Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Physical Geography
Test #2
63
Geography
Undergraduate 1
10/23/2007

Additional Geography Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Complacement Site
Definition
site that does not produce much of a product signal
Term
Trees grow a....
Definition
ring every year.
Term
Thickness of the ring tells us....
Definition
if it was a good or bad growth year
Term
Oxygen isotopes
Definition
when the atmosphere is warm- oxygen 18 isotopes, cold- oxygen 16 isotopes.
Term
Pollen Diagram
Definition
the trees have changed over time
Term
Sea level has been rising for...
Definition
8000 years
Term
Cells vary with...
Definition
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Term
Shelf cloud
Definition
massive instability in clouds
Term
Wall cloud
Definition
form a tornado
Term
Up drafts could carry water droplets and then...
Definition
freeze and then start to go to down the downdraft and get bigger and keeps going up and down
Term
Big trough equals
Definition
biggest storms
Term
Spring is best time to have storms in this area
Definition
Central USA
Term
Hurricanes begin as...
Definition
easterly waves and develop over warm water
Term
Air ______ in the center of the storm to form the characteristic eye
Definition
descends
Term
Tornadoes tend to develop in the...
Definition
southwestern portion of large thunderstorms, often extending from a wall cloud
Term
Tornadoes form mostly in the...
Definition
Great Plains of the United States
Term
What elements all contribute to development of tornadoes?
Definition
Cold fronts, upper-air divergence, and flat terrain
Term
The distance from the surface to 300 Millibars decreases what?
Definition
Polar
Term
Early in Sun’s history...
Definition
fusion occurred in the center of the Sun
Term
Which two elements were in higher concentration in the Sun's early history?
Definition
Carbon Dioxide and Methane
Term
Mountain building is generally associated with...
Definition
glaciations
Term
Glaciations change...
Definition
the elevation of the land areas lowers the temperature of the Earth
Term
Configuration of continents alters...
Definition
ocean currents
Term
Best time for the development of a hurricane in the Atlantic ocean...
Definition
Fall
Term
What provides moisture to the air which makes it unstable?
Definition
Water
Term
What is the upper level disturbance in the tropics?
Definition
Easterlies
Term
Coriolis Effect creates...
Definition
cyclonic motion
Term
Saffir/Simposn Scale
Definition
classification for sizes of hurricanes
Term
Where do most hurricanes form and where do they head towards?
Definition
Atlantic Ocean, the USA
Term
Typhoons
Definition
common throughout southeast asia. Same storm, different area.
Destructive power goes up a lot as the wind speed goes up.
Term
What happens to PET in winter if you are in a place with snow cover?
Definition
THERE IS NO PE! PE STAYS AT ZERO
Term
How much water could you evaporate if the water were present?
Definition
high in southwest, Up in summer, down in winter
Term
Soil moisture recharge only when...
Definition
PET exceeds rainfall
Term
Soil moisture surplus
Definition
Potential Evapo-transporation exceeding the rainfall that will use up the soil moisture
Term
In the US, east is ____ and west is____?
Definition
East is wet, west is dry
Term
Where do plants draw water from?
Definition
outside the soil
Term
The hydrological cycle involves...
Definition
the movement of water around the planet
Term
PET is...
Definition
how much water would evaporate and transpire if the soil was at field capacity
Term
The 300 ml bar level is always above the...
Definition
the 500 ml bar level
Term
Atmosphere is more stable in the... morning or evening?
Definition
Morning
Term
Is it stable or unstable over the sea?
Definition
Unstable
Term
Is airflow stable or unstable off shore?
Definition
Unstable
Term
What is thunder?
Definition
Expansion of air
Term
Spider lighting
Definition
occurs in a moist environment, moves from bottom to the top of clouds. Summer nights
Term
Is the top of a cloud positve or negative charge?
Definition
Positive
Term
Is the bottom of a cloud positive or negative charge?
Definition
Negative
Term
Is PET very high or low in desert?
Definition
High
Term
What do severe storms require?
Definition
Upper air divergence
Term
Carbon dioxide levels are still rising. True or False?
Definition
True
Term
Is heavy weather associated with cold or warm fronts?
Definition
Cold
Term
When there is an aversion, is the atmosphere stable?
Definition
Yes
Term
If air rises, can it cool?
Definition
Yes but only if comes back by the dry adiavatic lapse rate
Term
In most cities, is the air warmer?
Definition
Yes, most cities dew point goes down, changing surface water balance
Term
Colloquial forecasting
Definition
comes about, after you’ve lived in a place for a long time
Term
Synoptic forecasting
Definition
explore weather maps, looks a pressure changes that are occurring
Term
Dynamic Forecasting
Definition
assumption is made that we have a fluid on a rotating earth that is being rotated by the sun, take laws and solve the equations of the earth
Term
Non-linear feature
Definition
magnify the errors
Term
Analog
Definition
look at today’s pattern and then would search for a similar pattern in the past
Term
Persistence
Definition
wet and cool spring, maybe wet and cool summer
Term
Teleconnections
Definition
where climates are linked to on the planet, allow us to find statistics to be able to predict forecast
Term
We are working with an atmosphere with _____ _____ fluid.
Definition
Thermally active
Term
Faint Sun Paradox
Definition
Billions of years ago, the Sun produced less energy than it does today, and yet, the Earth’s temperature was very warm
Term
The Milankovitch Theory
Definition
shows that ice ages were caused by changes in the orbit’s obliquity, eccentricity, and precession
Supporting users have an ad free experience!