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How Earth Works > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What is relative location?

A

A position system of a place or location relative to other places/locations.

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2
Q

What is absolute location?

A

A precise system of locating a place in space, usually using longitude and latitude.

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3
Q

What are great circles vs small circles?

A

Great circles are circles that pass through the centre of the Earth & divide it in equal halves, whereas small circles are circles that interdect the earths surface but do not pass through the centre.

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4
Q

What is the graticule?

A

A grid system that uses parallels and meridians for mapping locations.

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5
Q

What is latitude?

A

The part of the Earth’s grid system that determines location N and S of the equator.
Degrees of latitude always 111km apart.

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6
Q

What is longitude?

A

The part of the Earth’s grid system that determines location E and W of the Prime Meridian.
Coverge at N&S poles.

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7
Q

What are the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?

A

NH - The 1/2 of the Earth that lies N of the Equator.

SH - The 1/2 of the Earth that lies S of the Equator.

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8
Q

What are parallels?

A

lines of latitude

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9
Q

How do you covert latitude to minutes?

A

decimal value= degrees + (min/60) + (sec/3600)

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10
Q

What are the significant lines of latitude?

A 
North Pole - 90 N
Arctic Circle - 66.5 N
Tropic of Cancer - 23.5 N
Equator - 0 
Tropic of Capricorn 23.5 S
Antarctic Circle 66.5 S
South Pole 90 S
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11
Q

What are the 3 general zones of latitude?

A

Low Latitudes: 35N-35S very warm region, generally consistent year round
Mid Latitudes: 35-55 N&S seasonal weather, warm/hot summer, cool/cold winter
High Latitudes: 55-90 N&S very cold year round

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12
Q

What are meridians?

A

lines of longitude

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13
Q

what is the prime meridian?

A

The reference point for longtiude 0 degrees, passes through Greenwhich England.

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14
Q

what are geometric boundaries?

A

They are formed by arcs or lines, such as parallels and meridians, regardless pf physical surface features.

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15
Q

What are reference maps vs thematic maps?

A

Reference maps - show locations & features of places

Thematic maps - indetifies a theme accross a given area

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16
Q

What are dot maps?

A

A type of thematic map that shows spatial distribution of a variable, where each dot represents a quantity of the map theme. Used to represent discrete data that may vary place to place.

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17
Q

What are chloropleth maps?

A

A type of thematic map used to represent data by using diferent colours or intensity of shading of predetermined areas. Used for numerical data, uses averages.

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18
Q

What are isoline maps?

A

A type of thematic map that has lines of predetermined intervals that connect points og equal value, called “isolines”. Useful for regional temperature (isotherms), precipitation patterns (isohyets), elevation (isopachs), or atmospheric pressure (isobars).

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19
Q

What are topographic maps?

A

A type of thematic map that displays elevation data regaring the Earth’s surface. (Topography - the shape/configuration of Earth’s surface)

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20
Q

What is cartography?

A

A subdicipline of geography that focuses on ways to display spacial information.

21
Q

What is a map projection?

A

A representation of 3D Earth on a 2D surface.

22
Q

What is map scale?

A

The map scale represents the ratio of the size/distance on the map to the size/distance on the ground.

23
Q

What is small-scale map vs large-scale map?

A

Small-scale maps show a relatively large area with a small level of detail. Illustrates spatial relationships with minimal detail. Representative fraction is small (ex. 1:100,000,000).
Large-scale maps show a relatively small area with a large level of detail. Illustrates great detail such as road networks or park locations. Representative fraction is large (ex. 1:1,000).

24
Q

What is remote sensing?

A

Remote sensing is the method through which info is gathered about the Earth from a distance. Using Ariel photographs or satellite technology.

25
Q

What is passive vs active remote sensing?

A

Passive remote sensing is instruments that detect energy that is emitted from the surface of Earth.
Active remote sensing is instruments that emit radiation toward the surface of Earth, where it is reflected back toward a sensor in the instrument to be analyzed.

26
Q

What is geostationary orbit?

A

An orbit where the satellite remains over the same place on Earth everyday - placed very high above Earth & travels at the same speed as Earth’s rotation.

27
Q

What is emissivity?

A

The amount of electromagnetic energy released by some aspect of the Earth’s surface.

28
Q

What is the Global Positioning System - GPS?

A

GPS is a network of 24 satellites orbiting Earth every 12 hours that enables people to determine their exact geographical location quickly. Used for coastal navigation, determining precise location of study sights, monitoring plate movement, or used by people for travel.

29
Q

What is the Geographic Information System - GIS?

A

GIS is a system for storing, analyzing and manipulating spatially referenced data, by representing individual data layers (measurements obtained to specific geographic variables such as vegetation, soils, road networks, etc). GIS is used for: environmental management, health resource management, municipal planning, business needs, etc.

30
Q

What are sun-synchronous orbit satellites?

A

Satellites that orbit with the pace of the sun’s westward progress as Earth rotates, resulting in regular return intervals over every location on Earth.

31
Q

What is spatial resolution?

A

The area on the ground that can be viewed in detail from the air/space.

32
Q

What is a pixel?

A

The smallest definable area of detail in an image.

33
Q

What is a multi-path error in GPS?

A

It occurs when a satellite signal reaches the GPS receiver directly from the satellite and as well as others reflected from nearby buildings/surfaces.

34
Q

What is map data?

A

Points, lines, and polygons that represent real-world phenomenon.

35
Q

What is attribute data?

A

Characteristics about map data, often qualitative in nature.

36
Q

What is the Canada Land Survey System?

A

Used in the south 1/2 of Canada, consisting of 7 principal meridians. Relative coordinate system that only works for Canada.

1 section = 640 acres
1/4 section = 160 acres
Legal subdivision = 40 acres
1/4 of LS = 10 acres

Direction, Section, Township, Range, direction to Principal Meridian

37
Q

What is the Canada Land Survey System? Dominion Land Survery

A

Used in the south 1/2 of Canada, consisting of 7 principal meridians. Relative coordinate system that only works for Canada.

1 section = 640 acres
1/4 section = 160 acres
Legal subdivision = 40 acres
1/4 of LS = 10 acres

Section, Township, Range, direction to Principal Meridian
SE7, Tp13, R8, W1

Meridians:
1st Principal Meridian - 97 degrees 27’ 28.4” W
2nd Meridian - 102W
3rd Meridian - 106W
4the Meridian - 110W
and so on, increasing 4 degrees of longitude westward

Range = westward 6 miles
township= northward 6 miles
sections= 1 mile x 1 mile
38
Q

What are models?

A

Abstract representations of the real world. Abstract as they are simplifications of realities complex systems.

39
Q

What are contour lines?

A

Lines of constant elevation, and a way of representing 3D on 2D map.

40
Q

What are Conformal (True Shape) Projections?

A

Projections that maintain correct angular relationships represent shapes accurately, and meridians & parallels cross at 90 degrees, however, the size of the area is distorted.
Ex. Mercator projection, which correctly shows the relative shapes, but sizes are distorted as higher latitudes are stretched.

41
Q

What are Equivalent (Equal Area) Projections?

A

Projections that have accurate size features and can be used for easy comparison.
Ex. Eckert Projection - has curved lines of latitude, but sizes more accurate than Mercator.

42
Q

What are Compromise Projections?

A

Projections that sacrifice some accuracy of both size and shape, to find some balance between two distortions.
Ex. Robinson Projection - evenly balanced relative to Marcator and Eckert.

43
Q

What are Cylindrical Projections?

A

Projections that are constructed by placing a translucent cylinder over the globe and shining a light centred within the globe facing outward, so the image is transferred. Meridians are mapped as equally spaced vertical lines and parallels s horizontal lines, the two meeting at right angles.
Ex. Mercator projection - distortion increases with distance from the equator.

44
Q

What are Conic Projections?

A

Projections that are theoretically constructed by placing a cone over Earth with the centre point at the North Pole, with the apex of the cone above a pole, the contact line coincides with a parallel, which would be the least distorted portion of the map (standard parallel). Meridians are mapped as equally spaced lines radiating out from the apex and the parallels are concentric arcs.

45
Q

What are Planar Projections?

A

Projections that are constructed by placing a flat plane at a point touching Earth (often a pole or the equator) and project light upward. Meridians are mapped as straight lines radiating from a point in the centre of the map and parallels are complete circles emanating from the centre of the map. Can only portray 1/2 of the world but it can provide an accurate view of the poles. Point of tangency - where the plane meets the Earth and there is no distortion, but distortion increases with distance from this point.

46
Q

What are Pseudocylindrical Projections?

A

Created mathematically and usually represents the entire world. Meridians are mapped as curves that bend away from the central meridian and parallels are straight & equally spaced.
Ex. Eckert & Robinson

47
Q

What are Interrupted Projections?

A

Hybrid pseudocylindrical projection with 2 existing projections mathematically combined. The map is interrupted in some areas (typically oceans) in order to portray other areas of the map more accurately (the continents).
Ex. Goode’s Interrupted Homolosine Equal Area Projection

48
Q

What are the 3 types of map scales?

A
  1. written: 1cm=1000m
  2. representative fraction: 1:24,000
  3. graphic/bar scale: shows the actual size of units of the map

How Earth Works (7 decks)

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