GEOG 104: EXAM 1
80 Cards in this Set
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latitude
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parallels
north or south measurements from the equator
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longitude
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meridians
east or west measurements from the prime meridian
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equator
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0 degrees on latitude
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Prime Meridian
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0 degrees on longitude
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great circle
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circles that pass through the center of the Earth; bisect the Earth
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small circle
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circles that do not pass through the center of the Earth but intersect on Earth's surface
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how to label latitude or longitude
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~69 miles = 1 degree
60 minutes = 1 degree
60 seconds = 1 min
Lawrence: 38° 57' 30.38" N 95° 15' 05.28" W
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low latitudes
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range from about 35°N - 35°S
generally the warmest part of the Earth
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midlatitudes
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range from 35°-55° in both N and S
experience highly variable weather over the course of the year
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high latitudes
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range from 55°-90° N and S
typically the coldest places on Earth
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contour indexes
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the darkest lines on a contour map
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insolation
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incoming solar radiation
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diffusion
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dispersed energy as it enters our atmosphere
the energy at the poles is much more _______ than at the Equator
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solar constant
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~1370 W/m^2
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subsolar point (SSP)
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where the energy from the sun is hitting the Earth at exactly 90°
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circle of illumination
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separates day from night on the Earth
always perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic
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plane of the ecliptic
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the path that the Earth rotates on
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Earth's tilt
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23.5°
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SSP on the summer solstice
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Tropic of Cancer
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Tropic of Cancer
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23.5°N
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SSP on the winter solstice
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Tropic of Capricorn
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Tropic of Capricorn
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23.5°S
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equinoxes
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Occurs when the Sun is directly over the Equator.
March 21
September 21
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solstices
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Occurs when the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn
June 21
December 21
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perihelion
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the point of the Earth's orbit where the distance between the Earth and the Sun is the least
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aphelion
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the point in Earth's orbit where the distance between the Earth and the Sun is greatest
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First law of electromagnetic energy
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Almost everything radiates energy
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Second law of electromagnetic energy
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There is an inverse relationship between the temperature of an object and its wavelength
(Shorter wavelength = hotter temperature; longer wavelength = cooler temperature)
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Third law of electromagnetic energy
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The amount of energy per W/m^2 given off per unit time is proportional to the temperature to the 4th power
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3 fundamental components of the atmosphere
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1) constant gases
2) variable gases
3) particulates
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constant gases
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nitrogen, oxygen, and argon
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variable gases
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carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ozone
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water vapor
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absorbs and stores heat energy from the Sun
is an important component of the greenhouse effect
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ozone layer
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the layer of the atmosphere with high concentrations of ozone, which protect the Earth from UV radiation
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particulates
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Earth's surface carried in the air (dust)
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radiation
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energy that is transmitted in the form of rays/waves
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conduction
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the transfer of heat energy from once substance to another by physical contactconvection
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convection
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warm material moving upwards and cooler material moving downwards (a circular cell of movement)
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albedo
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the reflectivity of features on the Earth's surface (high albedo = bright surfaces)
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sensible heat
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heat that can be felt and measured with a thermometer
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latent heat
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heat stored in molecular bonds that cannot be measured or felt
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Heat can be removed from Earth's surface by...
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convection and evaporation.
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Influences of the net radiation around the globe:
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1) Sun's angle of incidence
2) Latitude
3) Seasonality
4) Length of day
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troposphere
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the lowest layer of the atmosphere
zone where weather occurs
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tropopause
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the top part of the troposphere with very cold air temperature (~57°C)
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temperature inversion
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a layer of the troposphere where the air temp. increases, rather than cools, along with the atmosphereq
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stratosphere
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between the troposphere and the mesosphere
contains the ozone layer
commercial jets fly here
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stratopause
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the upper boundary of the stratosphere where the temp. reaches its highest point
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mesophere
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a layer of decreasing temp. in the atmosphere
between the thermosphere and the stratosphere
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mesopause
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the upper boundary of the mesosphere where temp. reaches its lowest point
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thermosphere
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the upper layer of the atmosphere
boundary between this and space is very diffuse and hard to determine
oxygen molecules are km apart from eachother
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maritime vs continental effect
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the differences in annual and daily temp. that exists between coastal locations and those that are surrounded by large bodies of water.
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air pressure
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the force air molecules exert on a surface due to their weight
generally decreases with increasing altitude
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high pressure system
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anticyclones
sinking air with high pressure on Earth's surface
diverging winds
clear skies
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thermal high
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cold air
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Equation for pressure
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P = nRT/V
n = # of molecules
R = gas constant
T = temperature
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low pressure system
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cyclones
rising air with relatively low pressure on Earth's surface
converging winds at ground surface
clouds, storms, rain
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thermal low
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hot air
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pressure gradient
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pressure moves from high to low = advection
air moves perpendicular across isobars
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Coriolis effect
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the force enacted on air by the rotation of the Earth
N. Hemisphere = pulled to the right
S. Hemisphere = pulled to the left
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frictional force
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only occurs at the ground surface
alters the PGF and the CF
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freezing
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water changing from liquid to solid
80 calories used
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evaporation
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water changes from liquid to gas
585 calories absorbed
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sublimation
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water changes directly from ice to water vapor
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deposition
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water changes directly from water vapor to ice
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condensation
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water changes from gas to liquid
585 calories used
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adhesion
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water is strongly attracted to other molecules that are polar
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cohesion
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the strong attraction of water molecules to each other
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covalent bond
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"electron sharing" bond
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polar molecule
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part of the molecule is + and part of it is -
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surface tension
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measure of difficulty to break or stretch a liquid surface
forms a hexagonal structure
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water has a high...
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specific heat
so it can absorb more energy than land
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bonds are broken
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Energy is added during a water phase change
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bonds are formed
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Energy is released during a water phase change
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humidity
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the measure of water vapor in the air
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maximum humidity
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the amount of water vapor that can be held by a parcel of air at a given temp.
dependent on the temp.
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specific humidity
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the actual amount of water vapor that is held in a parcel of air
dependent upon the amount of water available and temp.
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relative humidity
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= (specific humidity / maximum humidity) x 100
if temp. increases, this decreases
if temp. decreases, this increases
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saturation
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if our maximum humidity equals our specific humidity
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dew point temperture
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the temp. at which maximum humidity = specific humidity
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GEOG 104: EXAM 1