Climate Science and Climatology Flashcards
7 cards from real AMS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Climate Science and Climatology flashcards as text
El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific are characterized by:
Answer: Warmer-than-normal SSTs in the central and eastern tropical Pacific
El Niño is defined by anomalously warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, which weaken the Walker circulation and alter global weather patterns.
The Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) measures El Niño and La Niña events using SST anomalies in which Pacific region?
Answer: Niño 3.4 (central equatorial Pacific)
NOAA's ONI is based on a 3-month running mean of SST departures from average in the Niño 3.4 region (5°N–5°S, 120°W–170°W), with ±0.5°C defining El Niño/La Niña.
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) differs from ENSO primarily in that:
Answer: The PDO operates on decadal timescales, while ENSO operates on 2–7 year timescales
The PDO is a long-lived pattern of Pacific SST variability with phases lasting 20–30 years, much longer than ENSO's 2–7 year cycle, and modulates ENSO's impacts on North America.
A positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is associated with:
Answer: Stronger westerlies and warmer, wetter winters over northwestern Europe
A positive NAO features an enhanced pressure gradient between the Azores High and Icelandic Low, driving stronger westerlies that bring mild, wet conditions to northwestern Europe and northern Eurasia.
What is a climate teleconnection?
Answer: A statistical relationship linking climate anomalies in geographically distant regions
Teleconnections are recurring and persistent large-scale patterns of pressure and circulation anomalies that span vast geographical areas and link climate variations in distant regions.
The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) refers to:
Answer: A roughly 2-year alternating pattern of easterly and westerly winds in the tropical stratosphere
The QBO is a downward-propagating pattern of alternating equatorial stratospheric zonal winds at about 10–50 hPa, with a mean period of approximately 28 months, influencing storm tracks and tropospheric weather.
The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) has been linked most strongly to variations in:
Answer: Western European drought frequency and North Atlantic hurricane activity
The AMO, a pattern of North Atlantic SST variability with 60–80 year cycles, is associated with shifts in Atlantic hurricane frequency, Sahel rainfall, and summer climate anomalies across Europe and North America.