Geometry of the Earth-Sun System
What causes day and night on Earth?
What is Earth's rotation on its axis.
At what time of day is solar radiation strongest?
What is around noon, when the sun is highest in the sky?
What are the 3 main types of heat transfer?
What is Conduction, Convection, and Radiation?
What happens to air when its heated?
It expands, becomes less dense, and rises
What causes the seasons?
What is the tilt of the earth's axis as it orbits the sun?
Why is solar radiation weaker near the poles?
What is the sun's rays hit at a lower angle, spreading energy over a larger area?
Which heat transfer happens through direct contact?
What is Conduction?
What happens to air pressure when temperature increases?
It decreases (warm air = low pressure)
When is the Northern Hemisphere tilted towards the Sun?
What is during summer?
What happens to day length as you move from the equator towards the poles?
What is it changes more with the seasons (shorter = winter ; longer = summer)
Which process transfers heat through fluid movement (air or water)?
What is Convection?
What causes wind?
Air moving from high pressure to low pressure areas
What imaginary line divides Earth into the Northern & Southern Hemisphere?
What is the equator?
What is the term for the amount of solar energy reaching Earth's surface?
What is Insolation?
What type of heat transfer comes from the Sun to Earth?
What is Radiation?
What is the name of the global circulation cell near the equator?
What is the Hadley Cell?
Why does the equator receive consistent sunlight year-round?
What is because it's always closest to direct solor rays, regardless of earth's tilt
Why does sunrise and sunset time vary depending on latitude?
What is because of earth's tilt & curvature, which change the angle of sunlight recieved?
What process is it called when the ground heats the air above it, causing it to rise?
What is Convection (creates thermals)?
Why do winds curve instead of moving in straight lines across Earth's surface?
The Coriolis effect (caused by earth's rotation)