Physical Geography - Fall 2025 GEOG 1111K Exam Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Chapters 5-8 of the Physical Geography Fall 2025 GEOG 1111K lecture notes, including atmospheric and oceanic circulations, water and atmospheric moisture, weather systems, and water resources.

Wind

The movement of air caused by differences in air pressure.

Air pressure

The force exerted by the weight of air molecules on a surface.

Air density

The mass of air per unit volume.

Normal sea-level pressure

A standard baseline for atmospheric pressure measurements at sea level, typically around 1013.25 mb or 29.92 inches of mercury.

Pressure Gradient Force

The force that drives wind from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, determining wind speed and direction.

Ascending wind

Air that rises due to lower air pressure at the surface, often associated with convergence and cloud formation.

Descending wind

Air that sinks due to higher air pressure at the surface, often associated with divergence and clear skies.

Converging wind

Air flowing inward toward a central area, often associated with low pressure and ascending air.

Diverging wind

Air flowing outward from a central area, often associated with high pressure and descending air.

Coriolis Force

An apparent force that deflects moving objects (like wind and ocean currents) to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Friction (in relation to wind)

A force that slows down wind movement, especially near the Earth's surface, reducing the impact of the Coriolis Force.

Global Circulation Model

A conceptual model describing the general pattern of atmospheric and oceanic circulation around the Earth, driven by uneven solar heating.

Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

A low-pressure zone near the equator where northeast and southeast trade winds converge, producing warm, moist weather with frequent thunderstorms.

Easterlies / Trade Winds

Persistent winds that blow from east to west in the tropical regions, converging at the ITCZ.

Subtropical High-pressure cells (STH)

Persistent high-pressure systems located around 20-35 degrees latitude, characterized by stable, dry conditions and descending air.

Subpolar low-pressure cells (STL)

Persistent low-pressure systems located around 50-60 degrees latitude, associated with stormy, unsettled weather and frontal systems.

Westerlies

Dominant winds that blow from west to east in the mid-latitudes (30-60 degrees latitude).

Land-sea breezes

Local winds caused by differential heating and cooling of land and water bodies over a daily cycle.

Mountain-valley breezes

Local winds caused by differential heating and cooling of mountain slopes and valleys over a daily cycle.

Oceanic currents

Continuous, directed movements of ocean water generated by forces acting upon the water, such as wind, gravity, and water density differences.

Worldwide equilibrium of water

The balance of water distribution and movement across the Earth's systems, maintaining a relatively constant total amount of water.

Ocean water

Saline water that fills the Earth's oceans and seas, comprising the vast majority of the planet's water.

Freshwater

Water with a low concentration of dissolved salts, found in rivers, lakes, glaciers, and groundwater, essential for most terrestrial life.

Phase Changes of water

The transformation of water between its solid (ice), liquid (water), and gaseous (vapor) states, involving the absorption or release of latent heat.

Volume Changes of H2O

The changes in space occupied by water as it transitions between vapor, liquid, and ice states (e.g., ice is less dense than liquid water, occupying more volume).

Relative Humidity

The ratio of the amount of water vapor actually present in the air to the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at that temperature, expressed as a percentage.

Specific Humidity

The ratio of the mass of water vapor to the total mass of the air parcel (including water vapor), expressed as a mass per mass unit.

Saturation (atmospheric)

The condition where the air holds the maximum possible amount of water vapor at a given temperature and pressure, leading to condensation if cooled further.

Stable atmospheric condition

An atmospheric state where a parcel of air, if displaced upward, tends to be colder and denser than its surroundings, causing it to sink back to its original position.

Unstable atmospheric condition

An atmospheric state where a parcel of air, if displaced upward, tends to be warmer and less dense than its surroundings, causing it to continue rising.

Conditionally unstable atmospheric condition

An atmospheric state that is stable for unsaturated air but becomes unstable for saturated air, allowing for cloud and precipitation development under certain conditions.

Dry Adiabatic Rate

The rate at which an unsaturated parcel of air cools as it rises (or warms as it sinks) due to expansion (or compression), approximately 10°C per 1000 meters.

Moist (Wet) Adiabatic Rate

The rate at which a saturated parcel of air cools as it rises, due to expansion and the release of latent heat during condensation, approximately 6°C per 1000 meters.

Dew Point

The temperature at which air becomes saturated with water vapor and condensation begins, forming dew, fog, or clouds.

Environmental Lapse Rate

The actual observed rate of temperature decrease with increasing altitude in the surrounding atmosphere at a given time and location.

Cloud types

Classifications of clouds based on their form (e.g., cirrus, cumulus, stratus) and altitude (high, middle, low), indicating different atmospheric conditions.

Air Mass

A large body of air in the lower atmosphere that has uniform temperature and moisture characteristics over a large horizontal extent.

mP air mass (maritime Polar)

A cold, moist air mass that forms over oceans in higher latitudes, often bringing cool, damp weather to the U.S. coasts.

cA air mass (continental Arctic)

An extremely cold, dry air mass that forms over Arctic landmasses, bringing frigid temperatures to the northern U.S.

mT air mass (maritime Tropical)

A warm, moist air mass that forms over tropical oceans, bringing warm, humid conditions and potential for precipitation to the U.S.

cT air mass (continental Tropical)

A hot, dry air mass that forms over tropical landmasses, bringing hot, arid conditions, primarily to the southwestern U.S.

Convergent Lifting

Atmospheric lifting that occurs when air masses flow inward and converge, forcing air upward, typically seen at the ITCZ or along a cold front.

Convectional Lifting

Atmospheric lifting that occurs when air is heated from below, becomes less dense, and rises, creating thermals and often leading to isolated thunderstorms.

Orographic Lifting

Atmospheric lifting that occurs when an air mass is forced to rise over a topographic barrier like a mountain range.

Rain Shadow Effect

A dry area on the leeward side of a mountain range, caused by orographic lifting that depletes moisture on the windward side as air rises and cools.

Windward (mountain side)

The side of a mountain range that faces the prevailing wind, typically receiving more precipitation due to rising air.

Leeward (mountain side)

The side of a mountain range sheltered from the prevailing wind, typically drier due to descending, warming air (rain shadow).

Frontal Lifting

Atmospheric lifting that occurs when two air masses of different temperatures and densities meet, with the warmer, less dense air mass forced upward over the colder one.

Cold front

A boundary where a cold air mass displaces a warmer air mass, often leading to sudden, intense weather changes including severe thunderstorms.

Warm front

A boundary where a warm air mass advances over a cooler air mass, often leading to widespread, gentler precipitation and gradual weather changes.

Midlatitude Cyclonic System

A large, migratory low-pressure system that forms in the mid-latitudes, bringing varied weather conditions and following a distinct life cycle over several days.

Hurricane

A powerful tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 74 mph (119 km/h) or more, forming over warm ocean waters and characterized by a central eye.

Tornado

A violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground, characterized by high wind speeds and destructive power.

Thunderstorm

A storm characterized by lightning and thunder, often with strong winds, heavy rain, and sometimes hail, resulting from intense convection.

Hydrologic Cycle

The continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, involving processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.

Interception (water cycle)

The process by which precipitation is caught by vegetation (leaves, branches) before it reaches the ground surface.

Infiltration

The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil, moving downward into pore spaces.

Percolation

The downward movement of water through soil and rock, especially to groundwater, after infiltration.

Precipitation (geography)

Any form of water that falls from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Potential Evapotranspiration (PET)

The maximum possible amount of water that could be evaporated from soils and transpired by plants from a given surface if sufficient moisture were always available.

Soil-moisture availability

The amount of water held in the soil that is accessible for plant uptake, crucial for plant growth and agricultural productivity.

Water budget

An accounting of the incoming and outgoing water for a given area or system over a specific time period, balancing inputs (precipitation) and outputs (evapotranspiration, runoff).