Comprehensive Study Guide for Exam 2

Solar radiation

The energy emitted by the sun that varies by season due to Earth's axial tilt.

Summer solstice

Occurs on June 21 when the sun's rays are most direct at the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N).

Albedo

The measure of how reflective a surface is, with higher values indicating more sunlight reflected.

Positive feedback loop

A cycle where change produces more change in the same direction, such as ice melt leading to more warming.

Coriolis force

The apparent deflection of moving objects due to Earth's rotation, deflecting to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Weather

The short-term conditions of the atmosphere, which can change quickly.

Climate

The long-term average of weather patterns over 30 years or more.

Hadley Cell

A primary circulation cell that creates low pressure at the equator and high pressure at 30°N/S.

Trade Winds

Winds that blow from northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and southeast in the Southern Hemisphere toward the equator.

Thermocline

The layer in the ocean where temperature decreases rapidly with depth.

Gyres

Large circular ocean current systems formed by global wind patterns and the Coriolis effect.

El Niño

A climate pattern that arises when trade winds weaken, causing warm water to move east and disrupt global weather.

La Niña

A climate pattern characterized by stronger than normal trade winds, resulting in cooler ocean temperatures in the Pacific.

Wave height

The vertical distance from the trough to the crest of a wave.

Wave period

The time it takes for one complete wave to pass a fixed point.

Tsunami

A series of waves caused by underwater disturbances, not by wind, with very long wavelengths.

Lunar tides

Tides caused primarily by the gravitational pull of the moon, creating two bulges on Earth.

Solar tides

Tides caused by the sun's gravitational pull, which are weaker than lunar tides.

Standing waves

Waves that appear to stand still due to reflections.

Thermohaline circulation

The global system of surface and deep ocean currents connected by different water densities due to temperature and salinity.