Reflected

When light, heat, sound or other energy bounces off a surface instead of being absorbed or transmitted through it

Scattered

When solar radiation(sunlight) is dispersed in multiple directions

Absorbed

When light, heat, sound or other energy is taken in by a material or surface instead of being reflected or transmitted

Earth’s Axial Tilt

23 1/2 degrees- Effects climate and dispersal of heat on the earth (atmospheric temp)

Summer and Winter Solstices

Summer- The longest day and shortest night of the year when the earth's poles has its maximum tilt towards the sun Winter- The shortest day and longest night of the year when the earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the sun

Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes

When the sun is positioned directly over the equator Vernal=spring Autumnal=fall

Temperate/Tropical Regions

Temperate= above or below the tropic lines Tropic= between the tropic lines

Latitude

Distance north or south from the earth's equator Effects atmospheric temp

Tropic Lines Cancer/Capricorn

23 1/2 degrees

Density

Thickness- decreases with altitude and air pressure (weight of atmosphere decreases)

Adiabatic Cooling

The process by which air cools without losing heat to its surroundings-- occur due to the expansion of air

Hadley, Ferrel and Polar Cells

Hadley= north and south- surround equator Ferrel= surround hadley Polar= top and bottom-surround Ferrel

Horse Latitudes

Sub-tropical high, high pressure, clear weather

Doldrums (ITCZ)

At the equator Equatorial low, low pressure, rising air, weather: severe storms- hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, etc

Coriolis Effect

The effect on global circulation (air then water) patterns Caused by the rotation of the earth Multiple cells- Hadley, Ferrel, and Polar Deflection of the circulation pattern to the: -Right northern hemisphere -Left in the southern hemisphere

Saturation Vapor Pressure (SVP)

The maximum amount of water a given volume of air can hold -warm air has a higher SVP than cooler air

Actual Vapor Pressure (AVP)

The current amount of water a given volume of air contains

Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD)

The difference between SVP and AVP

Relative Humidity

(AVP/SVP)*100

Dew Point Temperature

Precipitation occurs when the AVP equals the SVP

El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

1. Trade winds blow to the west 2. Surface water moves toward the west 3. Allows an upwelling of deep cold ocean water along the western coast of South America(Peru) 4. Warm water trapped in the western Pacific Ocean 5. Abundant rainfall in the west (Indonesia and Australia) 6. Dry conditions along the coast

About how much of the solar radiation that reaches the outer limits of the atmosphere reaches the earth's surface?

About half of sunlight

What two factors explain the variation across the earth’s surface (attitudinally and seasonally)?

The earth's axial tilt and the curvature of the earth

What are the two major gasses in the atmosphere?

The two major gasses in the atmosphere are Nitrogen at 78% and Oxygen at 21%

El Nino year steps

1. Decrease in trade winds 2. Less surface water moves towards the west 3. Decreasing the upwelling of deep cold ocean water along the western coast of South America (Peru) 4. Warm waters are in the Central Pacific 5. Rain follows the warmer water to the east 6. Flood in Peru 7. Drought in Indonesia and Australia (North)