Physical Science Study Guide Module 7

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what is weather? the condition of the earth's atmosphere
what is climate? a steady condition that prevails day in and day out in a particular region of the earth
where does thermal energy come from? the sun
what does insolation mean? radiation that hits the earth
how do clouds affect insolation? they decrease it. because the insolation "bounces" off the clouds therefore not much insolation gets through because of the clouds.
how does water and land affect insolation? they absorb it
name 2 factors involving the earth and sun that affect thermal energy distance from the sun and the axial tilt
how do clouds form? two processes from earlier modules cloud condensation nuclei and adiabatic cooling
how does water vapor get from the ground into a cloud? (hydrosphere module) evaporation and transportation
what does a cumulus cloud look like, how are they formed? big and fluffy. cold front. and as air rises it fans out in all directions expanding the volume
what alto mean? high
what does nimbus/nimbo mean? dark
what does a cirrus cloud look like and how are they formed and where do you usually find them? very thin. since it is cold in the troposphere they are made ice and all the wind spreads them out to be very thin. top of the troposphere.
what does a stratus cloud look like and how are they formed? they are layered. when a mass of warm air is lifted slowly upward
what does a lenticular cloud look like and how are they formed? an oval. when air encounters low pressure regions
what shape of orbit does the earth have around the sun? ellipse
what is an aphelion? the point at which the earth is farthest from the sun
what is a perihelion? the point at which the earth is closest to the sun.
which gets more solar energy? perihelion
which corresponds to our summer? aphelion
what is a solstice? the longest and shortest days of the earth
what is an equinox? when day and night are both 12 hours long
what is latitude, longitude? equator? prime meridian? imaginary lines on the earth that go north, south, east and west. an imaginary line around the earth in between the poles. an imaginary line used as a reference in longitude
what causes a region of low pressure? high pressure? when hot air rises. when cold air sinks.
which rotates faster equator or poles? equator
describe the coriolis effect and how it affects thengs traveling north in the northern hemisphere and south in the northern hemisphere coriolis= the difference in speed between equator and poles. it curves east. it curves west.
where are the easterlies? westerlies?trade winds located? poles(60-90 degrees), in between easterlies and trade winds(30-60), 0-30 degrees
when does a land breeze happen and why? at night, land cools faster than water , temp difference creates breeze opposite of what happens during day
when does a sea breeze happen and why? during day, land heats faster than water temp difference cause breeze that blows from water to land.
what is a weather front? a boundary between two air masses
name the three types of air masses arctic, polar, and tropical
what does maritime and continental mean in reference to air masses? maritime= when air mass form over seas continental= when air masses form over land
name the four types of weather fronts. cold,warm,stationary,occluded
which weather front produces the most violent weather? cold
which moves faster a cold or warm front? cold
what is the reason we have seasons? the axial tilt