Download Ch 13 Sec 1 Climate and Climate Change NoteTaking

Atmosphere and Climate
Change
Section 1: Climate and Climate Change
Climate
• ___________ is the ____________ weather
conditions in an area over a long period of time.
• Climate is determined by a variety of factors that
include ____________ , _____________________ ,
___________________ , the local geography of an
area, __________________ , and volcanic activity.
• The most important of these factors is ____________
______________________ .
Latitude
• ____________ is the distance north or south from the
equator and is expressed in ____________ .
• The equator is located at ______ latitude. The most
northerly latitude is the North Pole, at ______ north,
whereas the most southerly latitude is the South Pole, at
______ south.
• Latitude strongly affects climate because the amount of
____________ ____________ an area of the Earth receives
depends on its latitude.
Low Latitudes
• More solar energy falls on areas ____________ the equator
than on areas ______________________ .
• The ____________ solar energy is concentrated on a small
surface at the equator.
• In regions near the equator, night and day are both about
_____ hours long throughout the year.
• In addition, temperatures are ____________ year-round,
and there are no summers or winters.
High Latitudes
• In regions closer the poles, the sun is ____________
in the sky, ____________ the amount of energy
arriving at the surface.
• In the northern and southern latitudes, sunlight hits
the Earth at an ____________ angle and spreads over
a larger surface area than it does at the equator.
• Yearly average temperatures near the poles are
therefore ____________ than they are at the equator.
High Latitudes
• The hours of daylight also vary. At _____° north and south
latitude, there is as much as ____ hours of daylight each day
during the summer and as little as ____ hours of sunlight
each day in the winter.
• Near the poles, the sun sets for only a few hours each day
during the ____________ and rises for only a few hours each
day during the ____________ .
• Thus, the yearly temperature range near the poles is very
____________ .
Low and High Latitudes
Atmospheric Circulation
• Three important properties of air illustrate how air
circulation affects climate.
•Cold air ____________ because it is denser than warm air.
As the air ____________ , it compresses and warms.
•Warm air ____________ . It expands and cools as it
____________ .
•Warm air can hold more ____________ ____________
than cold air can. Therefore, when warm air
____________ , the water vapor it contains may condense
into liquid water to form rain, snow, or fog.
Atmospheric Circulation
• Solar energy ____________ the ground, which warms the air
above it. This warm air rises, and cooler air moves in to
replace it. This movement of air within the atmosphere is
called ____________ .
• Because the Earth rotates, and because different latitudes
receive different amounts of solar energy, a pattern of
____________ ____________ ____________ results.
• This circulation pattern determines Earth’s ____________
patterns.
Atmospheric Circulation
Atmospheric Circulation
• For example, the intense solar energy striking the Earth’s
surface at the equator causes the surface as well as the air
above the equator to become very ____________ .
• This warm air can hold large amounts of ____________
____________ . But as this warm air rises and cools, its
ability to hold ____________ is reduced.
• As a result, areas near the equator receive large amounts of
____________ .
Global Circulation Patterns
• Cool air normally sinks, but cool air over the equator cannot
____________ because hot air is rising up below it. This cool
air is forced away from the equators toward the North and
South Poles where it accumulates at about ______ north
latitude and ______ south latitude.
• Some of the air sinks back to the Earth’s surface and
becomes ____________ as it descends. This warm, dry air
then moves across the surface and causes water to
evaporate from the land below, creating dry conditions.
Global Circulation Patterns
• Air descending at the ______ north and ______ south
latitude either moves toward the ____________ or flows
toward the ____________ . Air moving toward the equator
warms while it is near the Earth’s surface.
• At about ______ north and ______ south latitudes, this air
collides with cold air traveling from the poles.
• The warm air rises, and most of this uplifted air is forced
toward the ____________ . Cold, dry air descends at the
____________ , which are essentially very cold deserts.
Prevailing Winds
• Winds that blow predominantly in one direction
throughout the year are called ____________
____________ .
• Because of the rotation of the Earth, these winds do
not blow directly ____________ or ____________ .
• Instead, they are deflected to the right in the
____________ Hemisphere and to the left in the
____________ Hemisphere.
Prevailing Winds
• Belts of prevailing winds are produced in both
hemispheres between ______ north and south
latitude and the equator.
• These belts of winds are called the ____________
____________ .
• The trade winds blow from the ____________ in the
Northern Hemisphere and from the ____________ in
the Southern Hemisphere.
Prevailing Winds
• Prevailing winds known as the ____________ are
produced between _____ and _____ north latitude
and _____ and _____ south latitude.
• In the Northern Hemisphere, these ____________ are
____________ winds, and in the Southern
Hemisphere, these winds are ____________ winds.
• The ____________ easterlies blow from the poles to
_____ north and south latitude.
Oceanic Circulation
• Ocean currents have a great effect on climate because
water holds large amounts of ____________ .
• The movement of surface ocean currents is caused
mostly by ____________ and the ____________ of
the Earth.
• These surface currents redistribute warm and cool
masses of water around the world and in doing so,
they affect the ____________ in many parts of the
world.
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
• ____________ is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern
Oscillation. It is the periodic occurrence in the eastern Pacific
Ocean in which the ____________ ____________ becomes
unusually ____________ .
• During ____________ , winds in the western Pacific Ocean,
which are usually weak, ____________ and push warm
water ____________ .
• Rainfall follows this warm water ____________ and
produces increased rainfall in the ____________ half on the
U.S., but drought in ____________ .
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
• ____________ is the cool phase of the El Niño–
Southern oscillation. It is the periodic occurrence in
the eastern Pacific Ocean in which the surface water
temperature becomes unusually ____________ .
• ____________ and ____________ are opposite
phases of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
cycle.
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
Pacific Decadal Oscillation
• The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a long-term, _____ to
_____ year change in the location of warm and cold water
masses in the Pacific Ocean.
• PDO influences the climate in the ____________ Pacific
Ocean and __________________.
• It affects _________________ temperatures, ____________
temperatures, and ____________ patterns.
Topography
• Height above sea level (____________ ) has an important
effect on climate. Temperatures fall by about 6°C (about
11°F) for every ________ m increase in elevation.
• ____________ ____________ also influence the distribution
of precipitation. For example, warm air from the ocean blows
east, hits the mountains, and rises. As the air rises, it cools,
causing it to rain on the western side of the mountain. When
the air reaches the eastern side of the mountain it is dry. This
effect is known as a ______________________ .
Topography
Other Influences on Earth’s Climate
• Both the ____________ and _________________ influence
Earth’s climate.
• At a solar ____________ , the sun emits an increased
amount of ____________ (UV) radiation. UV radiation
produces more ____________ , which warms the
__________________ .
• The increased solar ____________ can also warm the lower
atmosphere and surface of the Earth a little.
Other Influences on Earth’s Climate
• In large-scale volcanic eruptions, ____________
____________ gas can reach the upper atmosphere.
• The sulfur dioxide, which can remain in the atmosphere for
up to _____ years, reacts with smaller amounts of water
vapor and dust in the ____________ .
• This reaction forms a bright layer of ____________ that
reflects enough sunlight to cause the global temperature to
____________ .
Seasonal Changes in Climate
• The seasons result from the ____________ of the
Earth’s axis, which is about _______° relative to the
plane of its orbit.
• Because of this ____________ the angle at which the
sun’s rays strike the Earth ____________ as the Earth
moves around the sun.
Seasonal Changes in Climate
Seasonal Changes in Climate
• During ____________ in the Northern Hemisphere, the
Northern Hemisphere tilts ____________ the sun and
receives ________________ . The number of hours of
daylight is greatest in the ____________ . Therefore, the
amount of time available for the sun to heat the Earth
becomes greater.
• During summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern
Hemisphere tilts ____________ from the sun and receives
____________ direct sunlight. But, during the summer in the
Southern Hemisphere, the situation is ____________ .