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42 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Name the 3 process for heating and cooling the atmosphere.
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1) Radiation
2) Conduction 3) Convection |
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How does convection cool the air? How does it heat the air?
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WARM
- Masses of warm air rise from one place to another, displacing cool air with warmer air. - As warm air rises, the displaced cool air falls to where the warm air had been, creating circulation. COLD - Cold air falls from above because of its higher density, displacing the warm air and thus cooling the atmosphere. - Main point: causes warm air to rise and cold air to fall. (pg. 77-78) |
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What are the 2 principle gases in the atmosphere?
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1) Nitrogen
2) Oxygen |
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What are the 3 principle absorbing gases in the atmosphere?
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1) Water vapor
2) Carbon dioxide 3) Ozone |
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What is the maximum percentage of water vapor (by volume) in the atmosphere?
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4%
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What are the 4 principle characteristics associated with the Trophosphere and why is each one significant?
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Define ALBEDO. What are some examples?
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- Albedo = rate of reflectivity.
- Determines how effectively any surface absorbs incoming solar radiation (i.e. insolation.) Examples: - Asphalt = gets hot in the sun because it has a low albedo. |
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Do the vertical rays of the sun actually migrate?
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No, the rays never move but the angle of the earth in relation to the sun is constantly changing, causing the part of the earth that gets the most vertical sun to constantly change.
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Explain WHY THEY APPEAR to migrate from 23.5°N to 23.5°S.
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Earth is tilted at 23.5° to the plane of its orbit around the sun (rather than being perpendicular.) The area receiving the most direst sunlight therefore moves from 23.5°N to 23.5°S during the course of the year.
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What percentage of the incoming solar radiation (insolation) is absorbed by the earth’s surface?
What percentage is absorbed by the atmosphere? What percentage is lost in space? |
45% absorbed by earth's surface
24% absorbed by atmosphere 31% reflected back into space |
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Define air mass STABILITY and INSTABILITY. What is the significance?
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Buoyancy of an object is its tendency to rise/float.
STABILITY Air mass resists vertical movement. It is nonbuoyant. (ex. if stable air comes up against a mountain slope, and is thus forced to rise, it does so only as long as the force is applied. Once it is past the mountain it sinks back to its former position.) INSTABILITY Air mass rises without external force (besides buoyancy) or after external force is removed. It is buoyant. Significance: stable air tends not to form clouds and precipitation because it is static. |
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What are the four types of uplift/triggering mechanisms?
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1) CONVECTIVE UPLIFT
2) OROGRAPHIC UPLIFT 3) FRONTAL UPLIFT 4) CONVERGENT UPLIFT |
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Tell me about CONVECTIVE UPLIFT...
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Heat of surface area warms the lower level of the air; air mass rises because it is warm; cools adiabatically as it rises; if it rises high enough to reach its dew point, clouds and precipitation are formed. Associated with vertical family of clouds.
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Tell me about OROGRAPHIC UPLIFT...
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Not temperature induced rising; barrier (ex. mountain) blocks air mass, forcing air to rise; air mass drops after moving past barrier; if barrier is high enough, air reaches dew point and causes precipitation.
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Tell me about FRONTAL UPLIFT...
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Two opposing air masses collide (in a front); the warm air is forced above the cold air, rises, and is adiabatically cooled to dew point; clouds and precipitation are formed.
1) COLD FRONT: has a steep slope, producing forceful rising motion, leading to the development of showers and occasionally severe thunderstorms. 2) WARM FRONT: has a gentler slope and generally moves more slowly than cold fronts, so the rising motion is much more gradual. Developing precipitation is typically steady and more widespread than precipitation associated with a cold front. |
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Tell me about CONVERGENT UPLIFT...
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When air masses converge/collide, there’s a general uplift because of crowding; forced uplift enhances instability (therefore it continues to rise) causing precipitation if it reaches its dew point. Associated with cirrostratus clouds (rest of high family?)
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What are the different families of clouds and which basic cloud types are associated with each?
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1) VERTICAL FAMILY: massive and rounded, usually with a flat base and limited horizontal extent but often billowing upward to great heights.
- Cumulus - Cumulonimbus 2) HIGH FAMILY: thin and wispy and composed of ice crystals rather than water droplets. Often foretell an approaching weather system or storm. - Cirus - Cirostratus - Cirocumulus 3) MIDDLE FAMILY: - Altostratus - Altocumulus 4) LOW FAMILY: grayish sheets that cover most or all of the sky, rarely being broken up into individual cloud units. - Stratus - Stratocumulus - Nimbostratus |
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What happens to all air that rises? What happens to all air that descends?
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All air that rises cools because less pressure is exerted on it.
All air that descends warms because more pressure is exerted on it. |
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What are some important characteristics of WARM and COLD fronts?
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COLD FRONTS
- Northwest to southeast - Vertical family (cumulus and cumulonimbus) - Backing winds WARM FRONTS - Southwest to northeast - Low family (stratus, nimbostratus, stratocumulus) - Veering winds |
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Define BACKING winds and VEERING winds.
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VEERING WINDS move clockwise with height
BACKING WINDS move counterclockwise with height |
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What are the different measures of atmospheric moisture and relative humidity?
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What is the normal barometric pressure of mercury in inches?
In pounds per square inch? In millibars? |
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What are the different forces affecting wind? Tell me about each
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1) PRESSURE GRADIENT FORCE: rate at which high pressure moves into low pressure. Effected by 2 components:
--- Differences in pressure (bigger the difference between pressures = higher PGF) --- Distance (greater the distance = lower PGF) 2) CORIOLIS EFFECT: direction of air movement is apparently deflected to the right because of the rotation of the earth. 3) FRICTION: drag on moving air from the terrain. (↓ friction = ↑ altitude = ↓ Coriolis Effect.) |
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What are the basic types of fog and how are they formed?
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1) RADIATION FOG: at night, the ground loses energy and cools. The air in contact with the surface then begins to cool leaving the air aloft somewhat warmer. The cooling surface air reaches its dew point temperature and condensation begins to occur, resulting in fog.
2) ADVECTION FOG: created by warm air passing over much colder surface (ex. ocean or ice cap.) Air moving from sea to land is the most common source. 3) UPSLOPE/OROGRAPHIC FOG: is created by adiabatic cooling when humid air climbs a topographic slope. 4) EVAPORATION FOG: created by cold air passing over much warmer water or moist land (ex. cool air over a hot tub.) |
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To which specific climatic type of each of these temperature and moisture boundaries apply?
(Note: they may apply to more than one specific climatic type.) Temperatures: - 32°F - 50°F - 64.4°F (read 64°F as 64.4°F) - 71.6°F (read 72°F as 71.6°F) Precipitation: - 2.4 inches monthly - 1.2 inches monthly Following provided by instructor: - 10 inches yearly - 30 inches yearly - 100 inches yearly |
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Akyab, Yanbabo and Bombay represent 3 distinct Tropical Rainy climates. Using criteria from #26, what do they have in common? (page 12 of packet)
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Denver, Dakar and Kayes represent 3 distinct Dry climates. Using criteria from #26, what do they have in common? (page 15 of packet)
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In-Salah, Timbuktu and El Paso represent a specific type of Dry climate. Using criteria from #26, what do they have in common? (page 15 of packet)
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Algiers and Sacramento represent a specific type of “C” climate. Name the climate and using criteria from #26, identify what they have in common.
San Francisco and Cape Town represent a specific type of “C” climate. Name the climate and using criteria from #26, identify what they have in common. How do Algiers and Sacramento differ from San Francisco and Cape Town? (page 16 of packet) |
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What do the following stations have in common: Valdivia, Sitka, Glasgow and Bergen?
How about Shanghai, Charleston, Buenos Aires and Brisbane? |
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How can you determine if a station is in the southern hemisphere?
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How do “C” climates differ from “D” climates?
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D climates has at least one month under 32, C climates do not.
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Identify the temperature criteria for an ET climate and an EF climate.
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What is meant by LOW SUN MONTHS? What is meant by HIGH SUN MONTHS?
What are the low and high sun months in the northern and southern hemispheres? |
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The vertical zonation of climate is based on the Normal Lapse Rate of 3.5°F average decrease in temperature in the vertical plane within the Trophosphere.
At the Equator glaciers can form at an altitude of about 14,500 feet and above. Name the climatic zones from sealevel to 16,000 feet for a mountain located at or close to the Equator. (See diagram on pg. 11 in packet) |
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CLIMATE CATEGORY
What does "A" correspond to? |
A
- Hot and wet - Coldest month 64°F + - At least 30”/yr |
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CLIMATE CATEGORY
What do "BW" and "BS" correspond to? |
BW
- Dry - Desert - Under 10”/yr BS - Dry – Steppe - 10 – 30”/yr |
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CLIMATE CATEGORY
What do "C" and "D" correspond to? |
C
- Middle latitude moderate - Coldest month 32°F + - Warmest month 50°F + D - Middle latitude cold - Coldest month 0 - 32°F - Warmest month 50°F + |
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CLIMATE CATEGORY
What do "EF" and "ET" correspond to? |
EF
- Polar ice cap - Warmest month under 32°F ET - Polar tundra - Warmest month 32 - 50°F |
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DRY/WET SEASONS
What do the following letters correspond to? f w s m |
f No dry or rainy season
w Winter dry season s Summer dry season m Monsoon (100”/yr +) |
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TEMPERATURE
What do "h" and "k" correspond to? |
h Mid latitude (less than 64°F/mo)
k Low latitude (64°F/mo +) |
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TEMPERATURE
What do "a" and "b" correspond to? |
a Warmest month 72°F +
b Warmest month less than 72°F |
