Natural Earth's Radiation Balance Questions What process fuels the sun? The electromagnetic spectrum ranges from ___________ to _____________. What is the difference between near infrared radiation and thermal infrared radiation? Using Wien's law, a typical Earth surface at about 17C (290K) emits radiation at a peak of about ___________ What's the peak wavelength of emission for the sun with surface temperature of about 6000K? Does a colder body emit more intense radiation than a hotter body? Earth undergoes a revolution once every __________ on the plane of the _________. Earth is about 3 million miles closer to the sun in _________ (called __________) than in __________ (called __________). Looking down at the North Pole, Earth rotates in a _____________ direction, once every ___________. How much does Earth's axis tilt? Draw the equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Arctic Circle, and Antarctic Circle, and label the latitudes. Then, trace the location of the subsolar point throughout the year on this drawing. Be sure to identify the location of the subsolar points on the solstices and equinoxes. Tilt changes what two key factors to cause seasons? Short ________ and low ___________ are the cause of winter. Short days and low elevation What is the angle of the sun at noon at ASU on each equinox and each solstice? What latitude(s) would you go to party all NIGHT long (24 hours) on June 22nd? Where would you go to experience 12 hours of night and day every single day of the year? What times of year would all latitudes experience 12 hours of night and day? What latitudes would experience the subsolar point twice in a year? What latitudes would experience the subsolar point once in a year? What latitudes would never experience the subsolar point? Solar elevation (sun angle) and the length of day Possible Answers Fusion Longwave radiation to shortwave Near infrared reflects the solar radiation Thermal shows heat 10 .48 yes 365.25 days on the plane of the ecliptic Closer in January (perihelion) Farther in (July) Aphelion Counterclockwise Once every 24 hours 23.5 degrees
the Antarctic Circle The equator Equinoxes all latitudes between the tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn The Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn all latitudes poleward of the Tropics
South If you are north of the Tropic of Cancer, the sun at noon would always be in the _______ part of the sky, casting a shadow to the _________. North Earth's atmosphere Questions What gases make up more than 95% of Earth's atmosphere? What gas varies the greatest from place to place next to Earth's surface? Dust particles have the tendency to change the temperature of Earth's surface. In what direction? How do they do this? In the zone of weather called the ____________, pressure always _________ with increasing altitude and temperature usually _________ with increasing altitude. Troposphere Above the ___________ is the second layer of atmosphere called the ______________, where temperature ___________ with altitude. Stratosphere Increases Our natural radiation balance: the basics Questions When physical geographers speak of Earth's radiation balance, they mean that incoming _______ wave solar radiation must balance outgoing _______ wave terrestrial radiation. Are there areas of solar energy surplus? Where? Are there areas where more terrestrial radiation leaves Earth than is supplied by the sun (deficit)? Where? What atmospheric processes keep insolation from reaching Earth's surface? Taken as a whole, about how much of that original solar radiation reaches Earth's surface? What surfaces have a higher albedo? snow? sand? grass? wet earth? forest? asphalt? What is the difference between sensible and latent heat flux? A golf course rests right next to the asphalt parking lot. Both receive the same amount of insolation. Which surface TRANSFERS the most latent heat? Why? Possible Answers Shortwave Longwave Yes. Between 40N and 40S Possible Answers Permanent Gases - nitrogen, oxygen and argon Water vapor Scatter solar radiation
40N+ and 40S+ It is scattered, reflected, absorbed.
High = clean snow, clouds, water, sand Low = blacktop, water (sun near vertical), forest, wet earth, grass Latent Heat Flux = evaporation, transpiration, stored energy
What processes release latent heat? What processes adsorb latent heat? Why does temperature decrease as you go higher in the troposphere, but increase as you go higher in the stratosphere? So, what are the different ways that energy can be transferred from place to place? . How we affect Earth's radiation balance Questions What major natural greenhouse gas has human activity greatly increased since industrialization?
Evaporation, Condensation
Radiation, Conduction, Advection, Convection
Possible Answers Carbon Dioxide Methane, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrous Oxide, and others
What are some other greenhouse gases that have been increased by our activities? How are these greenhouse gases supposed to increased temperatures in the troposphere? Were there geologic periods in Earth's past that had greenhouse gases in greater concentrations? What were they? Every time planet Earth has gone from a glacial to an interglacial period, this jump in temperature correlates roughly with changes from ______ to _______ levels of carbon dioxide. Those who believe global warming is going on point to increases in temperatures in the 20th century, while skeptics point that this increase simply correlates with Earth naturally rebounding from a ________ in the preceding centuries. What might be some of the effects if global warming takes place? What might explain late 20th century temperature increases besides global warming? How might urban growth explain apparent increases in temperature? Increases in desertification? Increases in solar flux? Those believing that global warming is anthropogenically forced and those who are skeptical all agree that something is increasing. What?
Yes, the Cretaceous period, Eocene period
Extinctions of thousands of species by 2050, change in the gulf stream, sea level rise
temperature change more sun's energy, it's warmer Carbon Dioxide
Is there any evidence that increases in carbon dioxide have some "benefit" to Yes, it benefits plant productivity one part of the biosphere. What has increased with increases in carbon dioxide? Is there any evidence that increases in chlorofluorocarbons and other ozonedestroying compounds have some "benefit" to any part of the biosphere? Ozone is made up of what? Ozone has a beneficial effect on life when it is in the ________, while it acts as a bad pollutant in the _______________. Why is ozone so beneficial in the stratosphere? Although bromine destroys ozone, what is the main "evil" element that destroys ozone in the stratosphere? O3 stratosphere troposphere Blocks UV radiation Chlorine
How does this evil element get up into the stratosphere? it is transported by choloroflourocarbons (CFCs) 1. Polar strospheric clouds change CFCs into chlorine containing compounds that can be broken down by sunlight. 2. the spring sunlight releases chlorine to destroy ozone Antarctica is constrained by polar vortex that breaks down in the late spring. Arctic is not cold enough to form PSCs (polar strospheric clouds) Montreal Protocol Methyl Bromide and CFCs
After chlorofluorocarbons transport chlorine up into the stratosphere, what key two steps take place to release the ozone-destroying chlorine?
Why is the Antarctic ozone hole so much worse than the depletion that sometimes occurs over the Arctic? Despite the _______ _______ agreement to limit ozone-destroying compounds, what ozone-destroying compounds are still in production?
"Temperature" Questions When does diurnal temperature reach its minimum? Why is the diurnal temperature maximum in the mid-afternoon, several hours after noon when solar radiation reaches is maximum? Can you identify annual insolation curves for the following latitudes? Arctic Circle Tropic of Cancer Equator Tropic of Capricorn Antarctic Circle Can you identify the correct order of latitudinal zones from Equatorial to Polar? Siberia Where would EXPECT to see the greatest annual temperature variation? Why is it colder in Siberia in winter than at the North Pole? Why would land heat up to higher temperatures than an adjacent area of water? it is a continental location, the north pole is a maritime location the ocean takes longer to heat up and to cool down Ocean/coast climate, less temperature range because water takes longer to heat and cool Continental climate, more temperature range because land heats and cools much faster than water Possible Answers Just before the sun comes up (5am6am)
What does a "maritime" climate mean? What does a "continental" climate mean?
Where would you go to swim in warm water, the west or the east coast of the United States? Why?
The east coast ocean currents are warm
How do cold currents influence isotherms? In the middle of North America, isotherms bend towards the equator in winter and they bend towards the pole in summer. Why do they do this? Geographers make maps of: elevation temperature pressure precipitation using isotherms isohyets isobars contour lines Match these lists.
The cold currents make the isotherms move toward the equator and die The continentality (how quickly they heat and cool)
Elevation Contour Lines Temperature Isotherms Pressure Isobars Precipitation Isohyets
"Pressure and Winds" Questions What conditions set up land-sea breezes? Do cold temperatures create denser or lighter air? Why does air flow from mountains down into valleys? Where there is a dynamic circulation "cell" where air rises (surface convergence) in one place and descends (surface divergence) in another, where would you expect: low pressure? high pressure? What controls wind speed? What deflects air trying to move along the pressure gradient? What direction is the deflection in the Northern Hemisphere? Southern Hemisphere? to the right to the left Possible Answers Heat up the land over the coast to create thermal low pressure. The air flows from the high pressure of water toward low pressure inland denser
Pressure gradient, coriolis effect, friction, Coriolis Effect
What are geostrophic winds? Where do they occur? Why does the pressure gradient "win" close to Earth's surface, such that winds spiral into low pressure cells?
Winds flow parallel to isobars in the upper atmosphere?? The coriolis effect has a much less impact on winds closest to the surface, especially around the equator. Cyclonic = winds flow counterclockwise around the center; winds spiral upward and inward; usually cloudy with possible precipitation Anticyclonic = winds flow counterclockwise around the center; winds spiral down and outward; usually clear skies with no precipitation India/Indian Ocean
What does cylclonic mean? What does anticyclonic mean?
Where is the thermal high pressure centered in Asia in winter? Why is this important in the South Asian monsoon? Why would a low pressure over Yuma and high pressure over the "4 corners" lead to the Arizona monsoon? What pressure conditions lead to the Santa Ana Winds in Southern California?
"Earths Circulation Systems"
Atmosphere General Circulation Questions Can you draw a diagram of Earth showing major pressure belts and winds. Westerly winds. Easterly winds. Northern winds. Sea breezes. How are winds given these names? In a cross-sectional view of the troposphere, where does surface convergence occur? Where does surface divergence occur? Moves southward toward the southeast Does the ITCZ just sit over the equator all year round? Where does it go trades in January. Northern Hemisphere in in January? In july? July. What pressure belts produce rain? What pressure belt generates clear skies and warm temperatures? Trade winds always blow from _______ to ___________. The Sonoran, Saharan, Namib, Atacama, and Simpson deserts all have something in common other than being deserts. They are all associated with the __________. Hadley cells in the northern and southern hemispheres touch at the _____________. Westerly winds and polar easterly winds converge at the _________. East to West Subtropical High equator Polar front? ITCZ and the 2 polar fronts The direction they come from. Possible Answers
Rising air? The three zones of global convergence create belts of __________. These zones of convergence are: the 2 polar fronts and the ITCZ What are jet streams? Where do the two polar jet streams occur? Rossby waves tend to be arranged in flow parallel to latitudes called _____________, and flow more along the lines of longitude called ___________. If you are under a ridge in the jet stream, would you expect clear skies or cloudy/rainy weather? Polar jet streams control the paths of what? Why does dust blow from the Sahara Desert to Florida? . Ocean Circulation Questions What are gyres? Why are they centered over the subtropics? The eastern side of gyres (west coast of continents) bring ______ water from ________ areas. The western side of gyres (east coast of continents) bring _______ water from _________ areas. Match cold and warm to these currents: Gulf Stream Brazil Current Kuroshio Current California Current Peru Current Benguela Current Why do we call El Nio ENSO? [Hint: what does oscillation refer to?] Why does upwelling occur along the west coasts of continents? In "normal" conditions in the south Pacific, warm water, rain, and low pressure is found where? In "El Nio" conditions in the south Pacific, warm water, rain, and low pressure is found where? What happens to the trade winds in the Pacific when conditions change from normal to "El Nio" conditions? Cold water from warm areas Warm water from cold areas Possible Answers Giant, circular ocean currents driven by the subtropical high pressure Mid-latitude storms Fast flowing currents that form at boundaries of adjacent air masses with big temperature differences East coast and West coast of the US
all 3 warm
all 3 cold Pressures flip-flop in the walker circulation and the warm water goes to south america The high pressure pushes the water away from the coast, but to make up for this loss of water, the bottom water pushes up
What are the changes to weather that take place during an ENSO year? "Moisture" Questions What two climate characteristics define an air mass? Must an air mass have these two climate characteristics be pretty uniform across a large area? What pressure conditions needed are for an air mass to remain over a surface long enough for it to absorb the surface's temperature and humidity characteristics? What is the difference between a maritime and a continental air mass? What is the difference between Arctic, polar, tropical, and equatorial air masses? Match: FIRST LETTER humid dry SECOND LETTER hot warm cool cold to mP cT mT cA cP mE
Drought, flooding,
Possible Answers Temperature and humidity
Yes. High pressure
Prior to the onset of Arizona's monsoon, we are the source region for the mT cT air mass. The seasonal wind shift brings us under the influence of what type of air mass? What has a higher saturation quantity (holds more water vapor), cold or warm air? Warm air Saturation Quantity = total amount that can be held at a given temperature Absolute Humidity = quantity of moisture present in an air mass Relative Humidity = [amount present/saturation quantity] x100 Dew point The dew point is reached Increase the amount present or decrease the
What is the difference between saturation quantity, absolute humidity, and relative humidity?
When the absolute humidity is the same as the saturation quantity, what is reached? For condensation to occur, what must happen? To reach the dewpoint, you can either ____________ or
_____________ to an air mass. Why does relative humidity increase at night and decrease during the day? If you want to evaporate the condensation on the inside of the windshield of your car, so you can see to drive, you should? Why do little drops of moisture form on the outside of a can of cold soda? What are clouds made up of? Tiny particles of dirt play what role in making clouds? How do tiny drops of water grow big enough and heavy enough to fall out of a cloud and reach the ground as rainfall? Why does advection fog occur along the west coasts of continents?
saturation quantity by lowering the temperature
Turn on the heat because warm air holds more moisture Soda cools the air around it until the dew point is reached Tiny water droplets Water condenses around the dirt - cloud condensation nuclei Condense together and are heavy enough to overcome wind resistance and updrafts There is a cold current that chills air until the dew point is reached. When it's reached condensation occurs. Clear skies, little wind, lots of moisture close to the ground
What conditions promote the formation of radiation fog?
Longwave radiation leaves during the Why does radiation fog start to form early in the morning, but advection night, so air by the ground is chilled by the fog can "roll in" just about anytime. ground. Water is always cold and just need winds to move over cold ocean current. What is the difference between orographic clouds and valley fog? Valley fog happens when the air is chilled in the valley. Orographic clouds happen when air hits a the mountains and rises. The air is cooled as it's forced up. The most precipitation is on the windward side of the mountains. clouds and uplift clear skies and warm weather 1. Cirrus 2. Altocumulus - sunsets 3. Stratus clouds are flat Nimbostratus and cumulonimbus (nimbus is the keyword)
Why does more rainfall occur in the mountains? Surface convergence of air leads to _________, whereas surface divergence of air leads to __________. Rank from high to low the following cloud types: stratus altocumulus cirrus What types of clouds typically produce rainfall? "Thunderstorms"
.Adiabatic Processes, Rainshadows, Inversions Questions A parcel of air is lifted up, rising into the atmosphere. If it is stable, it will ___________. If it is unstable, it will __________. Which of these conditions would lead to the development of thunderstorms? Possible Answers If it is stable, it willfall and drop back down producing no thunderstorms. If it is unstable, the air keeps rising until lifting condensation level and forms clouds
Unstable leads to thunderstorms. More pressure. Why does a parcel of air heat when pushed down in the atmosphere and cool when pushed up in the atmosphere?
Match the lapse rate with the following information: Dry Adiabatic Wet Adiabatic Environmental 10C/1000m 3-6C/1000m relative humidity < 100% relative humity = 100% release of latent heat the real temperature of the atmosphere
Why does temperature change between dry and wet lapse rate? During the dry lapse rate, air is not condensing. During the wet, air is condensing. As condensation begins, latent heat is released.
Dry Wet Wet
When a parcel of air is lifted, it cools at the dry adiabatic lapse rate until The heat released from condensation the dew point is reached and it now cools at the wet adiabatic lapse rate. causes the lapse rate to decrease (to the wet Why does the lapse rate change? rate) You are given a simple adiabatic chart of elevation versus temperature with the dry, wet, and environmental lapse rates drawn. Can you say whether this chart represents a "stable" or "unstable" atmosphere. In winter, on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, the cold air moving south from Canada is a _______ air mass. Sometimes, wind directions shift to bring air from the west. For people living next to mountains, this brings lee or Chinook winds. Why does the air get much warmer when the Chinook winds come? Why is the air warmer and drier on the lee side of a mountain range? What is the cause of rainshadows? Compare the location of rainshadows in the belt of the westerly winds and trade winds. On what side would you go to be in the rainshadow? In an inversion, air temperature __________ with elevation. Why is this condition called an inversion? Would you expect to find warmer air or colder air at the surface, when an inversion occurs? Why do inversions trap pollution? Why does the presence of mountains make the pollution worse? decreases it is an inverse of the normal temperature with elevation There is little vertical mixing Yes, to the people on either side of them. The pollution has even less room to mix because the mountains block the escape route. Adiabatic warming- descending air, temp increases, and the relative humidity decreases, the air dries out
. Thunderstorms and their effects
Questions A thunderstorm starts with the ______ stage where there is mostly vertical uplift, moves to the _________ stage where there is both uplift and downdrafts, and ends with the __________ stage with mostly downdrafts. What stage of a thunderstorm contains the greatest dangers? From a global perspective, thunderstorms are most common along the ___________. From the perspective of the United States, thunderstorms are most common __________.
Possible Answers updraft cumulus stage mature stage dissipating stage Mature stage ITCZ
US East Coast What are haboobs and how do the form? What is the difference in wind directions between a microburst and a tornado? Why do you need multiple downdrafts and updrafts to make large hail? Why is the eastern United States a perfect breeding ground for tornadoes? Why do tornadoes occur in the eastern United States most commonly during the spring and autumn? "dust storm" Formed by the downburst picking up winds on the dust front. Microburst outward flowing Tornado spirals in Freezes as it goes through waterzone and back up to freeze zone, etc. It has major clashes between cold dry air and warm moist air
east of the rocky mountains has major clashes of cold and warm air masses
Lightning hits the ground when the ground's positive charge or travelling sparks ______ attracts the cloud's negative charge or stepped _______. leader When should you come inside as a thunderstorm approaches, and when is it safe to go back out? What places should you particularly avoid during a thunderstorm to avoid lightning? What produces soaking summer rain in the midwestern United States? How do mesoscale convection complexes differ from a single thunderstorm? represent groups of thunderstorms, can cover up to 100,000 square km, last for 6-12 hours 5 seconds = 1 mile 30 sec, 30 minute rule Trees, hills, open water, metal vehicles MCCs
"Cyclones" Mid-latitude wave cyclones Questions Mid-latitude wave cyclones bring rain to what general latitude belt? What precedes and follows mid-latitude wave cyclones? Possible Answers The mid-latitudes! High pressure
What steers the pathway of mid-latitude wave cyclones? What does the polar front have in common with mid-latitude wave cyclones? Can you match: cold front warm front occluded front with: symbols on a weather map cross-sectional diagram Why is a mid-latitude cyclone called a "wave" cyclone? What happens to pressure, wind direction, temperature, and precipitation as an "open" mid-latitude wave cyclone passes over you? In other words, what is the weather that will happen before a warm front, as the warm front gets to you, after the warmfront/before the coldfront, as the cold front gets to you, and after the cold front Why doesn't California and Arizona experience the warm front part of mid-latitude wave cyclones? What three factors are needed to have Arizona experience mid-latitude wave cyclones? What "fuels" mid-latitude wave cyclones? [Hint: it is the same process the "fuels" hurricanes.] . Tropical Hurricanes Questions What "fuels" hurricanes? What are the conditions of the ocean and atmosphere that will allow hurricanes to grow?
Jet stream Polar clash of air makes mid latitude cyclones
It looks like a crashing wave from above. It breaks like waves.
We need 3 things to get winter storms here: 1. trough in the jet stream 2. winter time 3. meridional flow Release of latent heat
Possible Answers Release of latent heat 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Strong coriolis high sea surface temperature few changes in wind speed lots of water vapor at low level some convergence
What can "kill" a hurricane or prevent its formation? What is positive feedback as a scientific process? Why is a hurricane a good example of a positive feedback? The most intense winds in a hurricane are found where?
If it moves over cold water, dry air at low levels, strong trade win inversion, or wind shear It builds from a depression to a tropical storm to a hurricane The wall, right around the eye
Why do hurricanes impact the east coasts of continents, but rarely bother Warm sea temperatures on the east coast of the west coasts of continents? continenets Heavy winds gets the most publicity, but other effects often create the most damage. What are the most damaging effects of hurricanes? What aspect of a hurricane encourages a storm surge? Study Guide Questions: rainfall and flooding tornadoes storm surges high winds mass wasting
Low pressure rises the seal level.
Use these questions to prepare for the test. One of the best ways to learn how to take multiple choice tests is to write distracters (one close answer, one answer that can detect if student mixes concepts, one answer farther away). Thus, I've put this in table form, to encourage you to think about how you would write the distracters. .World Climates Can you match these climates: rainforest savanna subtropical desert steppe mediterranean marine west coast humid subtropical humid continental boreal tundra ice sheet with their climographs the processes that bring rain or dry conditions Water Balance and Climate Change Questions Possible Answers The combination of water released to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration. It is the amount of water delivered to the air from these two processes
What is evapotranspiration?
Droughts occur when evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation for a long period of time. What conditions promote the end of drought? Why is winter precipitation so much more "valuable" in ending drought than summer precipitation? What evidence might you find on a vacation indicating how climate change has influenced hydrology? What evidence might you find on a vacation how climate change has influenced geomorphology? Summer precipitation will evaporate back into the atmosphere so much faster than winter precipitation will. Aral sea Glacial landforms, long island, loess
What evidence might you find on a vacation of how climate change has influenced biogeography? What is the mechanism that has been proposed to explain the desertification of the Indus River Valley by the Harrapan Civilization? "Sustaining Earth's" Biogeography Processes and Natural Factors Influencing Distributions Questions The basic biogeographic unit is? What is natural selection?
treeline was formerly higher, cracks in the ground Change in albedo
Possible Answers species
Why is isolation (e.g. Hawaiian Islands, Galapagos Islands) there are lots of species because of the isolation of islands important in speciation? What is convergent evolution? What is primary productivity? How is it measured? Match the terms: xerophyte hygrophyte mesophyte riparian with their preferred moisture conditions: dry very wet (like bog) well-drained and moist along a river What are the two main adaptations plants have to cold temperatures? Where is light a limiting factor to plant growth? What are examples of poor nutrients (edaphic) in soils limiting plant growth? Why would you get xerophytes on southwest-facing slopes and xerophytes on northeast facing slopes in Arizona or California? Interspecies when two species may occupy the same habitat but some factor may give one plant What is the difference between interspecies and intraspecies the edge competition? Intraspecies when emerging seedlings jostle for light, water and nutrients with survival going to most vigorous What is plant succession, and what factors might start a succession process? Plant succession proceeds from the initial colonization by __________ until an end state when the vegetation reaches Changes in composition after disturbance Deciduous behavior and evergreen rainforests Organisms not closely related independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments. Herbivores, carnivores, decomposers Xerophytes low moisture Hygrophytes very wet (bog) Mesophytes well drained, moist places Riparian along a river
an equilibrium called ____________. climax . .Human Influences on Biotic Distributions Questions What processes did indigenous peoples use to influence biogeography? How did Europeans influence biogeography? How can introduced species influence plant and animal distributions? Possible Answers Domesticated plants and animals, fire and invading species Brought in grasses and other species not native to this region. By replacing the native species.