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138 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Weather
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is the short term condition of the atmosphere
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Meteorology
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is the scientific study of the atmosphere.
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Air Mass
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is a regional volume of air that is homogeneous in humidity, stability, and cloud coverage and that may extend through the lower half of the troposphere.
loook at notes for further information |
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Convergent lifting
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Air flowing from different directions into the same low-pressure area is converging, displacing air upward in convergent lifting.
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Convectional Lifting
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When an air mass passes from a maritime source region to a warmer continental region, heating from the warmer land surfaces causes lifting and convection in the air mass. Other sources of surface heating might include an urban heat island or the dark soil in a ploughed field; the warmer surfaces produce convectional lifting.
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Orographic Lifting
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ccurs when air is forcibly lifted upslope as it is pushed against a mountain
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Frontal Lifting (Cold and Warm Fronts
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A front is a place of atmospheric discontinuity, a narrow zone forming a line of conflict between two air masses of different temperature, winds direction and speed, and cloud development
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Cold Front
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The steep face of an advancing cold air mass reflects the ground-hugging nature of cold air caused by its greater density and more uniform characteristics compared to the warmer air mass it displaces.
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Warm Front
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Warm air masses can be carried by the jet stream into regions with colder air, such as when an air flow called the pineapple express carriers warm, moist air from Hawai’i and the pacific to the pacific coast of North America
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Rain Shadow
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The dry, leeward side of mountains
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Chinook Winds
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The warm downslope air flows characteristic of the leeward side of mountains |
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Squall Line |
A zone right along or slightly ahead of the front is the squall line, it is characterised by turbulent and wildly changing wind patterns and intense precipitation.
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Midlatitude cyclone or wave cyclone
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is a vast low-pressure system that migrates across a continent, pulling air masses into conflict along the fronts
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Cyclogenesis
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The birth of the low pressure circulation, can occur off the west coast of north america, along the east coast
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Occluded front
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Is produced when a cold front overtakes a warm front in the maturing cyclone.
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Stationary front
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develops between a cold front and a warm front where airflow is parallel to the front on both sides
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Freezing precipitation
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Ice glaze, freezing rain, and ice pellets
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Mesocyclone:
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A cyclonic updraft- A spinning, cyclonic rising column of air associated with a convective storm and ranging up to 10 km in diametre.
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Derechos
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strong linear winds, associated with thunderstorms. Can cause significant damage and crop losses
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Outgassing
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Is a continuous process in which water and water vapour emerge from layers deep within and below the crust and are released in the form of gas.
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Eustasy
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Refers to world wide changes in sea level and relates to changes in volume of water in the oceans
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Hydrologic cycle
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Is a model of Earth’s water system which has operated for billions of years from the lower atmosphere to several kilometres beneath the earth's surfaces
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Transpiration
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is the movement of water through plants back into the atmosphere
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Interception
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occurs when precipitation strikes vegetation or other ground cover
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Infiltration
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is when water soaks into the subsurface
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Surface runoff
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This happens when puddles for on the surface or flow across the surface toward stream channels
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Percolation
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A vertical downward movement that permeates soil or rock and turns surface water into groundwater
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soil Moisture Zone
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The volume of subsurface water stored in the soil that is accessible to plant roots
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Base flow
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The portion of stream flow that discharges naturally at the surface from groundwater
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Water budget
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Can be established for any area of earth’s surface by measuring the precipitation input and the output of various water demands
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Rain gauge
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measures precipitation |
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Potential evapotranspiration
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It is the amount of water that would evaporate and transpire under the optimum moisture conditions
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Actual evaporation
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Is measured when you subtract the deficit from the Potential evapotranspiration
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Soil moisture storage
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Is the volume of water stored in soil that is accessible to plant roots
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Hygroscopic water
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is not accessible to plant roots because it is a molecule thin layer that is bound to each soil particle
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Wilting point
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is when the water is utilized in the soil
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Capillary water
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is generally accessible to plant roots because it is held in the soil by surface tension and hydrogen bonding between water and soil
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Field capacity
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is the water remaining for plants after the large pore spaces are drained of water
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Gravitational water
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Is the water surplus in the soil body after the soil becomes saturated during precipitation event.
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Soil moisture utilization
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Removes soil water
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Soil-moisture recharge
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Is the rate at which needed moisture reaches the soil
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Permeability
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The degree to which water can flow through it (soil)
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Wetland
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Is an area that is permanently or seasonally saturated with water and that is characterised by vegetation adapted to gleysolic soils
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Ground water
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Lies beneath the surface beyond the soil moisture root zone and its replenishment is tied to surface surpluses
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ZOne of aeration
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where soil and rock are less than saturated
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Zone of saturation
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Where the pores are completely filled with water
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Water table
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The upper limit of the water that collects in the zone of saturation
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Aquifer
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Is a rock layer that is permeable to groundwater flow in usable amounts
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Unconfined aquifer
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Has a permeable layer on top and an impermeable one beneath.
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Confined aquifer
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is bounded above and below by impermeable layers of rock or unconsolidated material
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Artesian water
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is groundwater confined under pressure
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Drawdown
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occurs when the rate of pumping from a well exceeds the horizontal flow of water in the aquifier around the well
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Cone of depression
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Caused by excessive pumping
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Ground water mining
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refers to when ground water or aquifiers are frequently pumped beyond their flow and recharge
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Desalination
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Removal of salt from sea water
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Water withdrawal
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Removes water from the suppl, returning it later
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Consumptive use
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permanently removes water from a stream
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Climatology
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Is the study of climate and attempts to discern similar weather statistics
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Genetic classification
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is one based on causative factors, such as temperature or precipitation |
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Empirical classification |
is one based on statistical data such as temperature or precipitation |
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Climographs |
displays characteristics that determine climate regions |
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steppe |
is a regional term reffering to the vast semiarid grassland biome of eastern europe and asia |
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climate change study |
the study of the causes and consequences of changing climate on earth |
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paleoclimatology |
the study of the causes and consequences of changing climate on earth systems is climate change science |
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proxy method |
information about enviroments that represent changes in climate |
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radiactive isotopes |
are unstable and decay at a constant rate measured as a half life |
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Dendroclimatology |
the science of using tree growth rings to study past climates |
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Speleothems |
within caves and caverns they are calcium carbonate mineral deposits that take thousands of years to form |
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Maunder minimum
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A solar minimum from about 1645 to 1715, corresponded with one of the coldest periods of the little ice age
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Milankovitch cycles
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Earth’s orbital cycles and earth sun relationships. Affect earth's climate-especially glacial and interglacial cycles
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Climate feedbacks
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Are processes that either amplify or reduce climatic trends toward warming or cooling
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Carbon sinks
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Areas where carbon is stored
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Global carbon budget
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The overall exchange between sources and sinks
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General circulation model
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Is a complex computerized climate model used to assess past climatic trends
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Endogenic system
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Consists of processes operating in earth's interior, driven by heat and radioactive decay
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Exogenic system
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Operates on earth's surface, driven by solar energy and the movement of air, water, and ic
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Geomorphology
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Is the subfield within physical geography that studies the development and spatial distribution of landforms
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Uniformitarianism
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Which assumes that the same physical processes active in the environment today have been operating through geologic time
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Geologic timescale
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Is an effective device for organizing the vast span of geologic time
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Stratigraphy
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Is the study of layered rock strata, including its sequence
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Core
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Is divided by the outer core and the inner core divided by a transition zone
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Seismic waves
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When rocks in the surface break
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Mantle
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lies above the core
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Mohorovicic
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Is the space between the upper mantle and the crust
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The outer layer is the crust
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The uppermost mantle makes up the lithosphere
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Isostasy
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Explains certain vertical movements of earth's crust such as isostatic rebound when the weight of ice is removed The balance between the buoyancy and gravitational forces is the principle of isostasy
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Geomagnetic reversal
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Help scientists piece together the history of earth's mobile crustis a change in a planet's magnetic field such that the positions of magnetic north and magnetic south are interchanged, while geographic north and geographic south remain the same.
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Igneous rock
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forms from magma which is molten rock beneath the earth
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Intrusive igneous rock
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Intrudes into crustal rocks cools and hardens
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Granite
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Is high in silica, aluminum, potassium, calcium and sodium
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Basalt
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Is a fine grained extrusive igneous rock
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Pluton
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Formed by igneous rocks that cools slowly in the crust
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Batholith
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The largest pluton form
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Sedimentary rock
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Is formed when loose clasts derviced from several sources are compacted and cemented together in the process of lithification
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Sediment
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Fragments of weathered and eroded rocks
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Metamorphic rock
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Igneous or sedimentary rock that goes through a physical or chemical change under intense pressure and increased temperature
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Rock cycle
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Descriibes the three principal rock forming processes and the rocks they produce
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Continental drift
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Describes his idea that the crust is moved by vast forces within the planet
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Plate tectonics
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Is the theory that earth’s lithosphere is fractured into huge slabs or plates each moving in response to gravitational pull and to flowing currents in the mantle that create frictional drag
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Mid ocean ridges
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Underwater mountain systems
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Seafloors spreading
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The movement of plates toward the continental margins of ocean basins
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Subduction zones
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When one portion of the lithosphere descends under another and dices doward into the mantle
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Transform faults
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Formed when plates move past each other horizontally they form a fracture in the Earth’s crust
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Hotspot
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Plumes of magma generate an upward flow
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Geothermal cycle
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Is a model of internal and external interactions that shape the crust including the hydrologic, rock and tectonic plates
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Geothermal energy
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Heat from earth’s interior
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Relief |
is the vertical elevation difference in local landscape 1 |
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Topography |
the variations in the physical surface of earth, including relief |
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continental landmasses |
portions of crust that reside above or near sea level |
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ocean basins |
portions of crust that are entirely below sea level |
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continetal shield |
aregion where a craton is exposed |
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terranes |
a process where rocks are deformed by compression |
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anticline |
an archway upward fold |
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syncline |
formed when layers slope downward toward the axis |
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faulting |
is a process where rocks on eithe side of the fracture are displaced relative to the other side |
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normal fault |
is a process where rocks on either side of the fracture are displaced relative to the other side |
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normal fault |
when forces pull rocks apart |
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reverse fault |
compressional forces assosciated with converging plates force rocks to move upward |
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thrust fault |
is a low angle fault plane |
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strike slip fault |
produced when horizontal movement along a fault plane produces a linear rift valley |
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Horst |
is applied to upward faulted blocks |
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graben |
refers to downward faulted blocks |
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Basin and range province |
is an example of aligned pairs of normal faults and a distinctive horst and garben landscape |
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Bolson |
is the birth of mountains |
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Circum-pacific belt |
the region of active volcanoes and earthquakes around the pacific |
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seismometer |
measures seismic motions caused by earthquakes |
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moment magnitude |
used to measure earthquake magnitude |
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richterscale |
an effective measure for smalle arthquakes |
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elastic rebound theory |
Describes the basic process of how a fault breaks Two faults locked by friction. Resisting any movement despite the powerful forces acting on the adjoining piece of crust |
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Pyroclastics
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Pulverised rock and clastic materials ejected violently during an eruption
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Aa
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Rough and sharp edged lava
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Pahoehoe
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smooth , ropy folds of lava
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Craters
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Landforms produced by volcanic mountain cinder cones
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Calderas
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Large basin shaped depressions sometimes caused by the collapse of a volcano's summit
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Effusive eruption
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Produces a shield volcano Are outpourings of low viscosity magma that produce enormous volumes of lava annually on the sea floors and in places such as Hawaii and iceland
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Shield volcano
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a typical mountain landform built from the effusive eruptions is gently sloped, gradually rising from the surround landscape to a summit crater
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Flood basalts
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Extensive sheets of lava
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Composite volcano
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A mountain produced by a series of explosive eruptions
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