geo lab final

imperial system

in the US, we use the ______________ with units such as feet, miles, and degrees F

2 feet

convert 24 inches to feet

distance/time

rate=

latitude

run horizontally; measure distance north or south of the equator

longitude

run vertically; measure distance east or west of the prime meridian

latitude and longitude

often used to form coordinates that describe locations on the surface of the earth

contour line

used on a topographic maps to show elevation of land surface; equal elevation

elevation

height of the land surface above sea level

index contour

darker/bolder contour lines with elevation printed on them; every 5th line will be an ___________

contour interval

change in elevation between each adjacent contour line

steep

contour lines that are bunch tightly together indicate a ________ slope

gentle

contour lines that are spaced apart indicate a _________ slope

hachure marks

indicate an isolated decrease in elevation, such as a sink hole or volcano crater

uphill

the pointy part of the V points

downhill

the mouth of the V opens up in the ________ direction

brown

color of topography: general shape of earths surface (ex. hills, valleys)

blue

color of water features: lakes, rivers, oceans

black and red

color of cultural features: buildings, roads, anything manmade

green

color of forested area/ tree cover

purple

color of new features since last update

relief

difference in elevation between two points on earth's surface

gradient

measure of steepness of a slope (the units can be FT/MI, M/KM, or DIMENSIONLESS

relief/horizontal distance

gradient=

coordinate system

is a method for describing the location of a point on the earth

latitude-longitude

most common coordinate system used by civilians in the US

UTM (universal transverse mercator) and PLSS (public land survey system)

(besides lat-long) 2 major coordinate systems in the US

UTM

was devised for the military after WWII

zones

UTM treats the globe like a rectangle and divides the earth into 60 _____

central meridian

in UTM, within each zone there is a _______________ : a north-south line that acts as a datum

datum

in UTM, a zero-point from which measurements are taken (like a starting point)

meters

in UTM, zones are broken into distances, all given in ______, "east" of central meridian and north of the equator

PLSS (public land survey system)

developed in 1785 to subdivide lands west of the original 13 US colonies into mappable (and sell-able) parcels

principle meridians and base lines

PLSS is a square grid system, centered on __________ (N-S lines) and ___________ (E-W lines)

townships

in PLSS, 6 mile by 6 miles squares

36

in PLSS, each 6 mile by 6 mile square is then divided into how many sections measured 1 mile by 1 mile?

GPS (global positioning system)

is a group of satellites that provides location and time information to a receiver anywhere on or near earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to the satellites

3

in GPS, location requires how many satellites?

4

in GPS, location and elevation requires how many satellites?

GIS (geographic information system)

is a computer software analyzes spatial location data and organizes layers of information into visualizations using maps and 3D images

thermometer

what measures temperature?

barometer

what measures atmospheric pressure?

hygrometer

what measures moisture?

anemometer

what measures wind speed and direction?

precipitation gauge

what measures precipitation?

weather balloon

what measures upper level conditions?

evaluate the amount of moisture in the atmosphere

what does vapor pressure, relative humidity, and dew point have in common?

vapor pressure/saturation vapor pressure times 100

RH=

vapor pressure

is the amount of water vapor actually PRESENT in the air (mb or kPa)

saturation vapor pressure

is the MAXIMUM amount of water the air is capable of holding at a given temperature

moisture and temperature

relative humidity varies with both change in ________ and/or ____________

dew point

the temperature at which saturation would occur if the air was cooled (_______ is the temperature a parcel of air has to be for 100% RH)

saturated

when a parcel of air contains as much moisture as is possible at a given temperature, the air is said to be __________

cooling or addition of water vapor

air saturates through one of two processes

adiabatic

when the temperature of a parcel of air cools as a consequence of change in pressure

absolute stability

occurs when the air parcel is colder than its surroundings and will not rise, or it may sink

absolute instability

accurs when the parcel is warmer than the environment, and it will rise

conditional stability

the vertical motion of the parcel will be determined by whether it is saturated or not

convection

heating of the air; becomes less dense and rises

orographic

lifting by terrain; air rises as it passes over hills or mountains

frontal

an air mass boundary forces air to rise

convergence

two air streams collide and air rises

LCL (lifting condensation level)

is the height where a parcel of air becomes fully saturated, and condensation occurs (clouds form)

ALR (adiabatic laps rate)

is the rate of warming or cooling of a parcel of air

temperature and moisture content

an air mass is a large body of air that is characterized by its _______ and _______

continental (c)

what forms over land (dry)?

maritime (m)

what forms over the ocean (humid/moist)?

polar (P)

what originates at high latitudes (cold)?

tropical (T)

what originates at lower latitudes (warm)?

mP and mT

what two air masses have the greatest impact on the pacific coast of north america?

cT

the southwestern US and northwestern mexico is the source region for what type of air mass?

front

boundary that separate different air masses, where one mass is warmer than the other

warmer

will the warmer or colder air mass rise, cool adiabatically, and form clouds (and, potentially, precipitation)?

warm front

warm air overruns cold air

cold front

cold air overruns warm air

occluded front

cold front overruns a warm front

mid latitude cyclone (MCR)

low pressure system that has cyclonic flow (winds spiral in towards the center of low pressure) found in the middle-latitudes (~30-55°)

headwaters

where the stream starts; high elevations with steep slopes

mouth

where the stream flows into the ocean

stream channel

during normal conditions, water is contained within the ______ _______. they sit inside the floodplain

stream morphology

influenced by factors such as gradient (slope) and sediment load

sinuosity

how curvy or straight the channel is

straight

characterized by their single channel and low sinuosity; typically occur in high up mountainous areas due to very steep slopes and v-shaped bedrock valleys; usually has fast moving waters due to the steep slope, so they are capable of moving large particles

braided

form near the base of mountains; characterized by their multiple channels and tend to be wide and shallow; water slows down and it can no longer carry big boulders; we see gravel and sand on the beds of these streams; these multiple channels form from an excessive load of sand/gravel accumulating in CHANNEL BARS

meandering

generally have a single, deep, sinuous channel with occasional sand bars; lower gradient than braided channels; the stream channel migrates back and forth over the floodplain over time due to continual erosion of the cutbank and deposition on the point bar

thalweg

deepest part of the river where the water moves fastest

cutbank

the outer side of the river that erodes

point bar

the inner side of the river that deposits sediment

floodplain

low-lying area around the river, which is subject to flooding

neck

narrow peninsula that is created from two cutbanks eroding towards each other

oxbow lake

when two cutbanks connect, and creates a shorter, more direct path for the river to follow. the abandoned meander is called a(n)

100

a 100 year flood has a 1 in ___ (1%) chance of happening in any given year

RI

(n+1)/s

lithosphere

all the solid rock components close to the surface of the earth (~top 100 km)

mineral

crystalline solids with fixed atomic structure and fixed chemical composition

cleavage

occurs when a mineral breaks easily along a plane of weakness—will have flat, smooth sides when broken

fracture

occurs when the sample breaks irregular, similar to broken glass; no flat smooth surfaces; no regular angle/direction to breakage

less than 2.5

if we can scratch a mineral with our fingernail, that mineral is fairly soft

greater than 5.5

if a mineral scratches the surface of glass, that mineral is pretty hard

igneous

form from the cooling of melted/liquid rock (magma)

sedimentary

form from accumulation of sediment, or precipitation of minerals in water, at the surface of the earth