chapter 2 Flashcards
(38 cards)
Why does the earth have seasons?
Due to the tilt of the earth’s axis. As the Earth revolves around the sun, this tilt means that different parts of the planet receive more direct sunlight at different times of the year, creating seasons
Explain why the Northern and Southern Hemispheres do not experience the same seasons at the same time.
Because when the Northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, the South hemisphere is tilted away from it and vice versa.
Explain why the equator generally has warmer temperatures than the poles.
Because the earth is a sphere, the sunlight hitting the equator is much more intense
Explain differences in length of day at different latitudes at different times of year. (Ex: Today, Bellevue will have 9 hours, 39 min of sunlight, but Phoenix, Arizona will have 10 hours, 40 min. of sunlight. Why is this so?)
Additionally, the days become a little longer at the higher latitudes (those at a distance from the equator) because it takes the sun longer to rise and set.
Explain why the amount of daylight changes throughout the year (shorter days in winter, longer in summer).
As the tilt of the earth towards the sun, the amount of sunlight received at a given point changes
- Explain how and why the path of the Sun changes in the sky from one season to the next.
During summer in the northern hemisphere, the Sun rises north of east and sets north of west. It is high in the sky at noon. During winter in the northern hemisphere, sunrise and sunset appear farther south along the horizon.
Differences between weather and climate
Weather is short term, climate is more long term trends
How the tilt of the earth impacts climate on earth
Impacts seasons, causes more extreme seasonal variation closer to the poles
How wind patterns and the atmosphere influence climate
Redistribute heat and water
How ocean currents impact climate
Transporting warm water and precipitation from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics.
How does topography impact climate
Bodies of water – milder climates, absorb solar radiation and very slowly emit it
Mountainous – more extreme weather, block movement of air and moisture
Coriolis Effect and how it affects the movement of air currents on Earth
air moving in a straight path appears to curve to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere due to the earth’s rotation. causes large scale wind patterns that impact the formation of hurricanes
Convection currents in air (atmosphere) and water (oceans), considering changes in temperature, density, and pressure
Warmer, less dense air/water rises, and cooler, more dense air/water sinks, causing circular patterns.
In the air: cause large scale wind patterns (e.g. hadley cells, polar cells) and impact climate. There is a pressure diff between high pressure cold air and low pressure hot air zones, the stronger the pressure diff the stronger the winds
In the water: create cold currents in the deep ocean and warm surface currents
Hadley cells
Convection currents
Located between equator and 30 degree latitude
Hot air rises after gaining lots of heat from solar radiation, creating a low pressure zone at the equator. This air travels towards the poles and cools and sinks at lat. 30 degrees, creating low pressure zones.
This creates trade winds and contributes to the formation of rainforests at the equator
Ferrel cells
Mid-latitude atmospheric circulation cell (30-60) where air near the Earth’s surface flows poleward and eastward, while at higher altitudes it moves equatorward and westward. opposite of hadley cells.
responsible for the prevailing westerly winds in those regions.
unstable weather conditions like mid-latitude cyclones and fronts due to the mixing of warm and cold air masses.
Polar cells
Low intensity convection currents (60-70 lat)
Air rises at higher latitudes and travels towards the poles. Sinks and creates polar high pressure zones (polar highs)
Creates east-blowing surface winds. Low-pressure systems that bring rain to temperate regions.
Types of weather seen with low pressure systems vs. high pressure systems
Low pressure systems are typically associated with cloudy, rainy, and sometimes stormy weather, while high pressure systems bring clear skies, dry conditions, and light winds
- Rain shadows- what they are, what to expect on windward vs. leeward side of the mountains
A “rain shadow” is a dry area on the leeward side of a mountain rang (side opposite the prevailing winds). Wetter windward side; essentially, the mountains “cast a shadow” of dryness on the leeward side.
Ocean currents are driven by wind, Coriolis effect, gravity, temperature, salinity, and topography (shape and location of the land/continents)
Wind directly pushes the surface layer of the ocean, creating initial movement and setting the direction of surface currents.
This force, caused by Earth’s rotation, deflects moving water to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere, influencing the overall path of ocean currents.
Gravity plays a role in density differences within the ocean, causing denser water to sink and less dense water to rise, which contributes to vertical circulation.
Differences in temperature and salinity create density variations in the water, further impacting vertical movement and influencing the direction of surface currents.
The shape and location of the ocean floor and landmasses can obstruct or redirect ocean currents, creating gyres and other large-scale circulation patterns.
Gyres, connection to garbage patches
Large, circular ocean currents. Act as whirlwinds to pull garbage in
Upwelling- how it occurs and why it is an important phenomenon
Upwelling is an oceanographic process where deep, cold water rises to the surface, typically driven by winds pushing surface water away from the coast, which then gets replaced by nutrient-rich water from below, creating a vital food source for marine life and making upwelling regions highly productive fishing grounds; this is considered an important phenomenon because it significantly contributes to the base of the marine food chain by bringing essential nutrients to the surface layer
How terrestrial biomes are defined (which factors are used to categorize the biomes)
Temp, precipitation, vegetation
Tundra
Extremely cold temperatures, low precipitation + productivity, short growing season, permafrost, a lack of trees, and simple vegetation consisting mainly of low-lying shrubs, grasses, mosses, and lichens. Found at high lats and arctic regions
Taiga (Boreal forest)
Very cold winters with significant snowfall
Short, mild summers. Moderate precipitation. Mostly coniferous evergreen trees like spruce, fir, and pine. Poor soil conditions – thus low productivity relative to other forests. High lats
