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110 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What does anthropocene illustrate?
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A new epoch in which humans are altering the climate
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What is climate?
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Long term patterns of weather
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What are three core concepts in regional geography?
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Space, place environment
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What are the development phases of geography?
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Exploration of the world (to mid 19th century), establishment of discipline (late 19th century), Dominance of regional geography (early 20th century), emergence of physical and human geography (mid-20th century), physical, integrated and human geography
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What has been a change in integrated geography?
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The practice has weakened
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What is physical geography?
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deals with the natural features of the Earth's surface; specialized and asserts scientific credentials
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What is human geography, what does it deal with?
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concerned with the social science aspects of how the world is physically arranged; deals with critical theory, values and ethics
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What are two forms of human knowledge?
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graphical (maps/pictures) and verbal (oral/written)
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What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative data?
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quantitative - describes objects using 'senses'; how it looks, feels, smells. Not very detailed.
Qualitative -- uses acute and accurate measurements, much more detailed. |
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what are two types of map scales? What do they entail?
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cartographic scale - how much the map is reduced
geographic scale - how big something is |
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What kind of 'map' preserves area and shape?
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a globe
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what does a large scale map show?
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small area, more detail, less distortion than a small scale map, more accuracy
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what does a small scale map show?
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large area, less detail
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what is the reference point for latitude?
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equator (horizontal), rante from 0-90, N to S
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what is the reference point for longitude?
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prime meridian, Greenwich, England. ranges from 0-180 E to W
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What is a graticule?
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the grid of intersecting lines on a map
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what does orthographic mean? What is orthographic projection?
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graticules get smaller and smaller as we move away from a center point. Orthographic projection is a means of representing a 3D object in two dimensions.
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How does a GPS work?
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receiver machine collects signals from a GPS satellite that broadcast a time coded signal. The machine calculates the time it takes for signals to reach receivers, and is used to determine distance from satellites. This is then converted to location.
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What is geo-ecosphere? Toposphere? Biosphere? atomosphere? pedosphere? hydrosphere? Cryosphere?
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geoecosphere - all the landzones of the earth
toposphere - natural and physical features biosphere - totality of life on earth atmosphere - lower layers of the gaseous envelope around the earth pedosphere - soil cover of the earth hydrosphere - liquid water covering the earth crysphere - snow, ice, frozen ground |
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What differentiates physical geography from other scientific fields?
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the focus of spatial patterns in the landscape
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what is noosphere?
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sphere of human mental activity, creating their own cultural and technological environments
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what is anthroposphere?
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part of the environment made by humans for human activity
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explain the Milankovitch theory.
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explains the regular, long-term variations of climate the produced glacials and interglacials. It outlines the variations in the distance between the earth and the sun, and the shape and pattern of the earth's orbit.
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explain the positive feedback mechanism that is heating the arctic ocean.
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arctic ocean is receiving so much radiation that temperature increases, ice melts, albedo drops, more heat is absorbed into the earth and further increases temperature.
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what are some distortions of place?
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mental maps, cognition and representations, politics of representation, data and misinformation
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What are the critical user questions regarding representations?
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what is the information you are accessing? What were the objectives of the creator? Is data correct/current? What is the technology?
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how many satellites are in the USA system?
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30-40
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what is vector data?
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stored as lines, points and paths, and each feature has a table of attributes.
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What is raster data?
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satellite imagery, reflecting to satellite sensors, stored as pixels. The bigger the resolution, the bigger the pixels.
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what is spatial resolution?
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smallest thing that cam be identified in a data set. In pictures, it is pixels
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are resolution and scale the same?
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closely linked, but not the same.
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What is remote sensing?
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the science of obbtaining information through a device not in contact with object, area or phenomenon.
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what is passive remote sensing?
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the system recording energy that comes to it (ie. eyes)
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what is active remote sensing?
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system sends out energy and records what comes back. (sonar, satellites, airplanes). Measures scattered return of energy.
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what is the basis for remote sensing?
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electromagnetic sensing - sensors electromagnetic radiation
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what are the two types of satellite orbit? Describe them
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sun-synchronous - move around, observe environment ie. Landsat, terva, aqua
geo-stationary - communication satellites, stationary, observice hurricanes and weather. Rotate at the same time as the earth. ie. GOES, Anik |
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what does numeracy mean?
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shifting from qualitative to quantitative data
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what is the trade-off in EO imagery?
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area covered and spatial resolution
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what is relief also known as?
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topography (geomorphology - the study)
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what is relief?
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vertical elevation changes of the landscape
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what are the impacts that relief has?
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weather, climate, evolution, soil types vegetation
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describe the orders of relief.
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first - continents, oceans, basins
second - mountain range, plains, lowlands third - individual features at local level |
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what are the two categories for processes responsible for relief?
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endogenic - within the earth (radioactive decay, Earth formation, where crust is created/destroyed)
exogenic - wear down from the energy of gravity and the sun |
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which is denser: ocean crust or continental crust?
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ocean crust, which can subduct under continent
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what causes volcanoes?
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the ocean plate subducting under continental plate, where it gets heated and pressure builds up. Magma leaks to the surface.
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where are inner earth materials the coolest?
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at the surface
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what is the pattern of heat in the earth's core?
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convection pattern
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what happens in the convection pattern?
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hotter, less dense materials rise to the top, cool, and sink to inner core.
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what happens when material rises to the crust?
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makes new earth
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why are mountains still building?
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continents continue to move (E to W), oceanic plate further subducts under plate.
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what is the movement of continents called?
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continental drift
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what are the three types of plate boundaries?
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divergent (thinning) - ie. seafloor spreading centers, rift valleys
convergent (thickening) - plates come together, folds and faults -one plate subducts (violent), creates mountains transform: minor thickeness change (new crust, new ocean basin) |
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what is isostacy?
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one material, with mass and gravity, allows less-dense material to 'float' on surface. Continents can 'rise'
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what are the three types of mountains?
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volcanic, folded and faulted (stresses, materials and history), plateau (erosion over time)
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what happens when there is a horizontal pull and tensions on both sides on a plate?
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horst and graben (horst stays constant, graben sinks); causes rift valleys
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what does compression cause?
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folding and faulting (fracture)
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what are two volcano shapes?
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mafic and felsic
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what is mafic volcano?
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contains iron and metals, heavy and dense, material is steadily coming through aesthenosphere
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what is a felsic volcano?
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lighter materials, not constant emission
explosive amounts of gas and light shield volcanoes |
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what are the layers of the earth beginning from the inner core?
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inner core, outer core, mantle, aesthenosphere, lithosphere, crust
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what parts are within the earth's core?
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solid inner core, liquid outer core
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what parts are within the mantle?
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mantle and aesthenosphere
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what is in the lithosphere?
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crust and uppermost mantle
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what are the cracked portions of the lithosphere called?
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continents and ocean basins
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where does earth heat circulate?
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within the mantle
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what does the circulating heat cause?
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plates to move apart (divergent boundary), move together (convergent boundary), or slide past each other (transform boundary)
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which boundary is the subduction zone?
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convergent boundary
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what causes sea floor spreading?
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magma rises through the ocean floor, cools and hardens and becomes new crust
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define weather
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current state of the atmosphere
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define climate
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long term average of selected variables over a period (see climate normal)
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What does WMO stand for? What does it say about how climate normal is calculated?
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World Meteorological Organization - the average weather of three consecutive decades of measurement
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what does the earth temperature depend on?
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amount of solar radiating recieved, reflectaed and trapped by greenhouse gases
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how does the temperature relate to radiation?
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temperature is the radiation radiated back to the earth
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How does the earth warm?
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from the ground up
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what do Wein's law and Stefan-Boltzman's laws state?
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hotter objects emit more energy than cold objects, and the wavelengths of hot is shorter than cold wavelengths. The amount of radiation from the sun is more than the earth.
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how can radiation be used?
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scattered, reflected, transmitted, absorbed
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What is significant about basin and range?
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crust is stretched and thinned, there are large faults creating mountains and valleys
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what degree is the earth's tilt?
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23.4
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what changes are responsible for long-term climate cycles?
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the earth's tilt
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what is another word for the earth's tilt?
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obliquity
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what is the cycle of the earth's tilt?
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41,000 years
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what is precession?
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the arrow or tilt moves around too, caused by gravity on the earth and the sun (towards the sun a little more each year); axis traces a circle in the sky
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what is the cycle of precession?
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23,000 years
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what is eccentricity?
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the pattern o the earth around the sun (ecliptic)
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what is the cycle of eccentricity?
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100,000 years
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does ice/snow have high or low albedo?
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high, moderates warming of the atmosphere
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what happens when we have a loss of ice?
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changes the temperature of the atmosphere and salinity which drives ocean currents
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what are the greenhouse gases?
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water, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides
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what are global winds responsible for?
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movement of water vapor, currents, climate, seasonal changes, timing of precipitation
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which way do currents go?
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East to West
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what is between the atmosphere and hydrosphere?
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teleconnection
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what is El Nino and La Nina?
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measure of ocean surface temperature
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What is the difference between El Nino and La Nina?
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El Nino: Warm in East Pacific
La Nina: Cool in East Pacific (enhanced normal) |
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what are sunspots?
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Magnetic storms that produce flares
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what is aphelion?
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the point in a planet's orbit where it is farthest from the sun
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what is perihelion?
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planet is closest to the sun
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what causes winds to blow?
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pressure gradient force, coriolis force, friction
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how does a chinook work?
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wind moves eastward, moisture is lost as air cols. pressure increases down the side of the mountain as compressed air is heated and dried. Pressures collide, moisture condenses and warms the wind by releasing latent heat.
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what is a fohn wind?
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rainshadow wind. Dry, hot, air naturally warms as it sinks
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what is the orographic effect?
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a rainshadow. Air mass appraches mountain range and is rapidly forced upward causing moisture to cool and create precipitation
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what is the hottest part of the climate classification?
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"torrid" (temperate and frigid)
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What does the Koppen-Geiger classiication explain?
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vegetation variations (because of differences in temperature and precipitation)
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what are the hierarchial classifications in Koppen-Geiger?
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1. Mean annual temperature
2. seasonality of precipitation 3. seasonality of temperature |
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what does continental drift alter?
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ocean currents, atmosphere circulation and albedo
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what gas does volcanic activity emit?
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CO2, ash and sulfuric acid; temperature rises
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What is thermohaline?
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global scale ocean currents
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what are altostratus clouds?
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'chinook arch' - rising of a large air mass that condenses into a cloud, produces light precipitation, forms ahead of storms with continuous rain/snow
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what is the coriolis force?
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objects are deflected to the right in the N. Hemisphere. affects direction of object, not speed. Strength of deflection is proportionate to speed, force is zero at equator, greatest at poles.
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what does the Hadley cell explain?
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the reason for the tropical rainforests and dry deserts.
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what happens in the Hadley cell?
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hot air rises, experiences cooling, condenses and falls back to the earth. This water vapour produces latent heat releases, heats atmospheric air. Displaces cooler, dry air, which sinks to the other side of the equator where there is more pressure. Then it heats up and flows back towards the equator.
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