GG101 FINAL EXAM

geographic themes

• location, place, human environment, interaction, movement, region

Systems Theory

• model/representation of a portion of the natural or human landscape

Open system

• energy CAN flow in/out

• matter CAN flow in/out

• photosynthesis

Closed System

• Energy and matter CANNOT flow in/out

Steady State of Equilibrium

• overtime it changes, but it remains a steady state

Dynamic state of equilibrium

• when there is a major change, something that makes it jump

Threshold or Tipping Point of equilibrium

• means it can no longer maintain its own character

Sea ice

• frozen ocean water

Positive Feedback

• encourages change in the system

Albedo

• amount of k down that is reflected or scattered from the surface and or the atmosphere

How do you calculate albedo?

• albedo = Kup/Kdown x 100 = % value

• ex:
  200up/300down= 0.666 × 100% = 66%

What type of surfaces have high albedo ?

• any surfaces that are light in colour (light colours reflect more light)

• snow

• sand if light coloured

• mirror

• concrete

• water CAN be unless its dark underneath

What type of surfaces have a low albedo

• tar

• dirt

• asphalt roads

Negative feedback

• discourages change in the system

abiotic spheres

• atmosphere : thin layer surrounding earth

• hydrosphere : sum of water on earth

• cryospehre : frozen portion of hydrosphere

• lithosphere : earths crust and a portion of the upper mantle below the crust

biotic spheres

• biosphere: interconnected web that links organisms with their physical environment

systems in geosystem

1. energy-atmosphere system

2. water, weather and climate system

3. earth-atmosphere interface

4. soils. ecosystems and biomes

Great Circle

• line traced on the surface of the sphere when a plane passes though its centre

Small Circle

• line traced on the surface of a sphere that DOES NOT pass through the centre

Meridians

• aka Longitude

• line that runs North-South (connecting poles)

Parallels

• aka Latitude

• lines that run East-West, parallel to or along the equator

To locate objects, use a network of

• meridians and parallels

Latitude

• horizontal line

• distance from north or south of the equator measured from the center

Longitude

• vertical line

• distance from east or west of a fixed point to line (prime meridian) measures from the centre of the earth

Higher Latitude

• those nearer the poles

Lower Latitude

• those nearer the equators

Equator is assigned a value of …

• zero

• values range from 0 degrees to 90 degrees or south of the equator

How do you read lat/long

• 90 degrees NORTH of the equator is the north pole

• 90 degrees SOUTH of the equator is the South Pole

Prime Meridian is a datum from which ___ is determined

longitude

Map projections

1. shape (conformal)

2. area (equal area, equivalence)

3. azimuth (true direction)

4. equidistance (true distance)

What does each letter represent

• A/D: energy sources

  • sun and satellite orbiting earth, info being sent out

• B: energy through atmosphere

  • transfers though atmosphere

• C: interactions at surface

• D: Record at sensor

• E: Transmit data

• F: analyses of data

• G: product

Passive system

• measure reflected sunlight emitted from the sun

• ex: using a camera without flash. the camera is not sending the light out, it uses naturally emitted light from the sun. without the sun, there would be no passive remote sensing

Active system

• has their own light/illumination

  • sends a pulse out and measures the backscatter reflected to the sensor

    • example: when you take a picture with flash, the camera sends its OWN source of light. then the camera captures the reflected light back into the lens

Radar

• radio waves being sent out and bouncing back

Geographic Information System (GIS)

• Data processing tool for gathering, manipulating and analyzing geographic information

Use of GIS

• Automate mapping of features

• analyze distributions (areas, connections, routes)

• examine spatial relations

Electromagnetics Radiation

• energy that propagates though space, in the form of an advancing disturbance in electric and magnetic fields

What colour is the shortwave and long wave

• shortwave - blue

• longwave - red

• heat is also long wave

Stefan-Boltzmann Law

• the HIGHER the objects temperature

• the GREATER the amount of radiation emitted per unit of surface area

• HOTTER = MORE

• RADIATION/ENERGY

Wien’s Displacement Law

• the higher an objects temperature, the shorter the wavelength of maximum radiant emission

• HOTTER = EMIT SHORTER WAVELENGHTS

K down is

• sun emitting energy (incoming energy)

• incoming

K up is

• outgoing (reflected) shortwave radiation

• outgoing

L up is

• longwave radiation emitted from the surface

• outgoing

L down is

• longwave radiation reaching the surface from the atmosphere or other object

• incoming

Net Radiation (Q*)

• balance of incoming and outgoing radiation

Net radiation (Q*) equation

• Q*= incoming - outgoing

• Q* = (K down + L down) - (K up - L up)

Axial Tilt

• earth rotates on its polar axis (23.5 degrees from the vertical)

Sun Sets/rises in which direction

• sun sets at the west

• rises in the east

Atmosphere

• mixture of gases and suspended liquids and solids

Aerosols

• liquids and solids (but not water or ice) that are suspended in the atmosphere

What happens with MASS as we increase height (altitude) on the atmosphere?

• as we move upward, the density decreases (mass per unit volume)

What happens with PRESSURE as we increase height (altitude) in the atmosphere?

• as we increase height in the atmosphere, pressure decreases

Four layers of temperature

1. thermospehre

2. mesospehre

3. stratosphere

4. troposphere

Troposphere

• 1st layer of the atmosphere

  0-17 km above Earth's surface

  - contains most atmospheric water vapor. (temperature decreases with increasing altitude, pressure decreases)

  tropopause is the boundary between troposphere and stratosphere

Stratosphere

• 2nd layer of the atmosphere

• 15-50km above troposphere

• ozone layer

• temperature increases

Mesosphere + Troposphere

Mesosphere

• 3rd layer

• 50-80km

• temperature decreases

Mesopause between mesosphere and thermosphere

Thermosphere

• 4th layer

• temperature increases

Ionosphere

• absorbs gamma and x-ray radiation

Ozonospehre

• a region in the upper stratosphere where ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION IS ABSORBED

What is Energy Balance

shortwave coming from sun

• some is direct

• some is diffuse

Solar radiation that is reflected off of the earths surface back to space is called:

• outgoing shortwave (reflected not absorbed)

Possible outcomes of Electromagnetic radiation contact with matter

• Transmission (goes through an object)

• Refraction (reflected off of things)

  • changes of light speeds which the angle

• reflection (like a mirror)

Sensible heat

heat we can feel, measure with thermometer, sense

Latent Heat

• the heat required to convert a solid into a liquid or vapor, or a liquid into a vapor, without change of temperature

What happens to shortwave radiation absorbed at the surface?

The atmosphere emits longwave radiation, much directed towards the surface (L↓)

The longwave radiation is absorbed at the surface and the process repeats

What does the sun radiate?

• thermal infra-red

is continental climate influenced by large bodies of water

no

is marine climate influenced by large bodies of water

depends of proximity

What decreases with altitude

• pressure, density and temperature

Pressure gradient force

• drives air from High air pressure to Low air pressure

• stronger where the pressure gradient is steep

Coriolis force (effect)

• crosses isobars at right angles

• Coriolis force produces Coriolis effect

Friction Force

• friction acts on wind when the air approaches th surface

• slows the wind speed by exerting drag

Friction causes the geostrophic wind to..

slow, which reduces the Coriolis force and therefore the wind turns in the direction of the PGF

Humidity measures

hygrometer or psychomotor

specific humidity (q)

mass of water vapour in grams per kg of air

absolute humidity

• mass of water vapour in grams per kg

mixing ratio

• mass of water vapour in kg per kg mass of dry air

Vapour pressure (e)

• partial pressure of water vapour

stability

• refers to the tendency of a parcel off air to rise in the atmosphere

• an unstable air parcel rises

ELR (Environmental Lapse rate)

• rates at which air temperature changes with heigh in the atmosphere

DALR (Dry adiabatic lapse rate)

• rate at which a dry (unsaturated) parcel of air cools or warms with height

Unstable example 15 degrees

• air parcel is hotter, keeps rising

Stable example 3 degrees

• parcel is colder, more dense, sinks

Conditional example 8 degrees

• conditional i.e. is it dry or saturated

• dry air will sink (stable)

• saturated will rise (unstable)

Lifting condensation level (LCL)

• the level at which an air parcel becomes saturated (100% rH)

3 basic forms of clouds

• stratiform (stratus)

• cumuliform (cumulus)

• cirroform (cirrus)

four altitudinal classes

1. high

2. middle (alto)

3. low

4. vertically developed

Cloud classification: Low

• up to 2000 m

• made of water

• stratus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus

Cloud classification : Middle

• more than 6000 m

• made of ice and water

• altostratus, altocumulus

Cloud Classification: High

• more than 6000m

• made of ice

• cirrus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus

Cloud classification : vertical

• surface to 13,000

• made of water and ice

• cumulus, cumulonimbus

How does fog form?

• air temperature must drop to the dew point (saturated air)

• commonly formed when moist air cools to its dew point under calm condition

advection fog

• warm moist air moving over colder land

radiation fog

• clear nights, lots of heat escapes the cold ground, reach Td

Evaporation Fog (aka sea smoke)

• water evaporating into colder air above

4 ways that air rises into the atmospehre

1. convergent (comes from left and right and goes up the middle)

2. convectional (same as convergent but exponential)

3. orographic (follows the shape of the hill)

4. frontal (cold air and warm air collide and bounce back)

cold front

• cold air mass moves into warmer air mass

warm front

• warm air mass moves unto cooler air mass

cyclone

• an enclosed area of low pressure with air circulation in a spiral or vortex

wave cyclone

• system of the mid and high latitudes

• a moving vortex with warm and cold air masses

runoff

• water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground