Exam 2 Study Flashcards
What law relates the temperature of an object to the amount of radiation it emits
Stefan-Boltzmann Law
What kind of heat is released when clouds form
Latent heat
What does it mean for an air parcel to be saturated
It’s relative humidity is 100%, its mixing ratio is equal to its saturation mixing ratio, and its vapor pressure is equal to its saturation vapor pressure.
Longwave radiation is emitted by
The Earth
What is found at 0 degrees longitude
Prime meridian
Which direction does the Coriolis Effect pull wind in the northern hemisphere
To the right
What is the relationship between friction, wind, and Coriolis
Friction weakens wind, wearing Coriolis
At Earth’s surface in the northern hemisphere, what direction does the wind blow relative to the isobars
About 30 degrees to the right of the perpendicular across isobars
In the upper levels of the atmosphere, wind blows parallel to isobars. What is the term for this
Geostrophic wind
When is sea breeze a common weather pattern in Florida
Daytime in the summer
What is the temperature at which water vapor in a parcel will condense
Dew point
What is a lapse rate, and what are its common values
The rate at which temperature decreases as a parcel rises, either 6 or 10 deg/km
What factors does the koppen climate classification take in account
Temperature, precipitation, and seasonality
Which of the following is evidence supporting continental drift theory
Continental coastlines that fit like a puzzle, similar fossils at now-far away locations, and new rock at divergent undersea plate boundaries
Thunderstorm cloud
Cumulonimbus cloud
How are igneous rocks formed
Lava/magma cools and hardens
What is the first koppen climate classification letter for Daytona beach and much of the southeast US
C
What is regolith
Bedrock that has been broken down into small bites
What does organic mean
Is or was once alive
Where in the US would pedzolization be the dominant pedogenic regime
The pine forests of the Pacific Northwest
What are the three main rock types
Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic
Florida’s bedrock type is
Limestone, a type of sedimentary rock
Types of tectonic plates
Convergent, divergent, and transform
The Himalayas, the tallest mountain range on earth, were formed by this kind of boundary
Convergent boundary, continental crust on both sides
Exfoliation is this type of weathering
Physical/mechanical
What are the two types of volcanoes discussed in class
Shield and composite/stratovolcanoes
Pedogenesis is affected by climate
True
The correct order of this process;
Weathering, erosions, mass wasting
Weathering, mass wasting, erosion
Erosion, mass wasting, weathering
Mass wasting, weathering, erosion
Weathering, mass wasting, erosion
What are the two ways we can categorize mass wasting events
Time(speed) and moisture
What are the weaknesses in bedrock formed by weathering called
Joints
Cirriform clouds
Thin and whispy, and exist at high altitudes (cirrus)
Stratiform
Wider than they are tall and usually closer to the ground. (Gray cloudy day, stratus)
Cumuliform
Puffy, taller than they are wide. (Cumulus, cumulonimbus)
Nimbo- or -nimbus
Means rain or precipitation
A Climates
Exist near the Equator, hot year around
Af climates
Tropical rain forest, rainy all year, trees have thick canopies and buttress roots because there is lots of competition with other trees for sunlight and nutrients
Deforestation
Big environmental problem affecting tropical rainforests. When forests are cut down for logging and livestock grazing, plants and animals lose their habitats and the local climate is affected.
A decrease in trees causes a _______ in evapotranspiration and precipitation, and an ________ in mean _________.
Decrease, increase, temperatures
Am climates
Tropical monsoon (seasonal forest), have very distinct wet seasons and dry seasons.
Aw climates
Tropical savanna, affected by the intertropical convergence zone (making it rainy) for only part of the year.
ITCZ
An area of low pressure and convergence at the surface that “wobbles” a few degrees north or south of the Equator depending on the time of year
B Climates
Are dry climates, commonly found near subtropical high pressure systems, cold ocean currents, rain shadows, and/or continental interiors. Organisms have adapted to the lack of water and high temperatures
BW climates
Desert, are the driest of the dry; BWh: hot desert, BWk: cold desert
BS climates
steppes, have slightly rainy seasons; BSh: hot steppe, BSk: cold steppe
C Climates
Mid-latitude climates. There is A LOT of variation amongst C climate subtypes
Cf
Humid subtropical, have hot summers and cool winters, and are rainy year around: Cfa temperate monsoon
Cs climate
Mediterranean climates are hot and dry during the summer, and have mild and rainy winters (Mediterranean shrublands (Csa)
Cw climates
Temperate monsoon, have cooler winters but have seasonal precipitation pattern with a very rainy season and a very dry season; Cwa/Cwb temperate forest
D Climates
A lot like C climates but just a bit cooler
Df climates
Humid continental, have warm summers and cold winters, get precip year round, but more during the summer because warmer air holds more moisture than cold air
Dw climates
Continental/subarctic monsoon, have rainy and dry seasons but are colder
E climates
Near the Poles
ET climates
Tundra, have a very short growing season, mosses, shrubs, and maybe few scraggly trees can grow there
EF climate
Ice cap, are the coldest of the cold, they are cold year round and dominated by a thermal high pressure system. Not a lot of precip, snow melts very slowly after it falls, no significant vegetable growth, life that does exist are dependent on marine life
Plants are very ________ to temperature and precipitation patterns that they are exposed to throughout the year. Trees that live in a monsoon climate need to be able to go several months without _______ during the dry seasons. Cacti that live in the desert are very _______ of the ______ they absorb.
Sensitive, precipitation, protective, water
What is soil
A thin layer of mineral matter containing organic material, capable of supporting both plant and animal life
How does soil form
Underlying bedrock breaks down into progressively smaller pieces of rock (regolith) and is intermixed with organic material from above
Factors that affect soil formation
The parent material the underlying bedrock is made up of
The climate of the area; warmer temps, greater precip accelerate the pedogenic process
Soil is deepest in tropical areas, and shallow in cold dry locations
Bc gravity, erosion and other processes, soil is usually deeper at lower elevations
Plants and animals can accelerate the pedogenic process
Pedogenic regimes
Laterization, Salinization, Calcification, Podzolization, and Gleization
Salinization
Occurs in hot, dry areas. Evaporative processes, which draw water up toward the surface from underground, also draw up salt. Salt left at surface which is bad for plants there for salinized areas are pretty empty (salt flats Utah)
Laterization
Occurs in tropical areas, Soils are deep, but nutrients are washed away quickly or absorbed by abundant plant life. Soil tends to be nutrient poor except for iron (gives soil red rusty color)
Calcification
Like Salinization but less extreme, still some precip, especially in the summer that keeps salt from the surface. Smaller plants with shallower root systems can thrive above the saltier layers. (Great Plains US)
Podzolization
Happens in cool and rainy environments, like the Pacific Northwest. Podzol is acidic and nutrient poor, but conifers an other needle leaf trees don’t mind
Gleization
The formation of gley, a very thin type of soil that occurs when evaporation and runoff are virtually nonexistent. Happens near permafrost, in very cold locations (Canadian Tundra)
Igneous rock
Formed from volcanic activity or when lava cools.
Granite/categorization of igneous rock
A type of igneous rock, categorize by their granularity (how quickly cooled off)
If cooled quickly—> very fine grained to smoother appearance
If cooled slowly —-> coarse-grained, speckled appearance
Felsic rock
Relatively high silica content and less iron lighter color
Mafic rock
Relatively low silica content but lots of minerals (like iron) darker color
Sedimentary Rocks/characteristics
Formed from many layers of sediment moved to a single location by wind or water and compacted over time.
Tend to be soft, preserve fossils well, and can be a hint that their location used to be underwater
Metamorphic Rock
Used to be sedimentary or igneous rocks but were exposed to extreme pressure or chemical reactions that changed their characteristics so much that we can’t really classify them in the same way.
Tectonic plates
Constantly moving
Plate boundaries
Continent sized pieces of crust meet, are regions of seismic activity and landform creation
Fault
Form along plate boundaries, locations where the crust breaks and moves
Divergent boundaries
Form when two plates are moving apart, molten material moves from the asthenosphere to the surface. This subjects the plates to tension stress
What does tension stress do
Produces landforms such as mid-ocean ridges and continental rift valleys
Fault types
Normal faults (the hanging wall slips down along the foot wall)
Convergent Boundaries
Form when two plates move toward one another, plates are subjected to compression stress
Ocean-Continent Convergence
Denser basaltic ocean plate sink beneath less dense continental plate (subduction). Volcanic mountain ranges form inland. Ocean trenches form along subduction line
Ocean-Ocean Convergence
Ocean subduction zones form Island Arcs
Continent-Continent Convergence
Mountain ranges typically form. Comprised of reverse faults (the hanging wall is forced upward along the foot wall)
Transform Boundaries
Form when plates move past each other laterally, plates are subjected to shear stress. Common landforms include offset mountain ranges or river basins. Strike-slip faults typically form along these boundaries
Faults
Form in response to tension, compression, and shear stresses from plate movement. Sometimes the crust doesn’t break but instead bends slowly overtime.
The deformation of the crust in response to stress is called
Folding
Anticlines
Are upfolds that produce ridges
Synclines
Are downfolds that produce valleys
Volcanoes most often form along subduction zones but some volcanoes form over ___________
Hot spots
Hot spots
Are locations where plumes of magma rise to the surface
Felsic magma
Magma that is high silicates, very viscous (resistant to flow; thick) often associated with explosive eruptions
Mafic magma
Is basaltic lava that is low in silicates; very hot with a low viscosity (it flows) often associated with effusive (weak) eruptions
Shield Volcanoes
Gently sloped volcanoes typically eject Mafic magma and are not associated with explosive eruptions.
Hawaiian Islands are Sheila volcanoes
Composite volcanoes (stratovolcanoes)
Are large, symmetric volcanoes that typically eject Felsic magma in explosive eruptions.
Mount Fuji, and the volcanoes in Washington and Oregon
Denudation
Refers to the external geologic processes that wear away at landscapes. There are three steps;
Weathering, mass wasting, and erosion
Weathering
Is the breaking down of rock into smaller components via atmospheric or biotic agents
Physical weathering
Is the disintegration of rocks without any associated change in the rocks chemical composition. This can be done by water, salt, or exfoliation.
Chemical weathering
Decomposition of rock via chemical alteration of its mineral components. Oxidation; where oxygen reacts with metallic elements in minerals to form oxides. Rust is the most common example. Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere reacts with water to form carbonic acid which then reacts with carbonic rock (limestone) to form calcium bicarbonate
Biological Weathering
When living things weaken the integrity of rock. Trees take root in rock joints causing additional jointing to disintegration of rock, lichens growing on rock surfaces leach minerals from rocks making them weaker
Mass wasting
Once rocks have been broken into smaller fragments by weathering, that weathered material is transported downhill over relatively short distances
Categorization of mass wasting events
The speed, how much water and moisture is involved in the process
Rockfalls
Falling of rocks downslope
Landslides
Instant collapse of a slope that moves along a flat sliding plane
Slumps
The collapse of a slope with rotation along a curved sliding plane (sometimes instantly, some drawn out)
Mudflow
Is when water-logged material flows rapidly through drainage basins after heavy rains typically in arid regions where the soil does not drain rainwater
Earth Flow
Is when water-saturated slope shifts downhill a short distance some time after a heavy rain
Soil Creeps
Are the gradual downhill movement of soil and regolith of an entire slope
Porosity
Is the amount of pore space in soil
Permeability
Describes how easily water can move through the soil
What do climographs depict
Average temp and precip values for a given area
Primary factors that control climate (6)
Latitude, global circulation/temp range, ocean currents, distribution of land and water, altitude, and topographic barriers
Respiration
Reverse process which plants convert oxygen and the sugars generated during into carbon dioxide, water, and energy
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
The difference between photosynthesis and respiration over the course of a year
Biome
A broad group of plants and animals living in some kind of functional relationship with their environment
Vertical zonation
Refers to the patterns of plan types on a mountain side
Earths interior structure
Crust, mantle, core
Lithosphere
Crust plus rigid upper mantle
Asthenosphere
Middle mantle (hot)
