Earth 3
1c) Identify the permanent gases, variable gases, and the aerosols that make up the atmosphere.
Permanent gases: Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, & Carbon Dioxide. Variable gases: water vapor, dust particles and ozone Aerosols: Sea salts from breaking waves; fine soil blown into the air; smoke and soot from fires; pollen and microrganisma lifted by wind, ash and dust from volcanic eruptions.
2a) The sun has a profound relationship with the earth. With the aid of a diagram show the limit of the sun's direct rays, noting the seven major latitudes.
SEE PAGE 17 The seven major latitudes are 1. North Pole; 2. Arctic Circle; 3. Tropic of Cancer; 4. Equator; 5. Tropic of Capricorn; 6. Antarctic Circle; 7. South Pole
2b) With the aid of a good-looking diagram show the six zones of insolation and give their approximate boundaries. Give the characteristics of each of these zones in the Northern Hemisphere. In this same diagram, also, show the limit of the sun's direct rays.
SEE PAGE 18 The six zones of Insolation are 1. North Temperate Zone; 2. North Mid-latitude Zone; 3. North Tropical Zone; 4. South Tropic Zone; 5. South Temperate Zone; 6. South Mid-latitude Zone.
1f) With the aid of a diagram identify the first four thermal layers of the atmosphere. Identify the boundaries of the ozone layer and its significance.
See Tablet labeled Layers of Atmosphere.
Describe A-Group - Tropical Humid Climates.
- Near the equator of the continents are found these high temperatures year-round environments. At noon the sun would never be far from the zenith, and would be directly overhead twice a year. Humid climates of this type with no winter season are Koppen's tropical (A) climates. Coldest month average 18°C (or 64.4°F) temperature. Warm and humid much of the year, with monotonously high temperatures year-round. 1. Tropical Rainforest Climate or Tropical Wet Climate - warm year round, high average monthly temperatures about 80°F, very low temperature range (between 3°F and 5°F). Rains almost everyday. Average rainfall is 100 inches, with a range of 80 to 400. Every month is visited with at least 2.5 inches of rain. Created the tropical rainforest condition in the Amazon, Congo, Indonesia and islands near the equator. 2. Tropical Monsoonal Climate - similar in practically all respect to tropical rainforest above, except a couple of months receives less than 2.5 inches of rain. The range of temperature may be more than 5°F and up to 10°F Average rainfall may be even more than the one above. 3. Tropical Savanna Climate or Tropical Wet and Dry Climate - This climate has pronounced wet season and dry season. Temperatures are high. Rainfall 25-60 inches a year.
1b) What are some benefits of the atmosphere to living things?
--Protects us from harmful -- rays from the sun --Keeps us warm and cool --Regulates the amount of moisture in the air and serves as a natrual humidifies.
What criteria or attributes did The Koppen classification meet to make it the most viable climatic classification system used?
1) They are relatively simple to comprehend and to use. 2) They show some sort of orderly pattern over the earth. 3) They give some indication of genesis [reasons underlying development].
What 5 groups of climates that are of interest to us based on The Koppen Classification System?
1. A-Group - Tropical Humid Climates; i. Tropical Rainforest Climate or Tropical Wet Climate. ii. Tropical Monsonnal Climate iii. Tropical Savanna Climate or Tropical Wet and Dry Climate; 2. B-Group - Arid or Dry Climates; i. Semi-Arid Climate, Steppe or Sahel Climate. ii. Desert Climate; 3. C-Group - Mild Mid-Latitude Climates; i. Mediterranean Climate. ii. Humid Subtropical Climate iii. Marine West Coast Climate or Temperate Marine Climate; 4. D-Group - Severe Mid-latitude Climates; i. Humid Continental Climate. ii. Subarctic Climate; 5. E-Group - Polar Climates; i. Subpolar Climate or Tundra Climate. ii. Polar Ice Cap Climate
2e) Several methods of heat transfer have been identified by scientists. Describe each of the methods discussed in the classroom.
1. Convection: The up and down movement of gases and liquids caused by heat transfer. The transfer of heat by the movement of a mass or substance. How air and water transfer from the Equator to the Poles (North/South). 2. Radiation: The transfer of energy (heat) through space by electromagnetic waves. Radiation is smothering like a big fire where you feel the heat. 3. Conduction: The transfer of heat throuogh matter by molecular activity. Energy is transferred from through collisions from one molecule to another. (Water is a good conductor of heat. Wood is a VERY BAD conductor of heat). 4. ABSORPTION: Energy that is coming into a thing and it is soaking or absorbs it. 5. ADVECTION: Transport mechanism of a substance. Horizontal movement that has a horizontal effect. 6. REFLECTION: The process whereby light bounces back from an object at the same angle at which it encouters a surface [fresh snow can reflect all of the light back 100% or Albedo - The reflective rate of an object] 7. TRANSMISSION: Glass is a good transmitter. Ability of a body to allow light to pass thru it (glass). 8. SCATTERING: The redirecting in all directions, of light by small particles and gas molecules in the atmosphere forever [energy is lost forever]. 9. ADIABATIC PROCESSES: A thermodynamic change of state in a system in which there is no transfer of heat or mass across the boundaries of the system. [In this process, compression will result in warming and expansion will result in cooling]. 10. LATENT HEAT: Energy absorbed or released.
Describe D-Group - Severe Mid-latitude Climates.
1. Humid Continental Climate - Also Called Snow Climate. Warm and Humid summer, moderately severe winters and adequate precipitation (20 to 45 inches) decreasing inland and poleward. Vegetation - Broad-leaf deciduous and mixed forest, tall grass prairie in some portions. Most productive agricultural region in the world. Location - Lower middle latitudes (35° to 45°). Located in Eastern and midwestern United States from Atlantic Coast to the 100th meridian, east central Europe, northern China, Manchuria, Northern Korea, and Honshu. 2. Subarctic Climate - Cool summers and long, very severe winters. Summer are fairly warm and pleasant, but very short. The growing season is very short with possibility of frost in every month. Precipitation - Small amount of precipitation but adequate for vegetation. Precipitation between 20 and 30 inches. Vegetation - Coniferous forest, called taiga, with small pine trees and larch, black spruce, and white birch. Location - located higher midlatitudes 50° to 70°); northern North America from Newfoundland to Alaska, northern Eurasia from Scandinavia to most of Siberia Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk.
Describe C-Group - Mild Mid-Latitude Climates.
1. Mediterranean Climate - annual precipitation is concentrated in winter, summers being virtually rainless. Mild Winter temperatures and summers vary from hot to warm. Clear skies and abundant sunshine are typical, especially in summer. Average precipitation is slight 15 to 25 inches, the highest being in the pole-ward extreme. 2. Humid Subtropical Climate - located between 20° and 40° N and S latitudes. Located in North America, South America and Asia, and Australia. Relatively abundant summer maxima precipitation, and only short winter dry season. Winter temperatures are generally mild with some cold spells. Hot to warm and humid summers. Temperature ranges from 75° to 80°F in the summer. Range of temperature is 15° to 40°F. High humidity like the tropics in summer. Precipitation - relatively abundant, most of it in summer. Precipitation ranges from 40 to 60 inches (100 to 150 cm) with a general decrease from east to west i.e. interiorward. Some places receive as little as 30 inches and others receive up to 100 inches. Vegetation - Mixed forest, some grasslands, pines. 3. Marine West Coast Climate or Temperate Marine Climate - West coast locations, under the year-round influence of the westerlies, warm ocean currents along some coasts. Temperature - mild winter, mild summer, and low annual temperature range. Temperature 60° to 70°F (16° to 21 °C in the hot months with cold months averaging between 35° and 45°F (2° to 7°C. Precipitation - this is the wettest region of the middle latitudes. Typical precipitation is between 30 and 50 inches but in higher slope areas reaching 100 to 150 inches. Snow is uncommon in the lowlands but high areas receive the highest snowfalls in the world. Vegetation - Green year-round. Coniferous forest in America and deciduous in Europe. Location - Coastal Oregon Washington and British Columbia and Southern Alaska. Southern Chile, Interior South Africa, Southeastern Australia, New Zealand and Northwest Europe.
Describe B-Group - Arid or Dry Climates.
1. Semi-Arid Climate, Steppe or Sahel Climate - Transitional between humid and desert climates. Semiarid conditions in subtropical and mid-latitude climates. Conditions similar to desert conditions. Temperature - Hot summers and cold winters. Summers are warm or hot; and winters mild, cool or cold depending where the place is located. Precipitation - Precipitation is light 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm.) but similar to the nearest humid climate. They are different from desert condition by their higher precipitation. Vegetation - Grasslands and frees are virtually absent. Soil - soils are brown chernozem and steppe Land Use - risky for agriculture but these are the wheat, barley and sorghum areas of the world. Location - Peripheral to deserts, especially in Argentina, northern Africa (the Sahel) and The Veld of South Africa, Australia, central and southern west Asia and the USSR and western United States (Utah, the Dakotas, Colorado, and Montana etc.). More well developed in the midlatitudes than in the subtropics. 2. Desert Climate - Very hot, evaporation exceeds precipitation on the average throughout the year. Associated with descending, diverging circulation of subtropical high pressure. Temperature - Very hot. Average temperature over 64.4°F. Night temperatures are low and day time temperatures as high as over 100°F. Low humidity. Precipitation - unreliable rainfall, average precipitation is less than 10 inches a year. Very dry with only desert scrub and cactus. Location - coastal Chile and Peru, Southwest Africa, Central Australia, Southwest United States, North Africa, Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and western India, Inner Asia, Central Asia and Southern Argentina.
Describe E-Group - Polar Climates.
1. Subpolar Climate or Tundra Climate - Cold desert of the world. Cold all year round. TEMPERATURE - Average temperature of warmest month is 32° to 50°F. Summer-less at least 9 months of average below freezing. PRECIPITATON - Exceeds potential evaporation. 10 inches of precipitation; Vegetation - mosses, lichens and sedges; Soils - tundra soil, permafrost; Location - Arctic Ocean borderlands of North America, Greenland and Eurasia Antarctic Peninsula, some polar islands. 2. Polar Ice Cap Climate - located in high latitudes and interiors of landmasses. Year-round influence of anticyclone, ice cover. Summer-less. All months below freezing; world's coldest temperature; permanently frozen. Temperature - Average temperature for the warmest month below 32°. Precipitation - precipitation exceeds potential evaporation, but extremely meager precipitation. No vegetation; no soils Land use - not much, scientific exploration. Location - Antarctica, Interior Greenland, Arctic Ocean and associated islands.
1h) Identify the following atmospheric terms: IONOSPHERE
A complex zone of ionized gases that coincides with the lower portion of the thermosphere.
9a) Match the following biomes [Vegetation] with the climatic regions: DESERT SHRUB AND CACTUS
Climatic Region: ARID CLIMATE
9a) Match the following biomes [Vegetation] with the climatic regions: NEEDLE-LEAF EVERGREEN FOREST
Climatic Region: HUMID CONTINENTAL
9a) Match the following biomes [Vegetation] with the climatic regions: PRAIRIE GRASSLANDS
Climatic Region: HUMID CONTINENTAL
9a) Match the following biomes [Vegetation] with the climatic regions: CONIFEROUS FOREST
Climatic Region: MARINE WEST COAST
9a) Match the following biomes [Vegetation] with the climatic regions: OLIVE, GRAPES
Climatic Region: MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE
9a) Match the following biomes [Vegetation] with the climatic regions: ICE CAP
Climatic Region: POLAR CLIMATE
9a) Match the following biomes [Vegetation] with the climatic regions: STEPPE VEGETATION
Climatic Region: SEMIARID
9a) Match the following biomes [Vegetation] with the climatic regions: TUNDRA
Climatic Region: SUBPOLAR CLIMATE
9a) Match the following biomes [Vegetation] with the climatic regions: TROPICAL SAVANNA GRASSLAND
Climatic Region: WET AND DRY TROPICAL
9a) Match the following biomes [Vegetation] with the climatic regions: TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
Climatic Region: WET TROPICAL
2b) What is insolation?
Insolation is solar energy reaching the Earth's surface and its atmosphere. This energy comes to us in the form of electromagnetic waves / short wave Radiation.
2c) What is the relationship between insolation (solar energy) and temperature?
Insolation is solar energy reaching the Earth's surface and its atmosphere. This energy comes to us in the form of electromagnetic waves/short wave radiation. AND.. Temperature is the measure of energy that determines how hot or cold the body is.
1a) What is the extent of the Atmosphere?
It goes from 0 degrees to 6000 miles. Earth is a planet that caries its own atmosphere.
1d) Identify the three most prominent gases in the atmosphere.
Nitrogen, Oxygen and Argon.
2d) What is temperature and what instrument is used in measuring temperature?
Temperature is a measure of the degree of hotness or coldness of a substance; a measure of the average kinetic energy of individual atoms or molecules in a substance. The instrument used to measure temperature is usually the THERMOMETER.
1h) What three weather elements decrease with height in the first layer of the atmosphere?
Temperature, Moisture, and Pressure.
1g) Which of the layers above is responsible for all the weather activities?
The Troposphere.
Weather and Climate Exercise 1 1a) What is atmosphere?
The gases that covers the earth.
2c ) What effect do these two related phenomena [insolation & temperature] have on human population distribution?
The higher the insolation, the higher the temperature. AND The lower the insolation, the lower the temperature. [The hotter the body, the shorter the electromagnetic waves. The cooler the body, the longer the electro-magnetic waves.
1h) Identify the following atmospheric terms: HOMOSPHERE
The lower layer of earth's atmosphere, which exists from ground level to roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) above sea level. Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere
1e) What is the role of the ozone gas in the atmosphere?
The role of the ozone gas in the atmosphere is to absorb potentially harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun.
2f) What two agents are responsible for transferring heat from regions of high concentration to regions of low concentration?
The two agents responsible for transferring heat from regions of high concentratin to regions of low concentration are 1. Water (ocean current) and 2. Air - Atmospheric circulation (currents).
1h) Identify the following atmospheric terms: HETEROSPHERE
The upper layer of earth's atmosphere, which exists higher than roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) above sea level. Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Exosphere, Van Allen Belt
Describe HIGHLAND Climate (H).
Very changeable, from hour to hour and place to place. Tropical and mid-latitudes highlands. Climate chages with elevation substantially. There is technically no one highland climate, but the following general rules apply. 1) In tropical or low latitudes highlands are apt to have an improved climate. 2) In middle and upper latitudes, the highlands are apt to have a worse or more difficult climate, in terms of man's occupance. 3) In dry areas, highlands are apt to have a more humid climate than the surrounding lowlands. 4) There is usually a complex arrangement of climate types and sub-types in highland areas, depending on elevation, slope exposure, prevailing winds, etc. Changeability is perhaps the most conspicuous single characteristic of highland climate. 5) Climates of highlands usually are closely related to those of the adjacent lowland regions, particularly with regard to seasonally of precipitation. But there are exception to this rule. 6) Latitude is of very little importance in controlling highland climate, altitude is the controlling factor.
Describe MICROCLIMATE.
Within any climatic region it is possible to find many small local variations in which the atmospheric elements differ significantly. Some of these variation are caused by local landform configurations or human-related changes in the environment. These local wind patterns can affect the weather of aparticular locale consistently enough so that a microclimate develops. Thus land on the coast will have a different micro-climate from land 20 miles inland. An industrialized city will alter the climate of the city to be more different than areas far removed from the city. One kind of micro-climate is that associated with big cities. Urban centers tend to be warmer than the outlying rural areas and are sometimes referred to as heat island.
Wladimir Koppen's Classification is...: Modified Koppen's classification is used in geography.
based on temperature and moisture. Koppen put into consideration the effects of these two [temperature & mositure] on natural vegetation.
