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