Chapters 3-4 Flashcards
As the Earth revolves around the Sun what angle is it tilted at in relation to the sun
23.5° angle
How does Earth’s Tilt affect seasons and weather
Because of the Earth’s revolution and it’s still different parts of the earth received the direct rays of sun for more hours of the day at certain times of the year
What marks the points farthest north and south that the sun rays shine directly overhead at noon
The two lines of latitude the Tropic tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
What is solstice
The day when the sun’s Ray shine directly overhead at noon
In the northern hemisphere what is the longest state of the year
The summer solstice or the beginning of Summer
In the northern hemisphere what is the shortest day
The winter solstice which marks the beginning of winter
Twice a year the days and nights all over the world are equal in length and mark the beginning of Spring and Autumn
Equinox
What is weather
The condition of the atmosphere at a particular location and time
What is climate
Weather conditions at a particular location over a long period of time
What causes the weather
Water vapor, cloud cover, landforms and bodies of water, elevation, air movement
Landforms and bodies of water
Water heat slowly but also loses heat slowly land Heats rapidly but loses heat quickly as well
Elevation
As elevation above sea level increases air becomes thinner and loses its ability to hold moisture
Air movement
When’s movie air and the solar energy and moisture that holds as a result what they can change very rapidly
Orographic precipitation
Falls on the windward side of Hills or mountains that block moist air and force it up where the air cools and rain or snow falls the lands on the leeward side is called a rain shadow because it gets little range from descending dry air
Conventional precipitation
Occurs in hot moist climates where the sun quickly heats the air that heated air rises and by afternoon clouds form and rainfalls
Frontal precipitation
A front is a boundary between two air masses of different temperatures or density brain or snow occurs when lighter warm air is push upward by the colder than their air the rising air cools water vapor condenses and precipitation Falls
Convection
The transfer of heat in the atmosphere by upward motion of the air
Global wind patterns
Hot air flows toward the poles and the cold air moves toward the equator
Ocean currents
Warm water flows away from the equator towards the poles and the cold water flows back toward the equator
Three zones of latitude
Low or tropical, middle or temperate, and high or polar
Tropical zones
Found on either side of the Equator extend to the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere hot all year long
High latitude zones
Encircle the North and South Pole, cold all year
Altitude
As altitude increases the air temperature drops gets colder
El Nino abnormal
Dry air descendants and droughts occur in Australia and Asia, warm water moves eastward, producing rain and flooding in parts of North and South America
