cult geo

i only had like 2 pages of notes + the reading questions so uhhh

what is climatology

what is climatology

study of long term weather conditions

• use records of rainfall, temp, and atmospheric conditions

• climograph - represents particular locations climate over time

the climate zones

1. tropical rainy

2. dry

3. temperate

4. cold

5. varied highland

weather definition

condition of atmosphere at a given time and place

climate definition

average weather in area over extended length of time

• temp/precipitation influence

climate zone

division of the earth’s climate such as polar, temperate, or tropical

5 basic elements describing weather

1. temp - indicates thrmal energy in the air

2. atmospheric pressure - weight of gasses in atmosphere

3. wind - heating/cooling of air mass

4. precipitation

5. humidity

Coriolis effect

caused by the rotation of earth’s axis

3 temperate zones

1. polar zone - N/S poles

2. temperate zone - between polar/tropic, N/S of equator

3. tropic zone _ between tropic of cancer/capricorn

wind belts

• N/S - polar easterlies

• 60°/30° N/S of equator - prevailing westerlies

• 30° - equator N/S trade winds

planets

1. mercury

2. venus

3. earth

4. mars

5. jupiter

6. saturn

7. uranus

8. neptune

2 requirements of planet

1. orbit sun

2. enough mass to be round

3. clear its neighborhood (strong gravitational force)

why isnt pluto a planet?

• no consistent orbit around sun

• not round

most obvious motion of earth

rotation

• 23.5° N/S axis

• bc of that ↑, sun/moon/stars appear to rise in east

how many days does it take for earth to complete rotation around sun?

365 ¼ days

when are days/nights = to one another

during spring/fall equinox

spring equinox

march 21

fall equinox

sep 21/22

when is the sun farthest from equator

summer/winter solstice

summer solstice

june 21 (longest day of year)

winter solstice

dec 21/22 (shortest day)

what impacts climate

• elevation

• proximity to water

• different land masses

all of the world’s farmland is located in the ___ climate zone

temperate

study of long term weather conditions

climatology

climate zone definition

a division of the earth’s climate

what does windward mean

sides of a region facing wind

• receives more precipitation

what does leeward mean

side of region not facing wind

• experiences rain shadows, little precipitation, arid climate

how does latitude play into establishing climate

• can determine the amount of thermal energy that is retained/reflected from sun

• ↑ can affect amounts of precipitation, temp, and living conditions

large bodies of water near landmasses has what kind of impact on those land masses

• can cool down land far from polar regions

• or heat up land far from tropics

what is a biome

• large region where distinct populations of plants/animals live together

how do biomes affect people

• how they live

• how they eat

• their home structures

common biome groupings

forests, grasslands, wastelands

what is meteorology

• study of the atmosphere (its composition, structure, weather, and alteration)

what is climate change/global warming

long term shifts in temps/weather patterns

key questions to ask about climate change

1. is the earth warming?

2. are people the cause of said warming?

3. if it is people causing the warming, is it bad?

4. will “solutions” given by political leader/scientists fix the problem?