Dirt Block 2

Front 1

Insolation

Back 1

INcoming SOLAr radiATION Insulation; incoming solar radiation received at the top of the atmposhpere is constant when averaged out over a year

Front 2

Greenhouse effect

Back 2

shortwave solar radiation transmits through atmosphere, longwave cant transmit out.

Front 3

Subsolar point

Back 3

Latitude receiving the vertical rays of the Sun

Front 4

Solstice

Back 4

June and December solstices, longest and shortest days of the year.

Front 5

Equinox

Back 5

21st of September and March, 12 h daylight 12 h night. Sun strikes both poles

Front 6

Conduction

Back 6

molecule to molecule contact

Front 7

convection

Back 7

vertical movement of mass. (ex: hot air balloon)

Front 8

advection

Back 8

horizontal movement of mass

Front 9

adiabatic cooling

Back 9

cooling by expansion. without the gain of loss of heat. anytime air rises, it's cooling adiabatically.

Front 10

Adiabatic warming

Back 10

warming by compression. any time air descends it warms adiabetically.

Front 11

Albedo

Back 11

reflectivity of an object. higher the albedo value, more radiation the object reflects

Front 12

latent heat

Back 12

phase changes that involve storage or release of energy. (two most common: evaporation, condensation).

Front 13

Coriolis effect

Back 13

The earths rotation vs objects. From the northpole south, an object will deflect east.

Front 14

cyclone

Back 14

low-pressure center circulation patterns
North hem counter
South hem clockwise

Front 15

anti-cyclone

Back 15

high-pressure center circulation patterns. North hem clockwise
south hem counter clockwise

Front 16

Hadley cells

Back 16

low latitude cells on either side of the equator; convection systems

Front 17

subtropical high

Back 17

cell centered at 30 degrees of latitude on each ocean basin. anticyclones.

Front 18

Intertropical convergence zones ICTZ

Back 18

zone where air from norther and southern hemisphere meet.

Front 19

westerlies

Back 19

wind system of the midlatitudes. flow from west to east between 30 and 60.

Front 20

monsoons

Back 20

seasonal reversal of winds. a sea to land movement=onshore flow in summer. land to sea=offshore flow in winter.

Front 21

specific heat

Back 21

amoutn of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree C.

Front 22

evapotranspiration

Back 22

process where plants give up moisture through transpiration combined with the process of water vapor entering the air from land sources.

Front 23

condensation nuclei

Back 23

tiny particles (dust, pollen, smoke) that serve as collection centers for water molecules during condensation

Front 24

lifting condensation

Back 24

the altitude at which condensation begins and clouds form

Front 25

dew point

Back 25

temperature at which saturation is reached.

Front 26

measures of humidity

Back 26

specific, vapor pressure, relative, dew point.

Front 27

specific humidity

Back 27

actual amount of water vapor in the air

Front 28

vapor pressure

Back 28

pressure due to water vapor

Front 29

relative humidity

Back 29

percent of humidity against amount of humidity air can hold

Front 30

fog types

Back 30

radiation fog - ground loses heat through radiation (night). advection fog - warm moist air moves over cold surface (sea to land). upslow fog - adiabatic cooling, air climbs a slope (mountain fog). evaporation fog - water vapor added to cold air near saturation.

Front 31

cloud types

Back 31

Cumulus - round fat puffy.
stratus - layers, flat, blanket.
Cirrus - wispy, ice.
Nimbus - rain.
Alto - high.

Front 32

precipitation types

Back 32

Rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, graupel.

Front 33

air mass

Back 33

mass of air...

Front 34

front

Back 34

unlike air masses meet, they do not mix, a boundary zone is developed between them

Front 35

westerlies

Back 35

winds moving from west to east