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Physical Geography Exam I > Exam III > Flashcards

Exam III Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the climate classification used by the greeks?

A

They divided climate into three ways the torrid (summer), the temperate (intermediate) and the frigid (winter)

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2
Q

How do we use Climographs?

A
  1. displaying the details of precipitation and temperature of a specific place
  2. Recognize and classify the climate of that place
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3
Q

Upon what criteria did Koppen base his system?

A
  1. Av. Precipitation
  2. Av. Temperature
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4
Q

What does W mean?

A

dry desert

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5
Q

What does S mean?

A

Steppe (shortgrass plains)

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6
Q

What does h mean?

A

hot (desert or steppe)

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7
Q

What does k mean?

A

cold (desert or steppe)

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8
Q

What does s mean?

A

summer dry season

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9
Q

What does f mean?

A

(moist) wet all year

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10
Q

Describe the letter code that Koppen uses for classifying climates.

A

Two or three letter combination to describe the conditions.

  1. First letter is location ABCDE
  2. Second usually describes precipitation
  3. If there is a third it usually describes the temperature
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11
Q

Where are the A (tropical humid) climates located?

A

from 27 degrees N to 27 degrees S

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12
Q

Where are the B (Dry) climates located?

A

located around 30 degrees N and S until about 35 degrees both ways

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13
Q

What climates are the most extensive in area?

A

B climates

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14
Q

What climates are the only ones to be classified primarily by precipitation?

A

B climates

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15
Q

Where are the C (Mid latitude) climates located?

A

From about 35 degrees N and S to about 50 degrees both ways

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16
Q

Where are D (severe mid latitude) climates located?

A

From about 50 degrees N and S to about 75 degrees both ways

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17
Q

Where are E (polar) climates located?

A

From about 75 degrees N and S to 90 degrees both ways

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18
Q

Describe the A climates.

A

they are low-latitude warm and wet

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19
Q

Describe the B climates.

A

they are deserts and steppes

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20
Q

Describe the C climates.

A

they have mild winters

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21
Q

Describe the D climates

A

they have severe cold winters

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22
Q

Describe the E climates.

A

they are high latitude cold climates

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23
Q

In which of the five main climate types is Wayne america?

A

D - continental climate

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24
Q

What is the Af climate

A

Tropical wet climate - tropical rainy

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25
Q

What is the Aw climate?

A

Tropical Savanna Climate - north or south of tropical wet climates

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26
Q

What is the Am climate?

A

Tropical monsoon climate - wet and dry seasons

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27
Q

What is the BWh climate?

A

Subtropical desert climate - west coast foggy deserts.

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28
Q

What is the BSh climate?

A

Subtropical Steppe Climate - occurs around the edge of true deserts

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29
Q

What is the BWk climate?

A

Midlatitude desert climate - deserts of the continental interior

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30
Q

What is the BSk climate?

A

Midlatitude steppe climate - grasslands of the continental interior

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31
Q

What is the Csa or Csb climate?

A

Mediterranean Climate - Dry summer subtropical

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32
Q

What is the Cfa,Cwa,Cwb climate?

A

Humid subtropical climate - south east US and southeast China

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33
Q

What is the Cfb, Cfc climate?

A

Pacific Northwest and much of northwest Europe

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34
Q

What are the Dfa, Dfb,Dwb climates?

A

Northern Hemisphere only

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35
Q

What is the Dfc, Dfd, Dwc, Dwd climate?

A

Northern Hemisphere, large annual temp range.

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36
Q

What is the ET climate?

A

Arctic fringes of northern hemisphere continents

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37
Q

What is the Ef climate?

A

Antartica southern hemisphere and Greenland in the northern hemisphere.

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38
Q

How do we study the climates of the past?

A

We infer past climates from evidence gathered both directly and indirectly.

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39
Q

Give some examples of the the evidence that is gathered to study the climates of the past.

A
  1. Dendrochronology
  2. Pollen analysis
  3. Fossils of coral reefs
  4. Ice cores
  5. Ocean sediment
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40
Q

What are the six causes of long-term climate change that we talked about?

A
  1. Atmospheric aerosols
  2. Fluctuations in the solar output
  3. Variations in the Earth-Sun relations
  4. Concentrations of greenhouse gases
  5. Feedback mechanisms
  6. The roles of the oceans
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41
Q

What is the current evidence for current anthropogenic caused climate change?

A
  1. Changes in the air temperature
  2. Ocean temps, sea level, acidity
  3. Melting in polar regions
  4. Weather patterns
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42
Q

How do we use models to predict future climates?

A

We use highly sophisticated computer simulations called general circulation models that is essentially a mathematical model of earth’s climate system.

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43
Q

What was the big event that we talked about that tried to address climate change?

A

The Kyoto protocol of 1987 started countries down the path of reducing greenhouse emmisions

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44
Q

What is the definition of the biomass?

A

The total mass of organisms (flora, fauna, microbes) (living or recently dead) in a given area

45
Q

Describe the four types of trees we talked about.

A

Broadleaf - have leaves that are flat and expansive

Needleleaf - have thin slivers of tough leathery waxy needles - most all are evergreen trees

Deciduous - have leaves that fall during a particular season

Evergreen - sheds its leaves as spores, but always appears fully leaved

46
Q

Difference between a xerophytic and hydrophytic plants?

A

Xero - suites climates that have little to no water - they have leaves that decrease transpiration, they also have wide root systems

Hydro - suites climates where water is available more readily, and they will have deeper root systems

47
Q

What is Climax Vegetation?

What causes it?

A

It describes plants that can reproduce when there are very limited resources.

Competition and change over time leads to these species.

48
Q

What are the major floristic associations?

A
  1. Forests
  2. Grasslands
  3. Deserts
  4. Tundra
  5. Wetlands
49
Q

What does vertical zonation mean?

A

It means that vegetation changes with elevation

50
Q

What does Local zonation mean?

A

Exposure to sunlight in a specific area matters like the bottom of valley.

51
Q

What are the two large groupings of animals?

A
  1. Invertebrates
  2. Vertebrates
52
Q

What are the five main types of Vertebrates?

A
  1. Mammals
  2. Reptiles
  3. Birds
  4. Fish
  5. Amphibians
53
Q

What are some of the physiological adaptations of animals?

A

The most important ones have to do with temperature, mainly endotherms.

54
Q

What are some behavioral adaptations?

A

Some are that animals with become nocturnal to avoid water loss, as well as hibernating and or estivation, where they spend a hot dry time very un-active

55
Q

What are some reproductive adaptations?

A

Animals will wait for the perfect time to reproduce, and if conditions are dismal they will make such adaptations to keep their young flourishing, like keeping them in the nest longer etc.

56
Q

What is unique about the biota of Australia?

A

They have been isolated for around 200 million years with little to no genetic influence from the outside world. Almost 90% of the trees there are members of a single genus - Eucalyptus

57
Q

What type of vegetation is found in the tropical rainforest? Where is the general location?

A

They have broadleaf, evergreen trees (selva) vines epiphytes and are found at or near the equator.

58
Q

What is the type of vegetation is found in the tropical deciduous forest biome?

Where is the general location?

A

Found on the edges of tropical rainforests, but have lower tree density, and wet and dry seasons

59
Q

What is the type of vegetation in the tropical shrub biome?

Where is the general location?

A

Has distinct dry seasons, some trees, and low-lying and dense underbrush, found further from the deciduous forest biome.

60
Q

What is the type of vegetation found in the tropical savanna?

Where is it found?

A

They have tall grasses and large herds of herbivores, and have a very distinct dry season. It is found in central Africa, and some parts of northern south america.

61
Q

What is the type of vegetation found in the desert biome?

Where is it found?

A

Xerophytic plants like shrubs.

Found in northern Africa, Southwest US and parts of Chile and Argentina

62
Q

What type of vegetation is found in the Mediterranean Woodland and Shrub biome?

Where is it found?

A

It has open grassy woodlands, and woody shrubs, also has trees but they are scarce.

Found on the far west coast of America, and in southern Europe like Italy and Spain, Portugal, also South Africa.

63
Q

What type of vegetation is found in the midlatitude glass land biome?

Where is it found

A

It is prairies or steppe and is characterized by grass that can grow tall and widespread where water is available and patchy grass where water is more scarce

It is found in the central US but also in locations like very central Africa and also in Argentina, and even parts of China.

64
Q

What type of vegetation is found in the Midlatitude Deciduous Forest Biome?

Where is it found?

A

Has many broadleaf deciduous trees.

Found extensively in the Northern Hemisphere and parts of the S Hemisphere, and composes D and C climates.

Think Northeast US, much of western and central Europe, southern South America, Southern Australia, and western Asia (Japan Koreas, China West Russia)

65
Q

What is the vegetation of the Boreal Forest Biome?

Where is it found?

A

It has many needleleaf evergreens.

Found in central Canada and Much of Central Russia, and Northwest Europe.

66
Q

What is the vegetation of the Tundra Biome?

Where is it found?

A

Really only has Arctic Grassland.

Found in North Canada, North Russia

67
Q

How have humans modified the natural distribution patterns?

A

We have physically removed organisms

68
Q

What is an example of habitat modification?

A

Tropical rainforests have been removed and we have introduced exotic species.

69
Q

What is regolith?

What does it sit above?

A

Loose inorganic material which is the principle product of weathering.

It sits above the bedrock

AKA “blanket rock”

70
Q

What is in soil?

A
  1. Inorganic materials
  2. Organic matter
  3. Air
  4. Water
71
Q

How much of soil is pore space?

A

Half

72
Q

What is pore space split into?

A

Half water

Half air

73
Q

What is humus?

A

Black decomposed material from nature. (organic)

74
Q

What determines the type of soil in a certain place?

A
  1. Climate - most important
  2. Parent material (geological factor) - also very important
  3. Topographic factor (slope and drainage)
  4. Biological factor (roots providing drainage) (physically distorting the current soil)
  5. Time (soil forms slowly but can erode quickly)
75
Q

What are the types of water movement in soil?

A
  1. Gravitational - obvious
  2. Capillary (cohesion) water holding itself up
  3. Hygroscopic (adhesion)
  4. Combined (water held in molecules)
76
Q

What is eluviation?

A

How water leeches and transports dissolved nutrients.

77
Q

What is illuviation?

A

Water depositing these dissolved nutrients at depth

78
Q

What is loam?

A

The best type of soil composition for farming that contains 40 sand 20 clay and 40 silt

79
Q

What are the three characteristics of soil?

A
  1. Color
  2. Texture
  3. Structure
80
Q

What determines the the proportion of silt, sand and clay?

A

Sieve Shaker

81
Q

What are colloids?

A

small particles that we call suspended

82
Q

Why is cation exchange important?

A

because colloids carry negative charges on them that attract the positive cations which are nutrients.

83
Q

What do soil profiles and soil horizons do for us?

A

They reflect the soil depth and the amount of time that soils have to form.

84
Q

What are pedogenic regimes?

A

The conditions under which soils form, and the amount of time that soils have to form

85
Q

Lateralization?

A

(hot moist) soil formed in the tropics and has a reddish color because of the Fe/Al

86
Q

Podzolization?

A

(cool, wet) soil formed that looks gray and is acidic

87
Q

Gleization?

A

(wet and COLD) soil formed with little drainage, and is acidic and moldy

88
Q

Calcification?

A

(warm and dry) soil that forms in these conditions and creates natural hardened concrete

89
Q

Salinization?

A

(hot and dry) soil formed that when water evaporates leaves salt on the surface.

90
Q

What is the structure of the earth made of?

A
  1. Crust (thin)
  2. Mantle (most of the volume)
  3. Inner solid core
  4. Outer core (iron and Nickel)

this forms the magnetic field around the earth

91
Q

Why is it important that continental crust is less dense than oceanic crust?

A

Because the basalt of the oceanic crust is dense dense, the continental crust of the land goes over it

92
Q

What composes earth’s crust?

A

Minerals (20 of which make up 95% of the whole crust)

Silicates
Oxides
Sulfides
Sulfates
Carbonates
Halides

93
Q

What type of rock makes up the bulk of earth’s crust?

A

Igneous Rocks

Plutonic (Intrusive)

and

Volcanic (Extrusive

94
Q

What are examples of igneous rocks?

A

Granite
Gabbro
Quartz
Basalt
Obsidian

95
Q

How are larger crystals in minerals created?

A

There is more time for the magma to cool below an insulated surface

96
Q

How are smaller crystals in minerals created?

A

When lava emerges at the ocean bottom or onto open surfaces.

97
Q

What is the most common type of rock exposed at the earth’s surface yet only makes up around 5% of the crust?

A

Sedimentary Rock

Happens because erosion that forms the sedimentary rocks only takes place at the earth’s surface.

98
Q

What are some examples of sedimentary rocks?

A

Shale
Sandstone
Limestone

99
Q

How are metamorphic rocks formed?

A

Pressure and heat

100
Q

What does foliated mean?

A

It means that there is a parallel arrangement of certain mineral grains giving the rocks a striped appearance.

101
Q

Examples of metamorphic rock?

A

Slate
Marble
Quartzite

102
Q

What is isostasy

A

The process of the lithosphere sinking into to the asthenosphere.

103
Q

What does the study of the landforms look at?

A
  1. Structure
  2. Process
  3. Slope
  4. Drainage
104
Q

What are the internal geomorphic processes?

A

Folding
Faulting
Volcanes

105
Q

What are the external geomorphic processes?

A

Denudation

106
Q

What is tectonic movement?

A

Plate tectonics is the scientific theory that Earth’s lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since about 3.4 billion years ago.

107
Q

Uniformitarianism?

A

That the processes that shape the world today are the same processes that have shaped the world in the past to look how it does now.

108
Q

what is the geological time scale?

A

it divides up the history of the earth based on life-forms that have existed during specific times since the creation of the planet.

109
Q

Are there any patterns and process in Geomorphology?

A

There is no order of predictability.

Physical Geography Exam I (4 decks)

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