Vocabulary Chapter 5 Of Elemental Geosystems

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What is a polar front?

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Greatest temp change over shortest latitudinal distance; boundary b/w cold polar arctic air masses and warm tropical air masses. It is the contact zone b/w cold polar air masses and warm tropical air masses. Fronts occur in the mid-latitudinal regions (NOT TROPICS).

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Polar Side

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cold air masses

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Equator Side

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warm air masses

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Polar Jet Stream

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Broad moving band of air, moves quickly w/ the westerly's in the upper limits of the troposphere.

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Front

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leading edge of an air mass

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Cold Fronts

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leading edge of a cold air mass/ tends to move quickly

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Warm Front

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leading edge of a warm air mass/ tends to move slowly

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Mid Latitude Cyclone

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center generally moves with the westerly's/more common in spring and winter

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Tropics

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no frontal activity b/c cold air masses don't penetrate

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Occulated Front

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when cold air wraps all the way around the cyclonic storm, and cold front "catches up" to warm front

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April

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wettest month

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Flash Floods

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typical in desert regions b/c it is dry and there is little vegetation cover

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Tropical Cyclones

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dev. in zone of trade winds and over very warm ocean currents/ typically dev. off the atlantic/ winds of 70 mph=hurricane/ do not dev. on west coast b/c of cold water current

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Tornadoes

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generate the highest wind speeds on earth and are assoc. w/ cold fronts

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Tornado Alley

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runs along OK, KS, TX, and MO

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Orographic Precipitation

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occurs @ any place where there are high mountains

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Convection

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dominant precip. mechanism in the equitorial region (zone of the trade winds that is assoc. w/ the ITC - High temps and high humidity cause convection

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Highest frequency place of tropical cyclones

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over water, not land

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Cyclonic Storms

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dominat precip mechanism for most of the mid-latitudes and they move with the westerlies

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Six Climate Controls

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latitude, distribution of land and water, altitude, land barriers, ocean currents, and pressure and wind systems

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Latitude

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the hugher the latitude, the cooler the avg. temp - w/ higher latitudes, there are greater seasonal variations

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Distribution of Land and Water

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refers to marine vs. continental climates/ strong maritime influence moderates temp.

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Altitude

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with higher altitude, you have colder temps

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Land Barriers

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high mountains that cut off a marine influence/ ex: the ALPS prevent warm air masses for North and Central Europe

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Ocean Currents

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warm ocean currents on the east coast of continents/ cold currents on the west coast of continents - driest desert region in the world is the Kalahari Desert in South Africa

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Pressure Systems and Wind

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change in both position and intensity w/ the changing declination of the sun

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Seasons in the zone of the tropics?

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summer time wet-season and winter time dry-season

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Where are the most distinct seasons?

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in the mid-latitudes; the more north you go, the more bitter wind you have/ for the most part there is not a dry season

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Sydney, Australia

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35 degrees south, very low annual temp range due to maritime effect, but has wintertime and summertime/ dominant precip sys. is cyclonic storms and fronts

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London, England

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52 degrees north, well-defined wintertime and summertime, doesn't get bitterly cold b/c of the maritime effect/ cyclonic storms and fronts affect London all the time (more so in winter)

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Pacific Northwest (Near Washington state)

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very well defined wintertime and summertime, with a strong maritime influence and orographic effect. There is lots of precip (more so in winter)

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Africa

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13 degrees south, low annual temp range b/c it is in the ITC, wet season (in summer) and dry season

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Equator side of subtropical highs

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summertime wet season and wintertime dry season/ low annual temp range

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ITC

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Intertropical convergence zone/ always follows the sun

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Polar Side

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well defined seasons, for most of the mid latitudes the dominant precip mechanism is cyclonic storms and fronts that generally move with the westerly's/ these are more common in the wintertime

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Where is convection very important?

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in the southeastern portion of continents

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Subtropical Highs

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@ 30 degrees north and south/ low precip/ largest and hottest desert regions occur in areas dominated by subtropical highs

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Koppen's Five Major Climate Types

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Tropical, Dry, Warm, Continental, and Polar

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What accounts for precipitation in the north and a dry wintertime in the south?

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the sun moving to the north along with the ITC

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What happens without cold air masses?

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there is no frontal activity

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AF Climate (Tropical Rainforest Region)

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yr round precip, heaviest annual rainfall over the whole world, no dry season/ very humid and densely forested

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AW Climate (Tropical Savannah Region)

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distinct summertime wet season wintertime dry season/ do not have yr round precip/ mostly mixed forest/grass vegetation/ generally have a rainfall b/w 30-60 inches/yr

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AM Climate (Tropical Monsoon Region)

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These have very distinct wet and dry seasons, they occur in coastal regions backed by mountains

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What does dry climate cause?

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dominace of subtropical highs
cold ocean currants
interior of continents
rain shadow effect

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Changing Declination of the Sun

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winds shift, sun moves into the northern hemi and ITC shifts to the north, sun moves into the southern hemi and the ITC shifts to the south

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desert temps

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become VERY cold @ night

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What have more frequent and stronger tropical cyclones during the winter and spring?

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Mid-latittudes

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Tropical/ Equitorial Climates

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consistently warm with all months avg. above 64 degrees F/ ex: Indonesia, Caribbean/ rainfall can be slightly variable

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Dry/ Arid Climates

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no surplus of water (no major streams originate in these climates)/ ex: Northern Africa and Northern Mexico

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Mesothermal Climates

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warm climates, mostly located in the midlatitudes, a lot of frontal activity and plenty of precip/ ex: southeast portion of all continents

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Olympic Peninsula

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wettest part of north america/ midlatitude rainforests

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Continental Climates

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do not occur in the southern hemi, cold humid climates w/ a high annual temp. range/ long winters and short summers/ main precip mechanisms are cyclonic storms and fronts

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Polar/ Highland Climates

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areas w/ high latitude/ ex: Antarctica, N. Iceland, Greenland, N. Alaska, N. Canada/ world's lowest annual temp/ months of continuous daylight and darkness/ less than 10 inches of precip per yr

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Permafrost

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permanently frozen ground

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South Pole

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colder than the north pole

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Russia

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Largest landmass in the N. Hemisphere