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Geography > Exam 2 > Flashcards

Exam 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

Where did Earth’s water come from?

A

Origin from coalescence of icy planetesimals or impact of icy comets

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2
Q

What is the distribution of Earth’s water?

A

Distribution of Earth’s water is uneven
(rapid circulation in surface and atmosphere)
Majority of the water is ocean

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3
Q

What are the unique properties of water?

A 
Simple molecular structure dictates its properties
 Oxygen (O) atom (desire for two additional electrons)
2 Hydrogen (H) atoms (desire to share one electron each)
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4
Q

What is humidity and how do we express it?

A

amount of water vapor in air, Relative Humidity, Vapor pressure and Specific Humidity.

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5
Q

How does temperature change humidity?

A

Low temperature is high relative humidity and high temperature is low relative humidity.

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6
Q

What is an air parcel and how does it move? Is it stable or unstable?

A

body of air with a specific temperature and humidity, Temperature determines stability

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7
Q

How does a cloud form?

A

Begin as a large mass of moisture droplets, temperatures get colder, water vapor starts condemning on each other and a cloud is formed.

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8
Q

What is fog? What are the three types ofog?

A

cloud layer on the ground,
Radiation fog
Advection fog
Evaporation fog

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9
Q

What happens if the parcel of air is less dense than surrounding air?

A

Parcel rises and expands

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10
Q

What happens if the parcel of air is more dense than surrounding air?

A

Parcel sinks and compresses

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11
Q

How do we know if the parcel of air is warming or cooling when rising (ascending) or falling (descending)?

A

Rising air cools by expansion (responds to the reduced pressure at high altitudes)
Falling air heats by compression

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12
Q

What is a cloud?

A

Aggregate of tiny moisture droplets & ice crystals Suspended in air
Large enough in volume & concentration to be seen

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13
Q

How do we classify a cloud?

A

Altitude and Shape

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14
Q

Describe Stratus cloud.

A

Uniform, Featureless, gray clouds that look like high fog low cloud

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15
Q

Describe Altostratus cloud.

A

Thin to thick clouds with no halos. Sun’s outline just visible through clouds on a gray day. Middle Clouds

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16
Q

Describe Altocumulus cloud.

A

Clouds like patches of cotton balls,drippled, and arranged in lines or groups. Middle Clouds

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17
Q

Describe Cirrus clouds.

A

High clouds, Wispey feathery, with delicate fibers, streaks or plumes.

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18
Q

Describe Cumulus clouds.

A

Vertically developed clouds, Sharply outlined , puffy, billowy
flat-based with swelling-tops. Associated with fear weather.

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19
Q

What’s the difference between weather and climate?

A

Weather is The short- term, day-to-day condition of the atmosphere
Climate is Long term weather trends in a region

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20
Q

What are air masses and how are they classified?

A

Distinctive body of air, with characteristics of its source region
Classified by moisture and temperature

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21
Q

What are the common air masses that affect the weather of N. America?

A

Moisture (m – maritime, c – continental)

Temperature (P – polar, T – tropical

22
Q

What are the atmospheric lifting mechanisms?

A

Convergent
Convectional
Orographic
Frontal

23
Q

What causes the rain shadow in the western US?

A

Orographic lifting

24
Q

Thurnderstorms, What are the characterisitcs,where do you find them and what damage can they do?

A

Thunderstorm: Turbulence, Wind sheer, lightening, they are found in mid-latitude where warm moist air front collides and border cool air fronts. Hail can cause tons of damage

25
Q

Tornadoes, What are the characteristics, where do you find them and what damage can they cause?

A

Tornadoes: or a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground surface, usually visible as spinning vortex of clouds and debris. All over the place and anytime, but it’s more common in the middle US (Texas, Oklahoma) and during the Spring through early summer. Can cause a ton of damage.

26
Q

Hurricanes what are characteristics, where do you find them and what damage can they cause?

A

Hurricanes: Have high wind speeds, occur within the tropics. they can millions of daughter in damage.

27
Q

Where do we find Earth’s water resources (relative water distribution)?

A

Surface Water Resources Groundwater Resources

28
Q

What is the hydrologic cycle and what are its components?

A

A simplified model of the flow of water, ice, and water vapor from place to place.
atmosphere, surface, and subsurface

29
Q

What is a water budget? What are the components? How do you read a water budget graph?

A

derived from measuring the input of precipitation and its distribution and the outputs of evapotranspiration.
components are precipitation, evapotranspiration, surface-waterand groundwater flow. Like ana economic budget, there will be a surplus and defecit.

30
Q

What are the measurement techniques used to measure precipitation and evapotranspiration?

A

rain gauge, evaporation pan or lysimeter

31
Q

What are the problems associated w/ groundwater usage?

A

Toxic seepage
Collapsing aquifer
Seawater intrusion

32
Q

The process by which water permeates the soil or porous rock into the subsurface environment

A

Percolation

33
Q

is a hydrologic process where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater.

A

Recharge

34
Q

Water across to subsurface regions of soil moisture storage through penetration of the soil surface.

A

Infiltration

35
Q

Las Vegas and Colorado River water supply

A

Las Vegas uses the Colorado River as it main water supply source.

36
Q

True or False. Groundwater accumulation can occur over millions

A

True

37
Q

What is the upper limit of the zone of saturation called?

A

Water Table

38
Q

A subsurface layer of permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (silt, sand, or gravel) through which groundwater can flow is known as a(n):

A

Aquifer

39
Q

What type of aquifer is bounded above and below by impermeable layers?

A

Confined

40
Q

What is climate and what are the components that determine climate?

A

The trend of weather over a long period of time (regional)

Components: temperature and precipitation, insolation, energy availability, air pressure, and air mass

41
Q

How do we classify climate and what are the 6 general climate classes?

A 
Genetic classification and Empirical classification
6 general classes are:
Tropical
Mesothermal
Microthermal
Polar
Highland
Dry:
42
Q

Understand the different climographs for these 6 general climate classes.

A

Look over charts.

43
Q

What are the methods (proxy) used to determine past (both long term and short term) climate changes?

A 
Paleoclimatology 
Trapped gas bubbles in glacial ice
Fossil plankton in ocean sediments
Tree growth rings
Speleothems (mineral formations from caves)
44
Q

What is an isotope and how do we use them?

A

variation of a particular atomic nuclei, investigate changes in the concentrations of certain atomic isotopes

45
Q

What are possible fluctuation mechanisms for change climates (e.g., eccentricity, precession, tilt, topography, etc.)?

A

Orbital Variations,Solar irradiance, Continental position and topography, Atmospheric gases and aerosols

46
Q

What is the evidence of current climate change and what are the causes?

A

Increasing temperatures over land and ocean surfaces and in the troposphere
Increasing sea-surface temperatures and ocean heat content
Melting glacial ice and sea ice Rising sea level
Increasing humidity

Causes: Contributions of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and halogenated gases

47
Q

How will climate change affect the Earth in the future (projections)?

A

Global warming

48
Q

Understand negative and positive feedback systems and examples

A

amplifies system changes (destabilizes present conditions)

inhibits system changes (stabilizes present conditions)

49
Q

Describe radiation fog.

A

moist / wet ground cools at night

50
Q

Describe advection fog.

A

Air in one place migrates to where it can condense

51
Q

Describe evaporation fog.

A

water evaporates from water surface - cold air overlying water surface - condensation.

Geography (4 decks)

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