Climate Practice Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering climate types, factors affecting air temperature, rainfall mechanisms, and regional monsoon patterns based on lecture notes.

Tropical equatorial climate

A climate type characterized by high temperatures of $27\,^{\circ}C$, high annual precipitation of $>2000\,mm$ falling evenly throughout the year.

Tropical monsoon climate

A climate type featuring high temperatures of $\sim 24\,^{\circ}C$, high annual precipitation of $\sim 1500\,mm$, and distinct wet and dry seasons.

Cool temperate climate

A climate with 4 distinct seasons, a large annual temperature range of $\sim 21\,^{\circ}C$, and annual precipitation between $300-900\,mm$ that falls evenly throughout the year.

Latitude

A factor affecting air temperature on a global scale where higher latitudes experience lower temperatures due to a smaller solar angle and less direct solar radiation spreading over a larger area.

Altitude

A local scale factor where higher altitudes have lower temperatures because the air is less dense and has fewer molecules to absorb and radiate heat.

Maritime effect

The influence of the sea on coastal areas that results in a lower annual temperature range because the sun heats and cools the sea more slowly than land.

Continental effect

The condition of inland areas, such as Fairbanks, Alaska, where the annual temperature range is higher (e.g., $40\,^{\circ}C$) because they do not experience the moderate influence of the sea.

Convectional rain

Rainfall formed when the sun's heat is absorbed by land, causing the air above to rise, cool, and condense on condensation nuclei at dew point temperature.

Relief Rain

Formed when prevailing wind picks up moisture over the sea and pushes moist air up the windward side of a mountain, where it cools and condenses.

Example of Relief Rain

The side of a mountain range, such as the Sierra Nevada, that receives higher rainfall and supports lush forests. The side of a mountain range that experiences dry descending air, resulting in hot and dry conditions like the Death Valley desert.

Northeast Monsoon

A regional wind occurring from October to February where air moves from a high-pressure area over Central Asia toward a lower-pressure area over Australia.

Coriolis effect

The force that deflects winds to their right in the Northern Hemisphere and to their left when they cross into the Southern Hemisphere.

Southwest monsoon

A regional wind occurring from June to September when the Southern Hemisphere experiences higher pressure over Australia and air moves toward lower pressure over Central Asia.

Condensation nuclei

Tiny particles in the air on which water vapour condenses to form clouds when dew point temperature is reached.