Unit 3 Exam

La Nina

A cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns.

Steppe

Dry grassy plain

North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)

Entails changes in the pressure gradient across the Atlantic, between the Azores high & Icelandic low

positive feedback

Feedbacks can amplify effect of changes

Negative Feedback

Feedbacks can dampen effect of changes

El Nino

an irregularly occurring and complex series of climatic changes affecting the equatorial Pacific region and beyond every few years, characterized by the appearance of unusually warm, nutrient-poor water off northern Peru and Ecuador, typically in late December. (climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean.)

Green house gases

Gases in the atmosphere that trap heat (Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), and Nitrous Oxide (N2O)

Oscillation

are the naturally reoccurring changes of earth's climate that are associated with the interactions of atmospheric and oceanic conditions and occur over different geographic scales and time periods.

Forcing

It is a dynamic process that forces the air to rise. Examples include frontal boundaries and upper level divergence mechanisms. These mechanisms force the air to rise as opposed to air rising due to positive buoyancy.

Climatic Controls

Latitude Amount of insolation and its seasonal variability Continentality and Oceanicity Continental or coastal /marine influence Topography Elevation and the effect of surrounding landforms, especially the impact of mountains

Walker Cell Circulation

Near the equator and on top of the N-S circulation cell (Hadley cell)

Residence Time

Once CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere rise, one must wait more than 100 years before these concentrations fall back.

PAT

Population Affluence Technology (The notion of PAT (P × A × T) is that population growth is not, by itself, a determinant of energy consumption, and of fossil fuel consumption.)

Upwelling

The movement of deep, cold, and nutrient-rich water to the surface

precipitation regimes

Wet Equatorial Belt, Trade wind belts, Tropical deserts, Midlatitude deserts & steppes, Moist Subtropical, Midlatitude West Coast, Arctic & Polar Deserts

Little Ice Age

a period of bitter winters and mild summers that affected Europe and North America between the 14th and 19th centuries. mid-1400s through mid-1800s

Cold Tongue

a strip of relatively cool water stretching along the equator from Peru into the western Pacific, across quarter of the earth's circumference.

Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

is a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

Monsoon

is a seasonal shifting of wind direction onto (summer) and off of (winter) continents due to: 1 variable heating and cooling of the continental land surface 2 movement of the ITCZ

Downwelling

is the movement of water from the surface to greater depths

Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation

moves nutrients from one part of the ocean to another. begins in the Earth's polar regions. When ocean water in these areas gets very cold, sea ice forms. The surrounding seawater gets saltier, increases in density and sinks. Winds drive ocean currents in the upper 100 meters of the ocean's surface.

Köppen Climate System

oriented primarily toward vegetation (and biotics) divides climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (arid), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). Each group and subgroup is represented by a letter.

Climograph

plots the annual mean temperature and precipitation in a region

Atmospheric Teleconnections

the effect of a change in atmospheric circulation in one area upon other areas of the world's atmosphere.

Warm Pool

warm in the west