Physical Geography exam 1

What is geography?

The study of the spatial relationships among Earth’s physical and cultural features and how they change over time.

What are the three branches of geography?

Physical geography, Human geography, and Geographic Techniques.

What does physical geography study?

Earth’s living and nonliving physical systems like oceans, rivers, climate, and the biosphere, and how these systems change through space and time.

What is a system?

A set of interacting parts or processes that function as a unit.

What is the difference between an open and closed system?

Open systems can be altered by human activities and natural processes, while closed systems are nearly impossible to exist in reality.

What impacts do human activities have on the natural environment?

Deforestation, climate change, mining, dams, introducing invasive species, pollution, wildfires.

What is spatial scale in geography?

The physical size, length, distance, or area of an object or the physical space occupied by a process.

What is temporal scale in geography?

The window of time used to examine phenomena and processes, which can range from minutes to millions of years.

What is matter in the context of geography?

Any material that occupies space and has mass.

What are the four types of energy mentioned?

Radiant, Kinetic, Potential, and Geothermal energy.

What is the atmosphere?

The layer of gases surrounding Earth.

What is climate?

The long-term average of weather and average frequency of extreme weather events.

What defines the shape of the Earth?

Earth is an oblate spheroid due to distortion from Earth’s rotation, gravitational anomalies, and relief.

What is latitude?

The measurement north or south of the equator.

What is longitude?

The measurement east or west of the Prime Meridian.

What is a map scale?

Specifies how much the real world has been reduced for the purposes of the map.

What are contour lines used for?

To indicate lines of equal elevation in relation to sea level on a topographic map.

What is remote sensing?

The collection of physical information without direct contact with the subject.

What gases are considered permanent gases in the atmosphere?

Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Argon.

What is the primary greenhouse gas mentioned?

Carbon dioxide (CO2).

What are primary pollutants?

Pollutants that enter the air or water directly from sources, such as CO2, CO, and SO2.

What causes temperature inversions in the troposphere?

Stable air conditions that can trap pollutants near the ground surface.

Why should we care about air quality?

Because air pollution threatens human health and is a result of various activities, such as burning fossil fuels.

What determines the seasons on Earth?

Seasons are caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis, not by the changing distance from the sun.

What is insolation?

Incoming solar radiation.

What is albedo?

The reflectivity of a surface given as the percentage of incoming radiation that it reflects.

What is the greenhouse effect?

The process by which the atmosphere is warmed as greenhouse gases and clouds absorb and counter-radiate heat.

What is the subsolar point?

The point at which the sun's rays are perpendicular to Earth’s surface.

What happens during the equinoxes?

All locations on Earth have 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night.

What is the difference in temperature between land and water during the summer?

Land surfaces are generally warmer than oceans due to lower specific heat capacity.

What is the Montreal Protocol?

An international agreement banning the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which deplete the ozone layer.

What is the relationship between temperature and humidity in the atmosphere?

As temperature increases, the capacity of air to hold moisture also increases.

What occurs during a temperature inversion?

Warm air traps cooler air at the surface, often leading to poor air quality.

What are isotherms?

Lines on a map that connect points having the same temperature at a given time.

What is conduction in heat transfer?

The process by which energy is transferred through a substance or between objects in direct contact.

What is convection in heat transfer?

The transfer of heat through the vertical movement of mass within a fluid.

What retrieves and utilizes satellite imagery for analysis in geography?

Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

What are Earth's four physical systems?

The four physical systems are the lithosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), and biosphere (living things).

What is another word for longitude and latitude?

Parallels and meridians

What are map projections?

Map projections are methods used to represent the curved surface of the Earth on a flat surface.

What is distortion in map projections?

Distortion is the alteration of the accuracy of shapes, areas, distances, or directions on a map compared to reality.

What are the types of map projections?

Common types include cylindrical, conic, and planar projections, each suited for different purposes.

What are the approximate percentages of gases in the atmosphere?

Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), Argon (0.93%), and trace gases including Carbon Dioxide (0.04%).

What are sources in the atmosphere?

Sources are processes or activities that release substances, such as pollutants or greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere.

What are sinks in the atmosphere?

Sinks are natural processes that remove substances from the atmosphere, such as absorption by plants or oceans.

Where is air density the highest

Air density is higher at lower elevation

What are the layers of the atmosphere?

The atmosphere is divided into five main layers: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, and Exosphere, each with distinct characteristics and functions.

What are the four ways heat moves?

Conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation.

How are the layers of atmosphere divided

Temperature

Does the Earth or the Sun have longer wavelengths

The Earth has longer wavelengths than the Sun, as it emits infrared radiation, while the Sun emits shorter wavelengths in the visible spectrum.