Geog1- Midterm Section 4

Front 1

adiabatic heating/cooling

Back 1

Adiabatic heating- warming by compression in descending air.

Adiabatic cooling- cooling by expansion in rising air.

Front 2

anticyclone/cyclone

Back 2

Anticyclone-
-Falling air
-High pressure
-Clockwise / Outward

Cyclone-
-Rising Air
-Low Pressure
-Counterclockwise / Inward

Front 3

chinook wind

Back 3

Rocky Mountains (East)

The falling air off the mountains heats up and brings a rapid change in temperature to places like Denver and helps melt the snow.

Ex- Foehn, Santa Ana & Diablo winds.

Front 4

convergence/divergence

Back 4

Dynamic changes.

Convergence:
lower surface- low
high in atmosphere- high

Divergence:
follows the convergence

Front 5

coriolis effect

Back 5

The movement of objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern due to the rotation of the Earth.

Faster something moves, the better it works.

Front 6

doldrums

Back 6

Area near the equator/ITCZ where the tradewinds come together at the equitorial low. Sailors can get stuck here.

Front 7

frictional force

Back 7

One of the things that affect the direction of wind.

Ridge- High
Trough- Low

Front 8

geostrophic wind

Back 8

A wind that moves parallel to the isobars as a result of the balance between the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis effect.

Front 9

Hadley Cell

Back 9

Circular movement of air vertically in two complete cells between the equator/ITCZ and the Subtropic Highs.

Most consistent winds and relies on constant equitorial solar energy.

Front 10

horse latitudes

Back 10

Right under the subtropical highs where boats can get stuck.

Problem because there is very little water.

Horses are the first to be thrown off the boats.

Front 11

ITCZ

Back 11

Intertropical Convergence Zone

Where the tradewinds come together at the equitorial low.

Front 12

isobar

Back 12

A line joining points of equal atmospheric pressure.

Front 13

katabatic wind

Back 13

Winds caused by gravity that flow most of the year. The air gets very cold and dense and flows down.

Ex- Antartica

Front 14

land/sea breezes

Back 14

Seabreeze-
Land gets hot and creates a low pressure zone. Water around it is colder and creates a high pressure zone, creating a pressure gradient so wind comes onshore.

Land breeze-
Land cools down and creates a high pressure zone while the warmer water creates low causing a pressure gradient that moves the wind offshore.

Front 15

monsoon

Back 15

Seasonal reversal of wind.

Winter- Sun in S.H. and Asia is cold (thermal high pressure) and anticyclone forms. Ocean is still warm (low thermal pressure) and cool, dry air blows in.

Summer- Sun in N.H. and Asia is warm while the water is cold so it is warm and wet.

Front 16

mountain/valley breezes

Back 16

Mountain-
Occurs when the sun's vertical rays hit the mountains so it warms up and the air rises. The air from the valley then rushes in to replace is.

Stops once the sun goes down.

Valley Breeze-
Happens when the mountain is cooler than the valley.

Front 17

offshore/onshore winds

Back 17

Offshore winds-
Wind movement from land to water.

Onshore winds-
Wind movement from water to land.

Front 18

polar easterlies

Back 18

A global wind system that occupies most of the area between the Polar Highs and sixty degrees.

The winds move generally from east to west and are typically cold and dry.

Front 19

polar front

Back 19

One of the global circulations that is created when air from the North Pole comes in contact with air from the Subtropical High/Hadley Cell for each hemisphere. Creates Subpolar Low.

Front 20

polar high

Back 20

A high-pressure cell situated over either polar region. 60 Degrees.

Front 21

pressure gradient

Back 21

Change is surface pressure from place to place. Moves high to low.

Represented by isobars.

Front 22

Rossby Wave

Back 22

Caused by latitudinal shifts in the polar front jetstream that moves west to east across the Earth causing rapid changes in temperatures to places and makes the high latitudes very changeable and dynamic.

Front 23

Santa Ana wind

Back 23

A wind like the Chinook that occurs in Southern California mostly in Fall that causes fires.

Front 24

subpolar low

Back 24

A zone of low pressure in both hemispheres at around 50 to 60 degrees latitude where the cold polar easterlies meet the warmer westerlies.

Can change its shape due to Rossby Waves.

Front 25

subsidence/uplift

Back 25

Where air falling down from higher elevations heates up. Occurs in the subtropics.

Front 26

subtropical high

Back 26

Around 30 degrees latitude that is caused dynamicly. Part of the Hadley Cells caused by descending air. (Horse Latitudes)

Front 27

thermal/dynamic pressure cells

Back 27

Thermal- Equitorial Low (excess heat energy) & Polar High

Dynamic- Subtropical High & Subpolar Low

Front 28

tradewinds

Back 28

The major easterly wind system of the tropics- Northeast & Southeast Tradewinds. Come together at the ITCZ.

Front 29

westerlies

Back 29

The wind system of the midlatitudes that flows from west to east between 30 to 60 degrees latitude.