Progress Test 2 Flashcards
(21 cards)
How is earths surface heated and is this the same way the Earths atmosphere is heated?
Earths surface is heated by the sun via Insolation.
No Earths atmosphere is not heated by the sun but by the earth re-radiating the heat from the surface back into the atmosphere, this is the main source of heat energy in the atmosphere.
Is the heating of earths surface even or uneven and why?
The heating of Earths surface is uneven due to the Earth being a sphere.
Where does most concentration of the Sun’s radiation occur on the earth?
The equator. Means that the equators surface is warmer than the poles surface.
How many degrees is the earth tilted by, and what does the tilt create?
23 degrees. The tilts creates seasons on earth, summer is warmer in the Northern Hemisphere due to the sun being closure.
What is the theoretical general movement?
Describe in three ways.
The air being heated by the equator surface gets warm, becomes less dense, rises and produces low pressure.
The air at the poles is colder, it sinks and produces High Pressure.
Movement of air occurs from high pressure to low pressure at the surface level.
What is the actual general movement?
Three distinct cells of rotation occurs in each hemisphere.
Does the sun heat more readily on the oceans or the land?
The sun heats more readily on land than oceans. Some surfaces cool quicker than others.
True or False? The differences in surface temperature is reflected in different atmospheric temperatures above the surfaces.
True. This results in several areas of high and low pressure’s.
What is Pressure Gradient?
Where air flows from a high pressure to a low pressure.
What is an Isobar?
Line of constant atmospheric pressure.
How can winds and it’s strength be visualised on a chart?
By looking at the Isobars and how far apart they are. The closure they are the stronger the winds will be.
What is Coriolis Force?
Where the earths rotation modifies the direction of air flow in it’s travel from a high to low pressure area.
Where is the air flow directed in the Northern Hemisphere?
Air flow is directed to the right.
What is Geostrophic Wind?
When the air flow is sufficiently deflected, the Coriolis force will balance the pressure gradient wind and the air flows parallel to the Isobars.
What is the result of Geostrophic Wind?
The wind circulates in opposite directions around high and low pressures.
What is a Cyclone?
Name three charactersitics.
Where warm air ascends and cools down. Forms Low pressure Systems.
Moves Anti-clockwise.
What is an Anti-Cyclone?
Name threes characteristics.
Where dry and cold air subsides (descends) and cools down.
Forms High Pressure Systems.
Moves Clockwise.
What is Buys Ballots Law?
High Pressure systems generally have better weather (but create low visibility) than Low Pressure systems.
If you are correcting for wind from the right you are generally heading into better weather.
What is an Air Mass
An air mass is a large body of air having similar values of temperature and humidity over an extensive area. It is classified by temperature and humidity.
How does an air mass gain it’s properties?
An air mass gains it’s properties when it spends day or weeks travelling over a certain region.
What is Insolation?
The heating of the earths surface by the sun.
