AP Environmental Study Session 4

More Climate/Weather Stuff… Heat is transferred to the atmosphere from Solar Radiation Vertical currents on moving air are called: – Convection Currents – Hold lots of moisture As Warm air rises, cold air moves in – Drives surface winds on Earth Density of gases – Cold is More / Less Dense – Warm is More / Less Dense

Convection Cycle / Cell Warm air rises and cools to the: – Dew Point: the temperature at which water vapor condense to liquid water – Condensed water in the air creates…… – Water requires condensation nuclei to form droplets As water droplets get larger and larger, they fall to the ground as precipiation…why? – Hint: An apple fell on Newton’s noggin, because….

The reason we have deserts… Hadley Cells – Equator is heated, air rises because it is…. – Rising air reaches the _________ temperature and water condenses into droplets around ________ ___________ – All precipitation is dropped on or near the equator – Air masses circulate away from the equator – Cool dry air sinks at 30 degrees N and S of the Equator

Seasons Earth’s Axis Tilts 23.5 degress North and South poles have periods of total day and total night

Winds Define: – Air that is moving because of unequal heating of the Earth’s atmosphere – Move heat, moisture, soil, and pollution around the world

Winds Continued… Horse Latitudes Doldrums

Jet Stream: Bands of fast moving air in the upper troposphere

Weather Events Monsoons Warm, dry air heated quickly over land rises, condenses, and forms precipitation Cool, moist air over water moves onto land to replace the rising warm air Reverse occurs at night *Creates an on-shore breeze during the day and an off-shore breeze at night

Weather Events Rainshadow A barrier pushes a mass of air up in altitude As altitude increases, temp decreases in the air Dew point is reached and all moisture falls as precipitation As the air mass moves over the barrier and to the other side, it no longer contains any moisture