Earth Science - UNIT V: Weather & Climate
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- Possible factors for climate change
- Milankovich cycle, plate tectonics, sunspots, volcanoes, and human impact
- Warm Front (characteristics)
- temp rises, cirrus-cirrostratus-altostratus-nimbostratus (rain), steady rain, slower, long duration, huge large area affected
- Ozone (major sources)
- Reactions of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons in the presence of sunlight
- mT (character of air-temp and humidity)
- warm and moist
- Storms - Warning issued (what does it mean?)
- storm located and approaching
- Sulfur Dioxide (major sources)
- Burning fossil fuels in power plants, oil refineries, paper mills, volcanoes
- How can seasons affect insolation?
- Northern hemisphere tilted toward sun in summer, greater direct sun. Tilted away in winter, less direct sun
- How can sunspots change climate?
- More sunspots = more solar energy = rise in earth's temperature
- Topography (affect on precipitation)
- Windward side may be wetter than leeward side. Mountains act as barrier to air mass
- Particulate Matter: Dust, smoke, soot, ash (major sources)
- Factories, power plants, oil refineries, paper mills, volcanoes
- Storms - Watch issued (what does it mean?)
- conditions ripe in area
- Ocean Currents - el nino (affect on temperature)
- Warm currents = warm coasts, cold currents = cold coasts
- cP (air mass type)
- continental polar
- How can latitude affect insolation?
- greater insolation around equator, less around poles - based on sun angle
- Factors affecting insolation
- Time of day, Latitude, Season, Cloud cover
- Nearby water (affect on precipitation)
- greater precipitation downwind
- Where are the horse latitudes located?
- North and south of the equator
- Nitrogen Dioxide (effects)
- irritates lungs and lowers resistance to respiratory infections, contribute to acid rain and smog
- Altitude/elevation (affect on temperature)
- Temps colder at higher elevations
- How can Plate tectonics change climate?
- continents in different locations receive different amounts of insolation
- Ozone (effects)
- Reduces lung function and causes inflammation
- What wind speed must tropical storms reach in order to be considered a hurricane?
- 119km.hr
- What is air pressure measured with?
- Barometer (mercury and aneroid) in units of inches, milimeters, or millibars
- cA (character of air - temp and humidity)
- very cold, dry
- What measures wind speed?
- Anemometers
- How can human impact change climate?
- Increases fossil fuel use and deforestation, increases global warming
- How does low pressure move?
- Rises
- What influences winds?
- Coriolis effect, Friction, and pressure gradients - jet stream
- How do tornadoes move?
- Counterclockwise & low pressure
- Prevailing winds (affect on temperature)
- Blowing hot air masses or cool air masses
- Ozone (what is it?)
- located in the stratosphere and protects us from UV rays
- Give the three criteria needed for a winter storm to be classed as a billzard
- Winds must be greater than 56km/hr (35mi/hr), temperature must be less than or equal to -7 degrees celcius (19.4 degrees farenheight), and visibility must decrease
- Thunderstorm typical characteristics
- Cumulus in warm and humid afternoon air grow into cumulonimbus aided by condensation, uplift aided by front or mountain, squall line - line ahead of front often consisting of strong winds caused by strong downdrafts in front
- cP (character of air - temp and humidity)
- cold and dry
- mT (air mass type)
- maritime tropical
- How are hurricanes classified?
- Saffir or Simpson scale
- How are tornadoes predicted?
- By conventional radar and Doppler radar
- Global Warming (what does it do?)
- Increases fossil fuel use and deforestation enhances effect
- mP (character of air - temp and humidity)
- cool and moist
- Possible impacts of global warming
- rising sea levels, greater storm severity, greater heat waves and droughts, and crop locations change
- cA (air mass type)
- continental arctic
- What is the Milankovich cycle?
- changes in earth motions may affect ice ages due to orbit shape changes, tilt of axis changes, earth axis wobbles.
- What causes acid rain?
- Pollution (sulfur) mixing with water vapor
- cT (air mass type)
- tropical
- What are fronts?
- boundaries separating two different air masses, generally a part of mid-latitude low-pressure system.
- What is a barometer that looks like a clock?
- Aneriod
- What direction does the low pressure winds spin?
- Counterclockwise
- What are two types of satellites used to forecast weather?
- Visible images and infrared images
- How do winds move?
- From high to low pressure
- How are monsoons formed?
- Low developing over land in summer moves humid air from ocean toward land bringing heavy rain.
- What is tornado alley?
- Key area of birth in spring and early summer
- How can tree rings calculate climate change?
- Thickness depends upon temperature and precipitation
- How can volcanoes change climate?
- Eject dust and chemicals reduces sunlight reaching earth and lowers temperatures; longer periods of eruption may increase CO2 and greenhouse effect, and increases earth temperatures
- Altitude/elevation (affect on precipitation)
- Air at higher elevations generally contains less moisture, higher the elevation the lower the precipitation
- What is Meterology?
- The study of weather variables and enables us to make weather forecasts
- Nitrogen Dioxide (major sources)
- Burning of fossil fuels in power plants and automobiles
- How are hurricanes tracked?
- By satellites, warning issued within 24 hours or less
- Is cool or warm air denser?
- Cool air (closer molecules) is denser than warm air. Humid air is less dense than dry air
- What is climate?
- Weather over a long period of time
- High Pressure (northern hemisphere)
- air descends spinning clockwise, fair weather
- How can the time of day affect insolation?
- Greater insolation at noon; more direct sun rays per area
- When is tornado season?
- Spring and early summer
- Lead (effects)
- Damages nervous and digestive systems
- mP (air mass type)
- maritime polar
- Air Pressure (what is it?)
- Atmospheric weight (force/area) on Earth's surface, decreases with elevation.
- How are winds named?
- Winds are named from where they come from
- Acid Rain (what does it do?)
- Lowers rain pH, affects life, damages building structures
- Occluded (characteristics)
- rain for long periods
- What are radiosondes?
- attached to a balloon, measures upper atmospheric conditions
- How much air pressure per square inch
- 14.7lbs/in squared or 15lbs/inch squared
- Smog (what is it?)
- Smoke + Fog, automobile exhaust
- What is the wind belt we live in between 30 and 60 degrees north called?
- Prevailing southwesterlies
- Rain last longer in what kind of front?
- Warm fronts
- What is Oxygen isotope analysis?
- Ratio of heavy to light oxygen found in microorganisms - the greater the heavy oxygen the colder the climate; the greater the amount of heavy oxygen found in glacial ice indicates warmer climate.
- What are isobars?
- Lines of equal pressure on a weather map
- Low Pressure (northern hemisphere)
- air ascends spinning counterclockwise, weather often cloudy with precipitation
- What directions does high pressure spin?
- Clockwise
- What is the last cloud in a warm front?
- Nimbostratus
- Vegetation (affect on temperature)
- Greater vegetation, moderate or cool temperature
- What are hurricanes?
- Very large, very low pressure, winds at least 199km/hr (74mph), lasting long periods
- Latitude (affect on precipitation)
- Greater at ITCZ & Mid latitudes, less at poles and horse latitudes
- What are the prevailing northeasterlies?
- Low pressure zones located bewtween 60 and 90 degrees north, 30 degrees and the equator and 30 degrees and 60 degrees south
- What part of a hurricane does the most damage?
- Floods
- What are monsoons?
- Winds controlled by the seasons
- Acid Rain (what is it?)
- Pollutant + Water Vapor
- List three land instruments
- Barometer, Thermometer, Anemometers
- How can sea floor sediment calculate climate change?
- Temperature determines type of surface microorganizms
- Lead (major sources)
- Smelters, batter plants
- Insolation
- Incoming solar radiation
- Particulate Matter: Dust, smoke, soot, ash (effects)
- Contributes to respiratory problems; linked to some cancers
- How do tornadoes develop?
- from supercell, a large thunderstorm cell containing a mesocyclone (spinning updraft)
- How can cloud cover affect insolation?
- Less insolation during day, less radiation loss at night
- Carbon Monoxide (major sources)
- Automobile Exhaust
- What is a barometer used to measure long periods of time?
- Barograph
- Sulfur Dioxide (effects)
- Irritates respiratory system; contributes to acid rain
- When do hurricanes form?
- Usually late summer through early fall
- Who is Roy C. Sullivan?
- Former park ranger who was struck 7 times
- What are winds caused by?
- Unequal heat
- Ozone (what does it do?)
- Promoted by CFC's, increases problems with skin cancer, cataracts, crop productivity
- Ocean Currents - el nino (affect on precipitation)
- Possibly fog
- Stationary (characteristics)
- rain for long periods
- cT (character of air - temp and humidity)
- hot and dry
- What part of a hurricane does the most damage?
- Flooding does the most damage; storm surge produced by approaching eye wall toward land
- Carbon Monoxide (effects)
- Reduces delivery of oxygen to body tissues; impairs vision and reflexes
- How do hurricanes form?
- From a tropical storm over oceans near equator where warm moist air rises and condenses
- Nearby water (affect on temperature)
- Large water bodies moderate coastal areas
- Prevailing winds (affect on precipitation)
- May control air mass type (moisture)
- Latitude (affect on temperature)
- Closer to poles cooler temperature
- What are tornadoes classified by?
- Fujita scale (F0 - weakest, F5- most violent)
- How is wind created?
- Air moving from high to low pressure caused by unequal heating of the earth
- What kind of pressure is associated with the ITCZ or the doldrums?
- Low pressure
- Smog (what does it do?)
- promotes ozone production; increases temperature inversion problem
- Cold Front (characteristics)
- temp drop, cumulonimbus - (thunder storms), heavy rain, may get hail, moves fast, short narrow band of ground
- Topography (affect on temperature)
- Greater leeward side (backside), less on windward side