lecture 11
Geography 120 with Knox, James; Williams John at University of Wisconsin - Madison
About this deck
By: Alexa Sunby
Textbook:
Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation (9th Edition)
Created: 2010-03-08
Size: 40 flashcards
Views: 30
Textbook:
Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation (9th Edition)Created: 2010-03-08
Size: 40 flashcards
Views: 30
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what is weather and climate?
weather--short term variability
climate--multi-year averages
what is the Mark Twain quote about weather and climate?
Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.
what are the climatic factors of weather and air masses?
latitude, location, etc.
What are air masses?
regional masses of air with mostly homogenous properties (temp, humidity, stability)
what are the key axes to define air masses?
arctic vs. temperate vs tropical
continental (dry) versus maritime (humid)
What are the qualities of the maritime tropical air mass?
humid and warm, stable to conditionally unstable
What is different about the gulf of mexico maritime tropical?
it's warmer than the pacific and there's more evaporation. it's very humid and very unstable which leads to a lot of hurricanes
true or false: air masses are static
false, they move around
what happens to air masses as they move?
they are modified, examples= lake effect and rain shadows
what are the 5 different air masses?
continental arctic, continental polar, maritime polar, maritime tropical, continental tropical
what is the lake effect?
air mass picks up moisture and energy from lake, releases snow downwind
What are rain shadows?
maritime air masses lifted over mountains, release precipitation, dries out air masses
why is atmosphereic lifting important?
it produces clouds and maybe precipitation
what are the four lifting mechanisms of atmospheric lifting?
orographic, convectional, convergent, and frontal lifting
what is orographic lifting?
air masses move over physical barrier
what is convectional lifting?
surface warms, heats air masses and they rise
what is convergen lifting?
air masses converge on low pressure zone, push air upwards. important in tropics where temperature differences are small
what is frontal lifting?
caused by collisions among air masses
where is frontal lifting mainly located?
mid-latitudes
what is a cold front?
advancing cold air quickly lifts warm air, steep front--> strong precipitation and storms
moves relatively fast
what is a warm front?
advancing warm air slides over cold air, gradual lifting-->drizzle and overcast
move relatively slow
what larger pehnomena are warm and cold fronts part of?
midlat cyclones
Where are mid lat cyclones centered?
on low pressure zones, causes surface convergence and draws in warm air from south and cold air from north
what are the 4 stages of mid-lat cyclones?
cyclogenesis, open stage, occluded stage, dissolving stage
what is cyclogensis?
well defined low pressure system, initial formation, more formed
what is an open stage?
two fronts sweeping in, the cold front is faster than warm and eventually catches up with the warm front
what is the occluded stage?
when the cold front catches up with the warm
what is the dissolving stage?
as air pressure runs in, pressure equalizes out, moves from fast winds to slow winds
what direction do cyclonic storms move?
west to east
do the cyclonic tracks remain the same?
no they shift seasonally
what are hurricanes?
intense, much lower pressure zones, stronger and faster winds
winds spiral in and get lifted upwards
release energy as water rises and condenses--transforms into wind energy encouraging wind speeds
what do hurricanes need to form?
high temps
high humidity
low wind shear
coriolis force
what is wind shear?
the air closest to the ground is moving more slow with frictional drag, it will break up the column of a hurricane
why are there few hurricanes over the equator?
because the coriolis force is zero
what are the two kinds of damages hurricanes cause?
wind speed, and storm surge
how have hurricanes changed over time?
we've reduced the mortality of hurricanes because of prediction but the amount of damage has increased.
what scale is used to measure hurricane strength?
saffir-simpson scale
what is a storm surge?
dome of water due to pressure drop
what is wave breaking?
wave setup in coastal area
what are storm waves
10-16 sec waves generated by wind shear stress
About this deck
By: Alexa Sunby
Textbook: Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation (9th Edition)
Created: 2010-03-08
Size: 40 flashcards
Views: 30
Textbook:
Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation (9th Edition)Created: 2010-03-08
Size: 40 flashcards
Views: 30
About StudyBlue
STUDYBLUE makes things that make you better at school.
Things like online flashcards with photos and audio.
Things like personalized quizzes and friendly reminders about when (and what) to study next.
Think of it as a digital backpack™: access to all of your study materials online and on your phone.
STUDYBLUE exists to make studying efficient and effective for every student, for free. Join us.
“I have used this website for three exams, and I see a huge difference in my test results.”
Naj
Naj