Term
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Definition
friction from the wind. Differences in temperature and density.
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Term
Difference between Surface currents and deep water currents |
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Definition
Deep water currents are called thermohaline circulation. Which means they are driven by salt and heat. |
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Term
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Definition
upwelling is when water from deep down and causes. El Nino limits upwelling of cold nutrient rich water. Therefore, animals die.
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Term
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Definition
El nino causes – wind usually travels strongly from east to west. But El nino causes it to slow down and warming along the west coast of South America occurs. Temperatures warmer than normal in the central north US. Cooler in Southeast and southwest. More rain in south of US and Peru leading to damage and flooding. Wet winters in southeastern US, can last a year or more. Usually occur every three to seven years. Drought in west pacific.
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Term
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Definition
unusual cold in Pacific. It means warmer than normal in the southeast and cooler than normal in the north west. Impacts seen mainly at winter time.
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Term
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Definition
Reversal of atmospheric circulation in tropical Pacific Ocean that triggers the development of an El Nino.
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Term
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Definition
East west circulation. [image] |
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Term
Volcanoes and their effect on climate
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Definition
Increase albedo therefore decrease temperature.
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Term
Changes in solar radiation |
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Definition
caused by sun spots and change in earth magnetic field |
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Term
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Definition
cold spots on the sun. Approximate 11 year cycle. Solar sunspot inactivity is linked to “Little Ice Age”
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Term
using C14 to determine past solar activity |
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Definition
higher solar activity means lower C14 production
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Term
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Definition
A Tropical rainy coldest month>18C
B Tropical Dry Evaporation >Precipitation No permanent streams orginate
C Mild temperate coldest month 0C-18C
D cold snowforest coldest month <0C, warmest > 10C
E Polar warmest month <10C
M Mountain
Subgroups of A, C, D
f no dry season
Af driest mo >6in (2.4cm)
Cf driest >3in
Dry Winter w
Aw driest month <10 – r/25 r=annual precip in Cw
Dw and Cw > 70% of rain in summer climo or driest month is <.1 the wettest month.
Dry summer cs> 70% of rain in winter 6 months
Am – monsoon driest month between 6 cm and 10-r/25
Degree of dryness (B)
W arid or desert
Rr<((.44t – 8.5)/2)
t is average annual temperature
t = average annual temperature in F
s – semi arid or steppe
(.44t-8.5)/2 < r < (.44t -8.5)
If 70% of precip in warmer 6 months use 3 rather than 8.5
If 70% of precip in the colder 6 months use 14 rather than 8.5
Degree of Coldness (B)
h – hot average annual annual temperature >18 C (64.4)
k – cold aveage annual temp is <18C
Bsh
Bwh
Bsk
Bwk
Degrees of Coldness (E)
T tundra >0C
F perpetual frost <0C
Degrees Coldness (C+D)
a – hot summer warmest month >22C
b – cool summer – warm month <22C
c – cool short summer <4 mo, >10C
d – cold winter, coldest mo <-38
d overrides a, b, c
w’ rain max in fall
w’’ 2 rain max with too dry between
i hat annual temperature range <5C warmest mo to coldest
g hottest month before summer solstice
n frequent Bwn, Bsn, CSn
A- 19.9%
B- 26.3
C- 15.5
D- 21.3
E- 17
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Term
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Definition
Tropical rainforest climate (Af)
Tropical monsoon climate (Am
Tropical wet and dry or savanna climate (Aw)
BW (desert climate)
BS (steppe climate)
h to mean that the coldest month has an average temperature that is above 0 °C (32 °F), with k denoting that at least one month averages below 0 °C
Dry-summer subtropical or Mediterranean climates (Csa, Csb)
dry-summer subtropical (Csb)
Humid subtropical climates (Cfa, Cwa)
Maritime Temperate climates or Oceanic climates (Cfb, Cwb, Cfc)
temperate climate with dry winters (Cwb) Maritime Subarctic climates or Subpolar Oceanic climates (Cfc)
Hot Summer Continental climates (Dfa, Dwa, Dsa)
Warm Summer Continental or Hemiboreal climates (Dfb, Dwb, Dsb)
Continental Subarctic or Boreal (taiga) climates (Dfc, Dwc, Dsc)
Continental Subarctic climates with extremely severe winters (Dfd, Dwd)
Tundra climate (ET)
Ice Cap climate (EF) |
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Term
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Definition
This the tropical climate realm
BW and BS mean the same as in the Köppen scheme
In the Trewartha scheme this category encompasses subtropical realm climates only (8 or more months above 10 °C).
This group represents cold continental realms (4 to 7 months above 10 °C). Maritime temperate climates
This represents Ice realms, defined the same as in Köppen's scheme (1 to 3 months with average temperatures of 10 °C or above; Köppen Cfc, Dfc, Dwc, Dsc, Dfd, Dwd
- This is the polar climate group, split into FT (Köppen ET) and FI (Köppen EF).
Highland climates, in which altitude plays a role in determining climate classification.[
i— severely hot: Mean monthly temperature 35 °C (95 °F) or higher h — very hot: 28 to 34.9 °C (82 to 95 °F) a — hot: 23 to 27.9 °C (73 to 82 °F) b — warm: 18 to 22.9 °C (64 to 73 °F) l — mild: 10 to 17.9 °C (50 to 64 °F) k — cool: 0.1 to 9.9 °C (32 to 50 °F) o — cold: -9.9 to 0 °C (14 to 32 °F) c — very cold: -24.9 to -10 °C (-13 to 14 °F) d — severely cold: -39.9 to -25 °C (-40 to -13 °F) e — excessively cold: −40 °C (−40 °F) or below. |
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Term
Potential Evapotranspiration |
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Definition
Use as a substitution for temperature |
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Term
Moisture Index (Index of Humidity) |
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Definition
Ih = (precip - PE)/PE*100 (p>PE) |
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Term
Water surplus and deficit |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
- mT maritime tropical
- mE maritime equatorial
- cT continental tropical
- mP maritime polar
- cP continental polar
- cA continental arctic
- cAA continental antarctic
low latitudes dominated by equatorial and tropical. ITCZ converging MT+E. Desrt CT. Wet -Dry combingation of 1 and 2. Wet tropical aka east coast MT. Dry tropical west caost MTs (stable)
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Term
Determining Past Climate and What it was like
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Definition
Ice cores, pollen records, fossils, tree records. |
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Term
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Definition
Carbon 14 has a half life of about 5700 years and the daughter product is Nitrogen. |
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Term
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Definition
study of climatole using polen found in sedimients and peat bogs.
it shows a younger dryas period of a cool down |
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Term
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Definition
study of the climate using tree rings. |
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Term
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Definition
examination of bottom deposits fo lakes which freeze in winter
in summer only large particles can deposite on lake bottom due to wind moving water around therefore sediments have light color
winter lake freezes so small particles and organic matter can deposit and it gives it a dark layer |
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Term
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Definition
When it is cold O16 evaporates faster than O18 (it has less neutrons than isotopes O18), therefore when it is colder there is a higher ratio of O18 to O16 (O18/O16)
Positive δ18O means O18 is enriched • Negative δ18O means O18 is depleted |
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Term
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Definition
How many and what animals in what kind of areas found in sediment. |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
recorded history like glaciar |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
divergent, convergent, subduction, and shear zones. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
t-test = (X-M)/S/sqrt(n-1) = (X-M) *sqrt(n-1)/S
degrees of freedom = n-1
t = (X1-X2)/sqrt(S1^2 + S2^2)/sqrt(n-1)
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Term
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Definition
water evaporates out of ocean lakes and rivers or goes through evapotranspiration. condenses into clouds. precipitation occurs, then it goes through the same process. |
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Term
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Definition
The higher the land is the closer the land is to the precipitation which causes more of the rocks to react with water and weathering. |
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Term
polar positioning hypothesis
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Definition
ice sheets should appear on continents when they are located at polar near polar latitudes
no ice sould appear anywhere on earth if no continents exist anywehere near the poles |
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Term
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Definition
faster seafloor spreading more carbon dioxide in the air. 50% faster 100 million years ago than today and there was more CO2 in atmosphere than today. |
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Term
Potential evapotranspiration |
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Definition
Potential evapotranspiration –The amount of evapotranspiration when soil is at field capacity.
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Term
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Definition
Field Capacity-Amount of water a field can hold against gravity.
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Term
Actual evapotranspiration |
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Definition
Actual evapotranspiration-The measured value.
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Term
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Definition
Evaporation can be caused by sunlight, humidity, wind, and temperature.
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Term
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Definition
Evapotranspiration is the sum of evaporation and transpiration.
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Term
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Definition
Transpiration-Water vapor given off by plants.
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Term
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Definition
if it’s not enough to grow what you’re used to growing, it’s a drought.
PE peaks in July, PE starts exceeding the AE in May and does through early October.
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Term
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Definition
Desertification-Can be caused by deforestation, overgrazing, improper use of the land, crop growing, irrigation, and salization-salting the earth. Dust in the air can create a permanent inversion preventing rainfall-as the wind blows across the desert, dust is picked up.
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Term
General Circulation of the Atmosphere
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Definition
Low Pressure around 60 degrees N in the winter
Subtropical highs at 30 degrees in the winter
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Term
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Definition
Farrel’s model didn’t work because it would give a westerly wind at the surface and an easterly wind aloft.
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Term
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Definition
Rossby waves-Rossby came up with waves that oscillate north and south to describe the polar jet stream.
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Term
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Definition
Meridional flow-has big dips north and south-big temperature gradients
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Term
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Definition
Zonal flow-more circular-better mixing of air reducing gradients
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Term
What does ITCZ and subtropical highs do in summer and winter? |
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Definition
Subtropical highs and the ITCZ shift north in the summer and south in the winter.
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Term
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Definition
Mediterranean climate-wet winter, dry summer
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Term
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Definition
Climate where the wind shifts on an annual basis at least 120 degrees.
Africa gets southern monsoons in the summer.
Indonesia is always wet.
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Term
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Definition
Drought in Sahel-Middle nation in Africa that sometimes gets rain and sometimes doesn’t because the northward shift of the ITCZ varies from year to year.
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Term
Cause of Mediterreanean climate |
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Definition
Subtropical high in the eastern Pacific is offshore of northern California in the summer bringing cooler, drier, northerly winds.
Subtropical high in the eastern Pacific is offshore of southern California in the winter bringing a west southwest wind and abundant moisture to the state.
East side of subtropical highs have divergence, northerly winds, and dry air.
West side of subtropical highs have convergence, southerly winds, and rain.
More coriolis force on the north side of subtropical highs and weaker velocities.
Less coriolis force on the south side of subtropical highs and stronger velocities.
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Term
Potential Evapotranspiration |
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Definition
Surface water balance depends largely on the circulation of PE. I tis an energy term that represents the climatic demand for water from the landscape driven by the amount of insolation at the surface. The maximum amount of evapotranspiration that would occur at a place over a given time if water were not a limiting factor. Maximum amount of PE you can get for a given set of weather parameters. |
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Term
Actual Evapotranspiation (AE) |
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Definition
The quantity of water that is actually removed from a surface dueto the processes of evaporation and transpiration. |
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Term
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Definition
Africa gets monsoons from the southwest , African monsoon varies from year to year. India gets a lot of rain because the monsoon moisture goes well into the Himalayan mountains .
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Term
Always wet and always dry |
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Definition
Malaya is always wet
Arabia is always dry
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Term
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Definition
Empirical vs. Genetic-Empirical is the effect on climate –temp and rainfall.
Genetic is the cause for a type of climate.
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Term
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Definition
Thornthwaite-Rather than looking at temp, you’re looking at evapotranspiration. Look at both Actual Evapotranspiration and Potential Evapotranspiration |
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Term
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Definition
Landsberg-winds-He divided wind patterns into anti cyclones and trade winds, then looked at areas that may alternate between those 2. The causative factor for climate is winds.
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Term
Mountain Building Hypothesis |
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Definition
Mountain Building Hypothesis –If you increase Mountains, you get an increase in weathering which removes carbon from the atmosphere and causes cooling-very slow process.
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Term
Changes in Solar Radiation |
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Definition
Changes in solar radiation-Solar radiation varies which likely caused the little ice age. Main factor that looks at these changes is carbon 14 in trees, how old the carbon is tells how much should have decayed-low carbon 14 amounts lead to high solar activity, high carbon 14 amounts lead to low solar activity.
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Term
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Definition
Causes of drought- Persistent high pressure, cold or warm water currents can stall a high pressure system, sometimes gulf winds are not carried far enough north which causes Midwest drought, monsoon winds sometimes go north-south instead of east-west which leads to drought in India, leeward side of mountains gives a rain shadow effect.
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Term
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Definition
Subtropical Jet- Caused by winds accelerating from the equator to 30 degrees due to concentration of angular momentum.
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Term
Influences of east and west coast at high and low latitudes. |
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Definition
Influence of oceans on east and west coast at high and low latitudes-Stamm says he wants this answered in terms of latitudes such as north and south latitudes, NOT elevation. He said an example is Northern British Columbia into Alaska.
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Term
Drought in Rajasthan Desert |
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Definition
Drought in Rajasthan Desert-Overgrazing causing a constant elevated dust level which makes the air stable by reflecting and absorbing sunlight.
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Term
Subtropical and Temperate Deserts |
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Definition
Subtropical and Temperate deserts- subtropical is caused by subtropical highs, temperate are caused by rain shadows.
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Term
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Definition
Terjung’s Comfort Index-Looked at temps and what is the typical temp in the summer and the typical temp in the winter; he also looked at moisture and determined that hot and dry was more comfortable than hot and moist.
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Term
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Definition
Polar Easterlies-Just like there are easterlies in the tropics, there are easterlies in the polar regions as well due to the polar cell, but they are weaker. Polar is a more vertical circulation.
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