Earth Science Chapter 8 Climate Only

Front 1

what two characteristics of the temperatures of a region are most important?

Back 1

1. average temp. over the year
2. range of average monthly temp(average difference between the average temp of the hottest month and average temp of the coldest month)

Front 2

what does arid mean

Back 2

dry

Front 3

when is a climate arid?

Back 3

when the P is less than Ep

Front 4

what is Ep largely determined by?

Back 4

temp.

Front 5

what is humid

Back 5

wet

Front 6

when is aclimte humid?

Back 6

when the P is greater than Ep

Front 7

what are factors that determine climate?

Back 7

-latitude
-planetary wind and pressure belts
-oceans and other large bodies of water
-ocean currents
-mountains
-elevation
-amount of cloud coer
-vegetation

Front 8

what does air do in areas of low press?

Back 8

air rises and forms clouds, much precipitation, and humid climates

Front 9

what does air do in areas of high press?

Back 9

sinks, warms the air, and results in arid or desert climates

Front 10

as distance from the equator increases, the annual temperature RANGE...

Back 10

increases

Front 11

WHY?

Back 11

they have a greater amount of change in duration of insolation during the year

Front 12

why will a land mass near a large body of water's climate be affected by the water?

Back 12

water heats and cools off slowly

Front 13

marine climate

Back 13

an area with temps moderated by proximity to a body of water

Front 14

how does the climate of an area near the water compare to inland areas?

Back 14

it has cooler summers and warmer winters; a smaller annual range of temps

Front 15

how do the areas inland compare to the coastal areas?

Back 15

cooler winters and warmer summer and a wider annual range of temps

Front 16

what is this kind of climate called?

Back 16

continental

Front 17

what are prevailing winds (planetary winds) caused by?

Back 17

the pressure differences and the effects of earths rotation (the coriolis effect)

Front 18

in what windbelt is most of the contiguous US located

Back 18

prevailing southwesterly wind belt

Front 19

in what direction does weather move in the US?

Back 19

southwest to northeast
(more generally west to east)

Front 20

why does the west coast of the US have much more of a marine climate the the esast coast?

Back 20

bc the west coast has prevailing winds blowing fromthe ocean and the east coast has them blowing from the middle of the US

Front 21

monsoons

Back 21

weather changes caused by the seasonal shifts in the direction of prevailing winds

Front 22

what are monsoon usually associated w/?

Back 22

the wet summers and dry winters of southeast asia

Front 23

what does a cool ocean current cause

Back 23

cooler temps and less precipitation

Front 24

why is there less precipitation?

Back 24

cool water results in cool air, which cannot hold much water vapor

Front 25

what does a warm ocean current cause?

Back 25

warmer temps and more precipitation

Front 26

which way do warm current flow?

Back 26

away from the equator towards the higher latitudes

Front 27

which way do cool currents flow?

Back 27

toward the equator to the lower latitudes

Front 28

2 reasons why does elevation affect climate

Back 28

1. as air rises, it expands and cools
2. lower amounts of greenhouse gases at higher altitudes, which means less absoprtion of radiation from the sun and earths surface

Front 29

how does elevation affect climate?

Back 29

higher=colder

Front 30

how does elevation affect precipitation?

Back 30

higher elevations ahve more precipitation

Front 31

why?

Back 31

as elevation increases, the temp and water vapor capacity decreases, air thus approaches the dew point, condensation forms clouds, and precipitation often occurs

Front 32

which way is the air going on the winward side?

Back 32

the air rises

Front 33

desribe the windward side

Back 33

cooler, more himud climate
precipitation
cooling when air expands

Front 34

in which direction are the prevailing winds going?

Back 34

from the windward to the leeward side

Front 35

describe the leeward side

Back 35

warmer, dry climate
warming when air compresses

Front 36

which way is the air going on the leeward side?

Back 36

the air descends

Front 37

why does the leeward side have less precipitation?

Back 37

the air has lost much of its moisture and its water vapor capacity rises as its temp increases

Front 38

why can opposite sides of a mountain have different temp patterns?

Back 38

bc mountains act as barriers to moving air masses, preventing cold air or warm air from corssing the mountain to the other side

Front 39

how does vegetation affect climate?

Back 39

when rainforests are cut down and converted into farms or grazing land, the climate often becomes hotter and less humid

Front 40

why?

Back 40

bc there is more runoff and less transpiration to add huminidy.
also, without all the trees to absorb solar energy, the solar enerrgy heats the land instead, which then heats the atmopshere

Front 41

high percentage of cloud coverage=

Back 41

less sun reaching earth, less heat

Front 42

stream discharge

Back 42

the volume of river water

Front 43

when does stream discharge decrease?

Back 43

when we are in usage

Front 44

usage

Back 44

when water comes from storage

Front 45

high ep relationship w/ temperature

Back 45

high temp

Front 46

low Ep relationship w/ temp

Back 46

low temp

Front 47

what is the #1 factor that determines the temp?

Back 47

latitude

Front 48

when the
P
------
Ep
relationship is over 1, the climate is...

Back 48

humid

Front 49

when is is under 1, the climate is

Back 49

arid

Front 50

what 2 things determine climate?

Back 50

1. rainfall
2. temp

Front 51

where does europe get the warm currents from?

Back 51

the gulf stream..gulf of mexico

Front 52

what causes ocean currents?

Back 52

winds

Front 53

why does water change temp slowly?

Back 53

it has a high specific heat

Front 54

El Nino

Back 54

random warm water current in the pacific
has major effects on global climates