Physical Geography Test 2

Front 1

What are the 3 states of H2O?

Back 1

water vapor, water, ice/snow

Front 2

What happens when water changes states? Why is this important to weather?

Back 2

latent heat is taken in or released; impact on weather - heat exchanged produces greater than 30% of energy for general circulation

Front 3

Why is water weird?

Back 3

liquid to solid transition: contracts until 4°C, then expands

Front 4

What separates drainage basins?

Back 4

drainage divides

Front 5

What is the formula for discharge?

Back 5

Q = V x A
(discharge = average velocity x cross-sectional area)

Front 6

What is the formula for percent runoff?

Back 6

% runoff = volume from stream flow / volume from precipitation

Front 7

How is base flow determined from a hydrograph?

Back 7

base flow = original level of water in system before precipitation (on graph, level before peak)

Front 8

Where does water in streams and rivers come from at base flow?

Back 8

groundwater, water table

Front 9

Define flood.

Back 9

when discharge exceeds bank full discharge

Front 10

What is the formula for recurrence interval?

Back 10

RI = (years of record + 1)/rank

Front 11

What is the formula for percent probability that a flood will happen in a given year?

Back 11

%P = (1/RI) x 100

Front 12

Define groundwater.

Back 12

underground water

Front 13

What are some inputs and outputs for a groundwater system?

Back 13

inputs - precipitation, seepage from surface
outputs - wells, streams, lakes, oceans

Front 14

What are the three major components of a groundwater system?

Back 14

unsaturated zone, water table, saturated zone

Front 15

What two factors control the speed and direction of groundwater flow?

Back 15

slope of the water table, permeability of the material through which the groundwater flows

Front 16

Define porosity.

Back 16

percent of non-mineral space in a rock, sediment or soil (void space)

Front 17

Define permeability.

Back 17

extent to which fluids can pass through rock, sediment, or soil

Front 18

Define aquifers and give a few examples.

Back 18

permeable rocks/materials that hold H2O
ex. sand and gravel, limestone, heavily fractured rocks, sandstone

Front 19

Define aquicludes and give a few examples.

Back 19

materials impermeable to H2O
ex. clay/mud, mudstone/shale, unfractured rock

Front 20

Define hydraulic head.

Back 20

pressure buildup created by groundwater trapped between aquicludes

Front 21

What happens if the pumping rate is greater than the rate of recharge?

Back 21

the well goes dry

Front 22

Define karst.

Back 22

landscape dominated by features formed from limestone dissolution and underlain by cavern systems

Front 23

Define residence time.

Back 23

average length of time a substance spends in a reservoir

Front 24

How is residence time calculated?

Back 24

T = S/F
T = residence time
S = amount of substance stored in reservoir
F = flux, the amount of substance input OR output from a reservoir

Front 25

What's the difference between exact residence times and average residence times?

Back 25

exact residence time can be calculated if input = output; average residence time is calculated when input does not equal output (it's the average of the residence times for input and output)

Front 26

What is steady-state?

Back 26

when the volume of water stays the same (input = output)

Front 27

How do you calculate erosion time given volume of sediment eroded and the drainage basin area?

Back 27

erosion rate = volume eroded per year/drainage basin area

Front 28

How do you calculate erosion time given average erosion rate and average elevation?

Back 28

time to erode = average elevation/average elevation rate

Front 29

What three factors influence the processes that alter/cover and destroy bedrock?

Back 29

climate, topography, tectonic environment

Front 30

Define denudation.

Back 30

wearing away of landforms

Front 31

Define weathering.

Back 31

disintegration of rock near Earth's surface

Front 32

What are the two major types of weathering?

Back 32

physical, chemical

Front 33

Define frost action.

Back 33

a repeated freeze-thaw that breaks rocks

Front 34

Define unloading.

Back 34

as surface rock erodes, pressure on buried rock decreases

Front 35

What are the three types of chemical weathering, and which one is most likely to cause rusty coloration?

Back 35

hydrolysis, acid action, oxidation (makes rusty color)

Front 36

Define soil.

Back 36

natural terrestrial surface layer containing minerals, organic matter, and organisms

Front 37

Define estuary.

Back 37

a river or bay where the tide flows in and there's a mixing of salt and fresh water

Front 38

Define glacier. What are the two broad types?

Back 38

year-round ice on the landscape
types - continental, alpine

Front 39

How do glaciers form?

Back 39

whenever snowfall input (accumulation) exceeds snowmelt (ablation) year after year - pressure increases, and the snow is changed into a firn, then ice

Front 40

What are the inputs and outputs for glaciers?

Back 40

inputs - snowfall, blown snow, snow avalance
outputs - melting, evaporation/sublimation, calving

Front 41

Explain glacial mass balance in the context of the accumulation zone, the equilibrium line, and the ablation zone.

Back 41

accumulation zone - where input exceeds output (positive balance)
ablation zone - where output exceeds input (negative balance)
equilibrium line - where accumulation = ablation

Front 42

Define firn.

Back 42

densely packed snow - transition stage between snow and ice

Front 43

What type of valleys to eroding glaciers form?

Back 43

U-shaped valleys, hanging valleys

Front 44

How/why are hanging valleys formed?

Back 44

eroded by a small tributary glacier --> valley is smaller than valley eroded by larger glacier that it joins

Front 45

What two forces control glacial motion?

Back 45

gravity, friction

Front 46

Define till.

Back 46

unsorted material deposited directly by ice

Front 47

Define moraine.

Back 47

linear features deposited at the bottom or along the side of glaciers - accumulations of till

Front 48

Define glacial erratic.

Back 48

enormous boulders transported and deposited by glaciers, often far from their source region

Front 49

What are the three types of moraines?

Back 49

lateral, terminal, medial

Front 50

What is the major factor that separates alpine from continental glaciers?

Back 50

alpine glaciers are controlled by topography; continental glaciers aren't

Front 51

In an atmosphere subdivided by temperature structure, what are the two lowest elevation zones, including the one that covers the surface of the earth?

Back 51

troposphere, stratosphere

Front 52

Define heat.

Back 52

form of energy that flows from one form to another

Front 53

Define temperature.

Back 53

measure of average kinetic energy molecules in matter

Front 54

Define net radiation.

Back 54

difference between all incoming and outgoing radiation

Front 55

What is the relationship between lag time and radiation surpluses and deficits?

Back 55

the hottest part of the day is between 3 and 5 PM because this is when solar radiation switches from surplus to deficit

Front 56

How is atmospheric pressure created?

Back 56

created by the push of the atmosphere on the earth's surface

Front 57

Define isobars.

Back 57

lines of equal pressure

Front 58

What causes wind?

Back 58

changes in pressure

Front 59

Define humidity.

Back 59

the amount of water vapor in the air

Front 60

What is the difference between specific and relative humidity?

Back 60

specific humidity = mass of water vapor/mass of air
relative humidity = percentage of saturation that the air has reached

Front 61

What is the formula for calculating relative humidity?

Back 61

relative humidity = water vapor content (AKA specific humidity)/water vapor capacity x 100

Front 62

What is the dew point temperature?

Back 62

temperature at which a given mass of air becomes saturated

Front 63

What would a graph plotting relative humidity and temperature over a given average day look like?

Back 63

exponential curve

Front 64

Define adiabatic processes.

Back 64

changes in temperature caused entirely by changes in pressure

Front 65

What factor determines whether or not an air parcel is stable?

Back 65

difference in temperature of parcel and surrounding air

Front 66

What is the difference between the environmental temperature lapse rate (ETLR) and the adiabatic lapse rate?

Back 66

ETLR - rate at which temperature sinks with rising altitude (still air)
ALR - rate at which temperature of moving air parcel lowers with rising altitude (moving air)

Front 67

What are the two types of adiabatic lapse rates and when is each used?

Back 67

MAR - for air parcels that have reached/crossed the dew point
DAR - for air parcels that aren't saturated

Front 68

Define lifting condensation level.

Back 68

altitude at which condensation begins (switch from DAR to MAR)

Front 69

Define cloud.

Back 69

aggregation of water droplets and ice particles

Front 70

Briefly explain how thunderstorms and hail form.

Back 70

cumulonimbus clouds --> unstable atmospheric conditions
thunderstorms - associated with vertical air motion, humidity, instability
hail - form within cumulonimbus clouds, raindrops cycle + and - freezing, builds up ice layers, updrafts and downdrafts

Front 71

Define wind.

Back 71

horizontal motion of air across Earth's surface

Front 72

Define Coriolis effect.

Back 72

apparent deflection of winds

Front 73

Briefly explain how Hadley cells form.

Back 73

convection loops - heat rises and moves away from equator towards 30 N, cools and sinks, heads back to equator (lower pressure)

Front 74

How do Hadley cells contribute to to the huge dry climate belts located at about 30 N/S?

Back 74

Hadley cells pull air and moisture back towards equator at 30 degrees (Ferrel cells are also moving air away from 30 N/S towards poles)

Front 75

Define gyre.

Back 75

circular ocean current that transfers heat energy

Front 76

What two major processes control deep ocean currents?

Back 76

upwelling, downwelling

Front 77

Briefly explain how a hurricane is born. What is an easterly wave? What generally leads to the formation of an easterly wave?

Back 77

begins as an easterly wave (wave heading east), weak disturbance in the atmosphere (localized ocean high temps) --> "wave" formed in isobar structure of region

Front 78

Why do hurricanes never form right near the equator?

Back 78

no Coriolis effect

Front 79

Explain the relationship between wind speed and pressure in the center of a hurricane.

Back 79

lower pressure = higher surface winds

Front 80

What three major factors control whether or not an easterly wave will eventually become a hurricane?

Back 80

warm sea-surface temperatures, light easterly winds aloft (no shearing of storms), rotation created by winds coming into the system

Front 81

What causes hurricanes in the Atlantic to change their path from west to east as they move north? At what approximate latitude does this happen?

Back 81

westerlies change course (at about 30 N)

Front 82

Why did Hurricane Isabel not turn back towards the NE? Is this common?

Back 82

high pressure system in new england forced hurricane to keep a straight path inland (uncommon)

Front 83

What is the formula for effective wind velocity?

Back 83

EWV = hurricane wind velocity + storm-center velocity

Front 84

What are the primary and secondary causes of storm surge?

Back 84

primary cause - wind-driven surge driven by low pressure convergence
secondary cause - low pressure near center of storm