Exam 1 - Physical Geography (MSU Stephen Wooten)

geography

the study o natural and human-constructed phenomena relative to a spatial dimension

"geo"

earth

"graphia"

description

physical geography

the study of physical features of the earth's surface

human geography

the study of people

scientific method

observation --> question --> hypothesis --> experiment --> analysis --> conclusion

hypothesis

a supposed or suggested explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation

theory

explanatory knowledge that is supported by experiments and accepted by scientists

scientific law

fundamental principle

system

a sample of matter in which substances in different phases are in equilibrium

open system

allows heat and matter to transfer

closed system

only heat is able to transfer

isolated systems

neither matter or heat is able to be transferred

feedback

how a system responds to some disturbing force or change; a chain of connections that affects some disturbance.

what does positive feedback do?

enhance the output

what does negative feedback do?

hinder output

what shape is the earth?

ellipsoid

centrifugal force

a force resulting from Earth's rotation that pushes outward from the center

what are the five spheres of earth?

biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere

biosphere

life, includes al living and dead organisms on earth

atmosphere

air, includes wind, tornadoes, hurricanes, air

lithosphere

rock, includes rocks, mountains, volcanoes, magma, minerals, crystals

hydrosphere

water, includes all oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, puddles

cryosphere

ice, includes all snow, glaciers, ice cubes, icicles

margins

refers to the regions of transition from the land to deep seafloor, i.e. between continental and oceanic crust

abyssal zones

between 3,000-6,000 meters below the ocean surface. large expanses of lower-relief ocean floor.

midoceanic ridges

high, submarine, volcanic, and structural mountain ranges

continental shelf

very gently sloping, relatively shallow, submerged plain at the edge of the continent

continental slope

plunges steeply downward

continental rise

gently down-sloping material carried downward from the shelf to the slope

layers of the atmosphere from bottom to top

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

troposphere

where all weather happens, 80% of atmospheric mass, bottom layer

stratosphere

contains the ozone layer

mesosphere

coldest layer of atmosphere, where meteors begin to burn up

thermosphere

temperature increases (inversion), ionization of particles, auroras

map

models of he environment used to convey information, symbolic representation of space; often have size/shape distortions that are fixed with different projections

cartography

the art and science of map creation

space

all the facts and features of a particular location

latitude

the angular distance, measured in degrees north to south of a point along a parallel from the equator (think latter)

longitude

the angular distance in degrees east to west of a point along a meridian from the Prime meridian

scale

ratio of distance on the map to that in real world

large cell

low resolution/small scale; less detail

small cell

high resolution/large scale; more detail

cylindrical map projection

projections of a globe onto a cone; meridians are represented as straight lines radiating from a pole

conical map projection

projections of a globe onto a cone; meridians are represented as straight lines radiating from a pole

planar map projection

projections of a globe onto a plane; the plane typically touches the globe at exactly one point; useful for a representation of polar areas

conformal projection

a map projection in which a small area is rendered in its true shape

equal area projection

depicts accurate size, but shapes are distorted

Mercator projection

a map projection of the earth onto a cylinder; areas appear greater the farther they are from the equator

compromise projection

projections that try to balance out distortions over the entire map

isoline

a line on a map that connects places that have the same value

isotherm

a line of constant temperature

isobar

a line of constant pressure

GIS

Geographic information system- a system that creates, manages, analyzes, and maps all types of data

data

includes imagery, features, and base maps linked to spreadsheets and tables

analysis

lets you evaluate, estimate and predict, interpret and understand

vector data

includes points, lines, and polygons

raster data

dats uses an array of cells, or pixels, to represent real-world objects.

feature

a single entity in GIS that has both geometry, spatial, and attribute data

which way does the earth rotate?

counterclockwise

how much is Earth's axis tilted?

23.5 degrees

what important effects does the rotation of the Earth have on the Earth?

centrifugal force and Coriolis force

perihelion

earth is closest to the sun (Jan 3)

Aphelion

earth is furthest from the sun (July 4)

Kepler's law

the orbit of the Earth is lopsided, one side is a fraction smaller than the other side, so it doesn't make much of a difference in our temperatures.

why do we have seasons?

Earth's axis tilt

degree of the equator

0 degrees

degree of the tropic of cancer

23.5 degrees N

degree of the tropic of Capricorn

23.5 degrees S

degree of the arctic circle

66.5 degrees N

degree of the Antarctic circle

66.5 degrees S

when is the sun directly overhead the equator?

both the autumnal and spring equinox, every latitude has 12 hors of day and 12 hours of night

when is the sun directly overhead the tropic of cancer (23.5 N)

summer solstice

when is sun directly overhead the tropic of capricorn (23.5 S)

winter solstice

solar declination

the angle between the sun's rays and the plane of the Earth equator

zenith angles

the angle between the sun and the vertical

why is it not hot in the arctic circle even thought they have 24 hours of daylight during the summer?

the sun's radiation has more atmospheric mass to get through than in other latitudes

what is high energy radiation

short wavelengths, higher frequency

what is low energy radiation

long wavelength, lower frequency

how much radiation does the sun emit?

400-700 nm (UV spectrum)

how much radiation does the Earth emit?

7-11 um (infrared spectrum)

conduction

energy transfer through direct contact of molecules

convection

the transfer of heat through currents/circulations

sensible heat

heat you can feel and measure with a thermometer

latent heat

heat required to change the phase of a substance

radiation

energy transfer through electromagnetic waves

insolation

incident solar radiation

not all of the sun's radiation reaches earth surface due to: (3)

1. absorption
2. transmission
3. redirection (reflected or scattered)

albedo

the amount of sunlight reflected (scale of 0 to 1)

net radiation

the total of all radiation (includes incoming and outgoing)

surplus

excess of energy

deficit

lack of energy

how does the greenhouse effect work?

earth radiation heats up the atmosphere because not all of it is released into space some of it it reflected or absorbed by trace gases in the atmosphere.

weather

short-term conditions of the restless atmospheric systems

climate

long term conditions of a region

nitrogen is what percent of the atmosphere

78%

oxygen is what percent of the atmosphere?

21%

argon is what percent of the atmosphere

0.9%

what percent of the atmosphere does trace gases hold?

0.1%

what are some examples of trace gases?

carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and ozone