Chapter 1

Question 1

Physical geography

Answer 1

natural in origin, environmental geography

Question 2

human geography

Answer 2

human activity, including cultural (languages), economic, political, urban geography

Question 3

hypothesis

Answer 3

must be testable –> must be a way to prove it wrong

Question 4

uncertainty

Answer 4

scientists often say “this may suggest’ and say “more research needed”
cautious approach

Question 5

lithosphere

Answer 5

solid, inorganic part of crust
- contains crust + minerals on bedrock

Question 6

atmosphere

Answer 6

envelope of air contains gases needed to live
dynamic + most dense at sea level

Question 7

hydrosphere vs cryosphere

Answer 7

hydro - water in all forms
cryo - frozen (snow, ice)

Question 8

biosphere + biota

Answer 8

biosphere - everywhere living organisms exist
biota - living organisms

Question 9

interconnectedness of spheres

Answer 9

soil - contains minerals (lithosphere), life forms (biosphere), air (atmosphere), soil moisture (hydrosphere), frozen water in pores (cryosphere)

Question 10

open vs closed system

Answer 10

open –> most earth systems are open since energy enters it (inputs i.e. solar radiation) and energy exits it (outputs i.e. meltwater)
closed –> self contained, isolated (earth as a whole with regards to matter)

Question 11

positive vs negative loops

Answer 11

positive –> causes more of something/reinforces it
ex: arctic ice –> melts from sun, water becomes hotter, more melts

negative –> inhibits a change
ex: hotter temperatures, more water vapor, cloud cover, temperatures reduce

Question 12

tipping point

Answer 12

point where negative feedback breaks down –> system needs to re-attain equilibrium

Question 13

plane of equator

Answer 13

equator –> imaginary plane splits north+south pole line in half at 90 degree angle

Question 14

great circle

Answer 14

result of a plane that divides a sphere into 2 equal halves (hemispheres)
ex: equator

Question 15

small circle

Answer 15

same idea as great circle, but plane can intersect anywhere (does not need to divide sphere into 2 equal halves)

Question 16

great circle properties

Answer 16

1) largest circle that can be drawn on sphere
2) great circle routes –> shortest path between two points is along great circle arc

Question 17

latitude

Answer 17

rungs of ladder
measured as angle from center of earth to any location on earth

Question 18

parallel

Answer 18

Line connecting all points of same latitude
(parallel to all latitude lines)

Question 19

Lines of latitude

Answer 19

1) Equator 0
2) Tropic of Cancer 23.5 N
3) Tropic of Capricon 23.5 S
4) Arctic Circle 66.5 N
5) Antarctic Circle 66.5 S
6) North Pole 90 N
7) South Pole 90 S

Question 20

Zones of latitude

Answer 20

1) Low latitude: equator to 30 N/S
2) Midlatitude: 30 to 60 N/S
3) Highlatitude: above 60 N/S
4) Equatorial: within few degrees of equator
5) Tropical: between 23.5 North/South
6) Subtropical: farther away from tropical –> 25 to 30 degrees N/S
7) Polar –> within few degrees of poles

Question 21

Meridians

Answer 21

lines of longitude
not parallel except at equator

Question 22

Prime meridian

Answer 22

Greenwich, England
(at the time chosen, more than 2/3 of world’s shipping used it)

Question 23

longitude

Answer 23

angle between plane through Greenwich + any point on Earth

Question 24

Effect of Earth’s rotation

Answer 24

1) Day + night
2) Tides
3) Coriolis effect (opposite movement of wind + ocean currents in North vs South hemisphere

Question 25

Earth’s orbit around sun

Answer 25

23.5 tilted to North
eliptical
- perihelion: closest to sun on Jan 3
- aphelion: farthest from sun on July 4

Question 26

seasons caused by

Answer 26

1) rotation
2) revolution (around sun)
3) inclination (23.5)
4) polarity (always points in same direction –> to north star)

Question 27

circle of illumination

Answer 27

dividing line between daylight + night hemispheres

Question 28

declination of sun

Answer 28

latitude receiving vertical rays of sun

Question 29

solar altitude

Answer 29

height of noon sun at dif latitudes

Question 30

june solstice

Answer 30

vertical rays of sun hit tropic of cancer

Question 31

September equinox

Answer 31

vertical rays of sun hit equator

Question 32

december solstice

Answer 32

vertical rays of sun hit tropic of capricon

Question 33

march equinox

Answer 33

same as september equinox

Question 34

movement of vertical rays

Answer 34

only strike between tropic of cancer + capricorn
starting in march, moves north to cancer, then back down all way to capricorn

Question 35

angle of incidence

Answer 35

ray at which sun’s rays hit latitude
higher angle –> warmer
equator –> warmer bc higher angle of incidence
poles –> lower angle of incidence

Question 36

time zones

Answer 36

15 degree meridians apart, 1 hour time intervals
exception India

Question 37

3 factors cause unequal warming of earth

Answer 37

1) angle of incidence –> closer it is to 90 (vertical) means more heat in smaller spot, so warmer i.e. tropics
2) atmosphere –> higher angle rays go through less atmosphere + lose less energy
3) day length –> longer days –> more warming

Question 38

insolation

Answer 38

exposure to sun’s rays

Question 39

latitudinal radiation balance

Answer 39

energy surplus in tropics
energy deficit at poles

Question 40

Solar altitude calculation

Answer 40

90 - Arc length
arc length - angle between area of interest and declination of sun

to find arc length:
** if in diff hemispheres, add area of interest + declination of sun **

** if in same hemisphere subtract **