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56 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
On the same day, one city had a daily range of 22 degrees Celcius, while another had a range of 10 degrees Celcius. One of these is located in Nova Scotia, and the other is in Alberta. Which location likely had the higher daily range, and why? |
Coastal Locations have lower ranges, due to the water absorbing heat during the day, and giving off heat at night. This mediates the temperature. In Alberta, there is no water body to modulate the temperature fluctuations, therefore there is a larger range. |
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Two cities have the exact same amount of water vapour in the air. The 6:00 am relative humidity in once city is 93%, whereas at blahblahblah |
Relative humidity is dependent on air temperature. Just because they have the same amount of water in the air doesn't mean the relative humidity's will be the same. As air becomes warmer, it requires more vapour to become saturated. This means the city with 93% humidity is likely colder than the city with 28% humidity |
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How do impervious surfaces such as parking lots impact water balance terms? |
Impervious surfaces prevent water from entering the soil, impacting the soil storage, actual evapotranspiration, deficit and soil recharge. Water becomes runoff instead of being absorbed by soil. |
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You are given an upper level map that shows the position of two jet streams. If one is the polar jet stream, and the other is the subtropical jet stream, how would you be able to tell which is which? |
The polar jet stream is colder, and so it will be at a lower altitude than the subtropical jet stream. |
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Why can't systems similar to midlatitude cyclones develop over the tropics? |
This is because there is not enough of a horizontal temperature gradient, which is required by mid latitude cyclones to form. There is typically only mainly warm and moist air over the tropics. |
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All the water on the plant, on, under, over the surface of the planet |
Hydrosphere |
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All Soil on earth |
pedosphere |
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All life on earth |
Biosphere |
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Solid, rigid earth |
Lithosphere |
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Condition of atmosphere at a particular time and space. Described by moisture, wind, and precipitation. |
Weater |
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Recurring atmospheric circulation patterns associated with weather changes |
Weather system |
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Boundary between air masses, associated with generation of clouds and precipitation |
Front |
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Average conditions of atmosphere in a region for a different time scale. Always changing. |
Climate |
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Water transforming and circulating between the atmosphere and the hydrosphere |
Hydrologic Cycle |
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Heat exchanged as a substance changes from one state to another |
Latent Heat |
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Liquid/solid particles suspended in various compositions of the atmosphere |
Aerosols |
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Chemicals destroying the ozone layer |
Chluorofluorocarbons (CFCs) |
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The lowest concentration of ozone, found over Antarctica during the fall. |
Ozone Hole |
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Region about 100 km above the earth's surface, the region of the atmosphere where the composition of the air varies with height. |
Heterosphere |
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Region of the atmosphere with the air composition is fairly constant |
Homosphere |
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From the surface to where the air stops becoming colder |
Troposphere |
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The boundary between the troposphere and the statosphere |
Tropopause |
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Altitude where temperature begins to increase with height. Contains the ozone layer |
Stratosphere |
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Area where temperature decreases with height |
Mesosphere |
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Area where temperature increases with height due to UV radiation |
Thermosphere |
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Electrified Region within the upper atmosphere |
Ionosphere |
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Part of coordinate system for earth, vertical and horizontal lines |
Vertical - Longitude; Horizontal - Latitude |
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No thermal energy |
Absolute zero in Kelvin |
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Heat that causes a change in the temperature, atoms that comprise matter have kinetic energy due to motion |
Sensible Heat |
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Amount of sensible heat required to cause 1 kg of substance to rise by 1 Kelvin |
Specific Heat Capacity |
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Solid to Gas |
Sublimation |
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Gas to Solid |
Deposition |
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Heat transfer directly from one molecule to another |
Conduction |
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Raising air parcels |
Thermals |
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Shorter wavelength than visible light, higher energy |
UV Light |
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Longer wavelength than visible light, higher energy |
Infrared Light |
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Perfect absorber/emitter of radiation |
Blackbody |
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Percentage of shortwave radiation returning from a given surface compared to initially striking radiation. |
Albedo |
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Incoming solar radiation |
Insolation |
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More radiation coming in than out |
Radiation Surplus |
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More radiation going out than in |
Radiation deficit |
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Dec. 21 |
Winter Solstice |
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June 21 |
Summer Solstice |
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Sept. 22 and March 30th |
Equinox |
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Celestial body is closest to the sun during it's orbit |
Perihelion |
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Celestial body is further from the sun during orbit |
Aphelion |
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Proximity to the middle of a continent, associated with higher temperature range |
Continentality |
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Feel of temperature under cold conditions |
Wind-Chill Index |
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Amount of water vapour in air |
Humidity |
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g/m^3 |
Absolute humidity |
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g/kg |
Relative Humidity |
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Maximum amount of water vapour air can hold based on it's temperature. Increase faster over higher temperatures. |
Saturation Specific Humidity |
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Humidity relative to tmperature |
Relative Humidity |
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Temperature at which air cooled will become saturated |
Dew Point |
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Combination of temperature and humidity of air |
Heat Index |
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When an air parcel is rising and expanding, decreasing temperature without exchanging heat with it's surroundings |
Adiabatic Process |