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2) Global Climate Patterns

Terms in this set (50)

Weather:
describes the current condition (temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, etc.)
Climate:
- describes long term descriptions of weather.
- is based on averages, variation, extremes & timing.
what is the relationship between climate and organisms?
climate largely determines the geographic distribution of organisms
how does the sun play a role in global climate?
it is the ultimate source of energy that drives the global climate.
describe the sun's energy distribution wrt the earth (compare at equator and towards poles):
- it is not received equally.

- near the equator: sun rays hit earth perpendicularly over a smaller area and shorter path.

- towards the poles: sun rays are spread over a larger area and longer path
uplift:
- heat hits earth, warms earth surface, and then warms the air above the surface.

- warm air is less dense than cool air, so it rises.
what is the relationship between uplift and air pressure:
- uplift=low pressure

- air pressure decreases with altitude, so the rising air expands and cools.
what is the relationship between uplift and precipitation:
- uplift= high precipitation

- as the rising air expands and cools, water vapor condenses to form clouds.

- warm air holds more water vapor (gas).

- cool air holds less water vapor than warm air.
which region receives the most most solar radiation, and therefore has the most precipitation?
tropical regions.
what is the climate like in tropical regions and what causes it?
low atmospheric pressure zone and high precipitation; due to uplift.
subsidence:
- describes how air falls, after reaching a maximum altitude.
- the air moves away from the equator and flow north or south towards the poles, cooling.
what is the relationship between subsidence and pressure:
air descends (falls) when it cools, forming high pressure zones at 30S and 30N.
what is the relationship between subsidence and precipitation:
there is a lack of precipiation
which regions are located at 30S and 30N?
deserts
uplift vs subsidence
- warm air rises (from the equator)
- cool air falls (towards the poles)
Hadley cell:
- a large-scale pattern of atmospheric circulation that occurs between 0 and 30-degrees from the equator.
- associated with low pressure and high precipitation.
- occur in tropical climatic zones
Ferrell cell:
- occur at 30 and 60-degree from the equator.
- occur in temperate climatic zones
Polar cell:
- occur 60 and 90-degrees from the equator, near the north and south poles.
- associated with high pressure zones and low precipitation.
- occur in polar climatic zones
what is the interaction between Ferrell and Polar cell circulation?
they crash into each other creating uplift at 60-degrees, called Polar Front. this causes low pressure and precipitation in the form of snow.
coriolis effect:
- describes how the earth spins from west to east, and its effect on the different latitudes.
--> objects at the equator move faster 1040 mph
--> objects at 60 N or S move slower, 520 mph
- results in movements called prevailing winds.
How would you describe the movement of the winds at 1)the equator and 2) at 60-degrees N or S:
1) an air mass that rises from the equator towards the poles moves fast and is deflected toward the east. (earth spins west to east.

2) an air mass that descends from the poles moves slow and is deflected to the west.
what are the prevailing winds and name them:
- they are air movements as a result of the Coriolis effect.
- trade winds
- westerlies
- easterlies
name the prevailing winds and their associated circulation pattern cell
1) Hadley = trade winds
2) Ferrell = westerlies
3) Polar = easterlies
1) between which latitudes are trade winds flowing and 2) in which direction do the N&S trade winds blow.
1)they go from 30 N & S (Hadley cell)
2) toward the west

note: going from a higher to lower latitude deflects wind westward!
1) between which latitudes are westerlies flowing and 2) in which direction do they blow.
1) they go from 30-60 N & S (Ferrell cell)
2) toward the east

note: going from a lower to higher latitude deflects wind eastward!
1) between which latitudes are easterlies flowing and 2) in which direction do they blow?
1) they go from 90-60 N&S (polar cell)
2) toward the west.
what is the interaction between the prevailing winds, the ocean currents, and continents:
- ocean water is driven by movements of the wind in their respective zones.
- when water hits continents they split into north or south flowing currents falling into different zones that push them around.
at what latitude is current not affected by continents, and only by prevailing winds
55-degrees
which has a higher heat capacity (specific heat), water or land? and why
water, because it can absorb and store much heat energy with a minimal change in its temperature.
compare and contrast 1) maritime climate vs 2) continental climate....wrt temperature changes
1) they are near coastal areas which accounts for little daily and seasonal variation in temperature

2) in center of large continents with much greater temperature variation.
moving up a mountain air masses ____ creating _____and moving down the mountain air masses ____ creating _____.
cool, precipitation
warm, dryness
what is the rain shadow effect:
- it is caused by the air rising and falling down mountain sides.
windward slope
the side of a mountain where air rises and that receives high precipitation
leeward slope
the side of the mountain where air falls and receives little precipitation.
the circulation cells lead to precipitation being highest at ____ and ____, while being lowest at _____ and _____.

- 0-deg (tropical)
-60-deg (temperate)
- 30-deg (desert)
- 90-deg (poles)
tropical (0) and temperate (60)
desert (30) and polar (90)
at what angle is the earth tilt?

- 25.3
- 23.5
- 23.3
-25.5
23.5
what is the relationship between the earth' tilt and seasonal variation?
- the earth orbits at a tilt, with rays hiting varying points.
what factors define seasonal variation:
- hours of daylight
- changes in precipitation
- variation in solar radiation
what is the seasonal variation like at the equator
- there is none
- there is always 12 hours of daylight
- slight changes in precipitation
what is the seasonal variation like at temperate (60) and polar (90) zones:
- there's variation in solar radiation in summer and winter
- varying temperatures
- varying day lengths
describe the climate changes during the spring and fall equinox
the sun directly hits the equator (o-deg) and daylight lasts 12 hours everywhere
describe the climate changes during the summer solstice
- the sun hits the tropic of cancer (23.5 N) and it never hits the north (arctic circle, 66.5 N) or south (Antarctic circle, 66.5 S) poles
- Northern Hem gets 24 hr sunlight
- Southern Hem gets no sunlight
describe the climate changes during the winter solstice
- the opposite but similar to summer solstice
- the tropic of Capricorn hits at 23.5 S
- the Southern Hem gets 24 hrs of sunlight
- northern hem gets no sunlight
what is El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO):
1) when do they occur
2) what ocean are they associated with
1) they occur every 3-8 years for 18 months
2) events that are associated with the equatorial pacific ocean (West US)
How does ENSO affect tradewinds
they diminish tradewinds which slow circulation in the pacific.
what climate changes does ENSO have on 1) Eastern Pacific regions (N&S America) and on 2) Western Pacific regions (Asia and Australia)
1) is wetter than normal, experiencing severe rain and flooding
2) is drier than normal, experiencing drought and fire.
Summer solstice and fall equinox are examples of ______ climate variations while El Nino Southern Oscillations are examples of _______ climate variation.
seasonal, multi-year
what is the shape of earth's orbit:
it fluctuates from circular to elliptical every 100,000 years
how does the earth's tilt change:
it goes from a max of 24.5 to 23.5 to a min of 22.1 every 40,000 years.
how does the orbit shape and tilt affect climate
it causes long term climate variations.
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