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41 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the 7 climate controls that influence or "control" the climate of an area?
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elevation, latitude, topography, nearby water, ocean currents, vegetation, prevailing winds
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The warming of the surface air and ocean currents of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean due to changes in the trade winds. This causes BAD weather.
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El Nino
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What does global warming increase?
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The Earth's temperature (specifically the near surface air and the ocean currents.)
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What are two things that humans have done to cause climate change?
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deforestation and fossil fuels
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Which climate control explains why temperatures are generally colder and there is less precipitation at higher altitudes?
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Elevation
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Which climate control helps us to understand why toward the poles (and away from the equator) temperatures are generally colder and there is less precipitation?
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Latitude
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Which climate control explains why the leeward side of mountains are warmer than the windward side and why mountains act as barriers?
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Topography
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Which climate control explains why large bodies of water have small temperature ranges which cause coastal areas to have mild climates?
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Nearby water
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Which climate control results in warm currents warming the coasts and cold currents cooling the coasts?
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Ocean currents
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Which climate control helps control the Earth's insolation and how quickly it heats up or cools down?
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Vegetation
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Which climate control defines whether the winds blow in hot or cold air to any area depending on where they are coming from.
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Prevailing winds
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What word desribes an area's long-term pattern of weather, it describes how hot the summers are, how cold the winters are, and how much it rains or snows.
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Climate
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Describe the "highland" climate zone
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No subclimate.
Temperature and precipitation vary greatly with latitude and elevation. |
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What are the three "moist mid-latitude with mild winters climate zone" sub climates called?
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humid subtropical, marine west coast, mediterranean
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Describe the "humid subtropical" sublimate.
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Hot, humid summers and mild winters.
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Describe the "marine west coast" subclimate.
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Mild and rainy all year.
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Describe the "mediterranean" subclimate.
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Hot, dry summers and mild winters.
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What are the two sublimates in the "humid tropical climate zone"?
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tropical wet and tropical wet and dry
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Describe the "tropical wet" subclimate.
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hot and very rainy most of the year
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Describe the "tropical wet and dry" subclimate.
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hot all year with wet and dry seasons
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What are the two subclimates in the "dry climate zone"?
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desert and semiarid
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Describe the "desert" subclimate.
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Hot enough that evaporation exceeds precipitation. It doesn't rain much because it's so hot that the moisture dries up quickly.
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Describe the "semiarid" subclimate.
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Not as dry as desert, but evaporation still exceeds precipitation.
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What are the two subclimates in the "polar climate zone"?
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tundra and icecap
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Describe the "tundra" subclimate.
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Always cold and dry, with short, cool summers.
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Describe the "icecap" subclimate.
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Freezing temperatures all year.
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Why are polar climates so cold?
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*Little or no daylight
*Low angle of sunlight *Sunlight is reflected by the white surface, NOT absorbed |
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What are the 4 natural causes of global climate changes?
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earth motions, plate tectonics, sunspots, volcanoes
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How does the Earth's motions affect climate change?
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orbital shifts, tilt, wobble all effect the intensity of the seasons
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How does plate tectonics effect global climate?
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plate shifts effect wind patterns, ocean currents, and solar radiation
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How do sunspots effect global climate?
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During periods of greater sunspots, a higher amount of energy is given off by the sun
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How do volcanoes effect global climate?
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Volcanoes increase the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere and cause a warmer climate.
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How are humans effecting the climate?
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through deforestation and the use of fossil fuels.
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What is deforestation and how does it effect the climate?
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The cutting down and burning of trees which increases the carbon dioxide levels causing a warmer climate?
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Why is burning fossil fuels a problem?
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Because they release carbon dioxide which causes a warmer climate.
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What does global warming increase?
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temperatures of ocean currents and near surface air
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How does a nearby ocean effect a location's climate?
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warm ocean currents warm nearby coasts and cold currents cool nearby coasts
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What is El Nino and where does it happen?
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El Nino is the warming of the Pacific Ocean due to changes in the trade winds...it causes bad weather!
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What is daily temperature range?
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The difference between the highest and lowest temperature of the day.
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What is annual temperature range?
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The difference between the average temperature of the warmest month and the average temperature of the coldest month.
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What two things are most important when classifying an area's climate?
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Temperature and Precipitation!
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