Physical Geography Test Questions – Flashcards
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What is temperature?
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The measure of kinetic energy
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What are the three temperature scales?
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1. Celcius scale 2. Fahrenheit scale 3. Kelvin scale
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what does heat depend on?
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volume, temperature, and its capacity to hold heat
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what is "air temperature"?
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temperature measured a meter or two above the surface troposphere
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what is a lapse rate?
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rate of change of temperature with height
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what is the average tropospheric lapse rate?
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decreases 6.5c per 1000m
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what does environmental lapse rate (ELR) do with height increase
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typically decreases with height
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What is an air parcel?
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a theoretical bubble of air
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What two things can happen to a parcel of air temperature wise?
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1. if a parcel is warmer then the environment *parcel rises *unstable air *clouds/rain 2. if a parcel is cooler than the environment *parcel sinks *stable air *clear sky
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What happens as an air parcel rises?
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it expands, and work is done on the surrounding
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What happens as an air parcel sinks?
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it compresses, and work is done on the parcel
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what happens to the temperature of an air parcel as the height increases?
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it decreases
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what are the two lapse rates of a parcel?
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1. dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR) 2. saturated adiabatic lapse rate (SALR)
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describe DALR
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1. non saturated or "dry" air parcels cool at DALR 2. dependent on gases in the atmosphere and acceleration of gravity 3. this lapse rate is a constant (10c per 1km) 4. if a parcel is lowered it will always warm up at the DALR
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Describe SALR
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1. air parcels do not cool as quickly due to latent heat 2. this lapse rate is not a constant (4c per 1 km)
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describe a stable lapse rate
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1. air parcel is cooler than the environment 2. parcel is now denser and heavier and then returns to its original position
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describe unstable lapse rate
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1. air parcel is warmer than the environment 2. parcel is now lighter, and continues to rise
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what is dewpoint?
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the atmospheric temperature below which water droplets begin to condense and dew can form
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what is the lifting condensation level?
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the level where the parcel becomes saturated
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Diurnal cycle
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1. sunrise net radiation becomes positive, and temperature increases 2. solar noon: max net radiation 3. late afternoon net radiation becomes negative, and temperature decreases 4. sunset net radiation is negative, so temperature continues to decrease
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annual cycle
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1. spring a. net radiation becomes positive, and temperatures increase 2. autumn a. net radiation becomes negative, and temperatures decrease
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how is the spatial distribution of temperature decided?
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by the length of daylight and the angle of the suns rays
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what are the land/water heating differences?
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1. dry land heats and cools rapidly 2. water heats and cools slowly
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does water have a high specific heat?
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yes. it takes more energy to heat or cool water because water holds onto heat
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describe advection
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horizontal transport through the atmosphere via wind
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describe isotherms
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lines connection all points having the same temperature
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describe temperature gradient
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horizontal rate of temperature change over a distance
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describe wind
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movement of air relative to the earths surface
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air moves from_____ to_____ pressure?
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higher to lower
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describe pressure when referring to air
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weight of a column of air
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speeds and directions of surface winds are determined by what three forces?
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1. pressure gradient force 2. coriolis force 3. frictional force
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what are the two types of wind systems?
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large and small scale
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two types of large wind scale systems
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upper level winds & surface winds
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cyclones happen from____ air &____ pressure?
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rising & low
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anticyclones happen from___air &_____ pressure?
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sinking & high
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what is cold air drainage?
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steady downward oozing of heavy, dense, cold air along steep slopes under the influence of gravity
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how is a monsoon formed?
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by seasonal reversal of onshore and offshore winds
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what are ocean currents?
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large scale movements of water
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what is an airmass?
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A large uniform body of air that movse across the surface as an organized whole
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air mass classification
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Humidity 1. m-maritime 2. c-continental temperature 1. t-tropical 2. p-polar 3. a-artic
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air mass types
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1. continental tropical-cT (hot and dry 2. maritime tropical- mT (hot and moist) 3. continental polar-cP (cold and dry) 4. maritime polar-mP (cold and moist)
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two types of extreme air masses?
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1. continental artic 2. maritime equatorial
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describe fronts
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Zones separating two types of air masses
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what are the two main types of fronts?
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cold front & warm front
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cold front
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The cold air mass is replacing a warmer air mass
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warm front
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The warm air mass is replacing a colder air mass
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what two things are needed for precipitation?
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moisture & rising motion
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what are the four lifting mechanisms?
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1. convergent lifting 2. frontal lifting 3. orographic lifting 4. convectional uplift
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convergent lifting
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the forced uplift of an air pacel where low level wind converges
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frontal uplift
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-caused by the collision of air masses with different temperatures/densities.
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frontal uplift-cold front
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- cold front for example, if a cold air mass approaches a warmer air mass, the cold air will stay below because it is more dense. This forces the warmer air to rise rapidly
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frontal uplift-warm front
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if a warm air mass approaches a cooler air mass, the warm air mass will ride up over the cooler air
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orographic lifting
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the forced uplift of moving air that encounters a mountain
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convectional uplift
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convection uplift is caused by atmospheric instability. Parcels rise from being warmer than the environment
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what 3 conditions form airmass thunderstorms?
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1. sufficient water vapor 2. sufficient instability 3. weak winds aloft
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what are the 3 stages of the life cycle for air mass thunderstorms?
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1. developing stage 2. mature stage 3. dissipating stage
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developing stage
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convection occurs in an unstable environment as moist heated air rises, condensation occurs, and warms the surrounding air through latent heat
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mature stage
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-updraft continues -heavy rain begins to fall producing a downdraft of cold air
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dissipation stage
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downdraft dominates weakening the updraft of warm, moist air. suffocates it
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what is a squall line?
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individual severe thunderstorms 1-5 miles wide become arranged in a line
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what are supercells?
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individual thunderstorms that assume their own rotation
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what are 3 types of thunderstorm related phenomena?
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lighting/thunder, hail, and tornados
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what does the hydrosphere do?
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it encompasses the global water system
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what are the 3 physical properties of water?
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solid, gas, & liquid
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define humidity
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the amount of water vapor present in a column of air
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define absolute humidity
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mass of water vapor per VOLUME of air
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define specific humidity
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mass of water vapor per MASS of air
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define mixing ratio
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mass of water vapor per mass of dry air
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what is the dew point?
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the temperature at which saturation is reached
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define evapotranspiration
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passage of moisture from the land surface to the atmosphere through the combined processes of evaporation and transpiration
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define clouds
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visible masses of suspended, minute water droplets and/or ice crystals
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define stratus clouds
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-layered appearance -fairly thin -typically cover a large region
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define nimbostatus clouds
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-low level cloud -rain producing
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define cirrus clouds
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-thin -whispy clouds -composed of ice crystals
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define cumulus clouds
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-thick, puffy masses that often develop to great heights
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define cumulonimbus clouds
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-very tall cumulus clouds -anvil shaped at the top -violent weather related
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what are 5 forms of precipitation?
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1. rain 2. snow 3. sleet 4. freezing rain 5. hail
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define water balance
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the measurement of inflow, outflow, and net annual surplus of deficit of water at a given location
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what are ocean currents?
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large scale movements of water
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worlds oceans are divided into three zones, what are they?
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1. mixed layer-75 m in depth roughly 3% of the total ocean water volume 2. thermocline-1000 m in depth 3. deep water-depths greater than 1000 m includes 97% if the total ocean water volume
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what is the single most important influence of the world ocean on the atmosphere?
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it's heat-storage capacity
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what are the two types of currents?
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warm current & cold current
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warm currents travel from where to where?
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the tropics towards the poles
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cold currents typically travel from where to where?
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from the poles towards the equator
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what 2 ways can you generate ocean currents?
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1. the kinetic energy of the prevailing surface winds 2. the density of salt water
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define gyre
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cell like circulation of surface currents that often encompasses an entire ocean basin
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how does upwelling work?
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as the warm water is driven out to sea, water from beneath must "upwell" to replace it
