GEOG Exam 1

Geographers Study

Space and time, Spaces

How do geographers study these things?

Physical geography, fieldwork, maps, and technology

Parallels

concentric circles, parallel, equal distance, different legnths

Meridians

pole to pole, not parallel, coverage at poles

GIS

geographic info systems - represented as data layers

GPS

locate info to help define spatial relationships

Remote Sensing:Passive Systems

measure energy being emitted naturally (heat, light, etc.)

Remote Sensing:Active Systems

direct a bean of energy and measure amount of return

Troposphere

closest to earth's surface, all weather occurs here,

Stratosphere

10-50km, where commercial jets fly, contains the ozone layer, temp. increases with height

Mesosphere

50-80km, temp. decreases with height, shooting stars

Thermosphere

80-100km, temp. increases with height, where northern lights are found

average composition (gases) of the atmosphere

mostly nitrogen, oxygen, and argon

natural gases of atmosphere (greenhouse gases)

methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor

What types of energy exist?

energy, kinetic energy, potential energy, latent energy

energy

ability to do work

Kinetic Energy

movement, in atoms more motion=warmer

Potential Energy

contained within molecular bonds

Latent Energy

energy related to state of matter, type of potential energy

How is heat transferred?

conduction, radiation, convection, advection

conduction

direct contact

Radiation

energy transfer by electromagnetic waves (sun)

Convection

vertical heat transfer by the flow of a material (convection cell) (thunderstorm)

Advection

energy transfer by moving mass sideways (wind)

EMR

electromagnetic radiation - as an object’s temperature increases, it emits a greater total amount of EMR, energy transferred to sun from earths atmosposphere

Weins Law

relationship between temperature and wavelength, cool(slow and long wave), warm (short and fast wave)

Stephan-Boltzman Law

the amount of EMR emitted by an object increases greatly with temperature

Sun's EMR emission

6000K

Earth EMR Emission

283K

perihelion

closest to sun in January

Aphelion

farthest from sun in July

atmospheric attenuation

insolation from low angle has to make it through more atmosphere
(controlled by latitude)

beam spreading

insolation from lower angle must spread across more surface
(controlled by latitude)

circle of illumination

separated night from day
pole faces away from sun in winter (24hr darkness)
pole faces sun in summer (24hr daylight)

polar night

all latitudes poleward of the Circles
24hrs. 6 months
90°N&S one sunrise and sunset (at Equinox)

insolation

the amount of incoming solar radiation—or solar energy—that reaches a specific area of the Earth's surface or atmosphere over a set period

What does and does not cause the seasons

The tilt of the axis

latitude, sun angle, and insolation

As latitude increases (moving from the equator toward the poles), the sun's angle relative to the surface decreases, which reduces the amount of insolation received

four important days in the Earth/Sun relationship

September 21st - spin axis not facing sun

December 21st - Southern hemi facing sun, summer

March 21st - spin axis not facing sun

June 21st - nothern hemi facing sun, summer (all 23.5)

Summer Solstice

June 21st, solar declination 23.5 degrees, north tropic of cancer, longer days

Fall equinox

september 21st, solar declination 90 degrees equator, 12 hours of day 12 of night

Winter Solstice

December 21st, solar declinaton 23.5 degrees, south tropic of capricorn, 10.5 hours of darkness

Spring Equinox

March 21st, solar declination 90 degrees equator, 12 hour days, 12 hour nights

what happens to insolation in the atmosphere and when it hits the earth’s surface

solar energy that travels from the Sun and interacts with Earth’s atmosphere and surface

Clouds and ozone

regulate Earth's climate, protect the biosphere from harmful radiation

What energy does the Earth emit?

thermal energy

albedo

the percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface

reflection

some radiant energy bounces off Albedo

absorption

retains some energy

scattering

energy strikes and goes in various directions

ozone

gas molecule with 3 bonded oxygen atoms
abundant in stratosphere
harmful in the troposphere

Sensible Heat

heat that can be sensed

temperature

average kinetic of energy that is in an object

What temperature data exist

ASOS - mostly on land
densely populated areas
more developed regions

Who uses what temperature scales and why

mercury thermometer
infrared thermometer
radiosonde(weather balloon)

ASOS STATION

Phase changes of water

solid, liquid, gas

What happens when water changes states

molecules gain or lose heat energy

How is energy released and absorbed, and what does this do to the surrounding environment

chemical and physical changes when chemical bonds break or form, which causes the surrounding environment to either heat up or cool down.

Real world latent heat examples

ice melting, sweating and cooling, boiling water and steam

What does it mean to think like a geographer?

looking at the world through a spatial lens to understand where things are located, why they are there, and how places and people connect

How do we describe things geographically?

by looking at where they are, what they look like, and how they relate to other places on Earth

How would you describe a location or landscape in geographical terms?

using specific measures of position, land shape, and physical or human features

longitude

a geographic coordinate that measures the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface

latitude

the angular distance north or south of Earth's equator

Coordinates

latitude, longitude or degree, minute’, second”

Equator

acts as the 0° reference point for latitude, divides the planet into two equal hemispheres, and drives global weather and climate systems

Tropics of Cancer

imaginary line of latitude located approximately 23.5° north of the Earth's equator

Tropics of Capricorn

an imaginary circle of latitude located at approximately 23.5° south of the Earth's equator

Arctic Circle

an imaginary line of latitude at approximately 66°33′ N that marks the southern boundary of the Earth's polar cold zone

Antarctic Circles

an imaginary line of latitude located at approximately 66.33° south of the equator