GE-101 Introduction to Geography - Atmospheric and Oceanic Systems

Practice vocabulary flashcards based on the GE-101 Introduction to Geography Second Long Exam transcript, covering earth systems, meteorology, and oceanography.

Natural Greenhouse Effect

A phenomenon persisting for billions of years that helps regulate Earth's global temperature, preventing it from freezing and maintaining it in-check.

The occurrence of an El Niño/La Nina has NO effect on the ocean productivity and the world food sustainability

False

Air Flows from areas of lower pressure to areas of higher pressure

False

Air flows from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure

EASTERLIES/TRADE WINDS are the dominant WEST-TO-EAST motion of the atmosphere

False

Easterlies or trade winds move east to west

Water exists in four states: Liquid, Solid, Gaseous, and Plasma states

False

Only three states: Solid, liquid, and gaseous

The Figure below portrays an El Nino condition of the Pacific Ocean, where warm waters are seen in the western Pacific (near Asia) and cool ocean waters are upwelling in the eastern side of the Pacific (near North and South America)

False

The figure portrays normal conditions

Friction acts to slow air movement which changes wind direction

True

Earth's climate and weather are primarily driven by the heat from the sun and consists of an endless series of heat transfers from the oceans to the atmosphere and vice versa

True

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are all rotating storms spawned in the tropics.  Because of the Coriolis effect, these storms rotate CLOCKWISE in the Northern Hemisphere

False

They rotate COUNTER-CLOCKWISE in the northern hemisphere

The earth’s axis tilt of 23.5° is one of the major causes of changes in earth’s seasons

True

Coriolis Effect

An effect where Earth's rotation causes free-moving objects or fluids to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Coriolis Effect is an actual force that  makes things (like planes or currents of air) traveling long distances around Earth appear to move at a curve as opposed to a straight line

False

The spherical nature of the surface of the earth is another reason for the  difference in heating of the hemispheres causing the seasons

True

The more dominant type of breeze during the NIGHT TIME is the Sea Breeze, where the land HEATS/WARMS faster than the ocean, and air rises on the shore

False

The sea breeze is the dominant breeze during the DAY TIME

The north and south poles receive the most concentrated solar radiation due to the Earth's' curvature

False

The tropics receive the most concentrated radiation

In coastal areas during the warm summer months, the land surface is heated more intensely during the daylight hours than an adjacent body of water (such as an ocean). As a result, the air above the land surface heats, expands, and rises, creating an area of lower pressure. At night the reverse takes place

True

Air Pressure

A phenomenon exerted by the weight of air in all directions—down, up, and sideways.

Jet streams flow from EAST-TO-WEST directions in both the northern and southern hemispheres

False

Jetstreams flow from WEST-TO-EAST

Clouds are basically water in its liquid state

True

An ANEMOMETER is a weather instrument that measures HUMIDITY in the air

False

Anemometers are used to measure wind speed

The heat transport within the Earth's ocean is driven by the different distributions of Salinity and Temperature

True

Air that is heated or warmed would tend to sink

False

Heated or warmed air rises

Cold air generally holds lower moisture

True

The Figure portrays a normal condition of the Pacific Ocean, where warm waters  from  western Pacific move towards the eastern Pacific, preventing the upwelling of cold waters in the eastern side of the Pacific

False

The figure portrays an El Niño event

The unequal heating of Earth’s surface generates pressure differences in the atmosphere

True

Solar radiation is the ultimate energy source for most wind

True

Thunderstorms and Lightning help regulate the electrical balance between the atmosphere and the planet

True

Fog is a high-lying form of cloud

False

Fog is a low-lying form of cloud

It is postulated that the burning of fossil fuels at the start of the industrial era (some 200 years ago) until now, has contributed to the accumulation of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases". As a result of this accumulation, long wave radiation (which is heat) is prevented from escaping  into space thereby increasing global temperature

True

Orographic precipitation, such as  rain, snow, or other precipitation  are produced when moist air is lifted as it moves over a mountain range. As the air rises and cools, orographic clouds form and serve as the source of the precipitation, most of which falls upwind  or windward side of the mountain ridge

True

The term El Nino was coined by the fisher folks of South America,  to the Christmas season which  is the birth of the baby Jesus

True

The more dominant type of breeze during the day is the Land Breeze, in which the land COOLS faster than the ocean, and where air rises offshore

False

The land breeze is the dominant breeze during the NIGHT TIME

The highest amounts of long-wave radiation or heat  from earth have been observed to be at the poles

False

They were observed in the tropics

Warm air generally holds higher moisture

True

The occurrence of an/a El Nino/La Nina happens from between 3 to 7 years cycle

True

The eye of a storm is a high pressure area

False

The eye is calm and surrounded by higher pressure and intense winds

Because of the Coriolis effect, the storms rotate  COUNTERCLOCKWISE  in the Southern Hemisphere

False

Storms rotate clockwise in the southern hemisphere

The El Nino phenomenon was first observed and most strongly observed in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean

False

El Niño was first observed in the Pacific Ocean

Wind

The result of horizontal differences in air pressure, with solar radiation acting as the ultimate energy source.

Westerlies in the tropics  are the same or synonymous to the Trade winds

False

EASTERLIES are synonymous to trade winds

Most of the  surface freshwater on earth are to be found in the frozen state in ice caps and glaciers

True

Identify the types of atmospheric lifting (L)

Conventional

Unequal heating of earth’s surface causes air to rise

Trade Winds (Easterlies)

Two belts of winds that blow almost constantly from the east towards the western directions, located on the north and south sides of the subtropical highs.

Westerlies

The dominant west-to-east motion of the atmosphere that characterizes the regions on the poleward side of the subtropical highs.

Anemometer

A weather instrument that resembles a cup and is commonly used to measure wind speed.

Psychrometer

An instrument consisting of a wet bulb and a dry bulb thermometer used to determine atmospheric humidity.

Barometer

The instrument used for measuring air pressure.

Relative Humidity

The amount of water vapor in the air expressed as a percentage relative to the maximum amount the air can hold at a given temperature.

Subsolar Point

The location where the sun's rays are perpendicular (at right angles) to the Earth's surface.

Insolation

Solar radiation that reaches a horizontal plane at the Earth's surface.

El Niño

The periodic warming of the ocean that occurs in the central and eastern Pacific, occurring in a cycle of $3$ to $7$ years.

Monsoons

Seasonal reversal of wind direction associated with large continents like Asia, where wind blows from land to sea in winter and sea to land in summer.

Occur on a “mega-scale” or “continental scale”

Jetstream

Fast-moving "rivers" of air that travel between $120$ and $240$ kilometers per hour in a west-to-east direction.

Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

A belt of low pressure circling the Earth near the equator where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres meet; also known as the Doldrums.

Sublimation

The process of ice water turning into its gaseous form without necessarily going through a liquid phase.

Orographic Precipitation

Precipitation produced when moist air is lifted over a mountain range, cooling to form clouds mostly on the windward side.

Gulf Stream

The main oceanic current that regulates most of western Europe, providing relatively mild winters compared to the rest of the continent.

Summer Solstice

Occurs every June $20$ to $23$ in the northern hemisphere, featuring the longest day and shortest night of the year.

Winter Solstice

Occurs every December $20$ to $23$ in the northern hemisphere, featuring the longest night and shortest day of the year.

Spring Equinox

Occurs around March $20$ to $23$ when both hemispheres experience equal day and night lengths of $12$ hours.

Autumnal Equinox

Occurs every September $20$ to $23$ when both hemispheres experience equal day and night lengths of $12$ hours.

Cyclones

Centers of low air pressure.

Typhoon Development (Stage 1)

Heating of the oceans from the solar radiation.

Typhoon Development (Stage 2)

Warm moist air rises above the warm oceans.

Typhoon Development (Stage 3)

Creation of a low pressure (air of less weight) around the area where warm air rises.

Typhoon Development (Stage 4)

The rising moist air cools at high altitudes and forms clouds, often resulting in precipitation like rain.

Typhoon Development (Stage 5)

Coriolis effect kicks in as the Earth rotates and the cloud mass starts to spin and rotate around the low air pressure.

Sea Breeze

A breeze dominant during daylight hours where land heats faster than the ocean, causing air to rise on shore and creating lower pressure.

Land Breeze

A breeze dominant at night where air above the sea is warmer than the land, causing air to expand and rise offshore.

In the figure identify the cell labeled (P)

Ferrel Cells

What type of Front is the  Figure below?

Cold Front

Denser, cooler air force’s less dense, warmer air to rise

At higher altitudes such as at the summit of Mount Everest, there is _______ air pressure than at sea level

Less

At high altitudes during air flight, bag of chips would usually bloat from its normal size.  Why do you think this is happening?

At higher altitudes, the air pressure outside the bag is lower

In figure, identify the type of atmospheric lifting in (M).

Frontal

In figure above identify the type of atmospheric lifting in (K).

Orographic

In figure, identify the type of atmospheric lifting in (J)

Convergent

Air/ wind from different directions collide and force each other to rise

In the figure identify the cell labeled (O)

Hadley Cells

What type of Front is the Figure below?

Warm Front

Less dense, warmer air rises OVER denser, cooler air

In the figure, identify the cloud type labelled (C)

Cumulus

Fluffy, cotton-like

At lower altitudes such as at  sea level, there is _______ air pressure than  at higher altitudes such as at the summit of Mount Everest

Higher

The water glass experiment shown in class demonstrates a clear fact that

Air pressure OUTSIDE the glass is HIGHER that it counters the weight of the water and prevents the water from spilling out

_____  occurs where the air above the surface of the sea is warmer than the land surface, and the air expands and rises creating an area of lower pressure, This is the more dominant breeze during  night time.

Land breeze, breeze coming from land out toward the sea

That portion of the earth where the highest amounts of long-wave (or heat) radiation have been observed all-year round, at maximum latitudes 30 degrees North and South, is called ________

The tropics

In the figure, identify the cloud type labelled (B)

Cumulonimbus

In coastal areas during the warm summer months, the land surface is heated more intensely during the daylight hours than an adjacent body of water is heated. As a result, the air above the land surface heats, expands, and rises, creating an area of lower pressure. This is the more dominant breeze during day time

Sea breeze, breeze coming from the sea moving in-land

In the figure, identify the cloud type labelled (A)

Cirrus