Climate And Climate Change Flashcards
(26 cards)
What two factors are most often used to determine climate?
Temperature and precipitation
Define climate
The average year to year conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area
How does latitude affect temperature?
Areas near the equator have warmer climates
How does altitude affect temperature?
The higher altitude the cooler the temperature
How does distance from a large body of water affect temperature?
Water heats up five times slower than land therefore winds off the ocean often prevent extremes of hot or cold in coastal regions
Describe how a marine climate differs from a continental climates
Marine climates have mild winters while continental climates have extreme temperatures
What is a prevailing wind?
How does it effect the amount of precipitation in an area?
Prevailing winds that blow that blow in one direction of that region
The amount of water vapor in the air mass
How does the amount of precipitation change from the windward side of a mountian to the leeward side?
By the time air has moved over the mountains it has lost much of its water vapor so it is cool and dry
What is a monsoon?
Sad and land breezes over a large region that change direction with the seasons
Describe the climate of a tropical rainy region
Year round heat and heavy rainfall cause lush green vegetation to grow
What is a savanna?
What is its climate?
Scattered clumps of trees that can survive the dry seasons and stand in the corse grasses
Tropical grasslands
How much rainfall does a desert region receive?
Less than 10 inches of rainfall per year
What are two other terms for temperate grasslands
Prairie and steppe
Describe the climate of a template grassland
Enough rainfall for grasses and bushes to grow
Describe the climate of template marine region
Heavy precipitation thick forest, tall trees grow here
Where are all temperate continental climates found?
Continents in northern hemisphere
Describe the climate of a temperate continental region
Warm, some rain, change in seasons
Describe the climate of the polar region
Cold,icy dry little moisture
Define tundra
Climate region stretches across northern short cool summers follows bitterly cold winter
Define permafrost
Permanently frozen soil
Which two areas have almost all of earths ice caps
Greenland and antarticau
How do highlands differ from the regions that surround them at the same latitude?
Altitude increases so temperate drops unlike surrounding areas
How does earths position change climates?
The angle of earths axis and the shape the elliptical circle gives different amounts of sunlight/heating
How would an ice age change climates
This melts ice and can cause flooding and these are warm periods
