Climate

Question 1

determines the availability of thermal energy and water on Earth’s surface and influences the amount of solar energy that plants may harness

Answer 1

climate

Question 2

climate is the __ __ __ of weather

Answer 2

long-term average pattern

Question 3

climate may be __, __, or __

Answer 3

• local
• regional
• global

Question 4

travels more or less unimpeded through the vacuum of space until it reaches the Earth’s atmosphere

Answer 4

electromagnetic energy from Sun
(solar radiation)

Question 5

how do scienctists characterize waves of energy

Answer 5

• wavelength
• frequency (v)
• number of crests that pass a given point per second

Question 6

electromagnetic spectrum division

Answer 6

• ultraviolet
• visible
• near infrared
• far infrared

Question 7

ultraviolet

Answer 7

100-400 nm

Question 8

visible

Answer 8

400-700 nm

Question 9

near infrared

Answer 9

700-5000 nm

Question 10

far infrared

Answer 10

5,000-100,000 nm

Question 11

what is the wavelentgh of radiation emitted by an object

Answer 11

function of its temperature

Question 12

surface temperature of the sun

Answer 12

5800 °C

Question 13

average surface temperature of Earth

Answer 13

15 °C

Question 14

expressed as a proportion of the shortwave radiation striking a surface that is reflected and differs for different surfaces

Answer 14

albedo

Question 15

what is albedo

Answer 15

fraction of light that a surface reflects

Question 16

difference between the amount of shortwave radiation absorbed by a surface and the amount of longwave radiation emitted back into space by the surface

Answer 16

net radiation

Question 17

the net surface radiation from the equator towards the poles __

Answer 17

decreases

Question 18

Two factors which affects net radiation

Answer 18

1. higher latitudes - solar radiation hits surface at steeper angle spreading sunlight over larger area
2. steeper angle = solar radiation penetrates deeper layer of air

Question 19

Earth’s two distinct motions

Answer 19

1. orbits Sun
2. Rotates about an axis

Question 20

brightness of day followed by darkness of night

Answer 20

diurnal cycle

Question 21

solar radiation falls directly on the Tropic of Cancer, with increased input and day length in the Northern Hemisphere

Answer 21

Summer solstice June 22

Question 22

solar radiation falls directly on the equator

Answer 22

Vernal and autumnal equinoxes

Question 23

solar radiation falls directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, with increased input and day length in the Southern Hemisphere

Answer 23

Winter solstice December 22

Question 24

As the Earth follows its elliptical orbit about the Sun, the location on the surface where the Sun is directly overhead at midday migrates between __ and __ over the course of the year

Answer 24

23.5° N
23.5° S

Question 25

warm air __

Answer 25

rises

Question 26

why does warm air rise

Answer 26

less dense

Question 27

cool air __

Answer 27

sinks

Question 28

why does cool air sink

Answer 28

denser

Question 29

where does the air heated rise to

Answer 29

troposphere

Question 30

the low atmospheric pressure at the surface causes air to what?

Answer 30

air from north and south to flow towards the equator

Question 31

air moves from areas of __ __ to __ __

Answer 31

higher pressure to lower pressure

Question 32

resulting convergence winds from the north and south in the region of the equator

Answer 32

intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)

Question 33

air spirals upwards __ at low levels

Answer 33

anticlockwise

Question 34

air spirals out __ at low levels

Answer 34

clockwise

Question 35

day time

Answer 35

sea: cool air land: warm air

Question 36

night time

Answer 36

sea: warm air land: cool air

Question 37

refers to the apparent deflection of objects (such as airplanes, wind, missiles, and ocean currents) moving in a straight path relative to the Earth's surface

Answer 37

The Coriolis effect

Question 38

each ocean is dominated by two grat circular motions, or __

Answer 38

gyre

Question 39

direction of ocean movement in northern hemisphere

Answer 39

clockwise

Question 40

direction of ocean movement in southern hemisphere

Answer 40

counterclockwise

Question 41

along the equator, where does the wins push warm surface water?

Answer 41

westward

Question 42

systematic patterns of water movement

Answer 42

currents

Question 43

zone of low pressure (the subpolar low) where surface air converges and rises

Answer 43

polar front

Question 44

band of low pressure located, in the mean, between 50° and 70° latitude

Answer 44

subpolar low

Question 45

winds that reliably blow east to west just north and south of the equator

Answer 45

trade winds

Question 46

maintain the South Equatorial Current, which flows toward the west where it divides into two branches

Answer 46

southeast trade winds

Question 47

trade winds that blow from the northeast in the northern hemisphere

Answer 47

northeast trade winds

Question 48

plays a crucial role in the exchange of water between the atmosphere and Earth's surface

Answer 48

air temperature

Question 49

when is energy either abosrbed or released

Answer 49

whenever matter changes from one state to another

Question 50

transformation of water from liquid to gas

Answer 50

evaporation

Question 51

energy required to change liquid water to water vapor

Answer 51

2,260 Joules/g

Question 52

if the air cools to a point where the actual vapor pressure is equal to the saturation vapor pressure, what happens to the moisture in the air?

Answer 52

condense

Question 53

- measurement of the amount of water vapor in a volume of air - increases as the amount of water vapor increases

Answer 53

Actual vapor pressure

Question 54

- pressure of a vapor which is in equilibrium with its liquid (as steam with water) specifically - maximum pressure possible by water vapor at a given temperature

Answer 54

saturation vapor pressure

Question 55

when does water condense and dew forms?

Answer 55

air temperature reaches dew point

Question 56

what happens to the water in air when dew are formed?

Answer 56

decreases

Question 57

as the sun rises, what happens to the saturation vapor pressure?

Answer 57

increases

Question 58

directly linked to the seasonal changes in the surface ration balance and its effect on the movement of global pressure systems and air masses

Answer 58

temporal variation

Question 59

line of latitude approximately 23°27′ north of Earth's Equator

Answer 59

Tropic of Cancer

Question 60

lies at 23d 26' 22" (23.4394 degrees) south of the Equator

Answer 60

Tropic of Capricorn

Question 61

side of the mountain which supports denser, more vigorous vegetation and different speacies of plants and associated animals

Answer 61

windward side

Question 62

phenomemnon where one side (windward) of the mountain is abundant in life while the other side (leeward) is arid and dry

Answer 62

rain shadow

Question 62

most organisms live in local conditions that do not match the __ __ __ of the larger region surrounding them

Answer 62

general climate profile

Question 62

side of the mountain which is dry, desert-like conditions exist

Answer 62

leeward side

Question 63

what influences the local climatic conditions

Answer 63

topography, particularly the direction that a slope faces

Question 64

in the northern hemisphere, what slope receives the most solar energy

Answer 64

south-facing slopes

Question 65

examples of slopes that have the same microclimatic conditions on north- and south-facing slopes

Answer 65

1. large ant hills 2. mounds of soil 3. dunes 4. small ground ridges in otherwise falt terrain 5. buildings 6. trees 7. logs

Question 66

where do microclimatic extresmes also occur

Answer 66

- depressions in the ground - concave surface of valleys

Question 67

smaller area that differs from the surrounding macroclimate

Answer 67

microclimate