Climate Test

Refers to how high above sea level a location is.

Elevation or altitude

At the ___ the days and nights are about the same length all year long.

Equator

What is windward?

Facing the wind or on the side facing the wind

A Marine West Coast climate has cold temperatures and light precipitation.

False

All tropical climates are wet year round.

False

Moist subtropical mid latitude climates are continental climates.

False

Polar climate are found on the polar front in North America.

False

Tropical climates only occurs at the equator (0 degrees latitude).

False

Topography refers to what?

Features of the land, like mountains and hills, and valleys and low points

What is latitude?

Measures how far from the equator a location is

The five main climate groups don't include what?

Mediterranean climates

Which type of vegetation would you expect to be a dominant in a tropical wet and dry climate?

Mosses

Wobble

Move unsteadily from side to side

Winds are constantly doing what?

Moving warm air toward the poles and cool air toward the equator

Fossils that are millions of years old & sediment deposits have shown that Earth's climate was what?

Much different in the past

Proximity

Nearness in space, time, or relationship

continental climates are found where?

North America, South America, South Africa

What is leeward?

On or toward the side sheltered from the wind

Boreal forests are found in what?

Polar climates

Which zone has the coldest climate, and why?

Polar, because it's furthest away from the equator

Natural heating that occurs when certain gasses are present in Earth's atmosphere is called what?

The greenhouse effect

The colder the climate is determined by what?

The higher the elevation

What effect do wind patterns have on climate?

Wind patterns move heat and moisture around Earth, which can move heat and moisture, which change the temperature and rainfall

The middle latitudes receive differing amounts of yearly solar radiation causing what?

Winter, spring, fall, summer

High latitudes near the poles experience great differences in temperature and what?

Daylight hours

Human activities that are major factors in contributing to global greenhouse gasses include what?

Deforestation and nuclear power plants

Climate zones

Divisions of the Earth's climates into general climate zones according to average temperatures and average rainfall

During the summer in the northern hemisphere the south pole experiences what?

24 hours of darkness

Earth has been in and out of ice ages for the past ___ million years.

44

Mediterranean subarctic

A climate characterised by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers

Desert

A dry, barren area of land, especially one covered with sand, that is characteristically desolate, waterless, and without vegetation

Savanna

A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees

Steppe

A large area of flat unforested grassland in southeastern Europe or Siberia

Rainforest

A luxuriant, dense forest rich in biodiversity, found typically in tropical areas with consistently heavy rainfall

Rain shadow

A region having little rainfall because it is sheltered from prevailing rain-bearing winds by a range of hills

Tilt

A sloping position or movement

Prevailing winds

A wind from the direction that is predominant at a particular place or season

Humid subtropical

A zone of climate characterized by hot, humid summers and mild winters

Climate zones change with changes in latitude. This may be mimicked by changes in what?

Altitude

What is the equator?

An imaginary line that divides the earth into a top half and a bottom half

Marine west coast

An oceanic or highland climate

More recent (in the last 44 million years) periodic ice ages have occurred most likely due to what?

Antarctica drifting over the south pole disrupting currents

As latitude gets ______________ from equator to the poles, the climate gets ______________, because the sun's rays are hitting the earth at _________ of an angle.

Bigger, colder, more

Phoenix area summer temperatures are over 100 degrees from June to August.

Climate

The Phoenix area receives rainfall in July and August during the monsoon.

Climate

Global winds influence what?

Climate because they distribute heat and moisture around the Earth.

The southeastern United States has a what?

Humid subtropical climate

Climate zones are classified by what?

Köppen classification system

What is weather?

Refers to the daily conditions in a place, like the temperature, winds, and air pressure.

What is climate?

Refers to weather conditions over a long period of time.

Tropical zone definition.

Region directly north and south of the equator; sun's rays are most intense; generally warm year-round

Temperate zone definition.

Region located north and south of the equator above the tropics. Sun's rays strike Earth at a smaller angle; hot summers and cold winters

In an El Niño year, the winds in the tropical Pacific can weaken or what?

Reverse, which causes short-term climate change

The lowest level of ground is what?

Sea level

Earth's "wobbling" in space may also be another explanation for climate change due to the what?

Shape of Earth's orbit and changes in axial tilt

During the summer the north pole is tilted towards the Sun - causing what?

Six months of constant daylight

As latitude increases the intensity of what decreases?

Solar energy

What is the köppen system based on?

Temperature, amount of precipitation, and times of year when precipitation falls

What does topography determine?

The amount of precipitation that falls over an area

Longitude

The angular distance of a place east or west of the meridian at Greenwich, England

Latitude

The angular distance of a place north or south of the earth's equator

Topography

The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area

How can mountains or hills affect climate?

The mountains block the winds from getting to the other side of mountain, which in turn blocks the hot or cold winds from reaching the specific area

Polar zone definition.

The region very close to the poles; sun's rays strike at a very low angle; experience cold temperatures year-round

Short periods of climate change caused by the change in the amount of solar heating is called what?

The seasons

Precession

The slow movement of the axis of a spinning body around another axis due to a torque

How does the latitude of a place affect how much sun it gets?

The sun is at an angle or tilt, so the sun can only get to certain places. This effects many different things such as, temperature and precipitation.

Tropical moist climates definition.

These climates are found between the equator in about 25° north and south latitude. They have intense sunshine, how are year-round temperatures, and abundant rainfall. Rain may fall year round or seasonally

Polar climates definition.

These climates are found in areas around the Arctic Ocean and to a lesser extent in Greenland and Antarctica. Winters are long, dark, and bitterly cold. Summers are short and cold. The clients are dry, with most of the limited precipitation falling in the summers

Moist subtropical mid latitude climates definition.

These climates are found in mid latitude costal areas, such as the southeastern United States and Western Europe. They have distinct seasons of cool to cold winters and mild summers. Rainfall is plentiful

Dry climates definition.

These climates are found out about 30° north and south latitude. They're also found a higher latitudes in rain shadows and within continents. They have plenty of sunshine, with hot summers and cold winters. Rainfall is irregular and infrequent and there is less participation then evaporation

Continental climates definition.

These climates are found within continents in the northern hemisphere, between about 40 and 70° North latitude. They are not found in the southern hemisphere because the southern continent are too narrow. Continental climates have extreme temperatures, with very cold winters and relatively warm summers. They are relatively dry climates with stormy winters

Mount Kilimanjaro is a famous mountain near the equator. How can it have snow on it during the summer, and when it is in the tropical zone near the equator?!?

This occurs because of the elevation of the mountain, the higher the altitude the colder it will get

Because the Earth is ___, different regions of the planet receive changing yearly radiation.

Tilted

What are the five main climate groups?

Tropical moist, dry, moist subtropical mid latitude, continental, and polar

Which zone has the hottest climate, and why?

Tropical, it's closest to the equator

La Niña may cause droughts in the southern United States and too much rain in the northwest.

True

Mediterranean climates are found on the western side of continents.

True

Most tundra biomes are found in the area surrounding the arctic ocean.

True

Other El Niño effects are droughts in Australia & an increase in storm activity in California.

True

The north and south facing side of a hill are likely to have different microclimates.

True

The opposite of an El Niño is a La Niña - where winds blow even stronger across the Pacific.

True

Vegetation can be used as an indicator of climate type.

True

Dry climate zones cover about 1/4 of the worlds land area.

True, 26%

Humid continental

Which is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters

The tropics receive mostly the same amount of solar radiation year-around - causing what?

Very little decrease in the seasons

A regular climatic event called El Niño involves the atmosphere and the what?

Warm waters off the California coast

How do large bodies of water affect climate?

Water heats and cools more slowly than land. Therefore, in the summer, the coastal regions will stay cooler and in winter warmer. A more moderate climate with a smaller temperature range is created

On August 12, we received 1.25 inches of rain.

Weather

The temperature is 68 degrees Fahrenheit today.

Weather