World Geography Ch 2

Front 1

Weather

Back 1

includes variable such as temperature and precipitation at any particular time, including both ordianary day to day conditions and extremes such as storms or heat waves

Front 2

Climate

Back 2

statistical summary of weather over time, and includes both the average conditions and the extremes.

Front 3

Solar energy

Back 3

drives our weather, some solar energy directly heats the earths atmosphere , but most heats the earths surface which in turn heat the air creating pressure differences that generate wind and ocean currents

Front 4

Insolation

Back 4

the amount of solar energy intercepted by a particular area of earth

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Angle of incidence

Back 5

the angle at which solar radiation strikes a particular place at any point in time

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vernal (spring) equinox

Back 6

march 20 or 21

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autumnal equinox

Back 7

September 22 or 23

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Tropic of Cancer

Back 8

23.5 degrees north latitude

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Tropic of Capricorn

Back 9

23.5 degrees south latitude

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Summer solstice

Back 10

June 20 or 21

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Winter solstice

Back 11

December 21 or 22

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midnight sun

Back 12

during summer solstice if you stand at the north pole you can watch the sun travel in a circle around you at the a constant elevation of 23.5 degrees above the horizon

on the day of the solstice the north pole is in full sunlight for the entire 24 hours

Front 13

Radiation

Back 13

energy transmitted by electromagnetic waves including radio, television, light, and heat is radiation or radiant energy

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wavelength

Back 14

is the distance between successive waves, like waves on a pond

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Shortwave energy

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most insolation is shortwave, wavelengths between 0.2 and 5 microns (a micron or micrometer is one millionth of a meter)

visible to human eye are 0.4 to 0.7 microns

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longwave energy

Back 16

most of the energy reradiated by earth , between 5 and 30 microns

Front 17

greenhouse effect

Back 17

similar to the way glass allows solar energy to enter a greenhouse but limits the loss of heat causing the temperature inside to rise

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Greenhouse gases

Back 18

critical to heat exchange in the atmosphere are water vapor, Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4)

are less than 0.1% of the atmosphere

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Global warming

Back 19

rise in temperature

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latent heat exchange

Back 20

it transfers tremendous amounts of energy from low latitudes to high latitudes and it is also a key component of precipitation processes

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Sensible heat

Back 21

is detectable by your sense of touch, you can measure using a thermometer

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latent heat

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is in storage in water and water vapor, you cannot feel latent heat but when it is released it has a powerful effect on its immediate environment

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calorie

Back 23

a calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water up to 1 degree celcius

Front 24

Convection

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is movement in any fluid, caused when part of the fluid (whether gas or liquid) is heated. the heated portion expands and becomes less dense, and rises up through the cooler portion.

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advection

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heat advects from tropical areas toward the poles when warm winds blow pole ward

another form of advection is the heat in ocean currents that moves toward the polar regions

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condestation

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conversion of water from vapor to liquid state

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saturation vapor pressure

Back 27

the maximum water vapor that air can hold

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Relative humidity

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the actual water content of the air, expressed as a percentage of how much water the air could hold at a given temperature

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orographic uplift

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in which wind forces air up and over mountains

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frontal uplift

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in which air is forced up a boundary (front) between cold and warm air masses

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adiabatic cooling

Back 31

adiabatic means without heat being involved

as air rises, it cools adiabatically (by expansion) at a rate of about 10 degrees Celsius for every 1000 meters (5.5 degrees Fahrenheit per 1000 feet) elevation

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orographic precipitation

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as the air rises, it cools adiabatically )by expansion) the cooling causes condensation, and precipitation results

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leeward side of a mountain range

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is often much direr than the rainy windward side

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rain shadow

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a dry region on the leeward side of a mountain range

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front

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which is a boundary between two air masses

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cold front

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when a cold air mass advances against a warmer one

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barometer

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measures atmospheric pressure

Front 38

Coriolis effect

Back 38

(indirect curving path) the deflection of wind (and any other object moving above earths rotating surface )

Front 39

intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)

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zone between the tropics of cancer and capricorn where surface winds convere

Front 40

trade winds

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they were very important to sailing ships that were involved in commerce

Front 41

subtropical high pressure (STH) zones

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areas of dry air, bright sunshine, and little precipitation

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midlatitude lowe pressure zones

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experience cnvergence of warm air blowing from subtropical latitudes and cold air blowing from polar regions

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polar front

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the warm and cold air masses collide in swirling low pressure cells that move along the boundary between the two air masses

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polar high pressure zones

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the air is so cold that it contains very little moisture and convection and precipitation are limited

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monsoon circulation

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winter winds from the Asian interior produce extremely dry winter in most of south and east Asia, while summer winds blowing inland from the Indian and pacific oceans result in wet summers

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gyres

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wind driven circular flows, mirror the movement of prevailing winds

Front 47

cyclones

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large storms can affect areas hundreds to thousands of kilometer across, are large low pressure areas in which winds converge in a counterclockwise swirl in the norther hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere

tropical cyclones ( hurricanes or typhoons) and midlatitude cyclones

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storm surge

Back 48

an area of elevated sea level in the center of the storm that may be several meters high

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midlatitude cyclones

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are centers of low pressure that develop along the polar front

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tornados

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are an extreme form of weather created when energy conditions in the atmosphere are such that extremely intense convection occurs

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transpiration

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plants take up water through their roots and evaporate it through their leaves, releasing it into the atmosphere as water vapor

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desert climate

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(B climate) because it is dominated by the subtropical high pressure zone of the eastern atlantic

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Humid tropical climates

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(Af and Am climates) lie mostly within 10 degrees north and south of the equator

these areas are under the rainy ITCZ and include the worlds tropical rain forests

(Aw) humid tropics rainfall is concentrated in part of the year allowing for a distinct dry season

Front 54

Dry climates (BW and BS)

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generally located in bands immediately to the north and south of hte low latitude humid climates

(BWh and BWk) most extensive regions of warm, dry climate are found in the subtropics on the western sides of continents

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Semiarid climate (BSh and BSk)

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lie in transitional ares between deserts and more humid regions

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steppes

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grasslands, are in semi arid climates which supports extensive grazing activities but only limited agriculture

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Humid subtropical climates

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occur in latitudes between about 25 degrees and 40 degrees on the eastern sides of continents and between about 35 degrees and 50 degrees on the weastern sides

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marine west coast climates

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are moderated by ocean temperatures

typical summer temps are 15 to 25 degrees celcius rather than the 25 to 35 degrees celcius inland

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Mediterranean climate

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the dry summer on the western margins of continents

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humid continental climates

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these climates are away from the influence of the ocean, these climates occur between about 35 degree and 60 degrees latitude in the interior and eastern portions of northern hemisphere

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subarctic climate

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cold enough and the growing season short enough that agriculture is generally not possibly

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permafrost

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condition of permanently frozen ground

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ice cap climate

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near the poles and high in some mountains at lower latitudes are climates in which even the warmest month averages below freezing

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Quaternary period

Back 64

2 million years to date

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pleistocene epoch

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the portion of the Quaternary periods in which glaciations occurred

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little ice age

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the time period from 1500-1750 when temps were especially cool