GEOG 1401- midterm- chpts 1-6

system

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

Earth’s systems science

is fundamental to physical geography, and considers interactions and 'feedbacks’ between the Earth's cycles, processes, and "spheres".

• Like looking at the Earth as a giant puzzle where everything fits together and affects each other

spatial scale

a scale in regards to the physical size, length, distance, or area of an object or the physical space occupied by a process

temporal scale

the window of time used to examine phenomena and processes, or the length of time or different time zoom levels that they develop or change— think loki show

• opposite of spatial scale

large scale perspective

Make geographic features large to show more detail

small scale perspective

Make geographic features small to cover broad regions

energy

the capacity to do work on or to change the state of matter

matter

any material that possesses mass and occupies space

how energy effects matter

works on matter by moving it, by changing its temperature, or by changing its state, such as when ice melts to liquid

positive feedback

a process by which interacting parts in a system destabilize the system

Ex. Global warming → More water vapor → More warming (go back to start)

negative feedback

a process by which interacting parts in a system stabilize the system

Ex. Global warming → More water vapour → More clouds → Slowed warming

permanent gases

their proportions in the atmosphere change little

nitrogen and oxygen

Just over 99% of Earth’s atmosphere is composed of two permanent gases

variable gases

are gases that exist in extremely small quantities and change in their proportions

greenhouse gases

gases that absorb and emit heat (or thermal infrared) energy, act like a blanket over the earth

water, carbon dioxide, methane and ozone

list 4 greenhouse gases (WCMO)

nitrogen, oxygen, argon, neon, helium, hydrogen, xenon

list 7 permanent gases by highest atmospheric volume (Never Out And Never HHide, Xenon!)

water, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, CFCs & HCFCs

list the variable gases by highest atmospheric volume (We Can Make Nice Ozone, Carefully & Harmoniously)

sinks

the removal of the GHG; can be physical environments (e.g., lakes), or processes (e.g., chemical reaction), or both

sources

the addition of GHG to the atmosphere

aerosol

microscopic solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere (e.g., cloud droplets)

cloud droplets

microscopic drops of liquid water found in clouds

ex. clouds, windblown dust, pollen, bacteria, human emissions, volcanic ash, smoke, salt particles from the ocean

air pollutants

these create a harmful concentration of gases or aerosols in the atmosphere

sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides

Formation of acid rain

heterosphere and the homosphere

2 layers of the atmosphere

heterosphere

a sphere that is located in the thermoshere and exosphere

• is like a layer cake in the sky, where different gases are stacked on top of each other based on how heavy they are. Lighter gases, like helium, float at the top, while heavier ones, like oxygen, hang out near the bottom. It's a bit like how oil floats on water because it's lighter.

homosphere

below the heterosphere, located in the troposphere and stratosphere, like a well-mixed smoothie of gases that surrounds the Earth.

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

layers of atmosphere ("The Smart Men Tell)

ionosphere

Which atmosphere layer?

a series of regions in parts of the mesosphere and thermosphere; absorbs UV, x-rays, gamma rays, aurora occurs here

ozonosphere or ozone layer

Which atmosphere layer?

within the stratosphere, high concentrations of ozone, absorbs UV radiation,

troposphere

Which atmosphere layer?

Roughly 80% of atmosphere’s mass is in this layer, where most weather occurs, experiences strong vertical mixing, no temperature inversion

troposphere

Which atmosphere layer?

Where all Earth’s weather occurs. Almost all clouds, and all storms and precipitation, are limited to

environmental lapse rate

• the rate of cooling with increasing altitude in the troposphere

• the rate at which air temperature decreases with increase in altitude

• 6.5°C per 1000 m

tropopause

Which atmosphere layer?

Cloud tops end at, due to the temperature inversion in the stratosphere, distincts the troposphere from the stratosphere

12km

tropopause height in km over the poles

18km

tropopause height over the equator, Solar heating of the atmosphere expands air and causes it to occupy more space

equator

earth rotates faster here

why does the earth rotate faster near the equator

Let’s say we’re doing laps around the gym. We need to reach the end of the lap together. However you are inside in a small circle, and I am outside in a larger circle. Every time you have 3 steps, I will have to take many more (and faster) than you to be at the same location. When you reach half way your circle, I will have had to run much faster to reach the half-way point. The equator is the big circle (“thickest” part of the earth in relation to the axis).

stratosphere

Which atmosphere layer?

Found between 12 and 50 km above Earth’s surface, contains the ozone layer

stratosphere

Which atmosphere layer?

• Very few clouds and no storms

• Air flows horizontally (not vertically)

• Contains the highest concentration of ozone in the atmosphere

stratosphere

Which atmosphere layer?

Temperature inversion here is caused by absorption of UV radiation by ozone layer

UV radiation

solar radiation that has shorter wavelengths than visible light

mesosphere

Which atmosphere layer?

lies between 50 and 80 km above Earth’s surface

mesosphere

Which atmosphere layer?

• Meteors vaporize here

• Location of noctilucent (aka night shining) clouds, the highest clouds on Earth

mesosphere

Which atmosphere layer?

Above the height of airplanes and most balloons (record 53 km), but too low for spacecraft

thermosphere

Which atmosphere layer?

• located from 80 to 600 km above Earth’s surface, high temperature, low density, auroras

exosphere

Which atmosphere layer?

high altitude, extremely thin region where molecules are free of Earth’s gravity

air pressure

the force exerted by molecules of air against a surface

• the force of the air pressing down on the Earth's surface.

• Think of it as the "heaviness" of the air above you

weight

the mass of an object multiplied by the acceleration (strength) of gravity

of the atmosphere

5 x 10^15, or 5 quadrillion metric tons, that we live beneath. Weight __ ____ ______________

measurement of air pressure

Kg/cm^2 represents what?

temperature inversion

the process by which air temperature increases with increased height when it normal decreases with increased height

stratosphere

“protective shield” of earth

Karman line

the boundary that marks the end of the atmosphere and the beginning of space

UV-C

UV-B

UV-A

3 wavelengths of radiation

shortest

UV-C wavelength length

middle

UV-B wavelength length

longest

UV-A wavelength length

ionosphere

which atmosphere layer is this?

a region of the upper mesosphere and the thermosphere generally located between 60 and 1,000 km (37 to 620 mi) in altitude

ionosphere

which atmosphere layer is this?

• Grows and shrinks depending on solar activity and the time of day

• Absorbs UV, X-ray, and gamma radiation from the Sun

aurora borealis

northern lights

aurora australis

southern lights

auroras

Caused by nitrogen and oxygen gas molecules energized by charged particles, called the solar wind in the ionosphere

mesosphere, thermosphere

atmosphere layers with thin air include the __________ and the _________

mesopause

the top of the mesosphere

stratosphere

atmospheric layer with permanent temperature inversions

ionization

is the process by which atoms and molecules gain or lose electrons and become positively or negatively charged

primary pollutant

a pollutant that enters the air or water directly from its source is called what?

secondary pollutant

a pollutant that is not directly emitted from a source but forms through chemical reactions among primary pollutants in air or water

nitrogen oxides

are compounds of nitrogen and oxygen that form when nitrogen in the air reacts with oxygen during high temperature combustion of fossil fuels or during wildfire

ground level ozone

• is a secondary pollutant near the land surface

• not essential for life on land like stratospheric one is

photochemical smog

a pollutant that forms by the action of sunlight on tailpipe emissions

sulphur dioxide

is a primary pollutant gas that is produced by volcanoes as well by burning of fossil fuels, particularly coal for generating electricity and petroleum for winter heating, over 80% of anthropogenic SO2 is from burning coal

particulate matter

tiny liquid and solid particle (aerosols) suspended in the atmosphere

• the smaller the more dangerous for human health

hydrocarbons in the atmosphere

• found in crude oil, natural gas, and coal

• Ex. butane, methane, propane, octane

• Can lead to liver, kidney and CNS damage

air quality index

AQI (American)

• provide hourly updates on the concentration of major pollutants in all major metropolitan regions

air quality health index

AQHI (Canadian)

provide hourly updates on the concentration of major pollutants in all major metropolitan regions

chlorofluorocarbons

CFCs

• a class of ozone-degrading compounds used mainly as refrigerants, aerosol propellants and fire retardants

• GM gave the trademark name Freon

chlorofluorocarbons

can last 200- 1,000 years in the atmosphere

temperature

the average speed of molecular movement within a substance or an object

heat

a form of energy, transferred between materials or systems due to their temperature differences

conduction, convection, or radiation

Heat can be transferred 3 ways: (Cool Cats Roar)

conduction

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

conduction

which method of heat transfer?

heat always flows from objects of higher temperature to objects of lower temperature, ex. cold hands holding a cup of coffee

advection

the horizontal movement of some property of the atmosphere, such as heat, humidity, or pollution.

• is like the atmosphere's way of sharing warm and cool air to create different weather conditions

less

longer wavelengths have ____ energy

more

shorter wavelengths have ____ energy

radiation

the process by which wave energy travels through the vacuum of space or through a physical medium such as air or water

radiant energy

energy that is propagated in the form of electromagnetic waves or particles, including visible light, not related to heat within an object

electromagnetic spectrum

the full range of wavelengths of radiant energy

UV

99% of Sun’s energy in this range

insolation

the fraction of the Sun’s energy that Earth recieves, incoming solar energy

total solar irradiance

About 1,367 W/m2 of solar energy reaches the top of the atmosphere

• This amount of intercepted energy is called the _____

transmission

the unimpeded movement of electromagnetic energy through a medium such as air, water, or glass

treated glass

transmits visible light and UV-A and absorbs UV-B and UV-C wavelengths

reflection

the return of SWR (shortwave radiation) back in the general direction from which it came after it strikes an object

scattering

the redirection of SWR (shortwave radiation) in random directions after it strikes an object

albedo

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

albedo

is a way to describe how much light or sunshine something reflects.

• Imagine you're wearing a white shirt on a sunny day; it reflects a lot of sunlight and keeps you cooler. That's because it has a high one.

• Now, think of a dark asphalt road nearby. It absorbs more sunlight and gets really hot. That's because it has a low one.