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36 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
_____ and ______ allow navigators to identify a location on a spherical Earth. |
latitude and longitude |
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When the Sun shines directly over the equator, the equator receives the most intense solar radiation, and the poles receive little. T or False |
True, duh. |
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________ is the tendency of land to experience more thermal variationthan water, due to the land's lower specific heat capacity |
Continentality
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What is specific heat? |
Specific heat is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of1 gram of material by 1 degree Celsius. |
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Non-radiative heat transfers. Available net radiation is used to do work in the Earth system. The principal use of this energy is inthe phase change of ____ (latent heat, LE), changing the temperature of the ___ (sensible heat,H), and ______ (ground heat, G) or,Q* = H + LE + G |
water, air subsurface |
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There is a distinctive pattern to incoming sunlight. The greatest amount of sunlight is at that area which is directly _____ to the Sun. |
Perpendicular |
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The variables LE, H, and G stand for what respectively? |
LE = Latent Heat H = Sensible Heat G = Ground Heat |
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LE, H, and G involve non-radiative transfers of heat. That is, ____ or _______/advection are responsible for the transfer of heat (thermal energy), not electromagnetic radiation |
conduction, convection |
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During the Autumnal Equinox and Vernal Equinox, where is the sun with respect to the equator? |
Sun sits directly above the equator |
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During the Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice Equinox, where is the sun with respect to the equator? |
During the Summer Solstice the Sun sits directly 23 1/2 degrees above the equator and the inverse is true for the Winter Solstice |
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Ground Heat Transfer (G). The third major use of radiant energy is to warm the subsurface of the Earth. Heat is transferred from the surface downwards via ________ . |
conduction
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Heat is transferred downwards when the surface is _____ than the subsurface (positive ground heat flux). If the subsurface is ____ than the surface then heat is transferred upwards (negative ground heat flux). |
warmer |
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Sensible Heat H = (Ts-Ta) what does Ts and Ta represent? |
Ts: surface temperature Ta: air temperature
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______ heat is heat energy transferred between the surface and air when there is adifference in temperature between them. |
Sensible |
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There are three important non-radiative heat transfers. What are they? |
Ground-Ground (Conduction), Ground-Air (Conduction), Air-Air (Convection) |
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A change in temperature over distance is called a"_________ _______". In the case of sensible heat transfer between the ground and surface air, it is a vertical _____ _______ i.e., between the surface and the air above |
temperature gradient |
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Heat is initially transferred into the air by conduction as air molecules collide with those ofthe surface. As the air warms it circulates upwards via ________. Thus the transfer ofsensible heat is accomplished in a two-step process. |
convection |
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A _____ column (or ____) is a column of rising air in the lower altitudes of the Earth's atmosphere. _______s are created by the ____uneven heating of the Earth's surface from solar radiation, and an example of convection. |
thermal, uneven |
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If incoming solar radiation is 342 W/m^-2 and outgoing long wave radiation is 235 W/m^-2, then one can infer, given the fact that the net energy exchange is zero, that how much of the solar radiation is reflected by into space. |
107 W/m^-2 |
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From approximately 35o N to 35o S latitude (the red area of the graph) there is a _____ of energy as incoming radiation exceeds outgoing. |
surplus |
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Why is it that the middle to higher latitudes aren't getting colder through time as a result of the net loss, and the subtropical to equatorial regions getting constantly hotter due to the net gain. |
The reason is that the energy is redistributed by circulation of the atmosphere and oceans. This process of redistributing energy in the Earth system helps maintain a long-term energy balance. |
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This process of redistributing energy in the Earth system helps maintain a ____-____ energy balance. |
long-term |
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A parcel of air which is cooler (more dense) than the surrounding air will... |
sink toward the surface |
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A parcel of air which is cooler (more dense) than the surrounding air will sink toward the surface. A parcel of air which is warmer (less dense) than the surrounding air will. . . |
rise from the surface |
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Solar radiation striking Earth at ___ latitudes arrives at an ____ angle and spreads over a wide area. Therefore it is ____ intense than solar radiation arriving vertically at the equator. |
high, oblique, less |
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The _____ effect deflects water and wind currents.
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Coriolis |
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With regards to the Coriolis effect, water or air moving ___-___ from the equator is traveling east faster than the land beneath it and veers to the ____ (turns _____ in the Northern Hemisphere and _____in the Southern Hemisphere). |
pole-ward, east, right, left |
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With regards to the Coriolis effect, water or air moving toward the equator is traveling east slower than the land beneath it and veers to the ____ (turns ____ in the Northern Hemisphere and ____in the Southern Hemisphere).
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west, right, left |
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ITCZ stands for... |
Intertropical Convergence Zone |
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Air rising at the equator moves poleward at high elevations, falls at about __° north and south latitudes, and returns to the equator, forming _____ winds. |
30, trade |
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The patterns of atmospheric circulation and surface ocean currents function to ______ thermal energy (heat) from the ______ toward the ________. |
transport, tropics, poles
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After the Gulf Stream emerges from the Caribbean, itsplits in two, with one part heading _____-_____ to Europeand the other circulating back through the ______ Atlantic. |
north-east, tropical
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As the north-eastern branch of the Gulf Stream flows, it gives off heat tothe atmosphere, which in turn warms ______ land. |
European |
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The north Atlantic ______ carries warm water tonorthern latitudes releasing heat to the atmosphere. |
conveyor
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By the time water in the gulf stream reaches the northern latitudes aroundGreenland and Iceland, the water has cooled so muchthat it sinks towards the ocean floor, a process knownas __________ . |
"overturning"
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This cooler water heads south, forming the _____ stream of a conveyor belt. The complete cycle sees _____ water coming northwards on the ocean's surface,and the _____ water returning hundreds or thousands ofmeters underwater. |
return, warm, cold |