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62 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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fossil fuels
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fuels composed of fossilized remains of organisms like: coal, oil, and natural gas
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Ozone Layer
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chemically distinct region within the stratosphere that protects the Earth from the Sun's harmful UV radiation
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CFC
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Chlorofluorocarbons: synthetic compounds containing chlorine, fluorine, and carbon. Also called freons, they contribute to the greenhouse effect and the depletion of the ozone layer.
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IPCC
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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: an international group of scientists who periodically review the status of climate science and the possible effects of climate change on humans
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Interglacial period
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an interval during the Pleistocene, such as the Holocene, when continental ice sheets were restricted to Greenland and Antarctica. Globally averaged surface temperatures during interglacial intervals were about 15 degrees Celsius.
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PPM
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Parts per million
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greenhouse gas
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CO2, NH4, H2O, N2O, O3 all trap infrared heat coming from the sun from being released out of the atmosphere
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Nuclear fusion
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The combining of lightweight atomic nuclei into heavier nucleus accompanied by the release of energy
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Earth Systems components
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The group of interacting components (atmosphere, hydrosphere, solid Earth, and biota) that influence conditions at the Earth's surface
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greenhouse effect
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The natural mechanism by which a planet's surface is warmed by infrared-absorbing gases in its atmosphere
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K/T boundary
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The boundary between the Cretaceous (K) and Tertiary (T) periods, about 65 million years ago, when the dinosaurs and many other species went extinct
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Isotope
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atoms of a given element that have different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei
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Gaia hypothesis
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A theory suggesting that Earth is a self-regulating system in which the biota play an integral role
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Albedo
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The reflectivity of a surface, usually expressed as a decimal fraction of the total incident sunlight reflected from the surface
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Perturbation vs. Forcing
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(A temporary disturbance in the system) vs. (A persistent disturbance of a system)
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System
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An entity composed of diverse but interrelated parts(components) that function as a complex whole
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Negative feedback loop
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A feedback loop with an odd number of negative couplings. Negative feedback loops tend to diminish the effects of disturbances
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Coupling
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The links between any two components of a system. (Positive or negative)
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Stable vs. unstable equilibrium state
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(A state in which the system will remain if left undisturbed and to which the system will return when disturbed) versus. (A state in which the system will remain if left undisturbed, but even slight disturbances will carry the system to some other (stable) equilibrium state)
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Feedback loop
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A linkage of two or more system components that forms a round-trip flow of information. Feedback loops can be positive or negative
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State of a system
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The set of important attributes of a system that characterize the system at a particular time
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Feedback factor (f)
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The ratio of the equilibrium response to forcing (the response with feedback) to the response without feedback. Feedback factors less that 1 are indicative of negative feedback: the equilibrium response (with feedback) is smaller than the response to forcing without feedback. Feedback factors greater than 1 indicate positive feedback: the equilibrium response is larger than the response to the forcing itself
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Blackbody
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A body that emits electromagnetic radiation equally well at all wavelengths
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convection vs. conduction
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(Transfer of heat energy by the circulating motions of a fluid that is heated from below; one of the three primary mechanisms of heat transfer) vs. (transfer of heat energy by direct contact between individual molecules)
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flux
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The amount of energy or material that passes perpendicularly through a unit surface area per unit time
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Inverse square law
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a relationship describing the rate at which the solar flux decreases with increasing distance
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photon
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A single, discrete particle, or pulse, of electromagnetic radiation
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Wien Law
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A relationship stating that the flux of radiation emitted bu a blackbody reaches its peak value at a wavelength that depends inversely on the body's absolute temperature
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Steady state
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A condition in which the state of a system component is unchanging in time. A reservoir is in steady state when the rates of inflow = rates of outflow
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pressure
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is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object.
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infrared radiation
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Infrared radiation: Electromagnetic radiation of fairly low energy and wavelengths longer than those of visible light (.7 to 1000 micrometers)
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Visible radiation
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Visible radiation: visible light; electromagnetic radiation at moderate energy and wavelengths (400 to 700 nanometers)
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Ultraviolet radiation
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Electromagnetic radiation of fairly high energy and wavelengths from 400 to 10 nanometers)
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blackbody radiation
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radiation given off by a blackbody. this radiation is characterized by the body's absolute temperature
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electro-magnetic radiation
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a self propagating electric and magnetic wave such as visible light, ultraviolet, or infrared radiation
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Frequency vs Wavelength
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(The number of wave crests that pass a fixed point in 1 second) versus (The distance between two adjacent wave crests)
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Kelvin temperature scale
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A metric temperature scale in which the degree has the same size as Celsius degree, but in which the zero point is moved downward by 273.15 degrees = absolute zero
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relative humidity
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The amount of water vapor contained by a unit of volume of air divided by the amount of water vapor that volume would contain if the air were saturated
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Stratosphere vs. Troposphere
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(The stable atmospheric layer between 10 and 15 km and 50 Km above the surface; temperature increases with altitude there. The stratosphere contains most of the Earth's ozone) versus (The lowermost, convective layer of Earth's atmosphere between the surface and 10 to 15 km above it; temperature decreases rapidly with altitude here. Weather is confined to the troposphere)
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Stefan-Boltzmann Law
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A relationship stating that the flux of radiation emitted by a blackbody is related to the forth power of the body's absolute temperature; derived from the Planck function
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Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN)
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Small particles, often consisting of sulfate aerosols, that catalyze the condensation of water vapor into cloud droplets
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Coriolis effect
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The apparent tendency for a fluid (air or water) moving across Earth's surface to be deflected from its straight-line path. Fluids are deflected to the right of their initial path in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
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Hadley circulation
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The process by which an air mass undergoes convergence at the tropics and divergence at about 30 degrees North or 30 degrees latitude South in one large convection cell
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Monsoon
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A seasonal reversal in the surface winds caused by large-scale differential heating of land and ocean surfaces. Monsoon circulation is defined by the windfields but usually also has a direct impact on rainfall
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Partial pressure
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In a mixture of gasses, the pressure a gas would exert if it were the only gas present (i.e., the contribution of each individual gas to the total pressure exerted by the mixture)
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Obliquity
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The angle of a planet's spin axis relative to a line drawn perpendicular to the plane of the planet's orbit around the sun; also called tilt
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ideal gas law
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PV=mRT
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cyclonic versus anticyclonic flow
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(Localized circular air flow of low pressure, curving to the right in the Northern Hemisphere) versus (High pressure air that curves to the right in the Northern Hemisphere) Both occur in the troposphere
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equinox versus solstice
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(Sun is directly overhead of the equator and daytime and nighttime are equal) versus (In Northern Hemisphere on June 21 the longest day of sunlight and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere)
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Orographic precipitation
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also known as relief precipitation, is precipitation generated by a forced upward movement of air upon encountering a physiographic upland (see anabatic wind). This lifting can be caused by two mechanisms:
1) The upward deflection of large scale horizontal flow by the Orography. 2) The anabatic or upward vertical propagation of moist air up an orographic slope caused by daytime heating of the mountain barrier surface. Upon ascent, the air that is being lifted will expand and cool. This adiabatic cooling of a rising moist air parcel may lower its temperature to its dew point, thus allowing for condensation of the water vapor contained within it, and hence the formation of a cloud. If enough water vapor condenses into cloud droplets, these droplets may become large enough to fall to the ground as precipitation. In parts of the world subjected to relatively consistent winds (for example the trade winds), a wetter climate prevails on the windward side of a mountain than on the leeward (downwind) side as moisture is removed by orographic precipitation. Drier air (see katabatic wind) is left on the descending, generally warming, leeward side where a rain shadow is formed. |
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Condensation
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The process by which a gas becomes liquid
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Pressure gradient force
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is not actually a 'force' but the acceleration of air due to pressure difference (a force per unit mass). It is usually responsible for accelerating a parcel of air from a high atmospheric pressure region to a low pressure region, resulting in wind.
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Convergence vs. Divergence
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(The inward movement of air or water to a region in the atmosphere or ocean) versus (The outward movement of air or water from a region in the atmosphere or ocean)
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ITCZ
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A region of the tropics where surface heating causes uplift in the atmosphere, allowing subtropical air flow inward to produce a convergence zone. This zones moves north and south of the equator as the seasons change
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Seabreeze
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The heating of the land during the day causes localized convection with low pressure at the surface. This convection establishes a pressure gradient from the ocean toward the land that results in onshore wind. At night, the rapid cooling of the land (relative to the ocean) causes this circulation to break down and may even reverse the flow, causing the wind to blow from the land toward the water.
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Subsidence versus Uplift
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(The sinking of air from higher levels in the atmosphere down toward the surface. Also the vertical movement of Earth's crust toward the mantle.) versus (Any process by which air is forced to rise upward in the atmosphere. Also an upward vertical tectonic movement of Earth's crust.)
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Latent heat of evaporation
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The hear energy released or absorbed during the transition from one phase to another, such as when water evaporates.
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Polar frontal zone
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A zone of steep temperature gradients formed approximately 60 degrees North and 60 degrees South latitude, where cold, polar air meets warm air moving poleward from the subtropics
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Geostrophic wind
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A current that flows around oceanic gyres (a large circular circulation pattern in the ocean); produced where the Coriolis effect that deflects the flow into the center of the gyre is balanced by the downslope flow from the higher sea-surface elevations in the gyre center (clockwise in North HEM and Counterclockwise in South HEM)
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Saturation vapor pressure
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refer to the equilibrium vapor pressure of water or brine above a flat surface, to distinguish it from equilibrium vapor pressure which takes into account the shape and size of water droplets and particulates in the atmosphere
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Buoyancy
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A tendency of an object to float, rise, or sink when submerged in a fluid
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Sublimation
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A physical transition stage where a solid goes to gas without liquification
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