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GEOG 111 > Exam #1 > Flashcards

Exam #1 Flashcards

1
Q

What is geography?

A

To write, chart or describe the Earth

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2
Q

Where does the word ‘geography’ come from?

A

geo- Earth

Graphy- To write

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3
Q

What sets geography apart from other disciplines?

A

Where and Why
Where something is, specifically spatial variation
Why are they where they are

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4
Q

If you can ___ it, its geographical

A

map

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5
Q

Geograpahy is a _____. A way to learn more and more about more and more

A

continuum

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6
Q

what are the 4 steps of the scientific method

A

Making Observations: Measure and collect information
Formulate your hypothesis: Base it on your observations
Experiment & Analyze: See whether your hypothesis was true or false
Theory: Broad/ general way to explain how and why things are the way that they are

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7
Q

science is ____

A

dynamic and always changing

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8
Q

What is a system?

A

A set of interrelated parts or components that are variable, not constant

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9
Q

A change in a system will

A

cause changes throughout the system

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10
Q

what is an example of a natural system?

A

Major mountain range

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11
Q

Why are major mountain ranges a natural system?

A

FULL CIRCLE
Locations of the mountains influence the precipitation of an area,
Amount of precipitation will influence vegetation,
All 3 of those will influence the soil,
Soil & Vegetation influence erosion,
Erosion wears down the mountains

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12
Q

Example of a short term change in a natural system

A

Volcanic eruption

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13
Q

Example of a long term change in a natural system

A

coastal erosion or sea level changes

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14
Q

the wellbeing of humans depends on ____

A

the wellbeing of our systems

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15
Q

what is the atmosphere

A
  • Blanket of gases, held in by gravity
  • The highest percentage of any gas in the atmosphere is Nitrogen
  • Also contains oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, etc
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16
Q

what is the lithosphere

A
  • Rocks, soil, minerals within the Earth’s crust

- Surface of earth is variable in all landforms

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17
Q

what is the hydrosphere

A

All water

-Water, oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, ice caps, water vapor, etc

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18
Q

what is the biosphere

A

Composed of all living things, from the seafloor to about 8 km (5 miles) above sea level

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19
Q

what is an open system

A

matter and energy that have inputs and outputs

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20
Q

what is a closed system

A

closed off from its surrounding environment

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21
Q

is the earth a closed or open system

A

both

Open in terms of energy but closed in terms of resources and physical matter (finite resources)

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22
Q

what is matter

A

assumes physical shape and occupies shape

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23
Q

what is energy

A

The capacity to change the motion of matter

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24
Q

what are the earth’s 6 special features

A

atmosphere, ozone layer, temperature, atmospheric pressure, rotation, and the sun

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25
Q

why is the atmosphere special?

A
  • Held in by gravity
  • Distributes heat and moisture
  • Keeps in good gases
  • Works to our advantage because of the size of the Earth
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26
Q

why is the ozone layer special

A

protects humans from UV Radiation

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27
Q

why is the earths temperature special

A

Average temperature of the Earth is 59° F
A lot of variation in temperature on the Earth
Temperature determines how much liquid water is in our hydrosphere

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28
Q

why is the rotation special

A

The Earth rotates towards the East, counterclockwise

The Coriolis force is important for the distribution of energy from low latitudes to high latitudes

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29
Q

why is the sun special

A

The sun is at a perfect stage in its life to give the Earth the right amount of energy and to sustain life

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30
Q

___ of land of earth is above the equator

A

3/4

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31
Q

Land masses tapper in the

A

Southern Hemisphere

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32
Q

There are fewer obstructions of ocean currents and wind in the

A

southern hemisphere

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33
Q

____ hemisphere has more seasonal extreames than ___ hemisphere

A

northern; southern

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34
Q

oceans ___ their own basins

A

overflow

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35
Q

there is a gentle rise when the ocean meets a ____

A

continent

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36
Q

oceans are divided by ____ and ____

A

ridges and trenches

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37
Q

Iceland is part of the _____ ridge

A

mid atlantic

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38
Q

the mid Atlantic ridge has underwater ____ activity

A

volcanic

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39
Q

A long, narrow, deep depression in the ocean floor

A

trench

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40
Q

Ocean is surrounded by mountains 23,000 ft above sea level which forms the ______

A

ring of fire

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41
Q

The Earth is not a sphere, its ______, which means its semi flat in the poles

A

an Oblate Spheroid

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42
Q

radius of the earth is

A

4,000 miles

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43
Q

Solid Inner Core and Liquid Outer Core are __% of the earths volume

A

19%

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44
Q

the radius of the Solid Inner Core and Liquid Outer Core is

A

2,200 miles

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45
Q

the crust is __% of the earths volume

A

1%

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46
Q

the solid mantle is __% of the earths volume

A

80%

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47
Q

mantle radius is

A

1,800 miles

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48
Q

crust is only ____ thick

A

between 5-25 miles

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49
Q

oceanic crust has a lot of ____ and ____

A

silica and magnesium

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50
Q

oceanic crust is also known as

A

sima

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51
Q

oceanic crust is more ____ than continental crust

A

dense

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52
Q

continental crust has a lot of ____ and ____

A

silica and aluminum

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53
Q

continental crust is also known as

A

sial

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54
Q

_____ is the Earth’s crust and upper mantle, Shell of brittle rock, 40 miles thick

A

lithosphere

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55
Q

____ is softer, more malleable,
Not hard like the lithosphere,
Consistency of a soft plastic

A

asthenosphere

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56
Q

____ are hard brittle Lithosphere moves over the soft Asthenosphere and there are 14 of them

A

lithospheric plates

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57
Q

In 1912 _____ though all of the land was once together in one large continent later named Pangea
He also thought that they moved away from each other due to the lithospheric plates

A

Alfred Wegener

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58
Q

what are the are 2 parts of Pangea about 200 million years ago

A

Laurasia (North)

Gondwanaland (South)

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59
Q

whats is sea floor spreading

A

Hot magma rises and comes into contact with the cold ocean water and solidifies
The older, hardened magma gets pushed to the top to make room for the new magma
The hardened magma then plunges underneath the continental crust because the oceanic crust is more dense than the continental crust
A fissure could arise to form a volcanic mountain range or it could could go back to magma and repeat the cycle (convection currents)

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60
Q

divergent boundaries ____

A

the plates move apart

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61
Q

convergent boundaries ____

A

the plates move towards each other

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62
Q

transform boundaries ____

A

the plates slip past each other

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63
Q

divergent boundaries cause

A

sea floor spreading

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64
Q

convergent boundaries cause

A

subduction Oceanic crust goes under continental crust)

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65
Q

transform boundaries cause

A

earthquakes

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66
Q

what are rocks that are made from cooled magma

A

igneous

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67
Q

what are rocks that are made from debris that got compacted together

A

sedimentary

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68
Q

what are rocks that are made from the rock going under heat and pressure and change

A

metamorphic

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69
Q

closest planet to the sun

A

mercury (3 month orbit)

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70
Q

farthest ‘planet’ from the sun

A

neptune (165 yr orbit)

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71
Q

all planets orbit ____

A

counterclockwise

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72
Q

Earth’s elliptical orbit takes approximately ____

A

365.25 days

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73
Q

the earths average distance from the Sun is

A

93 million miles

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74
Q

what is perihelion

A

Occurs on January 3rd when the Earth is closest to the sun at 91.5 million miles

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75
Q

what is aphelion

A

Occurs on July 4th when the earth is farthest from the sun at 94.5 million miles

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76
Q

seasons are controlled by

A

the tilt of the earths axis

77
Q

the earth rotates ____ and from ___ to ____

A

counterclockwise; west to east

78
Q

the earth rotates at

A

1,000 miles per hour at the equator

79
Q

tilt of the earths axis is

A

23.5°

80
Q

what is the circle of illumination

A

the line that divides the illuminated half from the dark half while the Earth is spinning

81
Q

what is the plane of the ecliptic

A

a plane that goes through the center of the Earth to the center of the Sun

82
Q

the plane of the ecliptic is always

A

constant and The Earth’s axis is always pointing at the same spot which is parallel to where the plane was previously

83
Q

when is the summer solstice (NH)

A

june 22

84
Q

when is the winter solstice (NH)

A

december 22

85
Q

when is the spring equinox (NH)

A

march 21

86
Q

when is the fall equinox (NH)

A

september 23

87
Q

what is an oblique ray

A

sun rays that Diffuse solar energy because the sun is at a lower angle

88
Q

the tropic of cancer receive the most solar energy on

A

june solstice

89
Q

the tropic of capricorn receive the most solar energy on

A

march solstice

90
Q

the atmosphere extends ____ above the surface of the earth

A

20,000 miles

91
Q

the atmosphere ____ on the earth

A

exerts pressure

92
Q

what are the most important gases in the atmosphere (5)

A

nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, ozone, and water vapor

93
Q

the most prominent gas in our atmosphere

A

nitrogen (78%)

94
Q

what is the trophosphere

A

Where weather and climate occur

About -57 degrees celcius

95
Q

in the trophosphere as you go up, temperature will on average drop about 3.5℉ every 1000 ft which is known as

A

the actual lapse rate

96
Q

what is the stratosphere

A

31 miles above Earth

0℃ hits freezing, warmer than the troposphere because of the ozone layer

97
Q

what is the mesosphere

A

between the stratosphere and the thermosphere when temperature drop to about -90

98
Q

the thermosphere is ___ above earth

A

50-300 miles

99
Q

The higher the angle of the sun determines the

A

intensity

100
Q

The low latitudes & the equator have

A

high angles and more insolation

101
Q

Clouds reflect a lot of ______, mostly in rainy places

A

solar radiation

102
Q

The percentage of solar radiation that is reflected is called the

A

albedo

103
Q

Low Albedo

A

Most solar radiation is absorbed

Ex: Asphalt, Black Sand Beaches, Desert

104
Q

high Albedo

A

Most solar radiation is reflected

Concrete, Snow, Ice Fields

105
Q

The darker the surface the ____ the albedo

A

lower

106
Q

what is conversion from one form of energy to another from radiation turning into molecules of matter

A

absorption

107
Q

what is where gas and liquids transfer energy by movements and the movement includes a strong vertical motion

A

convection

108
Q

what is the molecule to molecule transfer of heat energy as it diffuses through a substance

A

conduction

109
Q

what is where gas and liquids transfer energy by movements and the movement includes a strong horizontal motion

A

advection

110
Q

what is when the sun releases shortwave radiation, some of it reaches the surface of the earth where it gets heated and produces long wave radiation where most of it gets trapped by greenhouse gases

A

the greenhouse effect

111
Q

long wave radiation is stronger than short wave true or false?

A

false, short is more intense

112
Q

what are the 3 greenhouse gases

A

methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor

113
Q

the ______ is the rest of the atmosphere beyond 300 miles that is filled with small amounts of gases like hydrogen and helium

A

exosphere

114
Q

the rate at which air cools is the _____

A

Environmental Lapse Rate

115
Q

what are the principal controls of temperature (4)

A

latitude, altitude, cloud cover, water

116
Q

what does latitude do in regards to temperature

A

High latitudes receive less solar radiation

117
Q

what does altitude do in regards to temperature

A

In the troposphere as you go up your temperature decreases
Altitude and temperature have an inverse relationship
Low altitudes have higher temperatures

118
Q

what does cloud cover do in regards to temperature

A

Clouds reflect substantial amounts of solar radiation

Can reduce the amount of solar radiation that reaches the earth

119
Q

what does water do in regards to temperature

A

Proximity to water causes the places to be warmer than places more inland
Land-Water heating differences: water takes longer to heat up and cool down than land

120
Q

what is the average atmospheric pressure

A

1013.2 mb

121
Q

how are winds named

A

from where they originate (easterly winds originate from the eats but blow to the west)

122
Q

places near a large body of water experience less seasonal extremes due to ___

A

ocean currents

123
Q

_____ currents will dull the air above it and are also taking polar water to the equator

A

cold

124
Q

____ currents take warm water from the equator to the high latitude

A

warm

125
Q

What are the 3 forces that determine wind speed and direction

A

Gravitational force, pressure gradient force, the Coriolis force, and friction

126
Q

how does pressure gradient force determine wind speed and direction

A

it drives wind from areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure

127
Q

air diverges and air descends to replace it in an area of ___ pressure

A

high

128
Q

air converges and rises in areas of ____ pressure

A

low

129
Q

close isobars have ___ winds

A

strong

130
Q

the _____ force is important to wind direction and deflects things that travel over the earth’s surface

A

coriolis

131
Q

the coriolis force in the northern hemisphere deflects to the ____

A

right

132
Q

the coriolis force in the southern hemisphere deflects to the ____

A

left

133
Q

in the Northern hemisphere high pressure moves ____ and low pressure moves ____

A

high- clockwise

low- counterclockwise

134
Q

in the southern hemisphere high pressure moves ____ and low pressure moves ____

A

high- counterclockwise

low- clockwise

135
Q

anticyclones are always ___ pressure and direction depends on the hemisphere

A

high

136
Q

cyclones are always ___ pressure and direction depends on the hemisphere

A

low

137
Q

the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is in the ____ hemisphere in January and in the ____ hemisphere in July

A

southern; northern

138
Q

anticyclones drive ocean currents in

A

January (southern hemisphere) and July (northern hemisphere)

139
Q

what are the four atmospheric lifting mechanisms

A

convergence, convection, orographic uplift, and frontal uplift

140
Q

_____ : Air goes from high pressure to low pressure,
Air goes from the ground and rises up,
Happens with the trade winds and at the ITCZ,
A lot of moisture

A

convergence

141
Q

______: Localized type of uplift,
When the surface of the Earth warms, rises, and gets cooled by the colder air in the atmosphere,
The air then becomes unstable and turns into condensation and precipitation,
Convective precipitation is common on tropical islands

A

Convection

142
Q

____: Mountains are barriers to wind, Relative humidity will increase as the air goes up the windward side of the mountain

A

orographic uplift

143
Q

_____ side of the mountain has a lot of precipitation

A

windward

144
Q

_____ side is dry because the humidity evaporates before it reaches this side

A

leeward

145
Q

____ winds are warm and dry winds. This indigenous term used in places like Calgary, Can and Colorado Springs

A

Chinook

146
Q

____ occurs on the leeward side of the mountain and is very dry

A

the rain shadow

147
Q

____ are lines that connect places of the same amount of precipitation

A

Isohyets

148
Q

____ uplift is important in the mid latitudes in regards to precipitation

A

frontal

149
Q

a ___ front is where the cold air nudges the warm air to rise and then cool
The air cools which forms clouds and precipitation

A

cold

150
Q

the precipitation associated with ___ fronts is usually hard, torrential downpour

A

cold

151
Q

with ____ there is a sudden drop in barometric pressure and temperature

A

cold front

152
Q

a ____ front is where the warm air slowly rises over the cold front and cools

A

warm

153
Q

a ____ front has slow, dull, light precipitation for a prolonged period of time

A

warm

154
Q

with a ____ temperatures rise slightly and there is a gradual decrease in barometric pressure

A

warm front

155
Q

what is the jet stream

A

Upper level flow of air that moves from west to east

156
Q

there is one ____ is the southern hemisphere and one in the northern hemisphere

A

jet stream

157
Q

____ are important in tracking and guiding cyclones and storms

A

the jet stream

158
Q

the ____get the highest amount of precipitation because they’re under the influence of the ITCZ

A

tropics

159
Q

Towards the poles are the ____ places, also very ___ in Northern Africa and most of Australia because they’re under subtropical high pressure

A

driest; dry

160
Q

The inner continental US and Eurasia are also very ___ due to them being far from a large body of water

A

dry

161
Q

Southern South America (Andes Mountains) are ___ on the left windward side and ___ on the right leeward side

A

wet; dry

162
Q

poles are dry because

A

cold air cannot hold a lot of moisture, not much uplift, and extremely low evaporation rates and sun angles

163
Q

______ and ______ affect precipitation greatly

A

Wind direction and ocean currents

164
Q

______ causes the air above the water to become cold and resist rising and become stagnant

A

Cold ocean currents

165
Q

what is humidity

A

The amount of water vapor in the air

166
Q

_____ humidity is direct amount of humidity expressed in g/m3 (Weight/Volume)

A

absolute humidity

167
Q

_____ humidity is not used often and is expressed in g/kg

Mass/Mass

A

specific humidity

168
Q

_____ humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount the air can hold

  • Most commonly used of all of the humidities
  • Expressed as a percentage %
A

relative humidity

169
Q

what is evaporation

A

the phase change from a liquid to a gas by heat

170
Q

what is condensation

A

the phase change from a gas to a liquid by cooling

171
Q

Instability occurs air is ____ if it is buoyant and wants to rise

A

unstable

172
Q

______ is when air is stable and not inclined to rise
Air either stays put or descends
Usually fair skies and high pressure

A

stability

173
Q

______ of the air parcel determines the stability or instability of the air

A

Temperature

174
Q

____ air cannot hold as much water vapor as ____ air

A

cold; warm

175
Q

_____ are segments of air in the lower atmosphere that share similar characteristics like temperature and humidity, cause weather, and are classified by the surface they originate over

A

air masses

176
Q

if the air mass originates over land its ___ and is dry with low humidity

A

continental (c)

177
Q

if the air mass originates over water its ___ and is wet with high humidity

A

Maritime (m)

178
Q

if the air mass originates near the poles its ___ and is cold and in the high latitudes

A

polar (P)

179
Q

if the air mass originates near the subtropics its ___ and is hot and in the low latitudes

A

tropical (T)

180
Q

a cP air mass is

A

dry and cold

181
Q

a cT air mass is

A

dry and hot

182
Q

a mP air mass is

A

wet and cold

183
Q

a mT air mass is

A

wet and hot

184
Q

__ air effects North America (Southern Canada and Northern US) in winter

A

cP

185
Q

__ air effects the Gulf of Mexico area and the southern US in winter

A

mT

186
Q

__ air effects the west coast of the US (Northern California and Oregon in winter

A

mP

187
Q

in the summer __ and __ will retreat into northern Canada

A

cP and mP

188
Q

in the summer __ goes inward and will affect the midwestern and southern US

A

mT

GEOG 111 (5 decks)

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