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GEOG 203 |228 EXAM 1 Final
23.5 degrees North - ✔ ✔ The subsolar point is the point on earth that is directly beneath the sun, that is, the point where the sun is directly overhead. Where (at what latitude) is the subsolar point on June 21?
23.5 degrees south - ✔ ✔ Where is the subsolar point on Dec. 21?
32 degrees - ✔ ✔ what degrees is the melting point for the fahrenheit scale
90 calories. That is, 80 calories melts the ice and gives liquid water with a temperature of 0°C. Then 10 additional calories are needed to heat the liquid water to 10°C. See p. 171. - ✔ ✔ 22. If 1 g of ice has a temperature of 0°C, how many calories of energy must be added to change it to liquid water with a temperature of 10°C?
A change in state from solid to liquid, liquid to vapor, vapor to liquid, or liquid to solid. - ✔ ✔ 20. What is a phase change in water?
A large, distinct body of air that has similar characteristics of temperature and humidity throughout. - ✔ ✔ 17. What is an air mass?
a line connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure. We use isobars to map patterns of temperature.
a very long time, at least since 850 BC - ✔ ✔ How long have they though the Earth has been round?
a zone of low pressure that develops near the equator. it is caused when warm moist air rises. it is an area where winds blowing from both hemispheres converge near the equator. - ✔ ✔ what is the ITCZ
abiotic spheres - ✔ ✔ nonliving systems, for example,Biosphere Atmosphere Lithosphere Hydrosphere
absolute zero - ✔ ✔ the temperature at which atomic and molecular motion in matter completely stops is _______
absorption - ✔ ✔ the assimilation of radiation by molecules of matter and its conversion from one form of energy to another are _____
Advection - ✔ ✔ involves horizontal movement of winds from land to sea and back, fog that forms and moves to another area, and air mass movements from source regions
advection fog - ✔ ✔ when the air in one place migrate to another place where conditions are right for saturation.
Air - ✔ ✔ a simple mixture of gases that is naturally odorless, colorless, tasteless, and formless, blended so thoroughly that it behaves as if it were a single gas
air pressure - ✔ ✔ the weight of the atmosphere
air rises in a cyclone and descends in an anticyclone - ✔ ✔ 19. describe the vertical movement of air in a cyclone and an anticyclone.
Albedo - ✔ ✔ the reflective quality or a brightness of a surface.
albedo is the proportion of insolation reflected off a surface. Light colors have a higher albedo than dark colors. In a warm, sunny place like TX, we value care with a high albedo because they absorb less insolation and therefore stay cooler then dark-colored cars. - ✔ ✔ what is albedo?
Altocumulus - ✔ ✔ represents a broad range of clouds in many different styles: patchy rows, wavepatterns
altostratus - ✔ ✔
Amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. - ✔ ✔ 1. What is humidity?
an apparent deflection of wind causes by the rotation of the earth. - ✔ ✔ What is the Coriolis force and what causes it?
an area of high pressure, in which the winds spiral anticyclonically - ✔ ✔ what is a cyclone?
antarctic high - ✔ ✔ is stronger and more persistent forming over the Antarctic landmass
Antartica, high latitude fairly large landmass, high elevation - ✔ ✔ Where are the lowest average temperatures on earth during January, and where are they there?
aphelion - ✔ ✔ when Earth is farthest from the sun in the NH it occurs on July 4th.
areas of high pressure that develop over the polar regions, where cols air is sinking. - ✔ ✔ what are the polar highs?
areas of low pressure in the subtropics, positioned generally around 20-35 degrees N and S latitude, and more pronounced over the eastern side of the ocean basin - ✔ ✔ what are the subtropical highs?
areas of low pressure that are often situated in the upper midlatitudes. these low pressure areas develop along the polar front, where cold polar air converges with warm subtropical air, causing the warm air to rise. - ✔ ✔ what are the subpolar lows?
At perihelion, because that is the point on its orbit where the earth is nearest the sun. At aphelion, in contrast, the earth is farthest from the sun. - ✔ ✔ 12. Does the earth receive more radiation from the sun at aphelion or perihelion? Why?
Clouds form. We can see the point in the atmosphere where dew point is reached, because that is where the bottom of the clouds form. - ✔ ✔ 10. If air rises high enough that it cools to dew point, what happens? (What are the atmospheric features that form?)
cold front - ✔ ✔ a wind shift, temp drop and lowering barometric pressure mark. clouds may build up. precipitation is usually heavy, containing large droplets and can be accompanied by hail, lightning and thunder
conduction - ✔ ✔ includes surface energy budgets temperature difference between land and water bodies and between darker and lighter surfaces and overlying surfaces and overlying air and soil temperatures
Conduction - ✔ ✔ is the molecule-to-molecule transfer of heat energy as it diffuses through a substance
convection - ✔ ✔ is in atmospheric and oceanic circulation, air mass movements and weather systems, internal motions deep with Earth that produce a magnetic fiels
convectional lifting - ✔ ✔ air is simulated by local surface heating
convergent lifting - ✔ ✔ air flows toward an area of low pressure
Coriolis force - ✔ ✔ a deflective force, makes wind that travels in a straight path appear to be deflected in relation to Earth;s rotating surface
cryosphere - ✔ ✔ portion in the hydrosphere that is frozen. include ice sheets, glaciers
cumuliform clouds - ✔ ✔ vertically developed clouds, puffy and globular
cumulonimbus - ✔ ✔ these clouds are associated with clouds and thunder.
cumulus - ✔ ✔ clouds appear bright and puffy
Cumulus: puffy clouds that grow thick vertically, sometimes growing to become cumulonimbus (rain- producing) clouds.
Stratus: clouds that form a layer; these are usually featureless and gray, typically covering the entire sky. When they produce precipitation, they are called nimbostratus clouds.
Cirrus: wispy clouds at high altitudes. - ✔ ✔ 15. Name the three main cloud types, and describe the briefly.
cyclone - ✔ ✔ what do they call a hurricane in Indonesia, India and Bangladesh
Dec 21 - ✔ ✔ when is winter solstice?
declination - ✔ ✔ the Sun's __________ is the latitude of the subpolar point
Dew point is the temperature to which the air must cool in order to reach saturation. In the previous example, the air reached saturation at a temperature of 9°C. Therefore, dew point is 9°C. - ✔ ✔ 6. What is dew point? And what is the dew point of the air in the previous question (that is, if it has a vapor pressure of 12 mb)?
dew-point temperature - ✔ ✔ the temp. at which a given mass of air becomes saturated and net condensation begins to form water droplets is the ___________
diffuse radiation - ✔ ✔ some incoming insolation is diffused by clouds and atmosphere and transmits to Earth the downward component of scattered light
downwelling current - ✔ ✔ excess water gravitates downward. what time of current?
downwelling is the sinking of water that is on the surface
upwelling is rising deep ocean water to the surface - ✔ ✔ what is downwelling and upwelling
downwelling of surface water that results where low temp and high salinity increase the water;s density so much that it cannot remain on the surface and therefore sinks to deeper ocean levels. the water circulates slowly through the deep ocean - ✔ ✔ what is the thermohaline circulation?
environmental lapse rate - ✔ ✔ this variation in the temperature gradient between normal and environmental rates in temperature gradient between normal and environmental rates in the lower troposphere
Eratosthenes - ✔ ✔ came up with the concepts of lat and long
evaporation - ✔ ✔ the net movement of free water molecules away from a wet surface into air that is less than saturated
evapotranspiration - ✔ ✔ combining both evaporation and transpiration.
first, the gases and clouds in the atmosphere absorb some solar radiation. But mostly the atmosphere is heated by the transfer of energy from the earth's surface to the atmosphere - ✔ ✔ how is the atmosphere heated?
First, you need to know that water can exist as a liquid at temperatures below the freezing point (32°F or 0°C). Water that is still liquid below freezing is said to be supercooled. The ice crystals model of precipitation involves supercooled water droplets coexisting with tiny ice crystals in the same cloud. As water evaporates from the water droplets, it accumulates onto the ice crystals, which eventually grow large enough to fall as snowflakes. - ✔ ✔ 14. What is the Bergeron ice crystals model of precipitation formation?
flat, puffy, wispy - ✔ ✔ what are the three basic forms of clouds?
Humidity - ✔ ✔ refers to water vapor in the air the capacity of air in the water vapor is primarily a function of temperature - the temperatures of both the air and the water vapor, which are usually the same.
Hydrologic cycle - ✔ ✔ water travels endlessly though the hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere
Hydrosphere - ✔ ✔ Earth's water's exist in the atmosphere, on the surface, and in the crust near the surface. Collectively, they from what?
If an air parcel is stable, it is cooler than the air around it, and therefore denser; it will tend to remain in place or to descend to a lower altitude. Stable air that remains or seeks low altitudes is not conducive to precipitation.
On the other hand, if an air parcel is unstable, it will tend to rise because it is warmer and more buoyant than the surrounding air. Unstable air that rises is conducive to precipitation. A good example is our warm, humid air that often occupies Texas during spring. This air is often unstable, and once it begins to rise, it rises strongly and produces powerful thunderstorms. - ✔ ✔ b) What is the difference between stable and unstable air?
INcoming SOLar radiATION. Radiation we receive from the sun is the source of energy that drives our climate system (wind, precipitation, temperature, etc.) and that enables life. - ✔ ✔ 15. What is insolation? Why does it matter?
infiltration - ✔ ✔ penetration of the soil surface
insolation - ✔ ✔ the single most important influence on temperature variations.
interception - ✔ ✔ occurs when precipitation strikes vegetation or other ground cover.
international Date Line - ✔ ✔ which marks the place where each day officially begins. and then the new day sweeps westward
intertropical convergence zone - ✔ ✔ identified by bands of clouds associated with the convergence of winds along the equator
ionosphere - ✔ ✔ extends throughout the thermosphere and into the mesosphere below.
isobar - ✔ ✔ is an isoline plotted on a weather map to connect points of equal pressure
isotherm - ✔ ✔ is an isoline a line which there is a constant value - that connects points of equal temperature and portrays the temp pattern, just as a contour line on a topographic map illustrates points of equal elevation
it would increase - ✔ ✔ What would happen to the earth's temp if more energy was received from the sun than was emitted back out to space form the earth?
June 21 - ✔ ✔ when is summer solstice?
land surfaces heat and cool more rapidly than water. Therefore, a climate in a continental interior has hot summer and cold winters. A maritime location has much less dramatic seasonal variations in temp. - ✔ ✔ What is the difference between a continental and a maritime climate?
landfall - ✔ ✔ when a storm makes contact with land.
large - ✔ ✔ 1:50 is the small or large scale?
latent heat - ✔ ✔ heat energy involved in the phase change is ________ and is hidden within the structure of water.
latent heat of condensation - ✔ ✔ when water vapor condenses to a liquid each gram give ups its hidden 540 cal as the____________
latent heat of vaporization - ✔ ✔ the phase change from liquid to vapor at boiling temperature under normal sea-level pressure, requires the addition of 540 cal for each gram
latitude - ✔ ✔ an angular distance north or south of the equator, measured from the center of Earth.
Latitudinal zones - ✔ ✔ What are these:
equatorial, and tropical, subtropical, midlatitude, subarctic or subantarctic and Arctic or antarctic
Lifting as air is forced over a mountain range by wind. Common on the windward side of mountains, for example, the western slopes of midlatitude mountains (such as the Pacific Northwest of North America) where westerly winds prevail. Another example is the eastern slopes of tropical mountains, such as Hawaii, where easterly winds (Trade winds) prevail. - ✔ ✔ 21. What is orographic lifting? Where are some parts of the earth that you think would favor this type of lifting?
Lifting associated with air converging at the surface from different directions. Favored in areas prone to convergence, esp. the ITCZ. - ✔ ✔ 19. What is convergent lifting? Where are some parts of the earth that you think would favor this type of lifting?
Lifting of air associated with surface heating, which warms the overlying air and causes it to become more buoyant and rise. Common in the tropics (along ITCZ) and in subtropical locations such as the southeastern U.S. during summer. Also common in areas, such as the central U.S., where humid, unstable air releases latent heat as clouds form, therefore becoming more buoyant. - ✔ ✔ 20. What is convectional lifting? Where are some parts of the earth that you think would favor this type of lifting?
Lifting of warm air where two air masses interact along a front. The warm air has to rise over the cold air because it is less dense than cold air. This lifting is common in the midlatitudes, which are common
Never. The sun does not set on the first day of summer at points north of the Arctic Circle. - ✔ ✔ At what time would you observe sunset if you were north of the Arctic Circle on June 21?
NH- clockwise.
SH- counterclockwise - ✔ ✔ in which direction do wind spirals around a cyclone in the NH and SH
Nimbostratus - ✔ ✔ appear dull and grey and featureless, but they yield precipitation
Nitrogen (about 78%), Oxygen (about 21%), Argon (about 1%) - ✔ ✔ 19. What are the three most abundant gases in the atmosphere?
Nitrogen (about 78%), Oxygen (about 21%), Argon (about 1%) - ✔ ✔ 19. What are the three most abundant gases in the atmosphere?
Nitrogen(78%), Oxygen(21%), Argon(1%) - ✔ ✔ What elements make up our atmosphere?
no - ✔ ✔ Is the Earth completely round?
No, it is tilted approximately 23.5° from perpendicular to the plane. - ✔ ✔ Is the earth's axis perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic?
No. For one thing, the differences in radiation receipt do not differ enough to cause seasons. Second, perihelion occurs in January, during our winter! Third, the northern and southern hemispheres have seasons at opposite times of year, so it can't be our distance from the sun that determines when we have seasons. - ✔ ✔ 13. Do the differences in radiation receipt between aphelion and perihelion explain why we have seasons? Why or why not?
No. We are outside the tropics and therefore we are never at the subsolar point where direct rays fall (direct rays are rays that are perpendicular to the earth's surface). - ✔ ✔ 16. Does the ground surface at College Station ever receive direct rays from the sun? Why or why not?
No. We are too far north. The subsolar point is always between 23.5° North and 23.5° South. We are about 7° too far north to be directly under the sun at noon, even on June 21. - ✔ ✔ Is College Station, TX (latitude 30° 36ʹ 05ʺ N, 96° 18ʹ 52ʺ W) ever at the subsolar point? Why?
normal lapse rate - ✔ ✔ temp decreases with decreased latitude
North Side - ✔ ✔ 10. At noon, on which side of the MPHY Bldg. would you find a shadow?
Northern Africa - southwestern Asia: same as Australia, except even more pronounced because there is such a large landmass there
Also A - ✔ ✔ Where are the highest average temperature on earth during January, and why are they there?
orographic lifting - ✔ ✔ air is forced over a barrier such as a mountain range
ozonosphere - ✔ ✔ also known as ozone layer.
perihelion - ✔ ✔ When Earth is closest to the sun. in NH it occurs in Jan 3rd.
polar easterlies - ✔ ✔ descend and diverge clockwise in the Nh and form week variable winds
potential evapotranspiration - ✔ ✔ the amount of water that would evaporate and transpire under optimum moisture conditions when adequate precipitation and adequate soil-moisture supply are present.
pressure gradient force - ✔ ✔ drives air from areas of higher barometric pressure to areas of lower barometric pressure,thereby causing winds
pressure gradient force - ✔ ✔ what force causes the wind to blow?
pressure gradient, Coriolis force, and surface friction - ✔ ✔ the combination of what develops a cyclone
prime meridian - ✔ ✔ meridian that is at 0 degrees
Pythgoras - ✔ ✔ Who was the first to think that Earth was round?
rain gauge - ✔ ✔ precipitation is measured through this
reference maps - ✔ ✔ general purpose maps
reflection - ✔ ✔ a portion of arriving energy bounces directly back into space without being absorbed or performing any work - this is the ______ process.
refraction - ✔ ✔ the transition subjects the insolation to a change of speed, which also shifts its direction, the bending action of _______
Relative humidity - ✔ ✔ a ratio of the amount of water vapor that is actually in the air compared to the maximum water vapor possible in the are at any given temperature.
Royal Observatory at Greenwich England - ✔ ✔ Where does the prime meridian pass through?
Saffir-simpson Hurricane Damage potential Scale - ✔ ✔ what scale estimates how strong and damaging a hurricane is going to be?
saturation - ✔ ✔ at 100% saturated humidity, when the rate of evaporation and the rate of condensation - the net transfer of water molecules - reach equilibrium
scale - ✔ ✔ the ratio of the image on a map of the real world is...
Temperature declines adiabatically, that is, by expansion. Rising air expands and cools, sinking air is compressed and becomes warmer as a result. - ✔ ✔ 9. If there is a rising plume of air in the atmosphere—for example, where wind blows against a mountain range and forces the air upward over the mountain—what happens to the temperature of the air as it rises? Why?
the atmospheres absorption of longwave radiation emitted by the earth. the atmosphere is virtually transparent to most shortwave radiation from the sun which means the shortwave radiation passes right through to the surface. But little of the longwave radiation emitted by the earth passes up through the atmosphere to space. it is absorbed and therefore heats the atmosphere, keeping warmer climates then it would be with no greenhouse gas effect. - ✔ ✔ what is the greenhouse effect?
the axis - ✔ ✔ the ____ is always parallel to itself as it goes around in orbit.
The dry area downwind of mountains, where less rain falls because much of the moisture has been removed by orographic precipitation over the mountains upwind. - ✔ ✔ 22. What is a rain shadow?
the existence of a pressure gradient. Where a difference in pressure exists, there is a force directed from the higher to the lower pressure. For example, a vehicle tire has a higher air pressure inside than outside, and therefore when you press the valve it releases air from inside to outside. - ✔ ✔ what causes the pressure gradient force?
The force exerted by air molecules on the surfaces they contact. - ✔ ✔ 17. What is air pressure?
the gulf cools because energy is required to evaporate to water molecules. This energy comes for the Gulf, which means that the water remaining in the Gulf has a lower temperature that it did before any water evaporated from it. - ✔ ✔ 3. When a hurricane crosses the Gulf of Mexico, a huge amount of water evaporates from the Gulf and becomes part of the storm. What happens to the temperature of the Gulf when this water evaporates? Why?
The Gulf Stream - ✔ ✔ moves northward off the east coast of North America, carrying warm water far into North America
The heat that is "hidden" because it is used during a phase change from ice to water, or water to vapor. It is "hidden" because it does not raise the temperature of the water. - ✔ ✔ 21. What is latent heat?
The higher the temperature, the greater the amount of water vapor that could exist, and therefore, a rise in temperature causes a rise in saturation vapor pressure. - ✔ ✔ 4. What is the relationship between saturation vapor pressure and temperature? That is, if temperature changes, what happens to saturation vapor pressure?
The lightbulb because it has a higher temperature compared to the ice cube. (the shorter the wavelength the hotter something is) - ✔ ✔ 2. Which object emits radiation of shorter wavelength (circle one)?
An ice cube or light bulb
Why?
The maximum vapor pressure that can exist at a given temperature. - ✔ ✔ 3. What is saturation vapor pressure?
the only difference is that isotherms depict temp, and isobars depict pressure - ✔ ✔ what is the difference between an isobar and an isotherm?
the ozone layer absorbs ultra violet radiation, warming the stratosphere. No equivalent absorption of solar energy occurs in the gases of the troposphere. - ✔ ✔ 5. What is the source of heat in the stratosphere (that is, why is it warmer than the upper troposphere below it)?
The part of the atmosphere's pressure that is exerted by water vapor. Water molecules make up only a small part of the total atmosphere, and therefore vapor pressure composes a small part of the total atmospheric pressure. - ✔ ✔ 2. What is vapor pressure?
The plane that contains the earth's orbit. The earth remains in this plane throughout the year. The sun is also in this plane. - ✔ ✔ What is the plane of the ecliptic?
The process through which tiny cloud droplets collide with each other, coalescing and becoming large enough to fall as rain drops. - ✔ ✔ 13. What is the collision-coalescence model of precipitation formation?
the rate of change of a property over a distance - ✔ ✔ what is a gradient?
the sun;s shortwave radiation is the source. it reaches the surface and is absorbed by the surface, thereby heating the surface. - ✔ ✔ How it the earth's surface heated(that is, what is the source of energy, and how does that energy heat the surface)
The sun. The hotter the object, the shorter the wavelength. - ✔ ✔ 14. Which object—the earth or the sun—emits radiation of shorter wavelength? Why?
the temp rises. condensation releases latent heat - as sensible heat. - ✔ ✔ 4. Let's stay with this hurricane example. Once the water has evaporated from the Gulf, it ascends into the air and condenses to form clouds. Clouds are made of tiny droplets of liquid water. So what happens to the temperature of the air when the water vapor condenses to form these liquid droplets? Why?
the upper troposphere because there is little friction that far above the surface - ✔ ✔ in what part of the troposphere is wind flow directly primarily by only two forces: pressure gradient force and Coriolis force?
western instensification - ✔ ✔ when current approach the western margins of the oceans, water actually piles up against the eastern shores of the continent. what is this called?
