Term
| Significance of the Tropics of Cancer/Capricorn and Artic/Antartic Circles |
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Definition
Tropic of Cancer gets the sun directly above it at noon on June 21st for the Summer Solstice, there will be no sun below the antartic circle. Vice-Versa for Capricorn and Artic on December 21st
*Diagram |
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Term
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Definition
angular distance east to west from the prime meridian
imaginary circles connecting the North and South poles |
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Term
| Solar Radiation vs Terrestrial Radiation |
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Definition
| radiation from the sun vs radiation omitted back from the Earth |
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Term
| Why do we have seasons on Earth? |
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Definition
| B/c of Axial Parallelism. The Earth's tilt and place in its revolution around the sun. Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice |
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Term
| Lapse Rate and Average Lapse Rate |
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Definition
decrease rate of air temperature
*Diagram Dry Rate (10 degrees Celsius for every kilometer) until saturation then moist rate (6 degrees Celsius) |
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Term
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Definition
| amount of radiation that strikes a specific spot |
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Term
| Reflection/Absorption/Transmission of Radiation |
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Definition
| reflects off/is asborbed and causes heating up/goes through, transparency |
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Term
| What is albedo? What surfaces have high albedos? |
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Definition
| Earth's reflection from the Sun. Fresh snow, water bodies, light roofs |
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Term
| How do clouds heat up and cool down the surface? |
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Definition
| clouds trap heat and block out heat |
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Term
| What is conduction/convection/radiation? |
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Definition
| molecule-to-molecule transfer/energy transferred through movement/energy traveling through air or space |
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Term
| What does evaporation do to temperature? |
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Definition
| decreases the temperature |
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Term
| What is heat capacity? Water vs Land? |
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Definition
| how much heat can be stored. water has a high heat capacity compared to land |
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Term
| Which coastal cities have a bigger swing in annual temperature and why? |
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Definition
| East coast because the weather comes from the West |
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Term
| What is air pressure? Zonal/Meridional flow? Surface Wind? |
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Definition
| weight of air on surface. West to East flow. West to East flow with a North/South variation. Pressure Gradient Force, Coriolis Force, friction over land. |
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Term
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Definition
| drives air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure to create equilibrium |
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Term
| Coriolis Force and what does it do in the Northern Hemisphere? |
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Definition
| a "fake" force the deflects wind and PGF from a straight line.deflects wind to the right |
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Term
| What does friction do to the wind? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| when the wind runs parallel to the isobars; complete balance between the PGF and Coriolis Force |
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Term
| How do you determine the windspeed? |
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Definition
| By the pressure gradient, stronger the pressure, higher the windspeed |
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Term
| What is convergence/divergence? |
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Definition
| when air flows together at low pressure/when air flow spreads out at high pressure |
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Term
| ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone), where is it, how does it shift |
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Definition
| near the equator where winds originating in the Northern and Southern hemispheres converge shifts by the rotation of the Earth, follows warm air |
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Term
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Definition
| Deposition is from gas to solid (snow), Sublimation is from solid to gas, Evaporation/Condensation, Melting/Freezing |
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Term
Latent heat of evaporation
Latent heat of condensation |
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Definition
causes cooling and requires energy
causes warming and gives energy |
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Term
Relative Humidity
Saturation
Vapor Pressure |
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Definition
amount of vapor/maximum vapor the air can hold
air is holding 100% of vapor, dew follows
the pressure/weight exerted by a vapor |
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Term
| What ways can air be lifted? |
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Definition
| Convergence, fronts, convection, mountains |
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Term
| When air rises/sinks, what happens to temperature? |
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Definition
| It cools because of the work rising air does on the temperature. Sinks is opposite. |
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Term
| How is stability defined in the atmosphere? |
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Definition
Stable-air is heavier than parcel
Unstable-air is lighter than parcel
Neutral-same weight |
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Term
| Difference between cold and warm fronts |
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Definition
Cold fronts are steep and have thunderstorms in front of them.
Warm fronts have a gradual slope. |
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Term
| What causes lightning and thunder? |
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Definition
| positive charges in a cloud meet the positive charge of the ground through negative charged snow/ice crystals. Thunder is the rapid cooling of the air. |
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Term
| 3 stages of a thunderstorm development |
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Definition
| Updraft, Mature, Dissipation (1 hour) |
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Term
| Stages of precipitation loading |
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Definition
| updraft, precipitation, loading, downdraft, evaporation, microburst |
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Term
| Do hurricanes form at the equator? |
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Definition
| No, because there is no spinning |
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Term
| What is a climate? A climate region? |
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Definition
| Climate is the average weather per a year. Climate region is the same climate in the same area. |
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Term
| Two pathways of surface water? |
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Definition
| overflow or movement into the ground |
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Term
| Infiltration and Percolation? |
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Definition
| infiltration enters the ground and percolation is the downward movement through the soil |
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Term
| 3 types of water found in soil. |
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Definition
| Hygroscopic (no water), Capillary (half water), Gravitional Water (full of water). |
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Term
| What is the zone of aeration and saturation? Border between them? |
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Definition
| zone of aeration is abover the zone of saturation which lays on an aquiclode layer. Water table is the line between them. |
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Term
Aquifer vs Aquiclode
Permeable vs Impermeable |
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Definition
aquifer layer allows water to pass; same as permeable
aquiclode layer can't pass water; same as impermeable |
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Term
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Definition
| effluent are when groundwater flows into a stream. Influent is when water flows into the ground. |
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Term
| Difference between instream, nonconsumptive, and consumptive. |
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Definition
| using water in place (swimming), use water and replace (shower), use it and don't return it (drinking) |
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Term
| What is ultimate base level? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is a watershed/drainage divide? |
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Definition
| Water receiving area of a water basin/ridges that seperate where precipitation drains |
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Term
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Definition
| leaves by evaporation or subsurface gravitional flow |
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Term
| What are dissolved/suspended/bed load? |
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Definition
Dissolved is when the water is brown. Suspended has clothes/leafs/trash inside of it.
Bed load is when rocks are being moved at the bottom of the stream. |
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Term
| What are braided/straight/meandering rivers? |
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Definition
| Braided have individual channels that carve pathways. Straight are straight and run downhill. Meandering are snake-like and run down a gradual slope. |
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Term
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Definition
| waterfall formed from erosion of weak rock |
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Term
| What does urbanization do to flooding? |
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Definition
| Makes it quicker and more severe |
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Term
| What is uniformitarianism? |
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Definition
| assumes that the same physical process active in the environment today have been operation throughout geological time |
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Term
| Properties of Earth's core. |
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Definition
Inner core is solid because of pressure.
Outer core is liquid. Both have similar temperature. |
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Term
| What is the asthenosphere? Why is it called the plastic layer? |
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Definition
| weak layer of liquid and solid; 10% liquid |
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Term
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Definition
| Vertical movement of the crust. Ice pushes down and crust sinks; then ice melts and the crust restores itself |
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Term
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Definition
| lava comes out of bottom of ocean and rapidly cools causing mountains and new sea floor |
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Term
| What is subduction? Why does it occur? |
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Definition
| Ocean floor dives underneath continental ocean crust because it's more denser |
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Term
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Definition
| huge chunk of Earth that moves in the same direction; 14 plates |
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Term
| Difference between divergent, convergent, and transfrom. |
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Definition
| Plates speard out, plates collide, and slide parallel |
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Term
| What is a hot spot and how do they form Hawaii? |
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Definition
| From mountains from rapid lava build up at the bottom of the sea. They build up quickly and then the crust moves. Restarting the process. |
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Term
| What is salinity? Why is water known as the universal solvent? |
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Definition
| dissolved solids; dissolves so many elements |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| Why does salinity vary from place to place? |
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Definition
| precipitation, river run-offs, evaporation |
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Term
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Definition
| top zone of ocean, 2% of mass, effected by wind and sun |
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Term
| What is the thermocline zone? |
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Definition
| 18% of ocean, temperature changes throughout depth |
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Term
| What is the deep cold zone? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the Littoral zone? |
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Definition
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Term
| How is the shoreline defined? How deep until the wind doesn't affect the ocean? |
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Definition
| where the water meets land, 200 feet deep is where the ocean isn't affected by the wind anymore |
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Term
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Definition
| Ocean is lifted from gravity from the sun and moon. |
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Term
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Definition
| energy that moves across the surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| When waves bend around irregular coastline. |
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Term
| Erosional vs Depositional |
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Definition
| West with no sediment, no beach vs East and the opposite |
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Term
| See diagram for Coastline |
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Definition
| See diagram for Coastline |
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Term
| How are coral reef formed and from what? |
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Definition
| shallow, warm water and sunlight |
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Term
| What is a wetland? Salt marsh? Mangrove marsh? |
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Definition
| saturated area. Grow everywhere and plants can resist salt water. No freezing temperatures. |
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Term
| What's wrong with barrier islands? |
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Definition
| Very dangerous because they can collapse |
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Term
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Definition
| study of land forms and their changes |
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Term
| What happens when geomorphic threshold is reached? |
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Definition
| friction has been overcomed; water helps with this |
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Term
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Definition
| Waxing (top), freeface, debri slope (bottom) |
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Term
| What forces are constantly working on a slope? |
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Definition
| Gravity, Normal Force, Friction |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| What is the regolith? Bedrock? |
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Definition
| rocky, soil mix. bottom, solid rock layer |
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Term
| How does your geographic orientation affect weathering? |
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Definition
| precipitation, wind, temperature |
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Term
| How does vegetation both enhance and reduce weathering? |
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Definition
| Trees breaks up rock, gives off acid, and holds the soil together. |
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Term
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Definition
| water gets into a rock and freezes and expands; breaking the rock |
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Term
| Process of exfoliatoin and the sheeting that is produced. |
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Definition
| Exfoliation is the eroding of material that causes sheeting. Sheeting is when the rock breaks off. |
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Term
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Definition
| chemical weathering called rusting |
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Term
| What is karst topography and what is needed? |
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Definition
| lots of limestone and is only possible with the flow of water |
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Term
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Definition
| rock breaks down and leaves a hole |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| Dripstones vs Stalactites vs Stalagmites |
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Definition
Dripstones are the slow dripping of water with minerals dissolved in it.
Stalactites are depositional features that grow from the ceiling.
Stalagmites grow my the cave floor. |
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Term
| What are the 4 classes of mass movement? |
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Definition
| Fall is the fastest, creep is the slowest, flow is saturated, and slide is everything moves at once. |
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Term
| How have humans induced mass movement? Example. |
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Definition
| Scarification; cut into land |
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Term
| What is the difference between relief and topography? |
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Definition
| vertical difference in elevation vs. just elevation |
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Term
| What is a continental shield? |
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Definition
| old, solid parts of the continental |
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Term
| What is tension/compression/shear on plates? |
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Definition
| Tension is stretching. Compression is squeezed. Shear is the twist of the plate. |
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Term
| What is strain? What are folding and faulting plates? |
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Definition
| Strain is how a rock responds to stress. Folding bends and faulting breaks. |
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Term
| What is an anticline/syncline? |
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Definition
Anticline is the ridges in the folds.
Syncline is the troughs in the folds. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| What is a strike-slip fault? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the epicenter and focus of an earthquake? |
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Definition
Epicenter is the point at the surface.
Focus is the point in the plate. |
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Term
| What is and how does the elastic rebound theory work? |
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Definition
| 2 sides of a fault are locked by friction and resist movement. Stress builds up until it breaks and causes an earthquake. |
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Term
| 3 ways volcanoes are formed? |
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Definition
| subduction, hot spots, and sea floor spreading |
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Term
| Efflusive eruption vs explosive eruption |
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Definition
| gentle, slow flow of lava (shield volcano) vs a sudden, violent flow; subduction zone, mountains are small(composite volcano) |
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Term
| What is a pedon? Polypedon? |
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Definition
| Pedon is a vertical slice; poly is multiple |
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Term
| What is a soil horizon? Important horizons? |
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Definition
| Soil horizon is horizontal layers. Important horizons are the organic and rock layers. |
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Term
| Soil properties: Color, Texture, Structure, Consistence, Porosity, Moisture, Chemistry, Acidity |
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Definition
| Texture is the size of the particles. Structure is the organization of soil particles. Consistency is the stickiness. Porosity is how water flows through the soil. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| What natural factors affect soil? |
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Definition
| Vegetation, bacteria, insects |
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Term
| How does topography affect soil? |
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Definition
| mountain side vs flat plain |
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Term
| How have people degraded soils? |
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Definition
| plow and plant same crops over and over again |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| tropical soils, lots of leaching |
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Term
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Definition
| desert soils that are dry and salty |
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Term
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Definition
| highly weathered forest soil in NC, degraded by tobacco |
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Term
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Definition
| undeveloped soil, thin layer of sediments |
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Term
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Definition
| volcanic soil, store lots of water |
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Term
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Definition
| cold-frozen soil. latest/newest soil, below freezing, takes a long time to develop |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the amount of salt in the soil or adding/reducing salt in the soil |
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Term
| Types of plants that grow in volcanic soils? Why? |
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Definition
| sugar and pineapple because of lots of water |
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Term
| How is an ecosystem defined? What is Ecology? |
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Definition
Ecosystem is the association of living things with their non-living environment.
Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environments. |
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Term
| What is biogeography? What things affect it? |
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Definition
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of plants and animals.
Climates |
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Term
| Biotic vs Abiotic components |
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Definition
| living components vs non-living components. animals vs sun/weather |
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Term
| What is a community and how is it different from an ecosystem? |
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Definition
| Communities are formed by interactions among populations of living animals and plants. Interaction |
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Term
| What is a habitat? Niche? |
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Definition
Habitat is a type of environment an organism has adapted to.
Niche is a function of a life form within a community |
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Term
| Symbiotic vs. parasitic relationship? |
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Definition
| two or more species exist together in an overlapping relationship vs where the host dies destroying the parasite's habitat |
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Term
| Photosynthesis vs Respiration |
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Definition
| process that forms water and sugar vs reverse of photosynthesis releasing CO2, water, and heat |
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Term
| What are net primary production and biomass? |
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Definition
the amount of energy stored in ecosystem.
net dry weight of all organic material and its stored chemical energy |
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Term
| What abiotic components affect ecosystem development? |
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Definition
| Sunlight, precipitation, and temperature |
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Term
| What is a life zone? How does altitude change plant type? |
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Definition
the zonation of plants with altitude.
Higher up you go the colder it gets. |
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Term
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Definition
| geographic region mapped according to dominant vegetation and organisms |
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Term
| 4 primary biomes on earth? |
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Definition
| Forest, grassland, tundra, and desert |
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Term
| What is a limiting factor? |
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Definition
one physical or chemical abiotic component that most inhibits biotic operations, either lack or excess
Examples: lack of water and excess water |
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Term
| What is the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico? |
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Definition
| lots of fertilizer, animal manure, and other waste products are dumped into the Gulf |
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Term
| What is an anthrogenic effect? |
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Definition
| man-made input into a system; not by nature |
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Term
| Difference between a mobile/stationary/natural pollution source? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is acid rain? What pH is needed? |
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Definition
| human induced acid deposits into snow, rain, dust or gas. Needs pH lower than 5.6 |
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Term
| What effect does Carbon Monoxide, particulates, and ozone have on human health? |
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Definition
| Carbon Monoxide reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen. Particulates contribute to lung cancer and aggravates bronchitis and asthma. Ozone causes coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath; also nose, eye, and throat irritation. |
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Term
| Primary greenhouse gas vs primary anthropogenic greenhouse gas |
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Definition
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Term
| What has global temperature and CO2 done in recent history? |
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Definition
| global temperature gradually increased and CO2 sharply increased. |
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Term
| Where is the ozone shield and what does it do? |
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Definition
| Ozone shield filters ultraviolet rays, in the stratosphere, before it reaches the lower atmosphere |
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Term
| How thick is the ozone layer? |
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Definition
| 3 mm thick but changes with season |
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Term
| How does Chlorine act as a catalyst in the destruction of ozone? |
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Definition
| doesn't use itself up in the break down of ozone; goes to the stratosphere and creates equilibrium in the oxygen/ozone reaction |
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