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310 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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The study and analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of phenomena on the earth's surface, and the underlying processes which cause the observed pattern
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Geography
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Geography is the spatial science of what?
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areas, natural systems and man-made systems
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What are the four traditions of geography?
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Earth-Science, Culture-Environment, Locational, Area-Analysis
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Who developed the four traditions?
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Pattison
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Which tradition is physical geography; studying the world around us, climate, landforms, plants, and animals?
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Earth-Science
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Which tradition studies the impacts of the environment on people and their impact on the environment; the relationship between human societies and their environment?
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Culture-Environment
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Which tradition studies the spatial component of geography; being concerned with where things are; the patterns or distribution of the phenomena?
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Locational
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What theory is used to explain the pattern of an activity or phenomena?
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Location Theory
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What tradition is regional science or study; studying all the various phenomena of a particular area of the world?
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Area-Analysis
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Who developed the five fundamental themes of geography?
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National Geographic Society
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What are the 5 themes of geography?
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Location, Place, Movement, Regions, Human-Earth Relationships
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What are the two categories of location?
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absolute, relative
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What theme tells the characteristics that make a location unique?
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Place
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Which theme studies diffusion across earth's surface?
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Movement
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Which theme studies diffusion across earth's surface?
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Movement
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Which theme studies areas with similar characteristics?
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Regions
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Which theme studies the use of the environment by humans?
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Human-Earth Relationships
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What are the 3 sub-disciplines in Geography?
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Physical, Human/Cultural, Techniques
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Who was the first geographer?
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Eratosthenes
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What did Eratosthenes measure?
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the polar circumference of the earth
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What did Eratosthenes develop the idea of?
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environmental zones based on temperature
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Who is the father of modern physical geography?
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Alexander von Humboldt
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Who developed a classification system for climates based on veg. temp. and precip. patterns?
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Koppen
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Who developed the theory of continental drift/ plate tectonics?
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Wegener
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Who developed a climate classification system based on principles of water balance, precip, and evaportranspiration?
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Thornthwaite
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Who developed scale for tornadoes?
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Fujita
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Who developed scale for hurricanes?
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Simpson and Saffir
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non-living
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abiotic
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living
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biotic
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Out of earth's 4 spheres, how many are abiotic and how many are biotic?
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3 abiotic, 1 biotic
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What are earth's 4 spheres?
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Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, lithosphere, Biosphere
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Gaseous veil that surrounds the earth
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atmosphere
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Where does weather occur?
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the atmosphere
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all the water above, on, and in the earth
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Hydrosphere
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What % of the earth's surface is water?
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71
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Earth's crust and a portion of the upper mantle
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Lithosphere
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The interconnection between the living organisms of the planet with their physical environment
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Biosphere
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The life zone of the planet
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Biosphere
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all the factors influencing an area or particular phenomena
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system
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What are the different types of systems?
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opened and closed
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What type of system has boundaries or interfaces freely permit transfer of energy and matter across them?
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Open System
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What system is a self-contained system exhibiting no exchange of energy or matter across boundaries?
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Closed System
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Systems change but tend to be in what state?
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equilibrium state
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the changing or relatively non-changing conditions of a system
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Equilibrium
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when a system is in balance over time, is neither growing nor contracting but is in full operation; may oscillate around an average level or condition
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Steady-state equilibrium
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fluctuates around an average value, but demonstrates a trend over time
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Dynamic equilibrium
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change in one part of a system causes change in another part
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feedback
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What kind of feedback keeps system in original condition inhibiting change; self regulating
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negative feedback
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What type of feedback induces a progressively greater change in a system; snowball effect?
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Positive feedback
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what is the name for the squished shape of the earth at the equator
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geodial bulge
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what degrees d latitude start and stop?
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0-90
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What degrees does longitude start and stop?
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0-180
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0 degrees longitude
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prime meridian
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180 degrees longitude
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international date line
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most common type of map
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Mercator
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the ratio of the distance on the map to the actual distance on the ground
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scale
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what scale shows small area of earth's surface
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large scale
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What % of earth's energy is from the sun?
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99
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amount of sunlight striking earth varies spatially with what?
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latitude
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spatially
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space/area
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temporally
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over time
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The unequal heating of the Earth's surface drives/creates what?
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ocean currents, wind, transports energy
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the farther you are from the tropics. . . .
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the less energy from the sun reaches the earth
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the spinning of the earth about its axis
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rotation
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point where the sun is directly overhead
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sub solar point
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when viewed from the north pole, the earth spins in what direction?
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counterclockwise
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movement of the earth in its orbit around the sun
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revolution
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which way does the earth's orbit go when viewed from the north pole?
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counterclockwise
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what shape is the orbit?
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elliptical
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What is the term for when the earth is closest to the sun and when?
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perihelion, Jan. 3
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What is the term for when the earth is furthest from the sun and when?
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aphelion, July 4
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Are there seasons at the equator?
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no
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Why do seasons occur?
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REVOLUTION, Rotation, TILT OF AXIS, axial parallelism, sphericity
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Why do seasons occur?
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REVOLUTION, Rotation, TILT OF AXIS, axial parallelism, sphericity
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angle of the sun above the horizon
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solar altitude, max 90 degrees
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what is the earths inclination of the axis?
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23.5 degrees from perpendicular to the ecliptic
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what is the earth's axial orientation (axial parallelism)?
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pointed towards the North Star
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the earth appears as an oblate spheroid to the sun's parallel rays
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sphericity
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Vernal Equinox
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March 20-21, spring in NH
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Summer Solstice
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June 20-21, summer in NH
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Autumnal Equinox
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September 22-23, fall in NH
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Winter Solstice
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December 21-22, winter in NH
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amount of day length is determined by what?
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tilt and revolution
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sun is never directly overhead outside what latitude
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23.5
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What determines time zones
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meridians of longitude
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one time zone is how many degrees of longitude?
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15
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The day to day conditions of the atmosphere
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weather
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the statistical properties of the atmosphere, including measures of the average conditions, variability, etc.
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climate
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a description of aggregate weather conditions
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climate
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the science that studies the atmosphere
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meterology
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the study of long-term atmospheric conditions
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climatology
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What is the main process for increased oxygen levels?
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photosynthesis
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what is the atmosphere?
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a MIXTURE OF DISCRETE GASES with solid and liquid particles suspended in it
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What kind of gases are found in same proportions within lower atmosphere?
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constant gases
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what gases present in differing amounts spatially and/or temporally
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variable gases
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What 3 constant gases make up just under 100% of the atmosphere?
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Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), Argon (.9%)
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Which 3 variable gases influence weather and life systems?
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carbon dioxide, Water vapor, ozone (o3) these are greenhouse gases
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What absorbs radiant energy emitted by earth?
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Carbon Dioxide
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What absorbs damaging UV radiation?
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Ozone
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How is Ozone formed?
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an o2 molecule is split with shortwave (solar) radiation and the single O atoms combine with and o2
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read focus study
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3.1 pg. 69-72
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know what stratospheric clouds
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are
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What is thought to have caused the hole in the ozone layer?
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increased amounts of CFC's
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Where is ozone concentrated?
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in the stratosphere
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What does 1% of ozone loss lead to?
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a 2% increase in UV radiation absorbed at the earth's surface
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What are the consequences of less ozone?
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increased UV at surface, increased skin cancer and cataracts, increased damage to plants and animals
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the force exerted by the weight of a column of air above a given point?
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air pressure
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What is the average air pressure at sea level?
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1000mb or 1 kg above every square cm
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What is the relationship between air pressure and height?
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inverse, one goes up the other comes down
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the average molecular motion of an object
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temperature
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does temp. go up or down with increasing altitude?
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both
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What is it called if the temp. increases with altitude?
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an inversion
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a change in temp. with a change in altitude
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lapse rate or temp. lapse rate
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What are the 2 regions of the atmosphere?
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Homosphere and Heterosphere
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Region of the atmosphere with uniform chemical composition; from surface to 50 mi
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Homosphere
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Region of the atmosphere with changing chemical composition;top layer
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Heterosphere
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What are the four layers of the atmosphere?
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Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
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What layer of the atmosphere does weather occur?
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Troposphere
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how tall is the troposphere?
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7.5 mi
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What layer of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer?
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stratosphere (ozonosphere), very little H2O
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What layer of the atmosphere does the aurora borealis and aurora australis occur?
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Thermosphere
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the ability or capacity to do work on some form of matter
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energy
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the potential to do work; energy at rest
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potential energy
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the energy of motion
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kinetic energy
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the sum total of all molecular motion of an object
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heat energy
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energy emitted by all objects with a temperature > 0 degrees K (-273 degrees C)
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Radiant energy
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Energy follows the laws of what?
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thermodynamics
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What is the first law of thermodynamics?
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in any change, energy is neither created nor destroyed but may be converted from one form to another ( law of conservation of energy)
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What is the second law of thermodynamics?
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when energy is changed from one form to another, some of the useful energy is degraded to a lower quality, mored dispersed and less useful
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What does the amount of energy depend on?
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Temperature
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The hotter the emitting body the blank the wavelength
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shorter
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Is the sun long or short wave?
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shortwave
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Does the earth emit long or short wave?
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longwave
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particles in the atmosphere redirect the incoming solar radiation from its original path
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scattering
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process whereby a surface turns back a portion of the radiation that strikes it
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reflection
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the angle of incidence = angle of reflection
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law of reflection
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incoming
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incidence
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outgoing
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reflection
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What % of incoming shortwave is reflected back to space?
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31
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the % of radiation reflected off a surface compared to the incident radiation striking it
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Albedo
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albedo varies with what?
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each surface and with varying sun angles
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What is the average planetary albedo?
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31 (31%)
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the process whereby energy of the incoming SW radiation is transferred into internal molecular motion (heat energy) of the object struck
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absorption
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Absorption usually results in raising what?
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the temperature of the substance struck
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What % of incoming radiation from the sun reaches the surface?
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45%
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What % of incoming radiation from the sun reaches the surface?
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45%
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What % of incoming radiation from the sun is absorbed by the atmosphere?
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24%
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What % of incoming radiation from the sun is lost to space by reflection and scattering?
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31%
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What is another name for LW radiation?
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Terrestrial Radiation
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Terrestrial Radiation is emitted by. . . .
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the earth and objects on the earth
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Earth's LW emissions are in what portion of the spectrum?
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infrared
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What 2 substances are very good absorbers of LW?
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carbon dioxide and water
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Water vapor absorbs how much more than all other gases?
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5 times as much
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What process is heating the atmosphere?
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Greenhouse Effect
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The greenhouse effect causes the atmosphere to be heated. . . .
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from the ground up
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LW is bounced back and forth between what?
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the atmosphere and the ground
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The actual process of warming the atmosphere (includes convection)
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Atmospheric Effect
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What is global warming?
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enhanced greenhouse effect
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The total kinetic energy of all the atoms and molecules of an object or substance
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Heat
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heat required to raise the temp of 1 gram of water by 1 degree C
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calorie
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Heat is transfered in what 3 ways?
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conduction, convection, radiation
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the transfer of heat through matter by molecular activity, the direct contact and transfer from one molecule to the next
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conduction
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Heat flows in what direction?
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from high to low
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poor conductors of heat
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insulators (ex: air)
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transfer of heat by mass movement within a substance
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convection
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Most important mechanism for heat transfer in the atmosphere
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convection
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During convection, the air is heated at the surface ad then rises in mass
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heat flux
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dry component of heat flux
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Sensible Heat Flux
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evaporation/ condensation; wet component of convective heat transfer
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latent heat flux
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heat energy added to a substance WITHOUT CHANGING THE TEMP, but changing the state (solid, liq. Etc)
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latent heat
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wavelike transfer of energy
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radiation
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the balance of incoming (SW) to outgoing (LW) radiation
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Earth's Heat Budget
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If there was no balance of incoming and outgoing energy. . .
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too cold or too hot
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Net radiation = ?
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ground heat flux (conduction) + sensible heat flux (convection) + latent heat flux (evap. condensation)
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How does heat budget vary?
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temporally and spatially
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What does the horizontal imbalance of energy over the earth's surface lead to?
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surplus in the tropics and a deficit at the poles
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How is energy redistributed?
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atmospheric circulation (winds), oceanic circulation (currents)
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Latent heat flux is most important where?
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Humid tropics
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Sensible heat flux is most important where?
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Arid Tropics
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what refers to the tendency of an air parcel, with its water vapor, either to remain in place or to change vertical position by ascending or descending?
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stability
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What does a stable parcel of air do?
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resists displacement upward or, when disturbed, tends to return to its starting place
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What does an unstable parcel of air do?
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continues to rise until it reaches an altitude where the surrounding air has a density and temp. similar to its own
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When an air parcel is warmer and less dense than the surrounding air what happens?
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it will rise (unstable)
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When an air parcel is colder and denser than the surrounding air, what will happen?
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it will stay at the same level or sink (stable)
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the temp. profile of the atmosphere (air surrounding a parcel of air)
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environmental Lapse rate (ELR)
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What determines air stability?
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ELR
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Is there uplift of air in stable conditions?
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no
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Stable conditions are associated with what?
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high pressure cells
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What is the condition of the air when ELR < Dar?
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Stable
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What are the weather conditions in a stable atmosphere?
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clear skies, maybe a few stratus clouds
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What does a stability result in?
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no uplift of air but subsidence (sinking) of air
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the condition of the air when ELR > DAR
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Unstable
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Unstable air results in. . .
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an uplift of air
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Unstable conditions are associated with what?
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low pressure cells
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When do unstable conditions occur?
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during the warmest months and on clear days
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What is the weather like in unstable conditions?
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cloudy skies, cumulus clouds, precipitation
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The condition of the air when the ELR is between the DAR and SAR
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Conditionally Unstable
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if air is saturated then the upper portion of the atmosphere is . . .
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unstable
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if air is unsaturated then the lower portion of the atmosphere is. . .
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stable
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by expansion
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adiabatically
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for air masses or parcels of air to cool adiabatically and to reach the dew pt. and saturate, condense, and form clouds etc. they must do what?
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lift and rise in altitude
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heating helps produce what?
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unstable conditions
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if there is enough moisture in the air parcel, what might you get?
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cloud development and precipitation
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What are the 4 lifting mechanisms?
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Convective, Convergent, Orographic, Frontal Wedging
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the process of warming a parcel of air at the surface by conduction, then the whole parcel rising into the atmosphere since it is warmer than the surrounding air
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convective lifting
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What kind of conditions does convective lifting produce?
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Unstable
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What kind of conditions does convective lifting produce?
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Unstable
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What kind of conditions does convective lifting produce?
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Unstable
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convective lifting occurs in conjunction with convergence in what kind of cells?
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low pressure
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the process by which winds come together from opposite directions and are forced to rise due to compression
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Convergent lifting
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part of the process that occurs in conjunction with convection in what kind of cells?
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low pressure
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the process by which air is forced to rise over a mountain range and thus cool adiabatically
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orographic lifting
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what side of the mountain does precipitation occur?
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windward
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Where would a rain shadow desert occur?
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leeward
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Where would a rain shadow desert occur?
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leeward
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the process by which cold, dense air acts similarly to a mountain barrier forcing warmer, less dense air to rise over it
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frontal wedging (lifting)
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the leading edge of a mass of cold air
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cold front
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leading edge of a mass of warm air
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warm front
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Frontal wedging usually produces what along the cold fronts?
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severe storms, clouds and precip. on fronts
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measure of the average kinetic energy of the atoms and molecules of an object or substance
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temperature
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Temperature is NOT what?
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heat
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the amount of heat is dependent on what?
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volume or mass of an object
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is the temp. of an object dependent on its volume or mass?
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no
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is the temp. of an object dependent on its volume or mass?
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no
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will an 8 oz glass of water and a bathtub of water have the same heat if they are the same temp?
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no
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freezing pt.
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0 C, 32 F, 273 K
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boiling pt
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100 C, 212 F, 373 K
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what is absolute 0
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0 K, no molecular motion
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a line on a map or chart that connects points of equal temperature
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isotherm
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what is determined by latitudinal position and is the primary control of temperatures at earth's surface
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receipt of solar radiation
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land cools and warms more quickly than water
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differential heating
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land cools and warms more quickly than water
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differential heating
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Water is blank while land is more blank
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transparent, opaque
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the specific heat of water is how much greater than land?
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3 times
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which takes more energy to heat, land or water?
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water
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what does water do to temperature?
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moderates
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will a windward location vary more or less in temp than a leeward location?
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less
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will a windward location vary more or less in temp than a leeward location?
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less
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ocean currents will influence air temps. of both the ocean area and adjoining land area where the current is located
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warm currents keep temp. higher
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as you go higher in elevation, temp decreases but what increases?
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solar radiation
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what do clouds do to keep the surface warmer?
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trap in terrestrial radiation, but also reflect solar radiation
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why does the temp in the NH vary more than the SH?
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there is a smaller % of water
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where are the warmest temps.?
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in the tropical deserts in summer
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tropic of cancer
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23 degrees 26 min north
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tropic of cancer
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23 degrees 26 min north
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tropic of capricorn
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23 degrees 26 min south
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arctic circle
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66 degrees 33 min 39 sec north
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antarctic circle
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66 degrees 33 min 39 sec. south
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the weight of the air pushing down on a surface
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air pressure
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lines of equal pressure
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isobars
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difference in air pressure between two places, horizontally
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pressure gradient force (PGF)
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horizontal air flow/ wind
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advection
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What initiates advection?
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PGF
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What determines wind direction and speed?
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air pressure and the PGF
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steep gradient=strong PGF=fast winds
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and visa versa
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wind flows in what direction?
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high pressure to low pressure
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apparent deflection in path or movement of an object due to the earth's rotation
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Coriolis Force
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deflection is to the right of original path in Northern Hemisphere
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left in southern
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increase speed=increase deflection
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yeah
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increase speed=increase deflection
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yeah
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is the Coriolis effect stronger at equator or poles?
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poles
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What does Coriolis effect alter
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direction, not speed
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upper level winds
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geostrophic
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geostrophic winds blow parallel to what
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isobars
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what affects geostrophic winds?
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pressure gradient force and coriolis force
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What are the two flows of geostrophic winds?
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Zonal flow, Meridional flow
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a more flattened air flow with primarily and east-west orientation
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zonal flow
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a more curved flow with distinct ridges and valleys/troughs
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Meridional flow
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winds below 1000m
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surface winds
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what influences surface winds?
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pressure gradient force, coriolis force, friction
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Which way does a low pressure cell flow in the NH?
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cyclonic (counterclockwise)
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which way does a high pressure cell flow in NH
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anticyclonic (clockwise)
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how are winds named
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the direction they are coming FROM
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warm dry wind comming down the mountains named for such winds of the western US also known as santa ana wind in California
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Chinook Wind
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a flow of dense cold air downslope under the influence of gravity in areas of large continental glaciers such as greenland, etc
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Katabatic wind
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areas of uplift with convergence at the surface (usually unstable)
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low belts
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areas of subsidence and divergence at the surface: usually stable
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High Belts
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the continuous movement of water from the earth's surface to the atmosphere and back to the surface, then to the atmosphere
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Hydrologic Cycle
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the water absorbed by vegetation and then released to the atmosphere
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transpiration
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What happens with the energy when something melts?
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absorbed
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what happens to the energy with vaporization
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absorbed
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What happens to energy when something condenses?
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released
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What happens to the energy when something freezes?
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released
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heat energy stored in one of the states of water
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latent heat
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the water vapor content of the air
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humidity
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grams of water/ kg of air
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specific humidity
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grams of water / cubic meter of air
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absolute humidity
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the ratio of water vapor actually in the air compared to the maximum water vapor the air could hold at that temperature and expressed as a %
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Relative Humidity (RH)
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each component of the atmosphere makes up a part of the total air pressure
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partial pressure
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each component of the atmosphere makes up a part of the total air pressure
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partial pressure
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that portion of the air pressure which is make up by water vapor
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water vapor pressure
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when the air is holding all of the water vapor it can
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saturation
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the amount of water vapor the air can hold is a function of what?
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temp.
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Saturation vapor pressure blanks with temp.
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increases
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the weight of water vapor divided by the weight of the air
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specific humidity
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actual vapor content / Capacity = RH
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calculation
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condensation begins
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when RH=100%
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the temp at which a given mass of air becomes saturated
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dew point temp (DPT)
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Dew pt temp is controlled by what
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vapor pressure, NOT temp
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how do you change RH
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change temp. or amount of moisture
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the colder the air
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the less water vapor it can hold
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as air rises in the atmosphere. . .
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it expands
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as air sinks . . . .
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it compresses
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compressing air. . . .
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increases in temp
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does heat have to change for the temp to change.
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no
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changing the temp of the air without adding or subtracting heat
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adiabatic temp. change
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rising air expands and cools
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sinking air compresses and warms
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Dry Adiabatic Rate; air is unsaturated
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1 degree C/ 100m or 10 degrees c/ 1000m
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Saturated adiabatic rate (SAR)
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the more water in the air, the slower the rate b/c condensation releases latent heat
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the height at which condensation occurs; where cloud formation begins (usually seen as the bottom of a cloud mass)
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condensation level
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