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99 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
temperature |
measurement of average kinetic motion |
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heat |
form of energy that flows from one system or object to another due to temperature difference |
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point at which water boils and freezes |
boils: 212F, freezes 32F |
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mars average temperature |
-75C |
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venus avg temp |
190F |
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earth avg temp |
60F |
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four things that control temperature |
latitude, altitude, clouds cover, and land vs water (because they heat differently) |
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elevation |
a point on the surface of the earth (land) vertically above sea level |
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altitude |
the vertical distance in the sky (not on land) temperature range increases with altitude |
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specific heat |
heat capacity of a substance |
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specific heat of water |
water cools or heats more slowly |
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does cold or warm water create higher evaporation rates |
warm water evaporates at higher rates and transfers latent heat to the clouds |
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what keeps the ocean from going over 90F? |
mixing, the process of colder and warmer water blending together (since oceans aren't walled off from one another) |
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where is the gulf stream |
the northern atlantic ocean |
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in what region of the world does the gulf stream regulate temperature? |
england and mainland europe |
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maritime effect |
locations that exhibit themoderating influences of the ocean, usually along coastlines or on islands. |
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continental effect |
The continental effect refers to areas less affected by the sea and therefore having a greater range between maximum and minimum temperatures on both a daily and yearly basis. |
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thermal equator |
Thermal equator is an isotherm connecting all points of highest mean temperature (about 27°C). |
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Temperature anomaly |
the difference in temperature from the recorded average long-term temperature |
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"directly measured" in terms of temperature |
an instrumental record of global surface temperature |
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humidity |
the amount of water vapor in the air |
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wind chill |
correlates cold and wind speed, stronger wind = lower wind chill index |
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heat index |
correlates heat and humidity, higher humidity = higher heat index |
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(atmospheric) air pressure |
the force per unit area exerted against asurface by the weight of air above that surface (decreases with altitude) |
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barometer |
tool to measure air pressure |
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wind |
the horizontal motion of air across the earth's surface |
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principle properties of wind |
speed and direction |
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west wind is moving which direction? |
east
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easterly wind is moving which direction
|
west |
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wind vane |
instrument to measure wind |
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anemometer |
instrument to measure wind |
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four driving forces within the atmosphere |
gravitational force (atmospheric pressure) pressure gradient force (generateswinds) coriolis force (deflective force(curving)) frictional force (drag onwinds) |
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isobar |
an equal pressure line (Thecloser the spacing of isobars… the higher pressure gradient… the stronger thewind.) |
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pressure gradient |
The pressure gradient results in a net force that is directed from high to low pressure |
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Coriolis force |
an effect of Earth’s rotation deflects a moving object to the right of its moving direction in theNorthern Hemisphere, and to its left in the Southern Hemisphere. increases as the speed of the moving object increases. zero along the equator, and reaches maximum near poles. |
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What does pressure gradient force + Coriolis forcecreate? |
geostrophic wind at upper troposphere, of course |
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what creates surface winds |
PressureGradientForce + Coriolis Force+Friction Force |
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Intertropical convergence zone |
a defined line around the earth (not a parallel) that shifts with the seasons. marked by high insolation, increased evaporation, and rising moist air |
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four qualities of polar high pressure cell |
weak and variable anticyclone pattern frigid and dry antarctic specific: stronger and more persistent cause of the land mass |
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subtropical high pressure cell |
dry and hot
westerlies (winds from the west) / trade winds bermuda high /pacific high strong in summer, weak in winter |
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aleutian low |
low pressure cyclone dominates the ocean around 60N |
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icelandic low |
low pressure cyclone dominates the ocean around 60N |
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polar front |
area of contrast between cold (high latitude) and warm (low latitude) |
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Rossby waves |
protrusions of the polar front into warmer air, leading to the formation of lows and highs |
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jetstreams |
Irregular patterns of wind that control weather |
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Katabatic winds |
Largescale gravity drainage winds |
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monsoon |
Seasonalshift from dry to wet conditions |
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monsoonal winds |
In winter, dry and cold air flows from north to south, and in summer, wet and humid airflows from south to north. |
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are land-sea breezes onshore or offshore during the daytime? |
onshore |
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are land-sea breezes onshore or offshore during nightime? |
offshore |
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when do land sea breezes heat land |
when they blow onshore / during the daytime |
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when do land sea breezes warm the water? |
when they blow offshore / during the nighttime |
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in a low pressure cell, is it more or less likely to be hot? |
more likely |
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mountain-valley airflow, evening, are the winds going into the valley or into the hills? |
into the valley
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why does wind literally change direction at night?? |
cooler air is drawn on shore during the day to warm the land, and at night, it's drawn back offshore, so the winds switch directions |
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is onshore breeze clockwise or counterclockwise? |
clockwise |
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is offshore breeze clockwise or counterclockwise? |
counterclockwise |
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mountain-valley airflow, daytime, are the winds going into the valley or into the hills? |
into the hills |
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frictional drag |
the driving force for ocean surface currents
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gyres ocean currents |
circular flows of water in the ocean basins, tied to high pressure systems |
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equitorial ocean currents |
strong east-west currents |
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What happens when western ocean currents intensify |
A piling-up of water on the eastern coasts of continents |
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upwelling |
deep water current, wherecurrents sweep water away from coast, replaced by cold, deep, nutrient-richwaters |
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downwelling |
wherecurrents pile-up water against coast, redistribute heat energy & salinity |
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what creates thermohaline circulation in the ocean |
Differences in temperature and salinity produce density differences |
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el nino |
a reversal in pacific trade winds that heats equatorial waters and affects precipitation in north/central america |
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three properties of water |
colorless, odorless, tasteless |
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three states of water |
liquid, gas, solid |
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what percent of the human body is water? |
70% |
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how many days can a human survive without water? |
3 at max |
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what percentage of the earth is covered in water |
71% |
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is water distributed evenly or unevenly? |
unevenly |
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where did water come from? |
icy comets and hydrogen-oxygen laden debris |
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outgassing |
a process by which water and water vapor emerge from layers deep within and below the crust (about 25 km deep) |
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at what temperature does water density reach its maximum? |
4C |
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Covalent bonding |
bonding of atoms through the sharing of electrons |
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Polarity |
electriccharge causing the attraction and repulsion of atoms/molecules |
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Hydrogen bonding |
bondingbetween water molecules |
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relative humidity |
actual water vapor in the air divided by the maximum possible water vapor, times 100 |
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what is it called when the relative humidity is 100%? |
saturation |
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dew point temperature |
thetemperature at which a given mass of air becomes saturated and net condensationbegins to form water droplets |
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why is there less humidity later in the day despite the same amount of water vapor? |
because colder air (morning air) is denser and therefore the water takes up more air. as the air warms, it expands, and the same amount of water vapor doesn't take up the same amount of space |
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Airparcel |
a body of air has specific temperature and humidity |
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Stable air parcel |
the tendency of an air parcel either to remain in place or to change vertical position by ascending ordescending |
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what determines a stable air parcel |
itresists displacement upward, or when disturbed, tends to return to its startingplace |
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Unstable air parcel |
An air parcel continues to rise until it reaches an altitude where the surrounding air has adensity and temperature similar to its own |
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what determines the degree of stability of an air parcel? |
temperaturedifference between inside an air parcel and the air surrounding the parcel |
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adiabatic |
occurring without a loss or gain of heat |
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diabatic |
occurring with an exchange of heat |
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clouds |
aggregations of moisture dropletsand ice crystals |
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how are clouds classified |
two ways: altitude and form/shape
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cirroform |
hair like, feathery |
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stratiform |
flat and layered |
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cumuliform |
poofy fluffy |
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fog |
a cloud layer on the ground that develops when theair temperature and the dew-point temperature at ground level are nearlyidentical |
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Advection fog |
air in one place migrates to where it can condense (moist air over cool ground) |
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Evaporation fog |
cold air over a warm surface |
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valley fog |
cool air in valleys chills air to saturation |
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radiation fog |
when cooling of a surface chills the air above, forming fog (moist ground over night) |