Air sea interactions chap 6

what are the 3 active reservoirs for carbon dioxide

Atmosphere • Land surface, including the vegetation • Oceans

anticyclonic flow (hi pressure)

Clockwise around a high in Northern Hemisphere - Counterclockwise around a high in Southern Hemisphere

cold front

Contact where cold air mass moves to warmer area; rain over smaller area

Warm front

Contact where warm air mass moves to colder area; rain over larger area

cyclonic flow (low pressure)

Counterclockwise around a low in Northern Hemisphere Clockwise around a low in Southern Hemisphere

storms

disturbances with strong winds and precipitation

true or false, Descending air on leeward side; low precipitation

true

true or false, Mountains deflect wind upwards

true

true or false, Rising air on windward side of mountain; heavy precipitation

true

true or false, Rising and descending air from cells generate high and low pressure zones; result in major wind belts

true

true or false, ocean currents can transfer heat downward in summer and upward in winter

true

cyclones

name in indina ocean

typhoons

name in north pasific

jet stream

narrow, fast moving, flows west to east

trade winds

northeast and southeast

When is the Coriolis Force strongest?

objects that move long distances across latitudes

plane of the ecliptic

plane traced by Earth's orbit around the sun

where does not coriolis effect not apply

poles

fronts

- boundaries between air masses

Hadley Cell

0-30 degrees

Ferrel Cell

30-60 degrees

Polar Cell

60-90

convection cell

A circular pattern of air rising, air sinking, and wind.

Albedo

Ability of a surface to reflect light earth is about 30%

Coriolis effect

Apparent deflection of moving air relative to Earth's surface

What are greenhouse gases?

CO2,CH4,N2O,O3

Why do we have seasons?

Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.5 degrees

Why does the Coriolis effect occur?

Earth's rotation to the east

land breeze

From land to ocean; land cools relative to ocean; air above ocean rises and cool air moves in to fill void over water

sea breeze

From ocean to land; The land heats up and air rises, allowing cool, dense ocean air to fill the void on land

what climate zones are found in Polar

High pressure Sea ice most of the year

Monsoon effect in winter

High pressure forms over Indian sub-continent (relative to water); reversal of winds; little precipitation

tropical cyclones/hurricanes

Large rotating masses of low pressure; cyclonic flow

what is the composition of the atmosphere

N2,O2 and some CO2

Artic Circle

No direct solar radiation during Northern Hemisphere winter

what climate zones are found by the Equator

Rising air - Weak winds - Doldrums

what climate zones are found in temperate

Strong westerly winds - Severe storms common • Heavy precipitation

Winter Solstice

Sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn

Mesosphere

Temperature decreases with height

Stratosphere

Temperature increases with altitude Ozone

what is the green house effect

The process by which gases hold heat in the atmosphere

what climate zones are found in subtropics

Weak winds, sluggish currents at horse latitudes, but strong currents at (particularly western) boundaries of continents

Winds

Weather maps show pattern of wind flow relative to high and low pressure regions.

doldrums

a frequently windless area near the Equator

Troposphere

all weather occurs here lowest layer of atmosphere

Declination

angular distance of sun from equatorial plane

where is solar radiation more concentrated

at low latitudes

intertropical convergence zone

belt of rising air near the Equator

Weather

conditions of atmosphere at particular time and place

in Southern Hemisphere coriolis effect

deflection to the left

what happens to air in hi pressure zones

descending, subtropics and polar

Thermosphere

extends out to space

Autumnal Equinox

fall

what generates wind

global circulation cells closest to surface generate winds

air always flows from

hi pressure to lo pressure

the albedo of ice is

high

where does most solar radiation diffuse

high latitudes

monsoon effect in summer

intense warming, air rises over land producing clouds and heavy rainfall

Air masses

large volumes of air with distinct properties

Climate

long-term average of weather (i.e. at least 20-30 years) • Ocean influences Earth's weather and climate patterns.

Tropopause

minimum temperature zone

in Northern Hemisphere coriolis effect

right

most air

rises

warm air ...

rises

what happens in low pressure zones

rising air , equatorial and subpolar

cool air

sinks

dry air

sinks

Vernal Equinox

spring equinox

what climate zones are found in Tropical

strong winds, little rain, rough seas

Summer Solstice

sun is directly overhead at tropic of cancer

Global Circulation Cells

three cells in each hemisphere hadley,ferrel,polar