Chapter 4 Vocabulary List

Chapter 4 Vocabulary List

• Opening Story: Floods, Droughts, and Famines
• Global processes determine weather and climate.

1. How can floods in one place and droughts in another be connected, such as in Kenya in 2003?

1. What is the difference between weather and climate?

1. What two factors primarily determine which organisms can live in an area?

There are 7 major components to the distribution of heat and precipitation (and thus climates) on Earth:

1. Earth’s Atmosphere

1. Explain why atmospheric pressure decreases as altitude increases.

1. Identify which of the 5 layers of Earth’s atmosphere fit each description in the table:

1. The chemical formula for ozone is ______and its function is to ______

1. Unequal Heating of Earth

1. Explain how each of the following factors creates unequal heating of Earth’s surfaces:
2. Angle of sun to surface:
3. Solar rays per unit area:
4. Albedo:
5. How will the melting of polar ice from global warming alter Earth’s albedo?

1. Generally speaking, the ______regions of Earth receive the most light/heat in a year and the ______regions receive the least light/heat in a year.

1. Atmospheric Convection Currents

1. Explain why warm air rises and cool air sinks.

1. Why is rising air associated with precipitation?

1. What types of atmospheric conditions are found where air sinks back to the surface?

1. Draw each of the following on the diagram below:

• Earth’s atmospheric convection cells, with direction of air movement
• The general level of precipitation found at each latitude belt: 0/30/60/90)

1. Why does the ITCZ move throughout the year in a regular pattern?

1. Earth’s Rotation and the Coriolis Effect

1. The Coriolis Effect deflects moving objects (such as wind) in a ______direction in the northern hemisphere and a ______direction in the southern hemisphere
2. Draw arrows indicating the general direction of wind movement between latitudes :

1. Earth’s Tilt and Seasons

1. In Los Angeles, the longest day of the year occurs in the month of ______because ______

1. Why does the northern hemisphere’s summer come during the southern hemisphere’s winter, and vice versa?

1. Ocean Currents

1. What are gyers, and how are they created?

1. Explain how oceanic gyers and atmospheric convection currents redistribute heat around Earth.

1. Upwelling is a process in which ______water is brought to the surface along a coast. It is caused by ______and is important to humans because ______.

1. Describe what thermohaline circulation is, and how it transports heat.

1. The ENSO is a disruption to ______in which warm water and increased precipitation build up in the region of ______while drought and cold water occur in the region of ______

1. Rain Shadows

1. What is the difference between the windward and the leeward sides of a mountain range?

1. Summary

1. The Earth’s atmosphere and oceans can be thought of as a single “heat engine” system that transfers heat around the globe. Explain how the atmospheric/oceanic system circulates heat, including where heat is distributed from and to.

1. Summarize why latitude is so important in determining climate:

• Variations in climate determine the dominant plant growth forms of terrestrial biomes.
• Aquatic biomes are characterized by salinity, depth, and water flow
• Working Toward Sustainability: Is Your Coffee Made in the Shade?

1. What are climatograms and what do they show?

1. What are the main constraints for the growing season for plants in a given biome?

Complete the following biome chart for terrestrial biomes:

Complete the following biome chart for aquatic biomes:

Is Your Coffee Made in the Shade?

1. Why is shade-grown coffee better for the environment?

1. How has coffee production changed to help minimize the problems with pest control?