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Physical Geography > Essentials of Geography > Flashcards

Essentials of Geography Flashcards

1
Q

What is Geography?

A

Studies interactions between societies, natural systems, geographies, and cultural activities.

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2
Q

What is physical geography?

A

Spatial analysis of physical processes, systems, and systems that make up the environment (wind, air, water, etc.)

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3
Q

What is Spatial?

A

The spatial analysis of all the physical elements, processes, and systems that make up the environment: air, water, climate, plants, animals, etc.

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4
Q

What are the five themes of geography?

A

location, space, region, movement, and human-earth relationships

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5
Q

Describe Place in terms of geography:

A

zoomed in to a specific area, where it is and its characteristics, whether it is human or physical

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6
Q

Describe Location in terms of geography:

A

pinpoint, where we find a given area, coordinate systems, specific location

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7
Q

Describe Region in terms of geography:

A

describing characteristics, large area sharing a given set of characteristics, zoomed out/larger scale concept

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8
Q

Describe Movement in terms of geography:

A

communication, migration, and diffusion across the earth’s surface

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9
Q

Describe the Human-Earth relationship in terms of geography:

A

tourism, human population rapidly increasing and how that impacts the environment

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10
Q

What is Spatial?

A

Spatial refers to the nature and character of physical space, its measurements, and distribution of things within it.

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11
Q

What are the three contents of geography?

A

Physical Geography, Synthesis of Physical and human geography, and Human Geography

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12
Q

What are some subcategories of physical geography?

A

hydrology, climatology, soils, etc

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13
Q

What are some subcategories of the synthesis of physical and human geography?

A

Particularly important, considering impacts of humans on the environment, for example hazards from human activities

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14
Q

What are some subcategories of human geography?

A

population geography, cultural geography, urban studies, etc

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15
Q

What is the Science in “Science for a Dynamic World”?

A

The sciences are a group of disciplines that have a common approach to learning how the universe works (AKA scientific method).

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16
Q

What are the steps to the Scientific Method?

A

Observation
Hypothesis and Predictions
Experimentation and Measurement
Results support Hypothesis OR Results Reject
Testing
Results

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17
Q

Explain the observation step in the scientific method:

A

recognizing features, looking for patterns, collect data

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18
Q

Explain the Hypothesis stage in the scientific method:

A

formulate hypothesis, identify variables and determine data needed

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19
Q

Explain the step of experimentation in the scientific method:

A

conduct tests to verify the hypothesis, able to control the variables.

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20
Q

explain the step of Peer Review in the scientific method:

A

communicate findings for evaluation by other scientists

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21
Q

Explain the process of Scientific Theory Development in the scientific method:

A

Hypothesis survives repeated testing without being shown false, comprehensive explanation for real world observation is widely accepted and supported by research.

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22
Q

How do we test a hypothesis?

A

Collect further observations and measurements through repeatability and transparency, remain objective by creating a null hypothesis (Always trying to prove yourself wrong or right)

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23
Q

What are the two most important steps to testing a hypothesis?

A

Repeatability and transparency

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24
Q

What are the earths four spheres?

A

Biosphere, Lithosphere, Atmosphere, and Hydrosphere

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25
Q

Explain the Conservation Laws of Mass and Energy:

A

Mass is neither created nor destroyed (mass is always changing forms).

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26
Q

Define Energy:

A

Capacity to do work, capacity of change

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27
Q

What is the role of energy or matter in the Conservation Law of Mass and Energy?

A

Energy or/and Matterarealwayschangingform (if output is less than the input that means there is a change in form of the matter or energy.)

28
Q

What are the three steps to an Open system?

A

Input (energy matter, ex. gas), Actions (energy and material conversions, ex. heat loss), Output (output of energy matter, ex. Exhaust, waste).

29
Q

What is an example of an Open System?

A

Forest: Inputs (sunlight, CO2, Water to roots), Actions (Carbohydrates used for plant growth are produced by the process of photosynthesis), Outputs (O2, CO2, Dead organic matter). The action stage connects to the human-earth relationship through carbon sinks, materials providing food and resources.

30
Q

Define an open system:

A

Matter entering and exiting the system.

31
Q

Define a Closed System:

A

Energy is only entering, nothing leaves these systems, they are uncommon in nature.

32
Q

Define Systems Feedback:

A

Outputs of a system influence the system’s operation. Output feeds back into the system.

33
Q

Explain a Negative Feedback Loop:

A

Output that influences the system discourages response in the system (population dynamics; wolf population fluctuates based on prey population [by increasing or decreasing food source]. More stable and control.

34
Q

Explain a Positive Feedback Loop:

A

The feedback information increased response in the system, snowballing condition. (Arctic sea ice albedo positive feedback; temperature rising, sea ice melts exposing deep dark ocean surface, therefore, reflecting less (albedo deceases). It reflects less solar radiation, therefore absorbing more solar radiation which leads to further temperature increases, etc. Less stable, snowballing effect.

35
Q

Which feedback loop is more stable and controlled?

A

Negative Feedback Loop

36
Q

True or False: Earth system is an open system in terms of energy.

A

True

37
Q

True or False: Earth system is a closed system in terms of physical matter and resources.

A

True.

38
Q

What is the Arctic Sea Ice- Albedo Positive Feedback?

A

Is the ratio of reflected solar radiation to the total incoming solar radiation, how reflective is a surface (range of 0-1, 1 being perfectly reflective, where sea ice is 0.9 reflective).

39
Q

What does Action/Reaction do in terms of feedback loops?

A

It all determines how the reaction feeds into the original action, determines control on the system.

40
Q

Why do scientists use Models?

A

To better study/understand complex systems, try to account for nuances. Simple models can be dangerous, can be taken out of context or missing crucial information.

41
Q

What is an Equatorial Diameter ?

A

Equatorial Diameter is the measurement if you were to cut the earth in half horizontally, measuring at 12765km (larger than polar diameter, known as the geoidal bulge).

42
Q

What is a Polar Diameter?

A

Polar Diameter is the measurement if you were to cut the earth in half vertically, measuring at 12714km.

43
Q

What are the two Earth Dimension systems?

A

Equatorial Diameter and Polar Diameter.

44
Q

Explain Latitude:

A

Latitude is an angular distance north or south from the equator measured from the center of the earth (ex. 49 degrees N).

45
Q

Why is 49 degrees N significant to Canada?

A

The 49-degree N is significant to Canada because it delineates the border from the US from everything west of Ontario.

46
Q

True or False: a line connecting all points along the same latitudinal angle is parallel, these lines run horizontally, parallel to the equator

A

True.

47
Q

________________: It defines geographical zones and help us describe regions on the globe, certain zones have certain characteristics and how the sun plays a role in their ecosystems.

A

Latitude Geographical Zones, ex) 66.5-degree N is the North Pole.

48
Q

Speed of the earth’s surface varies by ______, as we increase in ____ the speed of rotation is much slower (at 80 degrees the speed of the earth’s rotation is 180.2 miles/hour) as opposed to the speed at a smaller _______ (at 10 degrees of latitude the speed of earth’s rotation is 1021.78 miles/hour)

A

Latitude

49
Q

Define Longitude:

A

Longitude is an angular distant east or west of a point on earth’s surface, measured from the centre of the earth.

50
Q

Where is the Prime Meridian?

A

Greenwich, England.

51
Q

Define the Prime Meridien:

A

a line connecting all points along the same longitude is a Meridien. Prime Meridien is a Meridien located at 0 degrees. The Prime Meridien is in Greenwich, England, decided in 1884 (where zero degrees lays).

52
Q

Does the prime Meridien run E-W or N-S?

A

E-W, vertically.

53
Q

What is significant about the hundredth Meridien?

A

At the hundredth Meridien, where the great planes used to begin, these boundaries are shifting due to climate change.

54
Q

Why are latitude and longitude important?

A

together creating a pinpoint system for us to locate a place on earth.

55
Q

Distance between degrees of ________ do not vary much due to the equatorial bulge.

A

Latitude

56
Q

Distance between degrees of ______ varies based on ________.

A

Longitude, latitude.

57
Q

True or False: Closer to the pole the distance between measurements of longitude decreases, they are furthest apart at the equator and closer together at the poles.

A

True.

58
Q

What are great circles and small circles?

A

A great circle is any circle of Earths circumference whose center coincides with the center of the earth. Only one parallel is a great circle- the equatorial parallel (zero degree parallel) Every Meridien is a great circle. All other parallels decrease in length toward the poles, which are called small circles

59
Q

True or False: Every Meridien is a small circle.

A

False, every Meridien is a great circle.

60
Q

What is this annotation called within the coordinate grid system; ‘

A

Minute

61
Q

What is this annotation called within the coordinate grid system; “

A

Second

62
Q

True or False: International Date Line is ~ along the 180th Meridien (180W=180E) when you cross this line you either gain or lose a day due to time zone.

A

True.

63
Q

How many international time zones exist?

A

24

64
Q

Each time zone is __ degrees of longitude (E or W), but political boundaries complicate things.

A

15

65
Q

When were international time zones adopted?

A

Late 1800’s.

Physical Geography (15 decks)

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