Test 1 Flashcards
(31 cards)
examples of open systems
rivers, bodies of water, leaves
examples of closed systems
experiment where a tube has a cap on, earth in some ways
what are some factors that cause the seasons?
revolution around the sun, rotation on its axis, axial tilt, axial parallelism, sphericity
how does earth’s axis tilt cause the seasons?
the amount of daylight depends on where the earth is on the orbit around the sun
what is the atmosphere made up of
air, which is a mix of N2, O2, and other gasses
How thick is the atmosphere?
about 480km to the thermopause
what are the atmospheric layers by composition?
heterosphere (80km-480km) and Homosphere (0-80km)
What are the atmosphere layers by temperature?
Troposphere (0-12km), statosphere (15-50km), mesosphere (50-80km) and thermosphere (80-480km)
what are the atmospheric layers by function?
Ionosphere (50km and out - absorbs cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-rays, some UV rays) and Ozonosphere (19km to 50km - absorbs UV and converts it to heat)
How does energy make it from the atmosphere to the surface?
scatters in all direction (some heads towards earth), absorbed by molecules, and transmitted to the earth surface
What is insolation?
solar radiation that reaches a horizontal plane at earth (incoming solar radiation)
What controls temperature?
Latitude, altitude (air cools with height), cloud coverage (low thick clouds = cooling, high thin clouds = warming)
what causes world temperature patterns?
latitude, coastal-interior contrasts, and elevation
what are the steps to the water cycle?
evaporation and transpiration, cloud formation, precipitation, infiltration into soil, recharge of groundwater, and runoff
what controls the speed and direction of wind?
pressure gradient force, Coriolis force, and friction force
what is pressure gradient force (wind)?
when two adjacent regions have different pressure, air moves from high pressure areas to low pressure areas
what is Coriolis force (wind)?
force due to the rotation of the earth, it deflects to the right in NH and to the left in SH
what is friction force (wind)?
wind speed is lowest at surface of the earth due to friction between the air and surface
what are some important pressure cells?
hadley, ferrel, and polar cells
what is a hadley cell?
the closest cell to the equator, surface winds are called trade winds, clear skies, low pressure so lighter air
what is a ferrel cell?
30-60 latitude, air sinks at 30 and moves towards the poles, produces westerlies at the surface
what is the ITCZ
Intertropical convergence zone - air is rising and there is weak pressure gradient so little wind
global wind and pressure patterns?
ITCZ, polar high pressure cells, subtropical high pressure cells, subpolar low pressure cells, broad pressure areas in northern and southern hemisphere
what are jet streams?
an irregular and concentrated westerly wind (high in troposphere)
