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36 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
When describing weather what should you include?
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-temperature
-type and amount of precipitation -wind speed -relative humidity -atmospheric pressure -presence of fog, mist, or cloud cover |
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What is the difference between climate and weather?
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Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.
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What could one use to measure weather?
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thermometers, weather balloons, satellites, psychrometer, anemometer, wind vane, rain gauge and barometers
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What is a climate zone?
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Temperature, precipitation and plant communities are used to identify climate zones.
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What are Ecoregions? What are Bioclimate Profiles?
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-Ecoregions are a new method of classifying climate based on the concern of the survival of ecosystems
-bioclimate profiles are a series of graphs that show temperature and moisture conditions at a given location. ONLY describe climate, can predict 40-80 yrs into the future |
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What are factors affecting climate?
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-the distance from the equator (latitude)
-the presence of large bodies of water -the presence of ocean or air currents -land formations -the height above sea level(attitude) |
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What is a climate system and what do they include?
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-the complex set up of components that interact with each other to produce Earth's climate: powered by the Sun
-includes air, land, liquid water, ice and living things |
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True or False: Earth absorbs more energy than radiated. Explain
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No, the amount of energy absorbed by Earth's atmosphere=the amount of energy emitted back by Earth and Atmosphere
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Define: UV Radiation and Infrared Radiation.
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UV - a form of invisible higher-energy radiation
IR - a form of invisible lower-energy radiation |
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What is thermal energy?
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The energy present in the motion of particles at a particular temperature.
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Atmosphere
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layers of gases
-reflects some of the Sun's energy, absorbs and radiates some of the energy. Like a blanket wrapped around Earth, conserving thermal energy to keep Earth warm. |
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Layers of the atmosphere
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Troposphere
Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere Exosphere |
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Ozone in the Stratosphere
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good ozone, protects us from UV. CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), methyl bromide, nitrous oxide
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Ozone in Troposphere
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bad ozone, urban pollution, from interactions of hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen and sunlight(smog)-cars
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Hydrosphere
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liquid water, water vapour and ice glaciers
-absorbs energy from warm air&the Sun&then releases energy back. Also reflects some of the energy from the Sun. Water vapour and clouds in the atmosphere also reflect, absorb, and transmit energy from the Sun |
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Lithosphere
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Earth's rock crust - land surfaces
-emits energy back as lower-energy infrared radiation. Converts into thermal energy. *remember rain shadow effect* |
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Living Things
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plants and animals
-affects the amount of carbon dioxide, oxygen, methane in the atmosphere |
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Heat Sink
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a reservoir, such as the oceans, that absorbs and stores thermal energy
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convection current
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a circular current in air and other fluids caused by the rising of warm fluid aas cold fluid sinks
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Thermohaline Circulation
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the continuous flow of water around the world's oceans driven by differences in water temperatures and salinity
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Ocean Currents
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water warms at the equator and becomes less dense, warm water at the surface travels towards the poles and gets colder and more salty, cold dense, salty water
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Conveyor Belt of Energy
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Current transport energy from warmer regions to colder, nutrients transported from pole to pole
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Other important notes
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Currents caused by prevailing wind patterns, Coriolis effect, rotation of Earth (CCW), shapes of continents
-affect climate nearby regions |
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Albedo
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how much of the Sun's radiation that is reflected by a surface
-different parts of the Earth have different albedos -Earth reflects 30-40% of the Sun's radiation |
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Albedo Effect
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-increase in Earth's temperature causes ice to melt
-more radiation is absorbed by the Earth -temperature increases more -positive feedback loop in which an increase in Earth's temperature causes ice to melt, so more radiation is absorbed by Earth's surface, leading to further increases in temperature |
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Positive Feedback Loop
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The effect increases the original cause
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Negative Feedback Loop
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The effect decreases the original cause
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Other note on Feedback Loops
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Feedback loops enhance small changes in the climate system
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What are proxy records?
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Stores information in tree rings, ice cores, and fossils that can be measured to give clues to what the climate was like the past
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Ice Age
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A time in Earth's history when Earth is cooler and much of the planet is covered in ice
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Plate Tectonics
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The theory explaining the slow movement of the large plates of Earth's crust
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Continental Drift
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The theory explaining the slow movement of the large plates of Earth's crust
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Interglacial period
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A time between ice ages when Earth warms up
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Milankovitch cycles
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Long term cycles of climate change caused by Earth's orbit around the Sun due to eccentricity of orbit, tilt and precession of tilt(wobble)
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El Nino
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A recurring change in the Pacific winds and ocean currents that brings warm, moist air to the west coast of South America
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Short Term Changes in Climate include
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Volcanic eruptions, Air and ocean currents and the sun's radiation
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