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Physical Geography 24-25 > Climate processes > Flashcards

Climate processes Flashcards

(104 cards)

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1
Q

What are the five components of the climate system?

A

Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Cryosphere, Biosphere, Lithosphere.

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2
Q

What is the difference between weather and climate?

A

Weather is short-term atmospheric conditions; climate is the long-term average.

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3
Q

Define an open system in climate science.

A

A system where both energy and mass can cross the boundaries.

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4
Q

Define a closed system in climate science.

A

A system where only energy can cross the boundaries, not mass.

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5
Q

What is the greenhouse effect?

A

The trapping of heat by greenhouse gases like CO₂, warming Earth’s surface.

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6
Q

What is albedo?

A

The proportion of incoming solar radiation that is reflected by a surface.

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7
Q

What is the Stefan-Boltzmann Law?

A

Total energy radiated is proportional to the fourth power of the body’s absolute temperature.

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8
Q

What is Wien’s Law?

A

Peak wavelength of radiation decreases with increasing temperature.

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9
Q

What is net radiation (Q*)?

A

Q* = Net shortwave (K) + Net longwave (L).

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10
Q

What does the Bowen Ratio represent?

A

The ratio of sensible heat to latent heat.

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11
Q

Why does water have a moderating effect on climate?

A

It has a high specific heat capacity, requiring more energy to change temperature.

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12
Q

What is the latent heat of vaporization?

A

2.5 MJ/kg.

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13
Q

What is the latent heat of fusion?

A

0.33 MJ/kg.

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14
Q

What are the three states of water?

A

Solid (ice), liquid (water), gas (vapour).

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15
Q

What is relative humidity?

A

The ratio of current water vapour to the maximum possible at that temperature.

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16
Q

Define dew point.

A

The temperature at which air becomes saturated and condensation begins.

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17
Q

What is the dry adiabatic lapse rate?

A

10°C per kilometer.

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18
Q

What is the saturated adiabatic lapse rate?

A

Around 6°C per kilometer.

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19
Q

When is the atmosphere absolutely unstable?

A

When the environmental lapse rate is greater than the dry adiabatic lapse rate.

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20
Q

What is evapotranspiration?

A

Water loss through evaporation and transpiration from plants.

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21
Q

What is potential evapotranspiration?

A

The amount of evaporation if water supply is unlimited.

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22
Q

What is actual evapotranspiration?

A

The amount of evaporation that actually occurs based on available moisture.

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23
Q

What three forces affect wind direction and speed?

A

Pressure gradient force, Coriolis force, surface friction.

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24
Q

What is the Coriolis effect?

A

The deflection of moving air due to Earth’s rotation.

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25
How does Coriolis effect differ by hemisphere?
Deflects right in the Northern Hemisphere, left in the Southern Hemisphere.
26
What is the Hadley Cell?
A tropical atmospheric circulation cell that rises at the equator and sinks around 30° latitude.
27
What are trade winds?
Winds that blow from the subtropics towards the equator.
28
What causes jet streams?
Strong temperature and pressure gradients at the tropopause.
29
What are Rossby waves?
Meanders in upper-level westerlies that influence weather patterns.
30
What is a front?
A boundary between two air masses.
31
What is a mid-latitude cyclone?
A large-scale low-pressure system formed along the polar front.
32
What is Ekman transport?
Movement of surface water at an angle to wind due to Coriolis effect.
33
What is ocean upwelling?
When deep, nutrient-rich water rises to the surface.
34
What is the thermohaline circulation?
Global ocean conveyor belt driven by temperature and salinity differences.
35
What is the biological pump?
The process by which CO₂ is transferred from the atmosphere to deep ocean via biological activity.
36
What is ocean acidification?
Decrease in ocean pH due to absorption of atmospheric CO₂.
37
What is the CLAWS hypothesis?
A negative feedback loop where DMS from phytoplankton promotes cloud formation and cooling.
38
What percent of global warming has occurred in oceans since 1971?
More than 90%.
39
What is ENSO?
El Niño Southern Oscillation, a cycle of SST and atmospheric pressure changes in the Pacific.
40
What is El Niño?
The warm phase of ENSO with unusually warm SST in the central/eastern Pacific.
41
What is La Niña?
The cold phase of ENSO with unusually cool SST in the central/eastern Pacific.
42
What is the NAO?
North Atlantic Oscillation, a pressure seesaw between the Azores High and Icelandic Low.
43
What is a teleconnection?
A climate anomaly related to atmospheric/oceanic patterns in distant parts of the world.
44
What are Milankovitch cycles?
Orbital changes that influence Earth's climate over long timescales.
45
How does albedo affect global energy balance?
Higher albedo reflects more solar radiation, cooling the planet.
46
What is sensible heat?
Heat energy that causes a change in temperature.
47
What is latent heat?
Heat energy absorbed or released during a phase change.
48
What is soil moisture's role in evaporation?
More soil moisture increases actual evapotranspiration.
49
What are clouds' effects on radiation?
Reflect incoming shortwave and trap outgoing longwave radiation.
50
What causes the urban heat island effect?
Urban areas retain more heat due to less vegetation and more concrete.
51
What is the ITCZ?
Intertropical Convergence Zone, where trade winds converge and cause uplift.
52
What is the role of the Gulf Stream?
Transports warm water to NW Europe, moderating its climate.
53
What happens during a positive NAO phase?
Strong westerlies, storm track shifted north, wetter NW Europe.
54
What happens during a negative NAO phase?
Storm track shifts south, colder drier NW Europe.
55
Why is the ocean a carbon sink?
It absorbs CO₂ from the atmosphere, storing it in deep water.
56
What are jet streams composed of?
Narrow bands of high-speed upper-level winds.
57
How does the angle of the sun affect insolation?
Lower angles spread energy over a larger area, reducing intensity.
58
What drives surface ocean currents?
Wind patterns and Earth's rotation.
59
How does wind affect evaporation?
Stronger winds increase evaporation by removing humid air.
60
What is specific heat?
The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C.
61
What causes sea level rise?
Thermal expansion and melting ice sheets and glaciers.
62
Why is net radiation higher at the equator?
More direct sunlight and longer day lengths.
63
What is the difference between direct and diffuse radiation?
Direct travels straight from the sun; diffuse is scattered by the atmosphere.
64
What is the Coriolis effect's role in ocean gyres?
Deflects currents to form large circular gyres.
65
What is the impact of cold ocean currents on climate?
They cool adjacent coastal regions and reduce rainfall.
66
How do oceans moderate coastal climates?
Their high heat capacity buffers temperature changes.
67
What causes atmospheric instability?
When warm air rises faster than surrounding cooler air.
68
What is absolute atmospheric stability?
When rising air is cooler than the environment and sinks.
69
What is conditional instability?
Depends on whether the air is saturated.
70
What is orographic uplift?
Air is forced to rise over mountains, cooling and condensing.
71
How does cloud cover affect temperature?
Clouds cool during day (reflect sunlight) and warm at night (trap heat).
72
What is the effect of surface roughness on wind?
It slows wind and increases turbulence.
73
How does El Niño affect global climate?
Alters rainfall and temperature patterns worldwide.
74
How does upwelling affect marine ecosystems?
Brings nutrients to surface, enhancing productivity.
75
Why is the thermocline important?
It separates warmer surface water from cooler deep water.
76
What is the role of phytoplankton in climate?
Absorb CO₂ and influence cloud formation.
77
How do temperature anomalies during ENSO affect sea level?
El Niño raises sea level in eastern Pacific; La Niña lowers it.
78
How often do ENSO events occur?
Every 3–5 years.
79
What is a storm track?
The path followed by cyclones.
80
What is latent heat flux?
Energy used in phase change of water, primarily evaporation.
81
What is advection?
Horizontal movement of air or water.
82
How do aerosols affect climate?
Reflect sunlight (cooling) or absorb heat (warming).
83
How is CO₂ measured?
In parts per million (ppm), using methods like the Keeling Curve.
84
What causes global energy imbalance?
Uneven distribution of insolation due to Earth's shape and tilt.
85
What determines the mixing ratio?
Water vapour content per unit mass of dry air.
86
How do air masses form?
By remaining stationary over a region and adopting its characteristics.
87
What is the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO)?
Long-term ENSO-like fluctuation in Pacific SST.
88
What causes the Arctic Oscillation?
Pressure differences between the Arctic and mid-latitudes.
89
What is the role of the tropopause in weather?
Acts as a lid to vertical motion of air.
90
What is the lapse rate?
Rate of temperature change with altitude.
91
What determines ocean salinity?
Evaporation, precipitation, river inflow, and ice formation/melting.
92
What are longwave radiation sources?
Earth’s surface and atmosphere.
93
What is the primary driver of global circulation?
Uneven heating of Earth’s surface by the sun.
94
How do El Niño years affect Australia?
Typically bring drought and reduced rainfall.
95
What is the Walker Circulation?
Zonal circulation over equatorial Pacific driven by trade winds.
96
What is subsidence?
Sinking air associated with high pressure and clear skies.
97
What is frontal lifting?
Rising of warm air over cold at a front.
98
What causes condensation?
Cooling of air to dew point or increase in water vapour.
99
What does a high-pressure system bring?
Clear skies and dry weather.
100
What does a low-pressure system bring?
Cloudy, wet, and windy weather.
101
What is the Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI)?
An index combining SST, wind, and pressure data to assess ENSO.
102
How does climate variability affect ecosystems?
Changes species ranges, migration, and productivity.
103
What are anthropogenic climate drivers?
Human activities like fossil fuel combustion and deforestation.
104
What is global runoff?
The portion of precipitation that flows across the land into water bodies.

Physical Geography 24-25 (5 decks)

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