Geography Exam Overview

Exam

What is weather?

Short-term atmospheric conditions in a specific region.

What is climate?

Average, long-term atmospheric conditions in a specific region.

What are climatic types?

Different types of climate determined by factors such as latitude, altitude, topography, and ocean currents.

What is sunshine?

Amount of direct sunlight an area receives in a specific time frame.

What is cloud cover?

Amount of sky covered by clouds, usually expressed as a percentage.

What is rainfall?

Amount of precipitation in the form of rain that an area receives in a specific time frame.

What is snowfall?

Amount of precipitation in the form of snow that an area receives in a specific time frame.

What are thunderstorms?

Severe weather condition that produces thunder and lightning, often accompanied by heavy rain, strong winds, and hail.

What are hurricanes?

Tropical cyclone that forms over warm ocean waters and has sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or greater.

What are tornadoes?

Violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud.

What is weather data?

Measured and recorded using various instruments and methods, such as thermometers, barometers, wind vanes, and rain gauges. This data is then analyzed and interpreted by meteorologists to create weather forecasts and climate models.

What is a tropical climate?

High temp, humidity, wet/dry seasons

What is an arid climate?

Very dry, little rainfall, hot days, cool nights

What is a Mediterranean climate?

Hot, dry summers, mild, wet winters

What is a temperate climate?

Mild to warm summers, cool to cold winters, moderate rainfall

What is a continental climate?

Hot summers, cold winters, low precipitation

What is a polar climate?

Extremely cold, dry, little vegetation

What is an alpine climate?

High altitude, low temp, high snow precipitation

What is a subtropical climate?

Long, hot summers, mild winters, high humidity

What is a tundra climate?

Cold, dry, low vegetation, permafrost

What is weathering?

Natural process of breaking down rocks and minerals.

What is erosion?

Process of removing soil and rock from Earth's surface.

What are the three types of weathering?

Physical, chemical, and biological.

What is physical weathering?

Rock breakdown by physical forces like wind, water, and ice.

What is chemical weathering?

Rock breakdown by chemical reactions like oxidation or hydration.

What is biological weathering?

Rock breakdown by living organisms like tree roots or burrowing animals.

What is the difference between erosion and weathering?

Weathering breaks down rock in place, while erosion moves the broken down materials away.

What is water erosion?

Erosion caused by water flowing over land and picking up soil and rock.

What is wind erosion?

Erosion caused by wind blowing over land and carrying away soil and sediment.

What is glacial erosion?

Erosion caused by moving glaciers picking up rocks and soil and moving them down a slope.

What is coastal erosion?

Erosion caused by wave action and other coastal processes wearing down the land.

What are the three main types of rocks?

Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.

What are igneous rocks?

Rocks formed from solidification of magma or lava.

What are the two types of igneous rocks?

Extrusive and intrusive.

What are some examples of igneous rocks?

Granite, basalt, and pumice.

What are sedimentary rocks?

Rocks formed from accumulation and cementation of sediments.

What are the three types of sedimentary rocks?

Clastic, organic, and chemical.

What are some examples of sedimentary rocks?

Sandstone, limestone, and coal.

What are metamorphic rocks?

Rocks formed from transformation of pre

What are some examples of metamorphic rocks?

Slate, marble, and gneiss.

How are igneous rocks affected by weathering?

Physical and chemical weathering due to temperature and water exposure.

Why are sedimentary rocks more susceptible to weathering?

Because they are composed of loose and porous material.

How are sedimentary rocks affected by weathering?

Physical and chemical weathering due to water, wind erosion, and exposure to chemicals.

How are metamorphic rocks affected by weathering?

Physical and chemical weathering due to temperature, pressure, and exposure to water and chemicals.

Are igneous rocks resistant to weathering?

Yes, due to their dense and hard nature.

Are sedimentary rocks resistant to weathering?

No, they are usually more susceptible to weathering.

Are metamorphic rocks resistant to weathering?

They are generally more resistant than sedimentary rocks but less resistant than igneous rocks.

What is clastic sedimentary rock?

Formed from fragments of other rocks.

What is organic sedimentary rock?

Formed from the remains of plants and animals.

What is chemical sedimentary rock?

Formed from the precipitation of minerals from water.

What is the role of weathering in the rock cycle?

Breaking down and transforming rocks from one type to another

What can the smaller pieces of rocks formed by weathering lead to?

Formation of soil

What are tropical forests?

Dense habitats near the equator with high rainfall and temperatures.

What are the different levels of tropical forests?

Emergent, canopy, understory, forest floor.

What is the emergent layer?

The topmost layer of the forest with the tallest trees.

What is the canopy layer?

The main layer of the forest with the branches and leaves of the tallest trees.

What is the understory layer?

The layer beneath the canopy with shorter trees and shrubs.

What is the forest floor?

The lowest layer of the forest with the ground and low

What are the types of tropical forests found in the Caribbean?

Evergreen seasonal, montane, mangrove.

What is an evergreen seasonal forest?

A forest with year-round leaf cover.

What is a montane forest?

A forest found at high elevations.

What is a mangrove forest?

A forest that grows in brackish water near shorelines.

What are lianas?

Woody vines that climb up trees in search of sunlight.

What are stranglers?

Trees that grow around another tree and take over its place.

What are epiphytes?

Plants that grow on another plant for support and obtain nutrients from the air and debris.

What are buttress roots?

Large, above

What is the main layer of the forest?

The canopy layer.

What is the lowest layer of the forest?

The forest floor.

What is the topmost layer of the forest?

The emergent layer.

What is a woody vine?

A plant with a long stem that grows up trees in search of sunlight.

What is the importance of plant diversity in tropical forests?

Maintains overall health and biodiversity of ecosystem.

What is a river?

A large natural stream of water that flows towards an ocean, sea, lake, or other body of water.

What are the three stages of a river's life/course?

Youth, maturity, and old age.

What is a tributary?

A smaller stream that feeds into the main river.

What are the four main types of drainage patterns?

Dendritic, radial, rectangular, and trellis.

What are some common features of rivers?

Rapids, estuaries, meanders, and oxbow lakes.

What is an estuary?

The point where a river meets the ocean, creating a unique ecosystem of saltwater and freshwater plants and animals.

What are rapids?

Fast

What are meanders?

Large bends or curves in a river that can change over time due to erosion and sediment deposition.

What is an oxbow lake?

A meander that has been cut off from the main river, forming a lake.

What is the youth stage of a river's life/course?

At the beginning of its life, a river typically flows quickly down steep slopes and mountains, carving deep channels as it goes.

What is the maturity stage of a river's life/course?

As the river ages, it becomes slower and broader, meandering across the landscape and forming wide bends and curves.

What is the old age stage of a river's life/course?

In the final stage of its life, a river becomes slower and wider, and may begin to deposit sediment and flood nearby areas.

What is a dendritic drainage pattern?

A branching pattern resembling the branches of a tree.

What is a radial drainage pattern?

A pattern in which streams flow outward from a central high point, like the spokes of a wheel.

What is a rectangular drainage pattern?

A pattern in which streams follow a rectangular grid

What is a trellis drainage pattern?

A pattern consisting of a series of parallel streams with short tributaries running perpendicular to them.

What are waterfalls?

Sections of a river where the water drops suddenly over a steep vertical or near

What is a waterfall?

A river flowing over hard rock.

How is a waterfall formed?

Erosion of soft rock under hard rock.

Can a waterfall move upstream?

Yes, due to repeated erosion and deposition.

What is a coral reef?

A diverse underwater ecosystem made up of coral polyps, algae, and other organisms.

What is coral?

A small, marine invertebrate animal that sits in a calcium carbonate shell called a 'polyp'.

How are coral reefs formed?

Over thousands of years as coral polyps build up layers of calcium carbonate (limestone).

What are the three main types of coral reefs?

Fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls.

What is a fringing reef?

A reef found close to the shore and separated from the land by a shallow lagoon.

What is a barrier reef?

A reef found farther out from the shore and separated from land by a deeper, wider lagoon.

What is an atoll?

A circular

What are some threats to coral reefs?

Climate change, ocean acidification, overfishing, pollution, and tourism.

What can cause the death and destruction of coral polyps?

Threats such as climate change, ocean acidification, overfishing, pollution, and tourism.