GEOG 2050 Chapter : Chapters 1 6
Document Summary
Microscale- tornado, difference between field and parking lot . Local scale- slightly larger then micro last no longer than a couple hours. Controls on climate: latitude and longitude, continent ocean distribution, atmosphere/ ocean circ, terrain features, local features. Definitions: atmosphere- thin layer of gases surrounding the earth, highly compressible, density- mass per unit volume decreases rapidly with height, air- a mechanical mixture of gases and aerosols. Km: changes height depending on sun activity, has highest temperatures in atmosphere, misleading because there is no heat there just kinetic energy. Vert. structure: homosphere vs. heterosphere, heterosphere is the outer atmosphere, gases don"t mix in this sphere. Gases are organized by gravity according to atomic mass: transition zones, tropopause, stratopause, mesopause. Energy transfer: conduction, from one molecule to the one next to it, slow, inefficient, doesn"t transfer far, convection, heat carried by moving air, convection vs. advection, convection implies vertical motion principally, ex.
