Week 9 ICCR

How do we define climate?

Temperature and precipitation

What factors control climate?

Latitudes, Mountains, Continentality, and Ocean Currents

Due to circulation, what generally happens to climate?

It has a latitudinal structure

Why do the poles have very little precipitation?

It has a low evaporation rate

What happens at the ITCZ?

There is more precipitation due to wind converging at low altitudes near the equator

What happens at the belt of mid-latitude storms?

There are many comma clouds and cold/warm fronts

Where does the most precipitation occur in the US?

Pacific Northwest

Why is it dry in the midwest?

Water is removed in mountain ranges leaving the interior US very dry

What is orographic precipitation?

Lifting of air past a mountain

What does continentality mean?

The contrast in heat storage capability of land vs oceam?

What is a biome?

Relationship between climate and its vegetation

What causes the different seasons?

The tilt of the Earth

What is different about the seasons in the northern vs southern hemisphere

They are opposite

When there is more sun in the northern hemisphere what happens?

The ITCZ and strong frontal storms move north

Points _______ of the arctic circle experience 24 hour sunlight in summer

north

When is summer in the northern vs southern hemisphere

June July August vs December January February

Does the ITCZ tend to shift more over the ocean or continents?

continents

What is orographic precipitation?

Precipitation defined by lifting air over a mountain

T/F: The rotation, or orbit, of the Earth around the Sun causes different seasons

False

Which of the following factors control climate?

a. Mountains

b. Ocean Currents

c. Continentality

d. All of the above

D

What is a biome?

Biome is the term that describes the relationship between climate and vegetation. This can be seen by plotting annual precipitation and annual temperature, which is then used to make predictions about the vegetation in an area. This concept works best if seasons are considered or included.

Which region has the highest peak in the Zone Mean Precipitation graph?

Intertropical convergence zone

What is the term for the contrast in the heat storage capability of the land vs the ocean?

Continentality

T/F: Climate is the same as weather forecast

False

Which region in the US receives the most precipitation?

Pacific northwest

T/F: Frontal storms in the southern hemisphere are very strong in summer months

True

Explain why the poles of the Earth have high moisture even though there is low precipitation there

The poles of the Earth have very low levels of precipitation but still have a significant amount of moisture. This is because at the poles of the Earth, there are also very low evaporation rate which causes moisture to remain

During the winter months, the ITCZ _______

Shifts south

The Quinnipiac River is a river in Connecticut. Measurements have found a much lower daily discharge of the river in the summer months compared to the winter months. What is responsible for this?

Evaporation

T/F: The monsoon effect occurs in the Indian ocean and causes widespread drought in this region

False

Which of the following is not a type of climate classification?

a. Polar Climates

b. Tropical Climates

c. Continental Climates

d. Arid Climates

D

What is the climate of Africa like as discussed in lecture?

Africa’s climate shows many Koppen classifications and there are rainforests with a lot of precipitation when the ITCZ is moving northward, but the climate becomes dry for the rest of the year. There are also large areas of desert climate in the northern regions

What causes the large seasonal differences in flow rate of rivers in New England?

More evaporation in warm months

Which of the following is caused by seasonality?

a. Wet vs Dry periods

b. Changes in vegetation

c. ITCZ shifts

d. All of the above

D

T/F: Hurricanes are uniquely a late summer and fall event

True

What region experiences 24 hour sunlight during the summer and 24 hour darkness in the winter?

Points north of the arctic circle

T/F: In the Eastern Pacific and Atlantic ocean, the ITCZ does not shift off the equator

True