Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
What is the meaning of the term 'insolation'?
Answer
The amount of solar energy received by the Earth.
Question
What fraction of the Sun's total energy actually reaches the Earth?
Answer
One part out of two billion parts.
Question
Solar energy reaches the Earth in the form of _____ wave rays.
Answer
Short
Question
What percentage of the total incoming solar energy is reflected back into space?
Answer
$35\%$
Question
What percentage of incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the atmospheric layers?
Answer
$14\%$
Question
What percentage of total solar energy actually reaches the Earth's surface?
Answer
$51\%$
Question
Term: Terrestrial Radiation
Answer
Definition: Heat radiated back from the surface of the Earth into the atmosphere in the form of long waves.
Question
Terrestrial radiation is emitted from the Earth in the form of _____ waves.
Answer
Long
Question
What is the 'Heat Balance' of the Earth?
Answer
A state of equilibrium between incoming insolation from the Sun and outgoing terrestrial radiation.
Question
Which primary source provides the energy needed for all movement and change on the Earth?
Answer
The Sun.
Question
The Sun's radiation is composed of white light, infrared radiation, and _____ radiation.
Answer
Ultraviolet
Question
What is the 'Solar Wind' emitted by the Sun?
Answer
Atomic particles consisting of charged electrons.
Question
In the context of heat transfer, what is 'conduction'?
Answer
The process where the Earth's surface warms the layers of air directly above it by direct contact.
Question
In the context of heat transfer, what is 'convection'?
Answer
The transfer of heat from one medium or level to another through circulatory movement.
Question
How many units of radiation does the atmosphere absorb from the Earth's terrestrial radiation?
Answer
$34$ units.
Question
How many units of incoming solar radiation does the atmosphere absorb directly from the Sun?
Answer
$14$ units.
Question
Why is the atmosphere heated more by terrestrial radiation than by incoming insolation?
Answer
The atmosphere absorbs $34$ units from the Earth but only $14$ units from the Sun.
Question
How does the atmosphere act like a blanket at night?
Answer
By preventing terrestrial radiation from escaping into space, keeping the surface warm.
Question
What is the main reason temperature decreases with an increase in latitude?
Answer
The spherical shape of the Earth and its annual revolution around the Sun.
Question
Why do slanting rays of the Sun have less heating power than vertical rays?
Answer
They travel a longer distance and must heat a larger surface area.
Question
Which heat zone is located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn?
Answer
The Torrid Zone.
Question
The area between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole is known as the North _____ Zone.
Answer
Frigid
Question
Term: Altitude
Answer
Definition: The height of a place above the mean sea level.
Question
Why is air denser and contains more water vapour and carbon dioxide at the Earth's surface than at higher altitudes?
Answer
Gravity pulls these heavier gases and particles towards the lower layers of the atmosphere.
Question
What is the 'Normal Lapse Rate'?
Answer
The rate of decrease of temperature with height, which is about $6^{\circ}C$ per km above sea level.
Question
At what specific interval of ascent does temperature usually drop by $1^{\circ}C$?
Answer
Every $166$ metres.
Question
Why does land heat up and cool down more rapidly than water?
Answer
Unlike mobile water, heat on land remains confined to the surface area and does not mix with other areas.
Question
During the day, what creates a low-pressure area over the land compared to the sea?
Answer
The air over the land becomes hotter and lighter, causing it to rise.
Question
Term: Sea Breeze
Answer
Definition: A cool breeze that blows from the surrounding sea onto the land during the day.
Question
Term: Land Breeze
Answer
Definition: A breeze that blows from the land towards the sea during the night.
Question
How do coastal areas compare to continental interiors regarding temperature ranges?
Answer
Coastal areas have lower daily and annual ranges of temperatures.
Question
Why do south-facing sunny slopes in the Northern Hemisphere have higher temperatures than north-facing slopes?
Answer
They receive more direct solar radiation due to their orientation towards the Sun.
Question
What is 'Inversion of Temperature' in a valley?
Answer
A reversal of the vertical distribution where cold air sinks to the valley bottom, making it colder than the slopes above.
Question
Under what conditions is an inversion of temperature most likely to occur in a valley?
Answer
On a calm, cold winter night with clear skies.
Question
In which direction do warm ocean currents generally flow?
Answer
From Equatorial regions toward higher latitudes (Polar regions).
Question
How does the North Atlantic Drift affect the port of Bergen in Norway during winter?
Answer
It keeps the port open by raising the winter temperature despite its high latitude.
Question
Why does the north-east coast of Canada remain frozen for several months while Bergen remains open at the same latitude?
Answer
The influence of the cold Labrador Current.
Question
The three methods of energy transfer in the atmosphere are radiation, storage, and _____.
Answer
Transport
Question
What happens to the temperature in mid-latitudes as one moves towards the Poles?
Answer
Temperature decreases because the Sun's rays fall at increasingly oblique angles.
Question
Which layer of the atmosphere is primarily responsible for absorbing $14\%$ of incoming solar radiation?
Answer
The ozone layer (and other atmospheric layers).
Question
Why is the Normal Lapse Rate usually higher in summer than in winter?
Answer
The surface is heated more intensely in summer, leading to a steeper temperature gradient with height.
Question
How does the mobility of water affect its heating rate compared to land?
Answer
Water is mobile, allowing warm and cold water to mix, which slows the heating process.
Question
A steep slope experience a more _____ change in temperature than a gentle slope.
Answer
Rapid
Question
What effect do cold ocean currents have on the coastal areas they pass?
Answer
They make the coastal areas cooler than usual.
Question
What are the two factors that define the 'Heat Budget'?
Answer
Incoming solar radiation and outgoing terrestrial radiation.
Question
The Sun's rays strike the Earth at varying angles of _____ due to its spherical shape.
Answer
Incidence
Question
Which specific components of the solar wind affect the Earth's magnetic field?
Answer
Charged electrons.
Question
How does the atmosphere regulate temperature during the day?
Answer
By absorbing $14\%$ of incoming insolation.
Question
What determines if a place falls within the Frigid, Temperate, or Torrid zones?
Answer
Its latitude.
Question
Why is hill resort climate described as pleasant in summer compared to the plains?
Answer
The higher altitude results in cooler temperatures due to the Normal Lapse Rate.
Question
In a valley during a temperature inversion, where is the warmest air typically found?
Answer
On the upper slopes of the valley.
Question
What would happen to Earth's night-time temperatures without an atmosphere?
Answer
They would become very cold as terrestrial radiation would escape directly into space.