Earth Science

Miss Pruss
BSD

End of Chapter 7:
Stormy Weather
Mid-latitude/Cyclonic Storms

Occur in middle latitudes (close to equator)

caused by air masses along polar fronts of middle latitudes that lift warm air masses
results in formation of low pressure storm systems
Rain, thunderstorms, tornadoes, etc.
rotation of storms- result of Coriolis Effect

Hurricanes
occur in late summer, early fall
Low pressure centers, over ocean, when warm ocean water evaporates and absorbs energy. Low pressure air hits it
and evaporated water condenses and releases energy which gets more powerful, etc.
winds over 150 mph
Rotating band of clouds in eye is low pressure like vacuum.
If does hit land: causes friction, storm loses energy because loses source of evaporated water
Dangers: flying debris, flooding (near coasts), surge of ocean water
Thunderstorms

3,000 of these occurring on earth at all times

Thunder, lightning, hail.
Caused when warm air gets pushed up from fronts meeting, and also from very moist air getting hot and rising and
raining.
Danger: lightning is main. Dont be highest object in area, under tree, dont touch electric things/ things that conduct
electricity.

Tornadoes

Most severe storm

Rapidly rotating thunderstorm cloud, extremely low pressure funnel, hanging from the storm cloud.
Lasts few minutes- over an hour
Winds up to 350 mph
Forms between air masses/ fronts with large temperature difference.
Dangers are worse than hurricane.

Blizzards

High winds 35 mph lots of snow

Danger: drifting snow/ large pileups of snow

Weather Prediction and Probability

Weather Maps
At weather locations, there are sites that collect info about the environment. Electronically send data to base. Then it
gets mapped out.
Forecasts based on maps.
Station Models

Has symbols which show weather conditions

Earth Science

Miss Pruss
BSD

Also uses: radar- gets the info, and satellite- tracks storm systems.

Chapter 8
Water and Climate:
Climate

Study of atmosphere conditions in long period of time

Water affects climate

Water Cycle

Earth recycles its water

Fresh water in glacier ice
Hydrological cycle- also called.
Model shows movement of water
Fueled by sun which changed liquid to vapor
Gravity helps pull the water down.
Most of our water is evaporated ocean water
Precipitation on land:
1) Water could be stored on earth- retention.
2) It can be absorbed by earths surface- sub-surface water
3) Run off- water flows. Is 1/3 of earths water
4) 2/3 of water turns to vapor in
Evaporation- evapotranspiration
Transpiration
Sublimation

Factors Affecting Infiltration:

Ground absorbing water.
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
7.

Slope- how steep the land is. Steeper land, less infiltration, water will just run off.
Saturation- how full area is with water. More saturated, less infiltration.
Zone of saturation- where its already all wet. Water in it is ground water- source of well water. Top of it is water
table. Above this is zone of aeration- infiltration happens here.
Porosity- how porous it is.
Shape: round material is more porous.
How tightly packed
Sorted vs. unsorted. Unsorted- less porous. Sorted- more porous.
Permeability- material can allow fluid to pass through it. Depends on how big and connected the objects are.
Cementing- if opening sealed off. Even if is permeable, cant go in.
Capillarity- force when water rubs against a material, it goes upwards. (Paper towels) occurs in where zone of
aeration starts, is small openings. Forces water to go up. Greater capillarity, less infiltration.
Vegetation- more vegetation, more infiltration. Tree slows down flow of water to allow ground to absorb it.
Land use- how we use it. Buildings on permeable land lowers infiltration. Farming and cutting down trees, decreases
plant life, decreases infiltration. Life/people and compressed soil= ground less permeable.

Factors Affecting Runoff and Steam Discharge:

Surface runoff occurs when:

Runoff goes to steams and then oceans. Completes water cycle.

Earth Science

Miss Pruss
BSD

How to measure flow of water- Steam discharge: how much water flows by a certain spot in specific amount of
time. Measures in cubic meters per second/minute.
Theres a time space from when rain reaches stream. Maximum rain, you need some time for rain to reach streams.

Flooding
more rain than absorption
Stream overflows normal channel.
During flood, to stay safe

evacuate beforehand
move to higher ground

Climate:

An areas weather conditions, over time: temperature and moisture.

Temperature
average annual temperature
difference between hottest and coldest times
Moisture

Arid climate- water evaporates more than it rains. Air is very dry.
Humid climate- more rain than evaporation.
Semi-arid climate- rain= amount of evaporation

What causes evapotranspiration?

Sun light increases temperature which increases energy available for evapotranspiration.

Factors Affecting Climate:

Latitude and temperature

Most important is latitude

Angle, intensity, etc.
Closer to equator hotter.
Duration of insolation- they have consistent amount of sunlight, temperature remains the same.

Latitude and moisture

Moisture depends on latitude- the planetary winds and pressure belts.

Low pressure belts are wet- equator and mid-latitudes. Air rises, cools, clouds form, rain, moist air.
High pressure- 30 degree and poles, air warms and is dry air.

Large bodies of water

Makes weather of land near it less extreme.

Land near water is marine climate- cooler summers and warmer winters.
Land inland is continental climate, hot summers and cold winters.
Further from water, the more extreme temperature change is.

Prevailing winds

Earth Science

Miss Pruss
BSD

Based on pressure differences and Coriolis Effect.

We have southwesterly wind in U.S.
Monsoon: prevailing winds change direction because of seasons, causes summers to very wet and winter to be very
dry.

Surface ocean currents

Water on top of ocean moving toward equator or away from equator

Water from equator is warm and moves to cold place, warms the place and brings more rain to the place.
Water going to equator carry cool water to warm place. Cools the place and makes there be less rain.

Elevation

Higher altitudes have cooler air because air expands and cools as it rises and also there are fewer greenhouse gases
so doesnt keep heat in and is colder.
Higher altitudes have more rain air war warm and now is cooling and rising- temperature decreases- reaches dew
point quicker, forms clouds.

Mountains

It redirects prevailing winds- intersects it. Air is forced upward, gets colder, reaches dew point faster, clouds, and it
rains. Windward side, cold and rain. Top of mountain, cold and dry. Downward, dry hot air.
Acts as barrier to moving air masses.

Vegetation

Cools down a climate and makes it more humid.

Deforestation, decrease vegetation, make hotter, drier climate. More runoff and less transpiration makes less
humidity. Fewer trees to absorb solar energy, solar energy heats land.

Cloud cover
Decreases temperature and increases humidity= cold and wet.
Absorbs light. Deserts are at 30 degrees latitude and not equator, where is a lot of cloud cover.
Climate change

Earths temperature rose and fell tremendously.

Temperatures are now going up.
Sometimes it gets hotter because of El Nino, greenhouse effect, ozone hole, volcanic ash, can cause earths climate
to change over time.

Chapter 9- Weathering and Erosion

Weathering:

The chemical and physical breakdown of rocks at or near earths surface.

Causes earths surface rock to break down into smaller particles/ sediments
Sediments can be carried away by moving water and deposited in places like the ocean floor where they become part
of sedimentary rock.

Chemical Weathering
breakdown because of mineral/ chemical composition

Earth Science

Miss Pruss
BSD

Oxidation- iron exposed to oxygen- turns to rust.

Water dissolves rock- most rock mineral over time
1) Water combines with things- chemicals, decaying matter, forms acid, passes over rock, and dissolves rock.
Acidic water breaks down rock.
2) Water+ carbon dioxide= carbonic acid, dissolves rock.
Physical Weathering

Anything thats not a chemical breakdown

Frost action- water goes into a hole and freezes and expands, then defrosts and shrinks, car drives on it and the earth
there sinks in.
Plant root growth can destroy cement ground.
Pressure changes because of mining/ melting glaciers, creates pressure change, everything can fall in.
Abrasion- rocks rub against rocks- it smooths out the rocks.