LACEMOPS Flashcards
(16 cards)
Latitude
- most important factor
- the farther from the equator, the colder and drier it becomes
- areas not in the tropics receive indirect sun
Air Masses
- In the Northern Hemisphere, cold air from the polar regions come from the north
- Hot air from the tropics come from the South
Continentality
- Water moderates climate
- Water takes longer to heat and cool than land
- Areas inland from the coast will be hotter in the summer and colder in the winter than areas with the same latitude on the coast
Elevation
- gets colder as you go up a mountain
- formula for vertical climate (3.5 F for every 1000 feet)
Mountain Barriers
- Mountains can stop storms and air masses
- Orographic Effect
Ocean Currents
- Cold currents are dry
- Warm currents are wet
Pressure / Prevailing Winds
- High pressure is heavy, cold air
- Low pressure is warm light air
- Heat Rises
- Constant air pressure systems
Storms
- occur when polar winds meet westerlies
- when hot and cold air masses collide
Latitude
the main control on temperature. Tropical climates are hot, polar climates are cold due to differences in the energy received from the sun
Air Masses
Moves by wind and jet streams
Continentality
The idea is that temperatures in the interior of a large land mass will change more with the seasons than the temps along the coast
Elevation
Typically, the higher above sea level the cooler the temperature.
Mountain Barriers
creates a rain shadow effect, making one side very dry, while the other gets significantly higher precipitation.
Ocean Currents
refers to the temperature of the ocean, and whether it makes the station warmer or cooler than it would be otherwise.
Prevailing Winds/Pressure Cells
Global winds that blow in fairly constant patterns
Storm Tracks
cyclonic storms and hurricanes are more frequent in certain places and tend to follow paths
