Astronomy
Gasses like carbon dioxide and methane that absorb heat (infrared) energy
What are greenhouse gasses
What is an airmass with dry cool air
Continental Polar airmass (cP)
What are the two factors that determine climate
Temperature and moisture
What is the main reason we have seasons
The tilt of Earth's rotational axis
The amount of moisture in the air
What is humidity
Which factor has the biggest influence on temperature
What is Latitude
It takes 29.5 days
What is the length of time for all moon phases
What latitudes can receive direct insolation (90º sun rays)?
23.5ºN (tropic of cancer) - 23.5ºS (tropic of capricorn)
Temperature that water begins to condense and form clouds at
What is the dewpoint
Why are deserts often found of the leeward sides of mountains?
Air drops moisture on the windward side of mountains as it is forced to rise and cool by the mountains. As it sinks down the leeward side, it is dry and hot.
The two characteristics needed for a fossil to be considered an index fossil
Lived for short time, found over large area
Currents created by uneven heating. They can occur above earth's surface or within the asthenosphere.
What are convection currents
What is the cause of wind?
Differences in air pressure caused by uneven heating
As _________________ increases, temperature decreases.
What is altitude/elevation
Which mineral reacts with acid?
calcite or dolomite
The day sunlight hits the tropic of cancer (23.5 degrees North) directly (at a 90 degree angle)
What is Summer Solstice or June 21.
Most sunlight is in this range of the electromagnetic spectrum (the part that we can see)
What is visible light
How do clouds form? Use the terms temperature, dewpoint, and cloud condensation nuclei in your answer.
As air rises, it expands and cools. Once the air temperature drops to the dewpoint temperature, condensation occurs. Condensation needs a surface, which is provided by cloud condensation nuclei.
What affect does distance to a large body of water have on temperature?
The closer to a large body of water, the more moderated the temperature is (the less it changes throughout the year). The further of a large body of water, the more the temperature fluctuates.
The change in wavelength from longer to shorter as an object is moving towards the viewer
What is blue shift