92 Cards in this Set
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Geography
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… the science that studies the relationships among:
natural systems
geographic areas
society
cultural activities
and the interdependence of all of these OVER TIME AND/OR SPACE.
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Why Study Geography?
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Geographers desire to explore/understand the world
HOLISTIC NATURE of geography enables us to study our biggest challenges
For example:
climate change, loss of biodiversity, globalization, poverty, and conservation of natural resources
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Mark Twain ""
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"Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get"
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Spatial Analysis
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Used by geographers to study
PATTERNS & PROCESSES
....on the Earths Surface
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Biogeographer may...
(spatial analysis example)
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Analyze the PATTERNS in the distribution of certain plants by investigating PROCESSES that may have caused the distribution...
-climate
-soils
-continental drift etc.
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Earths Four Spheres
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Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Lithosphere
Biosphere
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Atmosphere
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-Gaseous layer that surrounds the earth
All aspects of weather and climate
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hydrosphere:
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covers all aspects of
water
&
bodies of water.
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Lithosphere
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the solid Earth
sculpted into various landforms.
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Biosphere
Oblate Spheroid
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The shape of the Earth. Lager at center than at poles
NEWTON IN 1687:
equatorial bulge from centrifugal force
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Latitude
Longitude
Prime Meridian
Meridian
Greenwich, England
Arc
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The shortest distance between any two points on the planet
(or portion) of a great circle!
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Standard Time
&
Time Zones
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Necessary for coordination of international trade, airline schedules, business, and daily living
Human construction; Still places with no conception of
time
Setting time not a problem in small European countries,
but a big problem in NA
Notice China…
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International Date Line
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the 180° meridian
(opposite the prime meridian)
place where a new day begins
– a 24-hour adjustment is made when you cross this line
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Time Zones
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Earth revolves at a rate of about 15° longitude per
hour: 360° per 24-hour day
This is the basis for 24 time zones, each 15° wide
National boundaries and other political considerations also shape time zones
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Earths Orbit
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Avg distance from Earth to Sun is
150,000,000 km (93,000,000 mi)
Perihelion
-closest at January 3 147,255,000 km (91,500,000 mi)
Aphelion
– farthest at July 4 152,083,000 km (94,500,000 mi)
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8 min 20 sec
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Time it takes energy to reach earth from the sun
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Plane of the Ecliptic
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is the plane of
EARTHS ORBIT
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Shape of Earths orbit
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Elliptical
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum
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Radiant energy from Sun moves to Earth fast!
The energy itself can be broken down into several parts, known as the
electromagnetic spectrum.
Keep in mind, energy is emitted
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Sun Radiates
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Shortwave Energy
Shorter Wavelengths =Higher Energy
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Earth Radiates (and everything on it)
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Longwave Energy
Longer wavelengths= lower energy
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Surface of Sun
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Hotter, short, wavelengths
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Surface of Earth
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Cooler, Longer, Wavelengths
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Reasons for Seasons
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Revolution
Rotation
Tilt of the Earth��s axis
Axial parallelism
Sphericity
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Revolution
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Earth revolves around the sun
takes one year @ 107,280 km/h
Forms Plane of the Elliptic
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Rotation
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24 Hours to complete one rotation at 1041 mph at equator
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Tilt of Earths Axis
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Connects N and S Poles
AXIS IS TILTED AT 23.5º FROM
-PLANE OF THE ELLIPTIC
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Axial parallelismm
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Axis maintains alignment during orbit around the Sun
The Earths axis points toward the North Star
(Polaris) always, always, always!
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Sphericity
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Produces uneven receipt of insolation
Do locations on the equator have well defined seasons?
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Subsolar Point
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Point on EARTHS SURFACE where sun is DIRECTLY OVERHEAD ....
forming 90º angle
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Circle of Illumination
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Circle that separates the earth into a sunlit hemisphere and a dark hemisphere
"great circle"
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Aphelion
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occurs July 4th;
the farthest from the sun (aphelium)
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Perihelion
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aroundJanuary 3rd
because of tilted axis;
closest from the sun
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electromagnetic spectrum
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the arrangement of types of radiation
from long wavelengths to short wavelengths
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Shortwave Energy
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energy radiated from the sun
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Shorter wavelength has ________ energy
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higher energy
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Longwave energy
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radiates from everything on Earth
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Roy G Biv
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Red,
Orange,
Yellow,
Green,
Blue,
Indigo,
Violet;
is the preneumonic help you remember color order
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Declination
important for calculating the angle of the sun at any point on the Earth; depends where you are
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important for calculating the angle of the sun at any point on the Earth;
depends where you are
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Weather patterns all derive from the?
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Tilt
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What happen in the Electromagnetic spectrum?
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Radiant energy from the sun moves to Earth fast;
energy can be broken down into different wavelengths
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Once shortwaves absorbed, it reabsorbed back into the earth as?
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longwave radiation
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What are the two shortest wavelengths?
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violet and blue
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What makes it really cold at the North and South poles?
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oblique shape
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The tropics have ___ to ___ more energy than the poles.
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2.5 to 3xs
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Why are the hotspots water?
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Water takes longer to heat up and longer to release heat.
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There is ___ in the tropics.
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high radiation
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There is _____ in the north poles.
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low radiation
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Seasonality___as distance ___.
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increase, decrease
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What is found in the tropics between 23.5 degrees north and south?
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sub-solar point
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Direct rays of the sun are ___.
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23.5 north (Tropic of Cancer)
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Daylight is equal across the surface of the earth during the _______ equinox.
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September
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the sub-solar point in on the equator during the ___ equinox.
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March
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Sub-solar point is at Capric during the ___ solstice.
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Winter
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Which solstice occurs during December 21 or 22?
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Winter solstice
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Which equinox occurs during March 20 or 21?
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Spring Equinox
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Which solstice occurs during June 20 or 21?
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Summer solstice
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Moon and Earth rotates ___. At the poles, the velocity is ___.
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clockwise; 0 degrees
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The sub-solar point is located directly on the _______.
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Equator
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The sun therefore travels ___ degrees north to south between a complete year.
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23.5 N and S during
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Sub-solar point is at the tropic of Cancer during which solstice?
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Summer solstice
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The poles experience has __ weeks of dawn and weeks of twilight, and ____ months of daylight.
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7
2
5
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Earths Atmospheric Profile
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Composition
Temperature
Function
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_____ is like a thin envelope. It protects us from harmful rays from the sun.
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Atmosphere
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Gravity causes air molecules to create ____.
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air pressure (force/unit area)
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When there is more dense at the surface, ___ changes.
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pressure
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As altitude ___, pressure ___.
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increase; decrease
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Heterosphere
The outermost region of the atmosphere based on composition; gases sorted out in different layers by gravity
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The outermost region of the atmosphere based on composition; gases sorted out in different layers by gravity
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Homosphere
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inner atmosphere; evenly blended gases; everything is the same
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Exosphere
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CFC's
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Which two gases make up 99% of the atmosphere?
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nitrogen and oxygen
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nitrogen and oxygen
Which gas is the most abundant and make up 78% of the Earth's atmosphere and comes from volcanic eruptions?
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Nitrogen
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Which gas make up 20% of the Earth's atmosphere and is important for photosynthesis?
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oxygen
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CFC's
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inert at surface;
Valuable propellants don't react with anything and don't dissolve by anything
- Stay in atmosphere but is broken down
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What is the normal laspe rate?
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average cooling rate of 6.4ºC /1000 m
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Environmental lapse rate
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actual laspe rate at anytime and place
(deviates because local weather conditions vary)
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In the normal lapse rate, as altitude ___, temperature ____ at the troposphere.
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increase; decreases
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Tropopause
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TROPOSPHERSE UPPER LIMIT
- Ever changing atmosphere; it is not static
- There are some disruptions (hurricanes, volcanos)
- Marked warming in the Stratosphere caused it to act as a lid
- Prevent cooler denser air below from mixing with warmer, less denser air in the start
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Troposphere
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all the earth's weather take place of the atmosphere;
marked by temperature;
varies across the surface of the earth
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Stratosphere
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temperature increases with altitude from -70F at the tropopause to 32F at stratopause
- because it is at the ozone
- ozone molecules absorb heat (18 to 50 km)
- marked by an increase in temperature
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Stratopause
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outer boundary between Mesosphere and Stratosphere
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Mesophere
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receives meteoric dust that creates in which ice crystals form
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Mesopause
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upper layer of Mesosphere,
coldest part of the atmosphere;
has noctilucent clouds
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Noctilucent Clouds
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Thin bands of ice clouds in the Mesosphere/thermosphere
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Thermosphere
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heat sphere; roughly the same as heterosphere; thin atmosphere
- Cause frictional drag on satellites that are at low orbit
- Really cold here because no oxygen
- Solar energy (radiation) causes kinetic energy (high)
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Thermopause
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upper portion of the atmosphere in Thermosphere
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Ozonosphere
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part of Stratosphere
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What absorb UV energy and convert it to heat energy (infrared radiation with longer wavelengths)?
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Ozone
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Ionosphere
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outer functional layer that absorbs mainly positive rays and many harmful rays
(cosmic rays, gamma rays, x-rays, UV rays)
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What changes energy into positive charged ions and used to reflect radio waves?
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Ionosphere
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What contributes to the Antarctic ozone hole and have a long residence time (40-100 years)?
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CFCs
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What chemical compound is a by product of chemical reactions that involve CFC's?
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ClO
(Chlorine monoxide)
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GHY 104:Chapter 7 & 8