geography lecture exam 2

compare the short term and long term carbon cycle

in the short term, carbon is stored in the atmosphere, oceans, and biosphere and it takes months to centuries to be recycled. the long term contains about 99 percent of total carbon found mainly in rocks and fossil fuels and can take millions of years to recycle.

extra credit question: what can we do about lessening the greenhouse enhancement?

lower emissions/ keep SLR and Tair at 2FT 2degrees celcius

sunspots effecting temperature: LOW: High:

lower sunspots= cooler climate/ less radiation higher sunspots= warmer climate/ more radiation

Biomass

Biomass is plant or animal material used as fuel to produce electricity or heat.

RH formula

(vapor pressure / saturated vapor pressure) X100

hurricane

A severe storm that develops over the atlantic ocean and whose strong winds of more than 120 km/h spiral in toward the intensely low-pressure storm center

typhoon

A tropical cyclone occurring in the western Pacific or Indian oceans

reptile

A vertebrate with scaly skin that lays eggs with tough, leathery shells.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

5 Stages of Cyclogenesis

1. stationary front, 2. disturbance phase, mature stage, occluded stage, dissipation stage

fish

An ectothermic vertebrate that lives in the water and has fins.

bird

An endothermic vertebrate that is covered in feathers, breathes through lungs and lays hard-shelled eggs.

mammal

Animals that have hair and produce milk for their young

Which quadrant is the weakest of a storm?

Back left

Milankovitch cycle

Changes in the shape earth's orbit and tilt that cause glacial periods and interglacial periods.

What are the GHG emissions

Co2, CH4, and N2O

What direction does a low pressure storm or cyclone move in the northern hemisphere?

Counter clockwise

Ecolology

Ecology is the branch of science that examines the relationships organisms have to each other and to their environment.

What two things fuel a storm?

Latent heat, and evaporation of warm waters.

Cyclogenesis applies to mid latitude _______

Mid latitude Cyclones

convergent evolution

Process by which unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when adapting to similar environments

Biogeography

Study of past and present distribution of organisms

Characteristics of a vapor pressure cell with a small saturated vapor pressure ring

T=40 degrees Fahrenheit Tdew= T air RH=100%

Characteristics of a vapor pressure cell with a medium sized saturated vapor pressure ring

T=60 degrees Fahrenheit Tdew <T air RH<100% RH=50%

Characteristics of a vapor pressure cell with a large sized saturation vapor pressure ring

T=85 degrees Fahrenheit Tdew<< T air RH near 0% RH=20%

what will cause a rising parcel to stop rising, or sink

The air parcel expands as it rises and this expansion, or work, causes the temperature of the air parcel to decrease

relative humidity

The amount of water vapor in the air at any given time is usually less than that required to saturate the air. Expressed as a percentage.

hydrologic cycle

The cycle through which water in the hydrosphere moves; includes such processes as evaporation, precipitation, and surface and groundwater runoff

Which quadrant of a storm has the highest storm surge, wind speed, tornadic activity? And why.

The front right quadrant due to the Coriolis force.

dewpoint temperature

The temperature where water condenses

insect

a class of small arthropod animals that has three separate sections to their bodies: head, thorax, abdomen

ice-albedo feedback

a feedback mechanism that accelerates melting of sea ice and amplify warming

amphibian

cold-blooded vertebrate typically living on land but breeding in water

What are sunspots?

areas of gas on the sun's surface that are cooler than the gases around them

orographic lifting

cloud formation that occurs when warm moist air is forced to rise up the side of a mountain

vapor pressure definition

atmospheric pressure from water vapor

vapor to water

condensation (-)

what are the four lifting mechanisms

convective, orographic, frontal, convergent

four types of clouds in the middle of the sky

cumulonimbus, altocumulus, altostratus, nimbostratus

four types of clouds in the upper most part of the sky

cumulonimbus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus, cirrus

five types of clouds at the bottom of the sky

cumulonimbus, cumulus, stratocumulus, stratus, nimbostratus

vapor to ice

deposition (-)

parcel=

environment

whats the difference between moist adiabatic lapse rate, dry adiabatic lapse rate, and environmental lapse rate

environmental lapse rate is the rate of decrease in temperature with altitude. moist is saturated, dry is unsaturated

water to vapor

evaporation (+)

water to ice

freezing

frontal lifting

if warm and cool air collide, the warm air will be forced up causing storms

tropical cyclones

intense wind and rain storms that form over oceans in the tropics or EAST PACIFIC

what is different from CO2's current pattern compared to over the past 800 years?

it has been steady all the way up to recent years and has increased greatly

convergence lifting

local low pressures coming together then moving upwards due to the pressure gradient force causing storms

ice to water

melting

what is the greenhouse effect doing to our earth?

melting sea ice less permafrost warming temperatures sea level rise

characteristics of a squall line (MCS)

multicell storm severe small tornados small hail 100's of KM (days)

how are humans influencing the greenhouse effect?

releasing GHG emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O)

what types of weather do watches and warnings get used for?

severe thunderstorm, flash flood, tornado, avalanche

MC: eccentricity

shape of orbit

characteristics of a supercell

single storm severe strong tornadoes large hail meso cyclone= tornado/ wall cloud 10's of KM (couple hours)

ice to vapor

sublimation (+)

sunspot cycle

the period of about 11 years over which the number of sunspots on the Sun rises and falls

Biodiversity

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

MC: time scales

thousands of years

MC: axial tilt

tilt

name and describe 2-3 biomes including percip, temp, location, and vegetation

tundra: FOUND IN: north america, alaska, northern canada. PERCIP: usually less than 10 inches TEMP: 10-20 degrees fahrenheit but can go down to below -15 in the winters VEGETATION: grasses and mosses HOT DESERT: PERCIP: less than 50 CM LOCATION: africa and asia TEMP: AVG=70 but can go up to 120 VEGETATION: shrubs and short trees

explain convective lifting

warm air pushing cold air upwards causing storms

what is the difference between a watch and a warning?

warning= danger is eminent so do something about it watch= conditions favorable so pay attention

difference between weather and climate

weather is day to day and what you receive. Climate is over years and includes "averages" of what you should expect.

divergent evolution

when two or more species sharing a common ancestor become more different over time

MC: precision

which way tilt faces