Geography 100 Exam 2

Front 1

Rotation

Back 1

Spin of earth on axis. Causes day and night.

Front 2

Revolution

Back 2

Movement of earth around sun. Partly causes seasons.

Front 3

Two Causes of Seasons

Back 3

1. Revolution of earth around sun

2. Tilt of earth on axis (23.5 degrees)

Front 4

Solstice

Back 4

Marks beginning of summer and winter.

Front 5

Equinox

Back 5

Marks beginning of spring and fall.

Front 6

Direct Rays of Sun

Back 6

Condensed rays of sunlight that bring us intense heat in the summer. Closer in summer= warmer temps. Farther away in winter= more spread out, cooler temps. Where they hit depends on which hemisphere is tilted toward the sun. Determined by tilt of earth on axis and where it is in orbit around sun.

Front 7

Weather

Back 7

Conditions/components of the atmosphere over a short period of time.

Front 8

Meteorology

Back 8

Science of weather.

Front 9

Meteorologist

Back 9

Predict the weather.

Front 10

Temperature

Back 10

How hot or cold the atmosphere is.

Front 11

Convection

Back 11

Convectional winds:

1. Along the coast (coastal convectional winds)

2. Mountains- hot air rises up slope of mountain in the morning, cold air descends down mountainside at night

Front 12

Atmospheric Pressure

Back 12

Weight of the atmosphere above a certain spot on the earth, measured with a barometer.

(High pressure= good weather; low pressure= unsettled weather)

Front 13

Prevailing Winds

Back 13

High in the atmosphere, bring us the weather, also called "trade winds." Meteorologists call this the "jet stream."

Front 14

Jet Stream

Back 14

What meteorologists call prevailing/trade winds

Front 15

Coriolis Effect

Back 15

Winds are deflected, caused by curvature and rotation of the earth.

Front 16

Humidity

Back 16

Amount of moisture in the atmosphere, measured in percentage or as "dew point."

Front 17

Dew Point

Back 17

Meteorologists use this to discuss humidity.

Front 18

Precipitation

Back 18

Any form of water that falls from the atmosphere. Most often snow, rain, hail, sleet. Freezing rain less common but causes a lot of damage.

*Sleet is already frozen when it falls, freezing rain freezes when it hits the ground, but falls as liquid.

Front 19

Updraft

Back 19

Upward current of air.

Front 20

Front

Back 20

Line between two different temperature air masses.

Front 21

Tropical Cyclone

Back 21

Called hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, or tropical storms depending on location and wind speeds.

Front 22

Hurricane

Back 22

Tropical cyclone in Atlantic Ocean. Winds at 74+ MPH

Front 23

Typhoon

Back 23

Tropical cyclone in Pacific Ocean with hurricane force winds.

Front 24

Cyclone

Back 24

Tropical cyclone in Indian Ocean with hurrican force winds.

Front 25

Storm Surge

Back 25

Waves up to 25 feet.

Front 26

Clouds

Back 26

Tiny droplets of water or ice crystals.

Front 27

3 Types of Clouds

Back 27

1. cirrus clouds: wispy/streaky. High in atmosphere, made of tiny ice crystals

2. stratus clouds: blanket the sky; thick

3. cumulus clouds: puffy, cotton ball clouds

Front 28

Climate

Back 28

Long-term (yearly) weather pattern of a region.

Front 29

Climograph

Back 29

Made up of a line graph, which shows average monthly temperatures, and a bar graph, which shows average monthly precipitation.

Front 30

Humid Continental

Back 30

Climate region in which we live (New England)

Front 31

Percentages of Water

Back 31

-70% of earth's surface is water

-97% of earth's water is saltwater

-2% is frozen (glaciers, etc.)

-1% is readily available for humans to use

Front 32

2 Types of Water

Back 32

Freshwater & saltwater.

Front 33

Deforestation

Back 33

Clear cutting to the point where the forest will not grow back.

Front 34

Vegetation

Back 34

Plant life in a region.

Front 35

Mixed Forest

Back 35

Forest containing both deciduous and coniferous trees.

Front 36

Deciduous

Back 36

Trees that lose leaves; hardwoods.

Front 37

Coniferous

Back 37

Trees that have needles or cones instead of leaves.

Front 38

Natural Resource

Back 38

Things provided by nature that humans use.

Front 39

Renewable Resources

Back 39

As humans use these, nature will regenerate/replenish them.

Front 40

Nonrenewable Resources

Back 40

Regenerated by nature so slowly that there are basically finite in amount.

Front 41

Fossil Fuels

Back 41

Formed from the dead remains of plants and animals. Take thousands of years to form.

Front 42

3 Fossil Fuels

Back 42

1. Crude oil

2. Natural gas

3. Coal

Front 43

O.P.E.C

Back 43

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Front 44

Tar Sands

Back 44

Sands saturated with bitumen or oil. (Canada)

*Keystone pipeline

Front 45

Shale Oil

Back 45

Trapped in the Rockies, abundant, can't go get it.

*Obtained through fracking, very controversial.