GEOG Exam #2

Cyclone

Low pressure air rises and moves in a counterclockwise direction, fueled by warm and moist air.

Coriolis Effect

result of Earth's rotation, causing particles in motion to deflect, with high pressure air moving towards low pressure air and being deflected to the right.

Sea Breeze

occurs due to the differential heating of land and sea surfaces, with land heating up more quickly than the sea, creating a pressure gradient that drives the sea breeze.

Wind directions

The trade winds, westerlies, and polar easterlies are created by the Earth's rotation, pressure gradient, and Coriolis effect, resulting in prevailing wind directions.

Trade Winds

move from east to west between 0 to 30 latitude,

Jet streams

fast-moving winds that play a crucial role in the weather experience, with speeds over 200 miles per hour and widths of hundreds of kilometers.

Circulating Cells

transport heat from the equator to the poles, creating areas of high and low pressure.

Rising air = low pressure

creates low pressure, resulting in areas with high rainfall, such as near the equator and the United Kingdom.

Descending Air = High Pressure

creates high pressure, resulting in areas with little rainfall, such as desert regions, including Antarctica, which is the largest and driest desert.

Hadley Cell

large-scale atmospheric circulation cell, warm air rises at the equator and sinks at about 30° latitude, creating trade winds and subtropical highs.

Ferrel Cell

The mid-latitude atmospheric circulation cell between 30° and 60° latitude, with air flowing opposite to Hadley and Polar cells.

Polar Cell

The circulation cell near the poles where cold, dense air sinks and flows toward lower latitudes.

Anticyclone

A high-pressure system characterized by diverging, sinking air and clockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere.

Pressure Gradient Force

causes air to move from areas of HIGH pressure —> LOW pressure, driving wind movement.

Frictional Force

Cause surface winds to SLOW DOWN and deflect across isobars rather than flow parallel to them.

Air pressure

Gravitational forces and weight of air molecules.

Sea Water Density

Temp differences, salt water dense →sinks

Ekman Transpot

process by which wind directions push water away from the coast, resulting in the replacement of that water with deep ocean water, leading to upwelling and downwelling of water.

What drives atmospheric circulation?                                      

Uneven solar heating creating pressure differences. 

What are ocean currents? 

large-scale water movements driven by wind, Coriolis effect, and temperature/salinity differences.

Thermal Circulation

Air movement caused by temperature differences, such as sea breezes.

Atmospheric Pressure Gradient

Change in atmospheric pressure over distance, driving wind flow.

How does Coriolis affect winds? 

Deflects winds, shaping global wind patterns (trade winds, westerlies).

vapor pressure

As temperature increases, _____ increases because particles have more energy.

Lifting Mechanisms that produce precipitation

Convergent, frontal, convectional, orographic

Dew-Point temp.

temperature to which air must COOL for it to become completely saturated with water.

specific humidity

ratio of mass of water vapor to the total mass of air system

relative humidity

water vapor present in air expressed as a % relative to max it could hold at a specific temp.

Type of clouds

stratus: layed appearance, cumulus: thick puffy appearance, cirrus: thin wispy streak-like

air masses

large bodies of air w/relatively uniform properties come from specific source regions.

Convergent Lifting

Low pressure at the surface produces converging air that then rises. Ex. hurriences

Frontal lifting

collision of large air masses of significantly different temperatures.

warm front

slow, gradual, light precipitation, fog.

cold front

fast, intense storms, thunderstorms, possible severe weather.

convectional lifting

spontaneous vertical movement due to buoyancy differences. ex: thunderstorms, tornadoes

orographic lifting

air masses forced upwards by an obstacle.

ex.mountains, rain shadow effect

Tropical Depressions

organized low wind speed (40 mph)

Requirements for evaporation

heat energy and unsaturated air

Tropical Cyclone (Hurricanes)

Highest wind speed, low pressure storm surge at sea