GEO 200 Exam 1 Ch 3-5

What happens to the temperature of air as it rises, and what happens to the temperature of air as it descends? Why?

Rising air expands and cools is the cooling process even though no energy is lost the molecules spread through a greater volume of space - called adiabatic cooling When air descends, it becomes warmer. Descent causes compression as the air comes under increasing pressure and that increases the average kinetic energy, so the temp increases even though no energy was added from external sources. - called adiabatic warming.

List and explain the significant reasons for the difference in the warming and cooling of land and water

Warming of land and water: land surface warms up more rapidly and reaches a higher temp than a comparable water surface receiving the same amount of insolation. A thin layer of land is warmed to high temps, whereas a thick layer of water is warmed more slowly to moderate temps. Reasons are: Specific heat: water has higher specific heat than land. Transmission: Sun's rays penetrate water more deeply than they do land; water is better than land at transmitting radiation. Mobility: Water is highly mobile, so turbulent mixing and ocean currents disperse the energy broadly and deeply through convection. Land is immobile. Evaporative cooling: unlimited availability of moisture on a water surface means that evaporation is more prevalent over water than over land. Cooling of Land and water: Land cools more rapidly and to a lower temp than a water surface. Ex: during winter, shallow, warmed layer of land radiates energy away quickly. Water loses warmth more gradually bc it has high specific heat and energy is stored deeply and is brought only slowly to surface for radiation. The entire body must be cooled before the surface temp decrease significally.

What is the difference between weather and climate? What are the four elements of weather and climate?

Weather: Study of weather is known as meteorology. Term weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions that exist for a given time in a specific area. Combination of temp, humidity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure, wind, storms, and other atmospheric variables for a short period of time. Climate: Aggregate of day-to-day weather conditions over a long period of time. Encompasses not only the average characteristics but also the variations and extremes of weather. To describe the climate, it must be over at least 3 decades. The four elements of weather and climate are temperature, moisture content, pressure, and wind.

Label the generalized locations of the seven components of the general circulation patterns of the atmosphere.

1. Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) 2. Trade winds 3. Subtropical highs 4. Westerlies 5. Jet Streams (upper troposphere) 6. Polar front (subpolar lows) 7. Polar easterlies 8. Polar highs

Describe and explain the process and timing of the land-sea breeze cycle.

Along the tropical coastlines and during the summer in midlatitudes coastal area is the cycle of sea breezes during the day and land breezes at night. Convectional circulation caused by the differential warming of land and water surfaces. The land warms up rapidly during the day causing the air to expand and rise. That creates low pressure attracting surface breezes from over the adjacent body of water. Bc onshore flow is cool and moist it holds down daytime temps in coastal zones and provides moisture for afternoon showers. Sea breezes are sometimes strong. Reverse flow at night is weaker than daytime. Land and air above it cool more quickly than water producing high pressure over land

What is a monsoon? What causes monsoons? What is the significance of monsoons?

A monsoon has come to mean a seasonal reversal of winds-a general sea-to-land movements, called onshore flow, in the summer and a general land-to-sea movement called offshore flow in the winter. With a monsoon you experience heavy summer rains derived from the moist maritime air of the onshore flow and a pronounced winter dry season when continental air moving seaward dominates the circulation. Causes: Unequal warming of continents and oceans. Himalayas also play a role which allows greater winter temp contrasts between South Asia and interior of the continent to the north which in turn may influence the location and persistence of the subtropical jet stream in this region. Significance: critical for agriculture in the county since many places like India use that to produce their food. If it is late or doesn't come, they lose tons of plants and if they get too much rain it will flood and ruin them also.

What generally happens to the temperature of the atmosphere from the surface of Earth to the tropopause? What happens to the temperature above the tropopause in the stratosphere? Why do these changes in temperature occur?

Atmosphere to tropopause: Temp decreases with increasing altitude. Tropopause to stratosphere: Stagnant air. The temp remains constant through the tropopause and a short distance into the stratosphere. Air temp begins increasing with increasing altitude. A-T: The changes in temp occur because you are farther away from the warm Earth from solar energy. T-S:The temp increasing is associated with the stratospheric ozone layer where the gas ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun and warms the atmosphere.

List and describe the seven dominant controls of weather and climate.

Latitude: Basic distribution of solar energy and the resulting warming/cooling over earth is first a function of latitude. Control latitude strongly influences the elements temp. Latitude is most fundamental control of climate. Distribution of land and water: Oceans warm and cool more slowly and to a lesser degree than do landmasses. This means maritime areas experience milder temps than continental areas in both summer and winter. Oceans are also more abundant source of atmospheric moisture than land. Maritime climates are more humid than continental climates. Uneven distribution of continents and oceans is a prominent control of the elements moisture content and temp General Circulation of the atmosphere: Atmosphere is in constant motion, with flows that range from temporary local breezes to fast wind. At planetary scale, a semipermanent pattern of major wind and pressure systems dominates the troposphere and greatly influences most elements of weather and climate. General circulation of the oceans: Oceans have minor motion but have a broad pattern of currents. Currents assist in energy transfer by moving warm water poleward and cool water equatorward. Influence of currents is much less than atmosphere. Warm currents off eastern coasts and cool currents off western coasts. Altitude: ¾ weather elements-temp, pressure, moisture decrease upward in the troposphere and are therefore under the influence of control altitude. This simple relationship between the three elements and the control has significant ramifications for many climatic characteristics Topographic barriers: Mountains and large hills sometimes have prominent effects on one or more elements of climate for diverting wind flow. The side of a mountain range facing the wind (windward side) for example is likely to have a wetter climate than the sheltered (leeward) side. Storms: Have a very widespread distribution. Often result from interactions among other climate controls, all storms create specialized weather circumstances and are a control. Some affect weather and climate.

What is meant by the Urban Heat Island Effect and what are the causes?

Long-term temperature records indicate that urban areas tend to be warmer than rural areas. The increase in temp associated with cities is known as UHI. UHI effect is thought to result from reduced nighttime cooling because buildings inhibit the loss of longwave radiation to space and reduce the mixing of warmer surface air with cooler air above. It is caused by vegetation replaced by asphalt, concrete for roads, buildings, and other structures for growing populations

What are the two most abundant permanent gases in the atmosphere, their percentage by volume, and their sources? What are the three most abundant variable gases and their sources?

Nitrogen (N2) and Oxygen (O2) are the two most abundant permanent gases. Nitrogen makes up more than 78% of total and Oxygen nearly 21%. Nitrogen is added to air by the decay and burning of organic matter, volcanic eruptions, and the chemical breakdown of certain rocks. Removed by certain biological processes and by lightning. Oxygen is produced by vegetation and is removed by a variety of organic and inorganic processes. Three most abundant variable gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, and methane. Water Vapor: (h2o) is invisible- clouds and precipitation consist of water in its liquid or solid form. Carbon dioxide: (co2) it absorbs thermal influence on climate, bc it absorbs thermal infrared radiation and helps warm lower atmosphere. Ozone: (o3) molecule made up of 3 oxygen atoms. Most concentrated region of atmosphere is called ozone layer. Absorber of ultraviolet solar radiation and protects life on earth from it. Methane: (ch4) in atmosphere by natural and human activity, absorbs certain wavelengths of radiation and plays a role in regulating the temp of atmosphere.

Describe the general location and kind of weather associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). doldrums

Northeast and southeast trades come together in general vicinity of the equator although the latitudinal position shifts seasonally northward and southward following the sun. Shift is greater over land than ocean. Feeble and erratic winds. It is a zone of warm surface conditions, low pressure associated with high rainfall, instability, and rising air in the Hadley Cells. Not a region with ascending air. Much heat air comes from thunderstorms in the ITCZ which pumps into the upper troposphere where it spreads poleward. Appears in well-defined, narrow band over oceans near the equator

Contrast shortwave radiation with longwave radiation. How does energy from the sun warm the atmosphere?

Shortwave radiation: Wavelengths of radiation emitted by the sun; especially ultraviolet, visible, and short infrared radiation Has more energy and does more damage than longwave Longwave radiation: Wavelengths of thermal infrared radiation emitted by Earth and the atmosphere; also called terrestrial radiation The sun heats the earth through radiation (shortwave). The heat reaches the earth it warms the molecules of the atmosphere and so on.