extreme weather and climate chapters 1, 2, 3, and 15
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46 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 what is the number of people who die of weather related events annually? | 2 million |
| hierarchy of weather related deaths | 1) heat 2) flood 3) tornado 4) lightning 5) winter 6) thunderstorm wind 7) cold 8) hurricane |
| radiant energy | energy from the sun transferred in the form of waves the thane electrical and magnetic properties. primary source of Earth's warmth |
| Earth's average temp | 59 degrees F |
| Earth's atmosphere | -the thin, gaseous envelop consisting mostly of nitrogen, oxygen, and various other gases (like CO2 and H2O) -shields us from harmful UV radiation from sun -shields us from interstellar material -has no definite upper limit |
| Nitrogen in the atmosphere | -makes up about 78% of atmosphere -removed from atmosphere by soil bacteria and ocean plankton -returned to atmosphere by plant and animal decaying |
| oxygen in the atmosphere | -makes up 21% of gas in atmosphere -removed from atmosphere when organic matter decays, oxidation with other substances, and during inhalation of animals -returns to the atmosphere mostly by photosynthesis |
| water vapor | -water in its gaseous state -amount in atmosphere varies greatly from place to place and time to time |
| condensation | a phase change of water going from gas to liquid |
| evaporation | a phase change of water from liquid to gas |
| latent heat | -the heat that is either released or absorbed by a unit of mass of a substance when it undergoes a phase change -water vapor releases a large amount when it changes to liquid or ice |
| carbon dioxide in the atmosphere | -enters the atmosphere mostly through the decay of vegetation, but also through volcanic eruptions, respiration of animals, and the burning of fossil fuels -removed mainly by photosynthesis -recent increase of 23% -important greenhouse gas (as CO2 increases, Earth's surface temp increases) |
| chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the atmosphere | -were once used all the time in spray cans -when enters the atmosphere, UV rays break them down into chlorine that destroys ozone -huge role in the creation of the ozone hole |
| ozone (O3) in the atmosphere | -shields plants, animals, and humans from dangerous UV rays -majority found in the stratosphere |
| ozone hole | a sharp drop in the stratospheric ozone concentration observed over Antarctica |
| aerosols in the atmosphere | tiny solid or liquid particles of various composition such as: -evaporated sea salt -ash from volcanoes -smoke -soil particles |
| pollutants in the atmosphere | mostly human made and are a nuisance and a health hazard -acid rain is a result |
| what is the definition of weather? | the condition of the atmosphere at any given time |
| the 7 components of weather | 1) air temp 2) air pressure 3) wind 4) humidity 5) clouds 6) precipitation 7) visibility |
| what is the definition of climate? | the accumulation of daily and seasonal weather event cover a long period of time |
| temperature | the measure of the average speed (kinetic energy) of atoms and molecules -higher temperatures = higher speeds -lower temperatures = lower speeds |
| converting F to C | C = 5/9(degreesF-32) |
| converting C to K | K = degreesC +273 |
| temperature lapse rate | the rate at which temperature decreases with altitude |
| which layers of the atmosphere experience temperature inversion? | stratosphere and thermosphere |
| troposphere | -contains all the weather that we experience on Earth -temp decreases with altitude, because sun heats up earth's surface, and surface warms surrounding air -air circulates with rising and falling currents |
| stratosphere | -contains the ozone layer -temperature increases with altitude due to ozone, which absorbs UV rays and warms up |
| mesosphere | -air is extremely thin -coldest part of atmosphere is the higher portion -temp decreases with increasing altitude |
| thermosphere | -O2 molecules absorb energetic solar rays, warming up -temp increases with altitude -site of solar event aurora |
| what is the order of layers of atmosphere from lowest to highest? | troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere |
| air pressure | -the amount of force exerted over an area of a surface -always decreases with increasing altitude |
| wind | -air in motion -the workhorse of weather |
| eddies | spinning globes of air -microscale- few meters -mesoscale- few kilometers to 100 kms -macroscale- hundreds to thousands of kms |
| scales of motion | the hierarchy go of motion of wind, from tiny gusts to giant storms |
| wind speed | the rate at which air moves by a stationary observer |
| wind direction | wind usually blows from regions of higher pressure to lower pressure winds in the northern hemisphere blow clockwise and outward in high pressure, counterclockwise and inward in lower pressure |
| saturated | a state in which the total number of molecules evaporating equals the number of molecules condensing |
| condensation nuclei | tiny particles that water vapor sticks to when its cool and begins to condense |
| relative humidity | the ration of the amount of water vapor actually in the air and the max amount of water vapor needed for saturation |
| energy | the ability or capacity to do work on some form of matter |
| kinetic energy | the energy of a body due to its motion KE = 1/2 x mass x velocity2 |
| heat | energy in the process of being transferred from one object to another |
| is evaporation a cooling process or a heating process? | cooling process |
| is condensation a cooling process or a heating process? | heating process |
| wein's law | the wavelength of radiation depends on the objects temp, the higher the temp, the shorter the wavelength ^max = constant/temp |
| stefan-boltzbann law | objects that have high temperature emit radiation at higher rate or intensity E = O=o(constant) x T4 |
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