Download PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY- MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY- MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE
Be able to define and give an example for the following:
Geographic Grid
Shape of Earth – Ellipsoid/oblate spheroid
Great Circle/Small Circle
Meridians/Longitude
Parallels/Latitude
Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
Arctic Circle
Antarctic Circle
Earth’s Rotation and Revolution: diurnal, annual – shape of orbit, direction of orbit, number of days in year
Tilt of Earth’s axis and relation to Seasons
Maps and Projections
Define a Map
Map Essentials
Scale: Verbal, Graphic/Bar, Representative Fraction
Small scale vs. large-scale maps
Define ‘Map Projections’
Map Projection Problems: Area, Shape, Distance, Direction
Map Projection Types: describe types, give examples, advantages and disadvantages of each – which are equal shape, which are
equal area, which are neither equal shape nor equal area
Planar Projection – Gnomonic projection; Polar projection
Purpose and benefit
Cylindrical Projection – Mercator projection
Purpose and benefit
Conic Projection – Albers Equal Area Conic projection
Purpose and benefit
Atmosphere
Origin
Chemical Composition and percentages of gases
Greenhouse Gases: CH4, CO2, N2O, CFCs, O3, H2Ov: Sources, problems, solutions – Can you explain, define and identify a
greenhouse gas?
Atmospheric Pressure: sea level measures (metric and English)
Layers of Atmosphere: Individual layers and boundaries, elevations, types of activities within each layer, lapse rates,
temperature differences, which layer produces atmospheric ozone, which layer produces all weather
Energy Balance
Incoming solar radiation balanced against outgoing Earth radiation
Global warming concerns
Albedo
Temperature, Heat and Energy
Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy: Internal Energy (PE = KE)
1st Law of Thermodynamics – Conservation of Energy Law
Define, explain, and give examples the following terms:
Temperature
Specific Heat
Heat
Latent Heat
Heat capacity
Evaporation
Condensation
Sublimation
Specific Heat: Relation of specific heat of water to other substances – What effect does water’s high specific heat have on
coastal locations?
Latent Heat (hidden heat): Relation to evaporation, condensation, sublimation processes in atmosphere – how does latent heat
relate to storms and cloud building in the atmosphere
Heat Transportation Processes in Atmosphere – where does each operate in the atmosphere, which is most effective at
transporting energy, how does each transport energy
(1) Conduction: molecule-to-molecule transfer of energy
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(2) Convection: transfer of energy through currents in a fluid (liquid/air)
(3) Radiation: energy traveling in waves that release energy upon contact
Electromagnetic Spectrum – shortwave, high energy: longwave, Low energy
Lambda (length of wave from crest to crest)
Seasonal and Daily Temperature Measurements
Daily lag time: Day and night temperatures
Coldest time of day AND Warmest time of day
Seasonal lag time
Daily/Diurnal Range of Temperature: Greatest range/lowest range occurrences
Mean daily temperature
Mean annual temperature
Annual range of temperatures: Greatest range/lowest range occurrences
Temperature Controls: Latitude
Land (continental) vs. Water (maritime) location
Elevation
Albedo How do each of these ‘work’ to control temperature?
Ocean Currents
Atmospheric Pressure
What is atmospheric pressure? What are typical measurements of air pressure? How is air pressure measured? What are
typical values for sea level air pressure?
Pressure Charts: Constant Surface Chart vs. Constant Pressure Chart
Can you diagram Northern and Southern Hemisphere air flow around Highs and Lows? What is cyclonic and anticyclonic air
flow? How does airflow around Highs and Lows vary from Northern to Southern Hemisphere?
Global Circulation:
Thermal and Dynamic Highs/Lows: Developmental differences
Anticyclonic flow
Cyclonic Flow
Location: Northeast /Southeast Trades Westerlies
Polar Easterlies
How developed? Location of belts of Low Pressure? High pressure around the globe?
Forces affecting Wind movement
Pressure Gradient Force
Coriolis Force
Friction
Geostrophic Wind Development: How does this wind develop? What’s the relationship of PGF and CF and this wind?
What are theSemi-permanent Highs and Lows in Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean? Location and types
El Nino-Southern Oscillation
Interrelationships – development – conditions – consequences - research
Pacific Ocean Currents – name and identify warm/cold
Atlantic Ocean Currents –name and identify warm/cold
Jet Streams: What are they? What is their effect on developing surface Highs and Lows? Where are they forming?
Local, regional & global-scale winds: Can you define, explain and diagram the following winds?
Sea Breeze/Land breeze
Monsoons
Santa Ana Winds
Humidity
What is the hydrologic cycle?
Absolute Humidity
Specific Humidity
Relative Humidity
Dew Point Temperature
What is vapor pressure? Actual vapor pressure (AVP)? Saturated vapor Pressure (SVP)? What is a Rainshadow desert – what
is it relationship to lapse rates?
Lapse Rates - Normal - Inverse – Isothermal
Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate –
Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate
Environmental Lapse Rate
Stability:
Stable Air
Unstable Air
Conditionally Unstable Air Convective Instability
Give examples - (Diagrams of stability) Relationship between stability and DALR,
WALR and ELR?
Cloud development:
Four Mechanisms for uplift
Condensation nuclei – Types and locations
Cloud droplet to Rain droplet...mechanisms involved
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(collision/coalescence, cloud thickness, electrical charge, liquid water content, uplift/updrafts)
Four major classes of clouds
Types of clouds within each class
Clouds with vertical development
Relationship between cloud development and stability
Precipitation: types: Rain (Virga), Snow, Hail, Freezing Rain, Sleet
Vertical temperature profiles for each precipitation type, define characteristics and formation for each type
Air Masses and Fronts
cT, cP, mP, mT, cA, eT (mE) – give descriptions and source regions
Identify characteristics of source regions
Fronts: Cold front, warm front, stationary front, occluded front: identify each and give weather for each
(including cloud formation, precipitation) – Can you identify a cold front, a warm front, a stationary front and an
occluded front on a weather map?
Mid-latitude cyclones: identify, describe characteristics and formation, and relationship to storms in
Northern hemisphere
Thunderstorms, Tornadoes and Hurricanes
Air mass vs. Severe: describe differences and similarities, including formation processes for each,
lifecycles: Cumulus Stage (event), Mature Stage, Dissipating Stage
Characteristics of Severe: microburst, wind shear, hail, thunder, lightning, roll cloud, gust fronts, updrafts
downdrafts, mammatus clouds, Can you explain, define and identify a severe thunderstorms lifecycle and all the
characteristics?
Tornadoes: development, mesocyclone, vortex, mammatus clouds, overshooting top, wall cloud, funnel cloud
Location in USA: “Tornado Alley”
Air masses and atmospheric conditions involved in forming T-Storms to spawn tornadoes
Hurricanes: description of characteristics, formation processes, dissipation processes, global location,
Atmospheric conditions necessary, development/stages
Internal structure of a hurricane: eye, eye wall clouds, storm surge, air pressure changes, wind
Speeds, wind direction
Movement across oceans- speed, direction, ‘guiding’ forces (winds, for example)
Major differences between hurricanes and mid-latitude cyclones: identify and describe each difference
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