geography ch 8

Why do Cs (mediterranean) climates have dry summers and wet winters?

Extremely dry summers are caused by the sinking air of the subtropical highs

What is meant by the phrase "continentality is a keynote of D climates"?

The keynote of D climate as its continentality, that is, remoteness from the effects of oceans.

What information is conveyed in a climograph?

a climograph shows a graphic representation of monthly temp and precipitation for weather stations, there are 2 kinds of graphs bar and line.

What is a climate model?

a quantitive methods to stimulate the interactions of the important drivers of climate, including atmosphere, oceans, land surface and ice.

What is the Kyoto Protocol?

an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the premise that global warming exists and human made CO2 emissions have caused it.

What is the overall trend in global temp since 1880?

average overall land and ocean surfaces, temp warming roughly 1.53 degrees Farenheit.

Why are polar climates so dry?

cold air is not able to hold as much water vapor as warm air. Each dominated by high pressure. The air is colder the higher you go, so the air coming down to the surface is really dry.

Why are dry climates much more extensive in North Africa than in any other subtropical location?

dry climates are primarily more towards North Africa compared to other subtropical locations because it is closer to the equator.

In determining a highland climate, in what ways is altitude more important then latitude?

highland climate mountain climate where altitude is dominant control. Designated H in koppen system.

Why does severe midlatitudes (D) climates exist in the Southern Hemisphere?

severe midlatitudes (D) climates doesn't exist in the Southern Hemisphere because of the climate only existing where there are large monsoons and continental air mass forms.

How do climate models project how climate will change in the future?

the extent of future climate change depends on what we do now will affect climate far into the future.

What is the cause of the observed changes in climate over the last century?

they can't be explained through natural causes

Although both cities are coastal, New York City has a continental climate where as Seattle, Washington, has a maritime climate. Why?

this is because they are located on different ends of the US and both have different temp zones and different levels of precipitation.

What is the annual temp pattern likely to be at high elevation on the equator?

the annual temperature pattern likely to be at high elevation on the equator is hot temp due to direct sunlight hitting the equator.

How is dendrochronology used in studies of past climate?

the study of climate change as recorded by three growth rings. The ring as seen in cross section can be wide, recording a wet season, or narrow, recording a dry growing season.

What Is mean by paleoclimatology?

the study of the climate of past ages

How can ice core analysis provide information about the gas composition of the atmosphere in the past?

ice cores provide excellent seasonal markers allowing very accurate dating. Ice cores can be used to investigate past atmospheric conditions.

What kinds of clouds tend to cool the surface of earth, and what kinds of clouds tend to warm it?

low, thick clouds tend to cool the surface. Thin clouds tend to warm it.

Describe the general locations, temperature, characteristics, precipitation characteristics, and main controls of the following climates. You should be able to recognize these climates from a climograph:

- Dfa HUMID CONTINENTAL • N. Only 35-55 degrees on e. Side, warm/hot summers/cold winters, (20-40 in. Annually) w. Winds, continental air masses - Dfc SUBARCTIC • N. Only 50-70 degrees, long dark very cold winter/brief mild summer (5-20 in. Annually), westerlies and cyclonic storms with alt. Anticyclone conditions.

What are the main differences in controls of BWh (sub tropical desert) and BWk (midlatitude desert) climate?

BWh climates have hot summers and mild winters; BWk climates are found in the midlatitudes, so they have warm summer but cold winters.

Explain the basic concept of the Koppen climate classification system.

It uses a database only the average annual and average monthly values of temp and precipitation, combined and compared in several ways

In the Koppen climate classification letter code system, what information is given by the first letter, the second letter, and the third letter?

The First letter designates the major climate group, the second letter usually describes precipitation patterns, and the third letter describes temp patterns.

What is the general difference between a desert climate and a steppe climate?

The main difference between a desert and a steppe is determined by the mean annual temp and precipitation. Desert have less precipitation than the steppe and the desert temp are a bit high than on a steppe.

What are Milankovitch cycles, and in what ways might they help explain past climate change?

a miliankovich cycle is a cyclical movement related to the earths orbit around the sun. There are three of them, eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession.

Why do subarctic (Dfc) climates have such a wide annual temperature range?

high absorption of energy by the large continental landmass in summer and rapid reradiating of energy in the winter cause the wind annual range of temp that can exceed 45 Celsius.

What explains the alternating bands of wet and dry seasons in Figure 8- 34?

latitude lines explain the alternating bands of wet and dry seasons and how the sunlight hits the spots of the earth.

How does the oxygen isotopes analysis of ocean floor sediments and glacial ice tell us about past temp?

oxygen is one of the most significant keys to deciphering past climates, the ratio of heavy and light oxygen is marine sediments, ice cores, or fossil is different.

Describe and explain at least one feedback mechanism that would further increase global temperatures once a warning trend has started.

sea ice and snow possess high albedo and therefore reflect more insolation, thereby reducing temps. This in turn would lead to the expansion of sea ice and more snow. This is an example of positive feedback mechanism.

What roles do the oceans play in influencing the carbon- dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere?

some of the atmosphere's CO2 dissolves in ocean and come photosynthesizing producers of ocean remove some, also ocean water can put the CO2 back into the atmosphere by warming the waters.

Why are subtropical desert (BWh) climates usually displaced toward the western sides of continents?

stable air that is the result of the cold ocean currents off of the west coasts of continents.

Why are subtropical desert (BWh) climates generally hotter in summer than tropical humid (A) climates?

subtropical desert climates are generally hotter than tropical humid due to the location and the differences in precipitation and temp.

How does the loss of sea ice in the arctic contribute to a positive feedback mechanism and rising temp?

the rising temp in the atmosphere and the melting of the ice contribute to a positive feedback mechanism and rising temp help with the animal survival.

Describe the general location, temp, characteristics, precipitation characteristics, and main controls of the following climates. You should be able to recognize these climates from a climograph:

- BWh SUBTROPICAL DESERT • Its is a dry arid desert found on low - latitude areas. The average temp exceeds 18 Celsius. Evaporation exceeds precipitation but less than half of potential evaporation and frost is absent. - BWk MIDLATITUDE DESERT • It is a dry arid desert found on midlatitude areas. The evaporation is more than precipitation but less than half potential evaporation. Temperatures are more than 18 Celsius and winter has temp below freezing point.

Describe the general locations, temp, characteristics, precipitation characteristics, and main controls of the following climates. You should be able to recognize these climates from a climograph:

- Cs MEDITERRANEAN • 35 degrees on w. Side of continents, warm/hot summer/mild winter, year round mild (15-25 in. Annually), subtropical H subsidence and stability, cyclonic in winter. - Cfa HUMID SUBTROPICAL • 30 degrees on e. Side of continent, summer warm/ hot/ winter mild/ cold (40-65 in. Annually) no dry season, monsoons. - Ctb MARINE WEST COAST • 40-60 degrees on W. Side of continent, mild winter/summer (30-50 in. Annually), w. Flow and oceanic influence.

What causes the relatively mild temperatures of marine west coast climates?

The oceanic influence

Briefly describe the major climate groups of the modified Koppen climate classified system: A, B, C, D, E, and H.

• A- tropical humid which has a climate type of; tropical wet, tropical savanna, and tropical monsoon. • B- dry which has a climate type of; subtropical, desert, steppe, and midlatitude. • C- mild midlatitude which has a climate type of; mediterranean, humid subtropical, marine west coast. • D- severe midlatitude with a climate type of; humid continental, and subarctic. • E- polar with the climate type of; tundra and ice cap. • H- Highland

Why do Af (tropical wet) climates receive rain all year, wheres Aw (tropical savanna) climates receive rain only in the summer (the high- sun season)?

• Af is equatorial, monotones climate, daily temp range exceeds the annual range, high humidity, rainfall multiple times a day, high solar angle year round, ITCZ influences the rainfall. • Aw lies north and south of Af climates, seasonal alteration of wet and dry periods due to position changes of ITCZ, and smallest rainfall amounts of tropical regions.

What general temp characteristics distinguishes tundra climate from ice cap climate?

• Location: fringes of Arctic Ocean; small costal areas in Antarctica. • Temp: tundra climate is long, cold, dark winters; brief cool summers, large ATR and small DTR. • Precipitation: sparse, less than 25 cm annually, mostly snow. • Dominant controls of climate: latitude; distance from sources of heat and moisture; extreme seasonal contrasts in sunlight and darkness.

Describe the general location, temperature characteristics, precipitation characteristics, and main controls of the following climates. You should be able to recognize these climates from a climograph:

• locations: east coast, west coast, and interior • temp characteristics: 10 degrees N and S some areas 25 degrees (Af); 25 degrees N and S (Aw); and a lot of rain fall (Am) • consols: latitude, altitude, distribution of land and water, general circulation patterns of the atmosphere, ocean currents, topography, storms • precipitation characteristics: tropical regions, winterless climates; little temp change, moisture is prevalent, and precipitation influenced by ITCZ