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Physical Geography 1000 > Weather and Climate > Flashcards

Weather and Climate Flashcards

1
Q

weather

A

state of the atmosphere at a given time in RELATION to meteorological phenomena

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2
Q

climate

A

the meteorological condition of an area in general over a LONG period of time

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3
Q

what is a climate normal

A

30-year averages for climate variables like temperature and precipitation

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4
Q

how long is a climate normal

A

30 years

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5
Q

what happens to climate normal every 10 years

A

it changes and evolves

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6
Q

average temp in Lethbridge

A

5.9

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7
Q

Net radiation is made up of

A
  1. incoming shortwave radiation from sun
  2. reflected shortwave radiation
  3. longwave radiation radiated BY the earth
  4. longwave radiation reflected BACK towards the earth
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8
Q

energy balance is the

A

accounting of energy

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9
Q

what is the principal heat source at earth’s surface

A

solar energy

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10
Q

what is the difference between diffuse and direct radiation

A

diffuse = radiation that is not direct on an object (like through clouds)

direct = direct sunlight shinning on something

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11
Q

outputs of energy balance at the earth’s surface

A
  1. evaporation
  2. convection
  3. radiated longwave energy
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12
Q

true or false
energy budgets at specific places or times on earth are always the same

A

FALSE - not always the same

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13
Q

light-coloured surfaces are ______ reflective

A

more

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14
Q

______ amounts of longwave radiation are lost from ________

A

Greater AND subtropical deserts

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15
Q

whee is the least amount of LW radiation lost

A

, polar regions, tropics

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16
Q

true or false
between the tropics, less energy is gained than lost

A

false, more is gained than lost

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17
Q

between the tropics more energy is gained than lost =

A

energy surplus

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18
Q

true or false
in the polar region more energy is lost than gained

A

true

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19
Q

in the polar regions, more energy is lost than gained=

A

energy deficits

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20
Q

the imbalance of energy from the tropical surpluses and the polar deficits drives

A

the global circulation pattern

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21
Q

the unequal heating of earth drives

A

weather

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22
Q

what causes the variety of solar radiation at the equator

A

based on when the planet is closest to the sun

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23
Q

incoming energy arrives during

A

daylight

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24
Q

when does incoming energy begin to arrive

A

sunrise

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25
Q

when does incoming energy peak

A

at noon

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26
Q

when does incoming energy end

A

at sunset

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27
Q

when does the air temp peak between

A

3 pm and 4 pm

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28
Q

when does the air temp dip to its lowest point

A

right at or slightly after sunrise

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29
Q

the warmest time of the day occurs NOT

A

at the moment of maximum insolation

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30
Q

when does the warmest time of day occur

A

when a maximum of insolation has been absorbed and emitted from the ground

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31
Q

why doesn’t the hottest time of day occurs at the moment of max insolation

A

because there is a lag

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32
Q

are there short-wave fluxes at night

A

NO, there is no sun

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33
Q

lag

A

time between occurrence of something and WHEN something happens

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34
Q

what does a lag cause

A

energy to buildup

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35
Q

planetary boundary line

A

energy and moisture are continually exchanged with the LOWER atmosphere at earth’s surface

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36
Q

microclimatology

A

science of physical conditions (radiation, heat and moisture) at given locations

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37
Q

Net radiation

A

sum of ALL radiation gains and losses at any defined location on earth’s surface

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38
Q

sensible heat

A

when heat transfer is assocaited with temperature changes

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39
Q

latent heat

A

heat transfer associated with phase changes

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40
Q

latent heat of vaporization

A

energy that is stored in water vapor as water evaporates

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41
Q

sensible heat is the heat transferred back and forth between

A

air and surface in turbulent eddies

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42
Q

how is sensible heat transferred between air and surface

A

convection and conduction within materials

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43
Q

what is the layer of the atmosphere associated with the planetary boundary layer

A

troposphere

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44
Q

environments with lots of bodies of water will have

A

no large shift in temp fluxes because of water’s high specific heat capacity

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45
Q

what makes up the radiative heat transfer fluxes

A

K* = shortwave inputs and outputs
L* = longwave inputs and outputs

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46
Q

by day, the net radiation is

A

Both shortwave and longwave fluxes

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47
Q

by night, the net radiation is

A

JUST the longwave fluxes

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48
Q

negative and positive heat transfers

A

positive = energy is moving towards the surface

negative = energy is moving away from the surface

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49
Q

why is L-down relatively stable

A

there are no big swings in atmosphere temp in ONE day

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50
Q

what time is sunrise

A

wherever K down starts

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51
Q

what is the value of albedo

A

precentage difference between shortwave out and shortwave in

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52
Q

what does L up depend on

A

temp - it’s at its highest when the air temp is its highest

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53
Q

when Q* is positive there is a

A

radiation surplus

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54
Q

in a radiation surplus, energy will flow

A

AWAY from the surface

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55
Q

non-radiative heat transfer elements

A

Qh
Qe
Qg

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56
Q

non-radiative heat transfer element Qh

A

convective sensible heat flux into the air

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57
Q

non-radiative heat transfer element Qe

A

convective latent heat flux into the air

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58
Q

non-radiative heat transfer element Qg

A

conductive sensible heat flux into the surface

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59
Q

____ and ____ both depend on wind to carry heat away from the surface

A

Qh and Qe

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60
Q

what is the total radiative heat transfer equation

A

+sw - Sw + lw - lw =Qh + Qe + Qg

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61
Q

true or false
radiated and non-radiated fluxes are equal

A

true

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62
Q

what is the energy surplus divided into in dry conditions

A

Qh and Qg

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63
Q

what will happen in dry conditions

A

the temp of the ground and air near the surface will both increase

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64
Q

division of the energy into the two fluxes during dry conditions is dependent on

A

the relative ease of the fluxes

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65
Q

in moist conditions, there the energy surplus is divided into

A

Qg, Qh, Qe

66
Q

in moist conditions, the larger the Qe

A

the LESS temp will rise because energy is going into evaporating water NOT rasing temp

67
Q

how do plants control Qe in moist environments

A

by transpiration/evaporation

68
Q

non-radiative heat transfer by DAY

A
  1. Q* is positive
  2. ground and air becomes warmer
  3. water vapour in the air increases
69
Q

why during the day is water vapour increased in the air

A

evaporation is happening

70
Q

why during the day is the ground and air becoming warmer

A

the sun is present

71
Q

non-radiative heat transfer by NIGHT

A
  1. Q* is negative
  2. ground and air become cooler
  3. water vapour decreases
72
Q

why is water vapour decreased at night

A
  1. there is condensation or sublimation
73
Q

what does Q* look like in a desert

A

it is low because of a high albedo

74
Q

what does temp look like in a desert during the DAY

A

temp increase during the day is large

75
Q

why is there a large temp increase during the day in the desert

A
  1. there is a low specific heat capacity
  2. little moisture for evaporation
  3. low heat conductivity
76
Q

what does temp look like in a desert at NIGHT

A

there are large temp decreases at night

77
Q

what fluxes are high in a desert surface

A
  1. L up
  2. K down
  3. K up (relatively high)
78
Q

what flux is low in a desert surface

A

L down

79
Q

what does Q* look like in the ocean

A

it’s HIGH due to the low albedo

80
Q

what does temp look like in the ocean during the DAY

A

temp increase during the day is LOW

81
Q

why is there a low temp increase during the day in an ocean

A
  1. water has a high specific heat capacity
  2. lots of evaporation
82
Q

what does L up look like in the ocean

A

it’s LOW

83
Q

what does temp look like in the ocean at NIGHT

A

there are SMALL temp decreases at night

84
Q

why is K up so SMALL in the ocean

A

because the ocean is transmissive in respect to energy which means light can pass through

85
Q

what is a large flux in the ocean

A

K down

86
Q

what fluxes stay relatively the same in the ocean

A

L up and L down

87
Q

what flux is very small in the ocean

A

K up

88
Q

what are the 7 elements of climate

A
  1. temperature
  2. precipitation
  3. wind speed
  4. wind direction
  5. relative humidity
  6. evaporation
  7. insolation
89
Q

temp is the measurement of

A

average kinetic energy

90
Q

what influences precipitation

A

temperature

91
Q

how is air temp measured

A

by a thermometer is a result of its energy balance

92
Q

how to avoid major errors in measuring temp

A
  1. use shields and shade
  2. enhance convective exchange with fans
  3. build very small sensors
93
Q

precipitation is

A

moisture that falls from the sky

94
Q

precipitation can be either

A

liquid (drizzle or rain) or solid (snow or hail)

95
Q

wind is the

A

horizontal movement of air (advection)

96
Q

wind is the horizontal movement of air due to

A

the unequal heating of the surface

97
Q

wind influences

A
  1. temperature
  2. evaporation
  3. snow distribution
98
Q

wind travels from ____ pressure to ____ pressure

A

high to low

99
Q

the relative humidity is the

A

ratio of water vapor in the air compared to the max water vapor the air could hold at that temp

100
Q

relative humidity affects

A

temperatures and environments

101
Q

when is relative humidity high

A

morning because of the water is in a fixed amount of air

102
Q

when is relative humidity low

A

during the day as the air is changing shape

103
Q

what is relative humidity dependent on

A

the time of day

104
Q

100% relative humidity is also known as

A

saturation (can’t hold any more water)

105
Q

what is the humidex

A

relates the sensed heat to temp and relative humidity

106
Q

true or false
there is less discomfort with high humidity

A

false - more discomfort

107
Q

as humidity increases

A

evaporation decreases

108
Q

true or false
humid air feels hotter than it actually is

A

true

109
Q

evaporation can be either ____ or _____

A

potential or actial

110
Q

potential evaporation

A

the ability to evaporate water IF there is water in the environment

111
Q

evapotranspiration is made up of both

A

transpiration and evaporation

112
Q

transpiration

A

results in a cooling of the surface and occurs during photosynthesis

113
Q

evaporation is associated with

A

latent heat

114
Q

insolation and cloudcover affects

A

how much direct sunlight is recieved

115
Q

insolation affects

A

temp and evaporation

116
Q

what can affect what types of plants exist in an environment

A

insolation and cloudiness

117
Q

insolation and cloudiness is ____ dependent

A

moisture

118
Q

the amount of solar radiation in an area is based on

A

cloud-cover

119
Q

the 7 elements of climate describe

A

what a climate is in an area

120
Q

the 7 influences of climate describe

A

why we see differing climates in different areas

121
Q

what are the 7 influences on climate

A
  1. latitude
  2. altitude/elevation
  3. distribution of land and sea
  4. distribution of mountain barriers
  5. ocean currents
  6. wind patterns
  7. locations of high and low pressure
122
Q

latitude affects ____

A

insolation

123
Q

what region has very LITTLE seasonality

A

the tropics

124
Q

what moderates temperature changes

A

water bodies

125
Q

what happens to temp as the latitude increases (away from equator)

A

there is a larger definition of seasonality

126
Q

continental

A

location within the land mass

127
Q

continental locations have ____ fluxes in temp

A

large

128
Q

maritime

A

located near large bodies of water

129
Q

maritime locations have ____ fluxes in temp

A

low - because of their proximity to large bodies of water

130
Q

what are two examples of areas which have low variability in climate

A

Andes
Himalayas

131
Q

range of temp

A

the mean temp in January and the mean temp in July

132
Q

what is altitude

A

hight above a surface

133
Q

elevation

A

height above the global sea level

134
Q

temp _____ at higher elevations

A

cools

135
Q

what happens to a rising parcel in the atmosphere

A

it expands which causes it to consume energy and cool in temp

136
Q

why is it colder higher up on a mountain

A

because of the amount of ground in contact with the air

137
Q

what is an exception to the elevation rule

A

inversions

138
Q

_____ is better at distributing heat compared to _____

A

convection AND conduction

139
Q

continentality has temps that are

A

more extreme as the land cools and warms rapidly

140
Q

Maritimes have temps that are

A

more moderate because water warms and cools slowly

141
Q

what causes the ocean to be better at controlling temp than land

A
  1. ocean has 4x higher specific heat
  2. water has mobility and mixes heat while land doesn’t
  3. water is transparent that allows light to enter the depths
  4. water has greater evaporation (higher latent heat)
142
Q

how do major mountain barriers influence temp

A

by affecting precipitation

143
Q

rain-shadow effect

A

a patch of land that has been forced to become a desert because mountain ranges blocked all plant-growing, rainy weather.

144
Q

according to the rain-shadow effect, what will the different sides of the mountain look like

A

On one side of the mountain, wet weather systems drop rain and snow. On the other side of the mountain all that precipitation is blocked.

145
Q

why do chinooks occur

A

because moisture is lost as the air climbs up and down the mountains

146
Q

air _____ as it climbs mountains

A

cools by 6Degrees Celcius/km

147
Q

air _____ as it descends mountains

A

warms by 10 Degrees Celcius/km

148
Q

true or false
Lethbridge has more sensible heat than Vancouver

A

true

149
Q

is climbing dry air saturated

A

NO

150
Q

is climbing wet air saturated

A

YES

151
Q

the tropics have what prevailing wind pattern

A

Hadley’s cell

152
Q

jet streams

A

fast-moving winds that separate fronts

153
Q

what separates the tropical air zone from the polar air zone

A

polar jet stream

154
Q

ITCZ

A

the intertropical convergence zone

155
Q

what is the ITZC

A

the area near the equator where winds originating in the northern and southern hemisphere come together

156
Q

what can affect K(d)

A

clouds and shadows as they can block sunlight

157
Q

what flux represents the GH effect

A

L(d)

158
Q

why is it colder at night when its clear

A

there are less clouds to trap long wave radiation and less radiated back down

159
Q

why are cloudy nights hotter

A

there are more clouds to trap longwave radiation and send it back down to the surface

160
Q

what is the L(u) flux dependent on

A

surface temp

161
Q

water or land gets hotter faster

A

land

162
Q

why do the tropics not continue to get warmer and warmer

A

based on wind and ocean currents

Physical Geography 1000 (21 decks)

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