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Exam 3
Natural Disasters Exam
117
Science
Undergraduate 2
11/29/2009

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Term
Single Cell
Definition
rapid vertical uplift, cloud formation, latent heat released, downdraft section develops causing precipitation, downdraft strengthens and cuts the updraft and stops the flow of unmoist air
Term
Super Cell
Definition
a thunderstorm with a rotating updraft called a MESOCYCLONE, windshear (jet stream), extreme weather is generated
Term
Lightning
Definition
single and supercell, collision of ice particles in clouds
Term
Thunder
Definition
caused by lightning; energy heats the air, the air expands, and it becomes an ordinary sound wave
Term
Hail
Definition
single and super cell; water droplet is picked up by the updrafts and it freezes, then it falls in the cold downdraft, then it is picked up again in the updraft and it refreezes before it falls to the ground
Term
Florida
Definition
convergence of warm moist air, thunderstorms are most common
Term
area with frequent thunderstorms
Definition
Great Plains/ Midwest
Term
ideal conditions for a tornado to form
Definition
a super cell; cold front and jet stream/ windshear and mesocyclone
Term
size, speed, and duration of tornadoes
Definition
avg diameter of 150 ft (largest 1 mile), 30 - 70 mph, from 5 minutes to 1 hour
Term
1925 Tri State Tornado
Definition
largest number of tornado deaths in U.S. history; Illinois, Indiana, Missouri
Term
May 1999
Definition
Oklahoma, F5 produced 318 mph winds, strongest ever recorded
Term
1974 Super Outbreak
Definition
largest tornado outbreak on record, record for the most violent F5 and F4 tornadoes
Term
Flash Floods
Definition
leading cause of weather related deaths
Term
essential in formation of tropical cyclones
Definition
warm water
Term
Where do typhoons, cyclones, and hurricanes occur (which oceans)?
Definition
typhoons:western pacific ; cyclones: southern hemisphere and indian ocean ; hurricane: atlantic and pacific
Term
adiabatic cooling
Definition
expansion of air
Term
adiabatic heating
Definition
warmth by compression of air
Term
ITCZ
Definition
Intertropical Convergence Zone; trade winds are converging, strongest solar radiation, beginning of hadley cell
Term
doldrums
Definition
lack of wind/light variable winds, doesn't go anywhere; a lot of rain at the ITCZ LOW PRESSURE
Term
horse latitudes
Definition
HIGH PRESSURE latitude=falling air=dry! major deserts around 30 N and S, clear weather
Term
Polar Front
Definition
60 N and S; collision of warmer westerlies with polar easterlies=rising air=clouds and rain/LOW PRESSURE
Term
cold front
Definition
cold air advances and clouds form; warm air forced up rapidly; severe weather
Term
warm front
Definition
warm air advances; rise gradually over cold air; clouds and possible precipitation
Term
monsoon season
Definition
a seasonal reversal in pressure and trade wind direction; the shift in pressure causes the change in the trade winds. June to Sept is rainy season, Oct to may is dry season
Term
latent heat
Definition
heat energy which is absorbed or released during a change of state
Term
air mass
Definition
large region of air with uniform temperature and moisture content
Term
noreaster
Definition
a large low pressure system "cyclone" that forms outside of the tropics, mid latitude storms are extra tropical cyclones
Term
Wind
Definition
the movement of air from high to low pressure
Term
4 processes that cause a rapid vertical uplift of air
Definition
1) topography 2) cold front/frontal wedging 3) convergence 4) localized convective lifting
Term
most efficient method of vertical lifting
Definition
Cold front
Term
Enhanced Fujita Scale
Definition
EF Scale; based on damage
Term
doppler radar
Definition
measures intensity of rainfall and detects directions of movement (wind), used for thunderstorm and hurricane forcasting
Term
Windshear
Definition
change in wind speed or direction with height; important for the formation of tornadoes, not good for tropical cyclones
Term
mesocyclone
Definition
a thunderstorm with a rotating updraft
Term
Santa Ana Winds in CA
Definition
when there are high pressure conditions east of CA in the deserts, dry, WIND
Term
Why are there more tornadoes in the central plain states/ tornado alley
Definition
1) cold air form rocky mtns or northern states 2) jet stream above 3) warm moist air from the gulf
Term
polar jetstream
Definition
forms at the polar front, fast moving upper level winds, moves from west to east, THE WINDS COLLIDING AND DIVERGING CAUSE WEATHER , CHANGES ON THE EARTHS SURFACE, between 60 and 30 of n. hemisphere (most of US), influences the high and low pressure systems below, at the top of the troposphere
Term
direction the earth rotates
Definition
from west to east
Term
Coriolis Effect
Definition
An apparent deflection of any free moving object to the right in the N. Hemisphere and to the left in the S. Hemisphere
Term
Trade Winds
Definition
between 0 and 30, out of east towards the west
Term
Westerlies
Definition
between 30 and 60; out of the west towards the east
Term
Polar Easterlies
Definition
between 60 and 90; out of the east towards the west
Term
Hadley Cell
Definition
between 0 and 30; warm moist air rises at 0 and cold air sinks at 30
Term
Ferrell Cell
Definition
between 30 and 60; cold air sinks at 30 and moist air rises at 60
Term
Polar Cell
Definition
between 60 and 90; warm air rises at 60 and cold dry air sinks at 90 (poles)
Term
troposphere
Definition
thicker at the equator and gets thinner towards the poles
Term
distribution of solar radiation over Earth's surface
Definition
causes the seasons, the EARTH'S TILT
Term
when do tornadoes mostly occur
Definition
spring summer months???
Term
Cloud Formation
Definition
formed by the decrease in temperature and adiabatic air cooling
Term
occurrence of el nino
Definition
between 2 to 10 years
Term
last strong el nino
Definition
1997-1998
Term
La Nina
Definition
enhanced normal conditions; stronger than normal trade winds; dryer conditions in eastern pacific; little rain and cold ocean water
Term
connection between hurricane activity in the atlantic and el nino
Definition
when el nino occurs there are less hurricanes for the same year
Term
el nino conditions in san diego
Definition
a lot of rain, warmer water
Term
el nino conditions in Peru
Definition
dryer, colder water
Term
upwelling
Definition
along the coastlines, wind causes the colder water from below to rise to the surface
Term
cause of upwelling
Definition
Coriolis Effect
Term
hurricane hunters
Definition
fly missions into the eyes of hurricanes; improve forecasting by 25%, airborne doppler radar, derived windspeed
Term
coastlines in the US with most hurricanes
Definition
the gulf coast and the east coast (florida), convergence of warm water
Term
Hurricane Mitch October 1998
Definition
central america, category 5, flooding and landslides
Term
Cyclone Nargis May 2008
Definition
Indian Ocean; Burma/Myanmar ; 140,000 people dead or missing
Term
Hurricane Katrina 2005
Definition
gulf coast, category 5 offshore and 3 on land, storm surge/flooding, most expensive US disaster today
Term
2005 hurricane season in the atlantic
Definition
most active season on record; most category five hurricanes in a season, costly
Term
hurricane andrew august 1992
Definition
Florida Category 5, winds caused most damage
Term
minimum wind speeds for tropical cyclone
Definition
64 knots or 74 mph
Term
2 stages before tropical cyclone
Definition
tropical depression and tropical storm
Term
hurricane seasons 2004 and 2005
Definition
very costly years, a lot of damage because of storms
Term
hurricane seasons 2004 and 2005
Definition
very costly years, a lot of damage because of storms
Term
why so many lives lost in the indian ocean
Definition
because of the high concentrations of people in a small area, third world countries, lack of funds and technologies
Term
eye
Definition
the center of a tropical cyclone or hurricane
Term
eyewall
Definition
damaging winds and intense rainfall because of rapid drop in pressure (movement from high to low)
Term
latent heat
Definition
powers tropical cyclones; it is when water vapor condenses into liquid water
Term
storm surge
Definition
rising of sea level due to low pressure (rising air) adn high winds/waves; major cause of hurricane damage, significant flooding
Term
barrier islands
Definition
very common along the Gulf of East Coast of the US; low lying, long narrow islands separated from the mainland
Term
Saffir-Simpson Scale
Definition
wind speed is the determining factor in the scale (for hurricanes) and there are five categories
Term
what does the precambrian era represent
Definition
all time before 544 million
Term
what are the three eras of the geologic time scale
Definition
cenozoic, mesozoic, paleozoic
Term
years of the cenozoic era
Definition
now to 65 million yrs
Term
years of the mesozoic
Definition
65 million to 250 million
Term
years of the paleozoic
Definition
250 million to 544 million
Term
what era are we currently in?
Definition
the cenozoic era
Term
when were the last two extinctions?
Definition
65 million and 250 million
Term
5 causes of global climate change
Definition
1) variations in the earth's orbit around the sun 2) tectonic processes 3) changes in the strength of the sun 4) volcanic activity 5) anthropogenic Forcing
Term
Milankovich Theory
Definition
explains how the Earth's orbital variations affect climate change on a global scale
Term
Eccentricity of Earth
Definition
degree to which Earth's orbit around the sun departs from the perfect circle
Term
Precession
Definition
the earth wobbles
Term
Tilt of the earth
Definition
Obliquity
Term
3 ways the earths orbit can vary
Definition
eccentricity, tilt of the earth, precession
Term
Variation in the Earth's Orbit around the sun, GCC
Definition
Long Term, affects the amount of radiation received on the earths surface
Term
Tectonic Processes; GCC
Definition
LONG TERM, equatorial circulation=warmer climate
polar circulation=cooler climate; causes change in currents and a change in atmospheric circulation;
Term
Changes in the strength of the sun; GCC
Definition
Long term, amount of solar radiation received on the Earth's surface; short term= Sunspot activity causes more energy and radiation
Term
Volcanic Activity ; GCC
Definition
Siberian flood basalt hotspots, emission of gasses, short term
Term
Anthropogenic Forcing; GCC
Definition
affect of humans of the climate
Term
present day continental ice sheets
Definition
Greenland and Antarctica
Term
IPCC
Definition
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; measures risk of climate change due to human activity, shared nobel peace prize with Al Gore
Term
difference between climate and weather
Definition
climate is over a longer time period and weather is over a shorter time period, changes on a daily basis;
Term
K T Extinction
Definition
65 Ma (end of mesozoic), Dinosaurs became extinct, caused by meteorite impact and volcanic activity in India and tsunami deposits, caused climate change
Term
the last glacial advance
Definition
20000 years ago
Term
sea level change in glacial and interglacial cycle
Definition
glacial: lowers; interglacial: rises
Term
what has the sea level been doing for the last 15000 years
Definition
rising! global warming
Term
carbon cycle
Definition
to courses and sinks of carbon
Term
is human activity the only source of CO2 in the atmosphere?
Definition
NO, photosynthesis , oceans
Term
major greenhouse gases
Definition
water vapor, CO2, methane (CH4), ozone
Term
why are they called greenhouse gases?
Definition
because they trap the heat within the atmosphere and keep earth warm
Term
Keeling Curve
Definition
shows increase in CO2 since the 1950's,this is convincing evidence for anthropogenic influence on global warming
Term
Methane Hydrates
Definition
methane gas trapped in ice in ocean floor sediments and permafrost regions, most potent greenhouse gas, 23 times more potent than CO2
Term
Ice cores
Definition
how scientists learn about the climactic conditions 1000's of years ago, provides vertical timeline of past climates, stored in ice sheets
Term
Permian Extinction
Definition
251 ma (end of paleozoic), largest extinction of all time, caused by Pangea/reduced shallow sea area and changed chemistry of oceans(temp increase caused lack of oxygen) and volcanic activity in Siberia (mantle plumes)
Term
number of mass extinctions
Definition
5 total, 3 others that we did not discuss
Term
when the geologic timescale begins
Definition
4.6 Billion years ago
Term
what displays the human effects on the climate
Definition
the carbon cycle
Term
When was the little ice age, what is a possible cause?
Definition
1500-1850; lack of sunspot activity and less heat to the earth
Term
Recent extinction of species
Definition
humans are the cause!!
Term
Most common months for tornadoes
Definition
spring! because of the convergence of cold air from the n and west and the warm air from the gulf
Term
conditions for tropical cyclones
Definition
warm water, and disturbance in trade winds-> low pressure
Term
why does the ITCZ varies locations
Definition
because of the Seasons! (tilt of earth)
Term
what is responsible or the late cenozoic ice age
Definition
orbital variation, tilt, path
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