Gc 100 Physical Geography

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Empirical Classification

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classification process based on statistical, physical, or observable characteristics of phenomena; it ignores the causes or theory behind their occurrence

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genetic classification

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classification process based on the causes, theory, or origins of phenomena; generally ignoring their statistical, physical, or observable characteristics

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Thornthwaite system

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climate classification based on moisture availability and of greatest use at the local level; climate types are distinguished by examining and comparing potential and actual evapotranspiration

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potential evapotranspiration

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hypothetical rate of evapotranspiration if at all times there is a more than adequate amount of soil water for growing plants

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actual evaportranspiration

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the actual amount of moisture loss through evapotranspiration measured from a surface

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Koppen System

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climate classification based on monthly and annual averages of temperature and precipitation; boundaries between climate classes are designed so that climate types coincide with vegetation regions.

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tropical climate

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climate regions where it is warm all year

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polar climate

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climate regions that do not have a warm season and are frozen much or all of the year

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microthermal climate

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climate regions or conditions with warm or mild summers that have winter months with temperatures averaging below freezing

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mesothermal climate

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climate regions or conditions with hot, war, or mild summers that do not have any months that average below freezing

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arid climate

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climate regions or conditions where annual potential evapotranspiration greatly exceeds annual precipitations

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highland climate

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a general climate classification for regions of high, yet varying, elevations

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region

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areas identified by certain characteristics they contain that make them distinctive and separates them from surrounding areas

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zone of transition

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an area of gradual change from one regions to another

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climograph

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graphic means of giving information on mean monthly temperature and rainfall for a select location or station

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microclimate

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climate associated wiht a small area at or near Earth's surface; the area may range from a few inches to one mile in size

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oxygen-isotope analysis

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a dating method used to reconstruct climate history; it is based on the varying evaporation rates of different oxygen isotopes and the changing ratio between the isotopes revealed in foraminifera fossils

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Altithermal

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an interval of time about 7,000 years ago when the climate was hotter than it is today

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eccentricity cycle

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the change in Earth's orbit from slightly elliptical to more circular, and back to its earlier shape every 100,000 years

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obliquity cycle

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the change in the tilt of the Earths axis relative to the plane of the ecliptic over a 41,000 year period

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precession cycle

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changes in the time (date) of the year that periohelion occurs; the date is determined on the basis of a major period 21,000 years in length and a sexondary period 19,000 years in length

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little ice age

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an especially cold interval of time during the early 14th century that had major impacts on civilizations in the Northern Hemisphere

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annual temperature range

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difference between the mean daily temperatures for the warmest and coolest months of the year

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daily (diurnal) temperature range

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the difference between the highes and lowest temperatures during the day - usually far greater than the annual range

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cloud forest

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moisture-laden maritime air is lifted up the windward slopes of mountains. an orographic precipitation that may not have rainfall but rather as an almost constant misty fog.

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selva

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characteristic tropical rainforest comprised of multistoried, broad-leaf evergreen trees with significant development of lianas and relatively little undergrowth

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jungle

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dense tangle of trees and vines in area where sunlight reaches the ground surface (not a true rainforest)

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slash and burn (shifting cultivation)

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also called swidden or shiting cultivation; typical subsistence agriculture of primitive societies in the tropical rainforest. Trees are cut, the smaller residue is burned, and crops are planted between the larger trees or stumps before rapid deterioration of the soil forces a move to a new area

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tropical monsoon climate

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most closely associated with the peninsula lands of Southeast Asia. The alternating circulation of air (from sea to land in summer and from land to sea in winter) is strongly related to the shifting of the ITCZ

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tropical savanna climate

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much in common with the tropical rainforest and monsoon. located well within the tropics (usually between latitudes 5 and 20 on either side of the equator

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desert climate

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the amount of precipitation received is less than half the potential ET

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steppe climate

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the precipitation is more than half but less than the total potential ET.

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xerophytic

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name for plants that manage to grow in the desert - adapted to extreme drought.

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mediterranean climate

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is one of the best arguments for organizing a study of the environment or developing an understanding of world regions, based on climte classification

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sclerophyllous

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natural vegetation that is hard-leafed and drought resistant like xerophytes, but in mediterranean regions

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chaparral

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plant communities made up of many low, scrubby, bushes that grow together in a thick tangle

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humid subtropical climate

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located within approximately the same latitudes and in a simalr transitinal positions as the Mediterranean climate but on the eastern instead of the western continental margins

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marine west coast climate

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proximity to the sea and prevailing onshore winds make it one of the most temperate in the world

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humid continental, hot summer climate

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unlike the other two microthermal climates, it's relatively limited in its distribution on the Eurasian landmass. It has the by far the greatest agricultural potential

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Humid continental, mild summer climate

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is a more continental or severe-winter version of its equatorward counterpart

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subarctic climate

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is the farthest poleward and most extreme of the microthermal climates

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permafrost

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a permanently frozen layer of subsoil and underlying rock that may extend to a depth of 300 meters or more in the northernmost sections of the climate

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patterned ground, or frost polygons

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commonly found in regions of subarctic yearly freezing and thawing. Repeated freezing and thawing causes the soil to produce polygonal shapes

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Tundra climate

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locations in the high latitudes; subsidence and divergence of the polar anticyclone; proximity to coasts

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muskeg

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the result of drainage blockage by permafrost that produces a cesspool of swarming black flies, mosquitoes, and gnats (in alaska and canada)

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ice-sheet climate

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the most severe and restrictive climate on earth

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exposure

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a severe control of highland climates

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slope aspect

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affects where people live in the mountains and where particular crops will do best

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tree line

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the line beyond which low winter temperatures and severe wind stress eliminate all forms of vegetation except those that grow low tot he ground.

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snow line

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the line above which summer melting is insufficient to remove all of the preceding winter's snowfall

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abiotic (nonliving)

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(the first of four basic components to an ecosystem) the physical environment in which the plants and animals of the system live.

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autotrophs (meaning self-nourished)

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second component consisting of the basic producers.

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heterotrophs (other-nourished)

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third component consists of consumers

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Herbivores

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eat only living plant material

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carnivores

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eat other animals

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omnivores

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feed on both plants and animals

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decomposers

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feed on dead plant and animal material and waste products

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trophic structure

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the pattern of feeding in an ecosystem is called the trophic structure and the sequence of levels in the feeding pattern is the food chain

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trophic level

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the number of steps they are removed from the autotrophs or pnats in a food chain

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food web

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an overlap and interaction between different members of the food chain that results in a feeding mosaic within an ecosystem

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biomass

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the total amount of living material in an ecosystem.

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primary productivity

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refers to the formation of new organic matter though photosynthesis by autotrophs

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secondary productivity

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refers to the rate of formation of new organic material at the heterotroph level

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habitat

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a specific role in the system and lives in a certain location

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ecological niche

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the combination of role and habitat for a particular species

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generalists

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can survive on a wide variety of food. (i.e. bears.)

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natural vegetation

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the development of plants naturally and without obvious interference from or modification by humans

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plant communities

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plant associations compatible because each species within the community has different requirements in relation to major environmental factors

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succession

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natural vegetation of a particular location develops in a sequence of stages involving different plant communities