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ENV-2603 > Chapter 6 > Flashcards

Chapter 6 Flashcards

1
Q

What is weather?

A

Short term atmospheric conditions

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2
Q

Most weather we experience is

A

Cold air front and warm air front interacting

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3
Q

What is a front?

A

Boundary between 2 air masses with different temperatures

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4
Q

What is a warm air front?

A

Boundary between warm air mass and the cooler one it is replacing

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5
Q

Which air front is: less dense, rises above cool air, and leads to rain?

A

Warm air front

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6
Q

What is a cold air front?

A

Leading edge of cold air

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7
Q

Which air front is: more dense, stays close to the ground, and produces thunderheads?

A

Cold air front

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8
Q

What are jet streams?

A

Powerful winds near troposphere, travel up to 400 km/hr, 2-3 km deep

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9
Q

What is weather affected by?

A

Up and down movements of masses of air with high and low atmospheric pressure

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10
Q

Is atmospheric pressure greater near the Earth’s surface?

A

Yes

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11
Q

What is a dew point?

A

Where condensation takes place when the temperature drops

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12
Q

Where do tornadoes occur?

A

On land

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13
Q

Where do tropical cyclones occur?

A

Warm ocean waters

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14
Q

How many tornadoes does Canada have every year?

A

80

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15
Q

What are tropical cyclones in the Atlantic called?

A

Hurricanes

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16
Q

What are tropical cyclones in the Pacific called?

A

Typhoons

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17
Q

What is the speed of a tropical depression?

A

Below 62 km/hr

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18
Q

What is the speed of a tropical storm?

A

63-117 km/hr

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19
Q

What is the speed of a hurricane?

A

118 km/hr

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20
Q

What is the speed of a major hurricane?

A

178 km/hr

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21
Q

What is climate?

A

Average temperature and precipitation of an area over a long time period (typically decades)

22
Q

What 4 factors determine global air circulation?

A
  1. Uneven heating of Earth’s surface
  2. Seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation
  3. Rotation of Earth on axis
  4. Properties of air, water, and land affect global air circulation
23
Q

The ocean absorbs heat from

A

Air circulation

24
Q

What is an upwelling?

A

Deep, cold water rises to the surface, bringing deep plant nutrients with it

25
Q

What are the greenhouse gases?

A

Water vapour (H2O), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O)

26
Q

What is the greenhouse effect?

A

Warming of the troposphere

27
Q

Which greenhouse gas is our primary concern?

A

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

28
Q

What is methane?

A

Decomposition of organic matter

29
Q

What does ozone (O3) do?

A

Filters UV light

30
Q

What do halocarbons (CFCs) do?

A

Deplete the ozone layer

31
Q

What is the rain shadow effect?

A

Patch of land forced to become desert because mountain ranges blocked plant-growing, rainy weather

32
Q

What are microclimates?

A

When cities have haze and higher temperature because buildings absorb heat and block wind flow

33
Q

How many major biomes in the world?

A

12

34
Q

Which factors are most important in producing tropical, temperate, polar deserts, grasslands, and forests?

A

Annual precipitation and temperature, and soil type

35
Q

What is a desert?

A

Where evaporation exceeds precipitation

36
Q

What is a tropical desert?

A

Hot and dry most of the year, with few plants, and hard wind (often seen in movies)

37
Q

What is a temperate desert?

A

Daytime temperature high in summer, low in winter. More precipitation than a tropical desert.

38
Q

What is a polar desert?

A

Very cold winters, warm summers, low precipitation (less than 250 mm/year). Mean temperature during warmest month is less than 10 degrees Celsius.

39
Q

What is a semidesert?

A

Thorn trees and shrubs adapted to long dry spells, followed by brief and sometimes heavy rain.

40
Q

What are the 2 themes for desert survival?

A

Beat the heat, every drop of water counts.

41
Q

Which plants drop their leaves to survive in a dormant state?

A

Mesquite and creosote

42
Q

What are 3 adaptations of succulents?

A
  1. No leaves (can lose water)
  2. Store water and synthesize food in fleshy tissue
  3. Reduce water loss by opening pores to take up CO2 only at night
43
Q

How do evergreen plants conserve water?

A

Having wax-coated leaves that minimize evaporation

44
Q

What are grasslands (prairies)?

A

Regions with enough annual precipitation to support grasses

45
Q

What are tropical grasslands?

A

Dry and wet seasons, warm all the time

46
Q

What are temperate grasslands?

A

Cold winter, hot summer, sparse precipitation

47
Q

What are polar grasslands?

A

Long and dark winter, sun shines 24/7 in summer

48
Q

What are forests?

A

Various species of trees and smaller vegetation

49
Q

What are tropical forests?

A

Heavy rainfall, diversity of life forms

50
Q

What are temperate forests?

A

Long, warm summer, cold winter, abundant precipitation

51
Q

What are boreal (polar) forests?

A

Long, dry, very cold winter, short summer

ENV-2603 (5 decks)

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