Term
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Definition
| Gases, water vapor, airborne particles, nitrogen, oxygen |
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Term
| Ascending air in the atmosphere |
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Definition
| Cools as it expands. Cooler air can hold less water, so water vapor condenses into tiny droplets - clouds. |
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Term
| Descending air in the atmosphere |
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Definition
| warms as it compresses - the droplets (clouds) evaporate |
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Term
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Definition
| What powers atmospheric circulation? |
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Term
| Variation in Solar Radiation per day |
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Definition
* Length of the day
* Mean solar elevation
- Latitude and Season
* Atmospheric condition
- Cloud cover
- Haze and aerosols
- Dust |
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Term
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Definition
| Solar radiation passes through the clear atompshere. Most radiation is absorbed by the Earth's surface and warms it. Some solar radiation is reflected by the Earth and the atmosphere. Infrared radiation is emitted from the Earth's surfaces. Some of the infrared radiation passes through the atmosphere, and some is absorbed and re-emitted in all directions by greenhouse gas molecules. The effect of this is to warm the Earth's surface and the lower atmosphere. |
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Term
| Is the Greenhouse Effect necessary? |
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Definition
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Term
| Human inputs to Greenhouse Gases |
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Definition
* Burning of fossil fuels
* Deforestation for Agriculture and Urbanization
* Rapid change - Industrial Revolution
- 300 years
* Buffering by natural processes
- 1000's of years |
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Term
| How solar energy input varies with latitude. |
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Definition
| Equal amounts of sunlight are spread over a greater surface area near the poles than in the tropics. Ice near the poles reflects much of the energy that reaches the surface there. |
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Term
| Reflection and Absorption of Solar Energy Resulting from Different Angles of Incidence on a Flat Sea |
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Definition
Reflection increases with decreasing angle.
Absorption increases with increasing angle. |
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Term
| Why doesn't the ocean boil away near the equator or freeze solid near the poles? |
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Definition
| Because heat is transferred by winds and ocean currents from equatorial to polar regions. |
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Term
| Why does the solar heating of earth vary with the seasons? |
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Definition
| The seasons are caused by variations in the amount of incoming solar energy as Earth makes its annual rotation around the sun on an axis tilted by 23.5 %. During the Northern Hemisphere winter, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun and the Northern Hemisphere recieves less light and heat. During the Northern Hemisphere summer, the situation is reversed. |
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Term
| How does earth's uneven solar heating result in large-scale atmospheric circulation? |
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Definition
| A convection current forms in a room when air flows from a hot radiator to a cold window and back. Air warms, expands, becomes less dense, and rises over the radiator. Air cools, contrasts, becomes more dense, and falls near the cold glass window. |
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Term
| What factors govern the global circulation of air? |
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Definition
Uneven solar heating
The Coriolis effect |
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Term
| What is the Coriolis effect? |
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Definition
| It is the observed deflection of a moving object, caused by the moving frame of reference on the spinning Earth. |
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Term
| How does the Coriolis Effect apply to the atmosphere? |
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Definition
| As air warms, expands, and rises at the equator, it moves toward the pole, but instead of traveling in a straight path, the air is deflected eastward. In the Northern Hemisphere air turns to the right. In the Southern Hemisphere air turns to the left. |
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Term
| How does the Coriolis effect influence the movement of air in atmospheric circulation cells? |
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Definition
A large circuit of air is called an atmospheric circulation cell. Three cells exist in each hemisphere.
1. hadley cells are tropical cells found on each side of the equator.
2. ferrel cells are found at the mid-latitudes.
3. polar cells are found near the poles. |
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Term
| What are some of the wind patterns found between and within cells? |
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Definition
* Doldrums are calm equatorial areas where two Hadley cells converge.
* Horse latitudes are areas between Hadley and Ferrel cells.
*Trade winds are surface winds of Hadley cells.
* Westerlies are surface winds of Ferrel cells. |
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Term
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Definition
| Winds are caused by differences in highs and lows. the trade winds will bend to the right in the N hemisphere and the left in the S hemisphere. Winds are named for where they come from thus the trade winds are easterlies. |
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Term
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Definition
| patterns of wind circulation that change with the season. Areas with them generally have dry winters and wet summers. |
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Term
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Definition
| cool air from over the water moving toward land. They occur after sunrise. |
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Term
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Definition
| occur after sunset when air warmed by the land blows toward the water. |
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Term
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Definition
| During the monsoon circulations of January and July, surface winds are deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. |
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Term
| The flow of air in coastal regions during stable weather conditions |
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Definition
| In the afternoon, the land is warmer than the ocean surface, and the warm air rising from the land is replaced by an onshore sea breeze. At night, as the land cools, the air over the ocean is now warmer than the air over the land. The ocean air rises. Air flows offshore to replace it, generating an offshore flow (a land breeze). |
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Term
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Definition
| regional atmospheric disturbances. they have high winds and most have precipitation. |
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Term
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Definition
| rotating masses of low-pressure air |
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Term
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Definition
| occur in tropical regions. these storms can cause millions of dollars worth of damage and endanger life. |
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Term
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Definition
| occur in Ferrel cells, and are winter weather disturbances. These storms can cause extensive damage. |
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