117
Q

what happens to other parts of the world besides no. and s. america when water vapor increases

A

decreased rain in other areas - Asia, Africa & the Mediterranean
- can bring droughts
- leads to food & water shortages

118
Q

what can melting glaciers and polar ice caps do the earth

A

can cause sea level rise
- disrupts ecosystems
- coastal flooding for the 1 billion living in those areas

119
Q

what extreme weather conditions are becoming more common

A

heat waves, droughts, heavy rainfall

120
Q

what can the thawing of frozen ground do to buildings

A

causes damage to structures built there

121
Q

what is used to predict future climates

A

a set of complex equations (similar to the ones used to predict weather)

122
Q

why are GCMs difficult to asses its acuracy

A

because it is predicting decades into the future

123
Q

why do most GCMS predict in the future

A

as a result of greenhouse gases

124
Q

what was the human populan in 2000

A

6 billion

125
Q

what will the human population be in 2050

A

9 billion

126
Q

what will increased population increase

A

greenhouse gases through deforestation and urban
development

127
Q

what are some ways to reduce greenhouse gases

A

develop alternate sources of energy that release fewer greenhouse gases
- reduce automobile emissions ; ex: hybrid cars
- develop green buildings that are energy efficient; roofs have plantings
- conserving fuel & recycling

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