Define Climate
an aggregate of environmental conditions involving heat, moisture, and motion typical of an area
Define Climatology
The scientific study of climate
Define climatological normal
The normal of a climatic element is defined as the arithmetic mean of the observed values of that element over a specified period of time,
What does the macroclimate consist of
all those events and processes that are large enough to be considered on a world or continental scale.
What 3 aspects of North america’s physical geography interact with the atmospheric circulation to produce our weather
- Mountains and plains
- Widespread vegetation
- Large lakes and enclosed seas
List the principal elements of macrogeography
1 Central plains
- Boreal forest
- Eastern mountains
- Western highlands
- Arctic Canada
- Lakes and Oceans
List the 5 heat exchange mechanisms
Radiation Advection Convection Conduction Precipitaton
What are the 4 factors that affect Surface humidity
- Density of the air. Moist air is less dense than dry air.
- Temperature of the air
- Source of moisture
- Seasonal variations
what is the water balance equation and list the 9 processes that occur during water balance
Precip=Surface run off + evaporation
- Evaporation
- Evapotranspiration
- Sublimation
- Advection
- Convection
- Condensation
- Precipitation
- Run off
- Percolation
what are the 2 classes of disturbances
- Quasi-stationary
2. travelling or transient
Name the 5 Quasi stationary systems
- Aleutian low
- Icelandic Low
- Arctic High
- Pacific High
- Bermuda high
What are the 3 travelling disturbances
- synoptic systems
- Cyclones forming in the tropics
- Showers and thunderstorms
Name the 8 synoptic systems
- Pacific Lows
- Alberta Lows
- Central US lows
- Atlantic Coast lows
- Cold arctic lows
- Travelling warm highs
- Blocking Highs
- Cold arctic highs
List the 10 macroclimatic zones in NA
1, Pacific Coastal
- North Pacific Coastal
- Cordelleran and plateau provinces
- Praries and the great plains
- Gulf States
- Great Lakes- St. Lawrence Northeastern states
- Atlantic Canada
- Boreal
- Arctic
- North Atlantic