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100 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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This/these sphere(s) is/are composed of many critical
components essential to life, such as oxygen, carbon, water, and nitrogen. |
Atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere
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What is the largest atmospheric phenomenon?
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Tornado
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A latitude of 35º lies in which latitude zone?
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Midlatitudes
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The Equatorial/Tropical latitudes are…
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23.5 degrees N - 23.5 degrees S
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Cumulonimbus clouds are...
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individual puffy clouds with a flat, horizontal base and produces rain; thunderheads
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Nimbostratus clouds...
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layer-like gray sheets that cover most of the sky and produce rain; dark rain clouds
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Dry adiabatic lapse rate:
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10 degrees C/1000 m; and the rate at which an unsaturated body of air cools while lifting or warms while descending.
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The process through which water changes from the liquid to the vapor phase.
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evaporation
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These lines connect places of equal atmospheric pressure.
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Isobars
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The distance between meridians is greatest…
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at the equator
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________ is a long stone or concrete structure used to create a permanent opening for a channel by reinforcing both sides of the passageway
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jetties
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__________ is the combined movement of both longshore drift and beach drift.
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littoral drift
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Winter in the northern hemisphere occurs during...
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Perihelion
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The point in the Earth’s orbit where it the farthest from the Sun is called…
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Aphelion
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The two kinds of weathering are…
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Mechanical and chemical
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Expansion and contraction of water in rock cracks due
to freezing and thawing is… |
frost wedging
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The most important weathering agent is…
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water
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A large mass of snow and rock that suddenly slides
down a mountainside is a(n)… |
avalanche
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This is an example of a depositional landform.
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Alluvial fan, river floodplain
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Longitude...
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Determines location east and west by reference of the Prime Meridian. Foundation of the longitude system is great circles. Runs north-south, labeled east-west.
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The subsolar point is…
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The point on earth where the sun angle is 90 degrees and solar radiation trikes the surface most directly at any given time. Migrates between 23.5 degrees N (tropic of Cancer) and 23.5 degrees S (tropic of Capricorn. Warmest spot on the earth.
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The fundamental cause of the seasons are…
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Tilt of earth's axis, axial parallelism, sphericity
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On the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere,
the subsolar point is located at… |
Tropic of Cancer - 23.5 degrees N
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If the subsolar point is moving from the Equator
towards the Tropic of Cancer, what season of the year is it in the northern hemisphere? |
summer
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In the Celsius scale, the freezing point of water is ___
and the boiling point of water is... |
0 degrees, 100 degrees
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The annual migration of the subsolar point occurs
only in the… |
Equatorial/tropical latitudes
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If the name of the wind direction is “Westerlies”, it is flowing from which direction?
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West
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What is hail?
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ice crystals that are repeatedly drawn up into a violent thunderstorm, growing each time
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Uplift that occurs when a flowing body of air encounters a mountain range.
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Orographic uplift
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Frontal uplift:
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air masses collide, driving air up
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The Coriolis force is…
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The force created by the earth's rotation that causes winds to be deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere.
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A semicircular reef that is most closely associated
with degradation of volcanic islands is called… |
atoll
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The solar constant has a value of ____ W/m2 at the
top of the atmosphere. |
1370
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Within the field of geography, most geographers
consider themselves to be… |
Physical or human specialist
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In physical geography the processes we talk about are
fundamentally products of… |
Spatial analysis of physical components and natural processes of the earth
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Light from the Sun takes _________ to reach
the Earth |
8.3 minutes
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The Earth’s axis of rotation makes an angle of ______
degrees from a line perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. |
23.5
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Atmospheric water vapor is especially influential
because… |
It absorbs and stores heat from the sun and thus is a important component along with carbon dioxide in the greenhouse effect
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_______ air is capable of holding _______ water
vapor than _______ air. |
Warm air, cold air
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This is a transfer of heat by the collision of atoms or
molecules. |
conduction
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This is a transfer of heat by movement of fluids.
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Convection
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This is how the Sun transfers heat energy to the Earth.
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shortwave radiation
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Sensible heat refers to…
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heat that can be measured and felt
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A blacktop highway reflects _________ of incoming
solar radiation. |
5-10%
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The amount of incoming solar radiation reflected off
an object depends on albedo and the… |
color or geometry of the shape
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This is the altitude of the troposphere.
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12 km
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This is the layer of the atmosphere where the ozone
layer exists. |
stratosphere
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This layer of the atmosphere contains most of the
atmospheric water vapor and particulates. |
troposphere
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The annual migration of the subsolar point occurs
only in the… |
from 23.5° North (Tropic of Cancer) to 23.5°S (Tropic of Capricorn)
low latitudes Equatorial/Tropical latitudes |
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This describes the difference in annual and daily
temperatures that exists between locations near large bodies of water and locations surrounded by large bodies of land. |
marine vs continental effect
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Describe water?
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H20 molecule
Hydrogen bonding Liquid (flexible bond) Ice (rigid hexagonal bond) Surface Tension (water molecules hold together) Capillary Action (upward movement of water through soil and plants) |
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.Air pressure is
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-influenced by air temperature
-the weight of the air exerts pressure on the earths surface -decreases with altitude -warm is lighter it tends to rise, -cool air sinks |
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A cyclone...
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-low pressure system
-circulating body of air -rises -counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere |
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A low-pressure system is often associated with
_________ because _________ and can hold less moisture |
A low pressure system is often associated with rising air because it cools and can hold less moisture
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In a high pressure system in the northern hemisphere,
the horizontal flow of air ________ in a _________ direction (as seen from above). |
In a high pressure system in the northern hemisphere the horizontal flow of air spins in a clockwise (anti-cyclonic) direction
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Atmospheric pressure systems in the midlatitudes
generally migrate from ____________. |
-Subtropical high
-Hadley Cell |
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When isobars on a surface weather map are close
together it means |
Steep pressure gradient
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In the center of a midlatitude low pressure system…
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--upward flow in the center of the system
-it has the lowest amount of pressure -cloudy stormy weather |
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Band of low pressure, calm winds, and clouds in
tropical latitudes where air converges. |
intertropical convergence zone
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As air rises it ______ and can hold ____ moisture.
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expands, less
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Band of high air pressure, calm winds, and clear skies
that exist at about 25 - 30° N and S latitude is called the… |
Subtropical High Pressure System
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In the Northern Hemisphere, descending air spirals in
a ________ direction, and upon reaching the surface it _________ |
anticyclonic, warms
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During the day, air over ______ heats up more rapidly
than air over ______, resulting in a small zone of low pressure over the ______ near the shore. |
land, water, land
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Of all the water in the hydrosphere, what is the
percentage tied up in oceans? |
71%
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When water changes its physical state, ________
heat energy is either lost or gained |
latent
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The vast majority of freshwater on the Earth is stored
In |
ice caps and glaciers
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To make the relative humidity of an air mass to
increase, you would… |
decrease the temperature
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Uplift that occurs when a flowing body of air
encounters a mountain range. |
orographic uplift
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Frontal uplift:
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Uplift of air that occurs along the boundary of contrasting bodies of air
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The air mass that originates over the Gulf of Mexico
is the |
maritime tropical
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Seen from above, the surface air circulation associated
with a northern hemisphere midlatitude cyclone is… |
cyclonic
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The cloud type BEST associated with a cold front is…
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cumulonimbus
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Of all the water in the hydrosphere, what is the
percentage tied up in oceans? |
71%
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When water changes its physical state, ________
heat energy is either lost or gained |
latent
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The vast majority of freshwater on the Earth is stored
In |
ice caps and glaciers
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To make the relative humidity of an air mass to
increase, you would… |
decrease the temperature
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Uplift that occurs when a flowing body of air
encounters a mountain range. |
orographic uplift
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Frontal uplift:
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Uplift of air that occurs along the boundary of contrasting bodies of air
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The air mass that originates over the Gulf of Mexico
is the |
maritime tropical
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Seen from above, the surface air circulation associated
with a northern hemisphere midlatitude cyclone is… |
cyclonic
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The cloud type BEST associated with a cold front is…
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cumulonimbus
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During the open stage of a midlatitude cyclone
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warm rises due to altitude, heavy storms form
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Midlatitude cyclones in the U.S. generally
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-hits the southeast coast
moves west to east |
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A brief but strong storm that contains strong winds,
lightning, thunder, and hail is a |
supercell thunderstorm
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The stage of a thunderstorm characterized by strong
updrafts and downdrafts, a gust front, and heavy precipitation is the |
mature stage
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The area of rapidly flowing air moving upward within
a thunderstorm is called a |
updraft
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The repeated pull of ice crystals back into the upper
part of a thunderstorm until they become too large to be supported produces |
hail
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The scale used to describe the intensity of a tornado is
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fujita scale
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The center of Tornado Alley is where?
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Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and part of Missouri
Kansas would be closest to the center |
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The number and severity of tornadoes in the U.S. is
predominantly a function of the |
Severity of the thunderstorms
how great the contrast of air is |
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The scale used to describe hurricane intensity is the
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Saffir Simpson scale
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The quadrant of a hurricane where the storm surge is
usually highest is the |
front right
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The region of sinking air in the center of a
Hurricane |
eye
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The decomposition and alteration of rocks due to
chemical actions of natural, physical, and biological processes |
weathering
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Describe the general direction of a geostrophic wind
on the west side of a low pressure system |
airflow that moves parallel to isobars because of the combined effect of the pressure gradient force and Coriolis force
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An area of raised land that forms a separating rim
between two large, adjacent drainage basins is called |
drainage divide
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What does the Q term represent in this equation
Q = v*d*w? |
Discharge (how much water is flowing in the channel)
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This type of sediment transport takes large particles
such as sand and gravel through rolling, sliding, or bouncing along the channel bed. |
bed load
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occurs when a portion of an
abandoned stream channel that is cut off from the rest of the stream by the meandering process and is filled with stagnant water |
oxbow lake
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Most damage and loss of life during a tropical
cyclone/hurricane is caused by |
flooding, storm surge
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