APES Module 10 Review

How the air circulates is determined by its capacity to contain water vapor.....

Warm air has a HIGHER capacity for water vapor than cold air.

At a constant atmospheric pressure......

Warm air has a LOWER density than cold air.

What is a major contributor to the different climates of the world?

Atmospheric Convection Currents

What are the four properties of air that determine how it circulates in the atmosphere?

1. Density 2. Water Vapor Capacity 3. Adiabatic Heating or Cooling 4. Latent Heat Release

Explain how the properties of air affect the way it moves in the atmosphere.

Air rises when it becomes less dense and sinks when it becomes more dense. Warm air has a higher saturation point for water vapor than cold air. Changes in air pressure result in adiabatic cooling or heating; which is known as latent heat release.

The third property of air is its repose to changes in PRESSURE......

As air rises HIGHER in the atmosphere, the pressure on it DECREASES. The LOWER pressure allows the RISING air to expand in volume, and this expansion LOWERS the temperature of the air.

Identify the factors that drive atmospheric convection currents.

Atmospheric convection currents are driven by the intense sunlight that strikes Earth near the tropics. This solar energy warms the surface of Earth, which causes moist air to rise, cool, and release water as precipitation. As the air continues to rise, it reaches the top of the troposphere. The air, which is now cold and dry, moves toward the poles until it descends at approximately 30°N or 30°S latitude. As it descends back to Earth's surface, the air warms and then moves back toward the equator.

Describe how Earth's rotation affects the movement of air currents.

Because the surface of Earth travels faster near the equator than near the poles, the Coriolis effect causes convection currents traveling north and south to be deflected, thereby creating trade winds, westerlies, and easterlies.

The final property of air that determines how it circulates is the production of heat when water vapor condense from a gas to a liquid....

Energy is released as heat when precipitation happens. Because of laten heat release, whenever water vapor in the atmosphere condense, the air will become warmer and rise in the atmosphere.

Fact!

Hot summer days are associated with high humidity because the warm air conatins a lot of water vapor.

What happens when the temperature of air falls?

Its saturation point decreases, water vapor condenses into liquid water, clouds form, and precipitation occurs.

How does the density of air determine its movement?

Less dense air rises, whereas denser air sinks.

Fact!

When air SINKS toward Earth's surface, the pressure on it INCREASES. The HIGHER pressure forces the air to DECREASE in volume, and this decrease RAISES the temperature of the air.

Explain how the movement of air currents over mountain ranges affects climates.

When moist air from the ocean moves up a mountain, the air cools and releases water as precipitation, which results in a moist environment on the windward side. On the other side of the mountain, the cool dry air descends, which results in a dry environment on the leeward side of the mountain.