Question

section 2: climate

1. what is the coriolis effect?
2. name the three major zones of latitude.
3. why does the climate get colder as you go up a mountain?
4. how do mountains affect the climate on their two different sides?
5. what are el niño and la niña?
6. according to the passage, what is the greenhouse effect, and what does it cause?

Explanation:

1. The Coriolis effect is the apparent deflection of moving objects (such as wind or ocean currents) when viewed from a rotating reference frame like the Earth. This is due to the Earth's rotation.
2. The three major zones of latitude are the tropical zone (near the equator), the temperate zones (mid - latitudes), and the polar zones (near the poles).
3. As you go up a mountain, the climate gets colder because air pressure decreases with altitude. As air rises and expands, it cools adiabatically.
4. Mountains can cause a rain - shadow effect. The windward side (the side the wind hits) is often wetter as air is forced to rise, cool, and condense, leading to precipitation. The leeward side (the side away from the wind) is drier as the air descends, warms, and has less moisture.
5. El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by warmer - than - average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, which can disrupt global weather patterns. La Niña is the opposite, with cooler - than - average sea surface temperatures in the same region.
6. The greenhouse effect is the process by which certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere (such as carbon dioxide, methane) trap heat from the Sun, warming the planet. It causes the Earth to be warm enough to support life, but an enhanced greenhouse effect due to increased greenhouse gas emissions is leading to global warming.

Answer:

1. The apparent deflection of moving objects due to Earth's rotation.
2. Tropical zone, temperate zones, polar zones.
3. Air pressure decreases with altitude, and air cools as it rises and expands.
4. Windward side is wetter, leeward side is drier due to rain - shadow effect.
5. El Niño: warmer - than - average sea surface temps in central/eastern tropical Pacific; La Niña: cooler - than - average sea surface temps in the same region.
6. Process where greenhouse gases trap heat; causes warming of the planet and global warming when enhanced.