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37 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Climate |
Long term patterns of temperature and precipitation (NOT THE SAME AS WEATHER!) Usually based off annual variations |
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What Determines Climate |
Global: different amounts of sunlight hitting the Earth |
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Rainfall |
Water condenses as air cools |
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Convection |
The rising and falling of air |
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Convection Cells |
Hadley, Ferrell, and Polar |
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Hadley Cell |
Equatorial Cells |
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Ferrell Cell |
Mid-Latitude Cells |
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Polar Cell |
Upper- Latitude Cells |
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Coriolis Effect |
Spinning of the Earth causes winds to be deflected East and West (curvature of the winds) |
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Prevailing Winds |
Convection and the Coriolis Effect cause wind to move all four directions |
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Doldrums |
Regions of calm wind found near the equator |
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Trade Winds |
the winds moving Southwest and Northwest in the Hadley Cells |
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Prevailing Westernlies |
the winds the winds moving Southeast and Northeast in the Ferrell Cells |
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Ocean Currents |
Wind currents push on the surface of the oceans Create surface ocean currents As surface water moves, deep water moves up to replace it Creating deeper ocean currents |
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Seasons |
are regular, annual fluctuations in temperature, precipitation, or both |
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Weather |
short-lived and local patterns of temperature and precipitation |
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Milankovitch Cycles |
Long-term variations in Earth's climate |
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Anthropogenic |
a human-caused climate change (global warming and greenhouse gases) |
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Global Warming |
Rapid Increase of Global temps due to the excess amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere |
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Greenhouse Gases |
Man-made chemicals that are destroying the atmosphere |
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Leeward Side |
side of mountain in which dry air descends |
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Windward Side |
side of mountain in which water falls as rain or snow |
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Warm Front |
advancing air mass is warming than surrounding air and leads to light precipitation |
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Cold Front |
advancing air mass is cooler than surrounding air and leads to heavy rain and thunderstorms |
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Hurricanes |
the result of vigorously rising air in areas where water is warm and abundant |
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Tornadoes |
caused by dry-air cold fronts colliding with humid warm fronts |
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Axis of Rotation |
Earth is at a 23.5 degree angle that "wobbles" over a 26,000 year cycle which causes the changes in distribution and intensity of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface |
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Jet Stream Hypothesis |
global warming has been more intense in global regions, thus weakening the Northern Hemisphere's jet stream |
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Atmospheric Blocking Pattern |
Warming of the polar regions causes the jet stream to slow down and as it slows the loops of the stream become longer - creating prolonged bouts of weather |
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Outcomes of Climate Change |
Rising Sea Levels |
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Permafrost |
a thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year, occurring chiefly in polar regions - Global warming is causing it to melt and release peat into the atmoshpere |
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Peat |
dead organic matter covered by permafrost - when it is exposed huge amounts of CO2 and CH4 are released into the atmosphere |
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Phenology Shifts |
warmer spring temperatures cause insects to mature earlier than usual so now bird migration no longer matches the time of peak abundance of food |
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Kyoto Protocol |
Drafted in 1997 but took effect in 2005
Required emission reductions of sixgreenhouse gases back to levels in 1990 |
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Jet Stream |
high altitude hurricane air force that blows air west to east |
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Rising Sea Levels |
Glaciers are melting and oceans are getting warmer |
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Threatened Coral Reefs |
warmer waters cause "bleaching" of coral reefs |