Geography Study Guide 2
Terms
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- Pressure
- a force measured as force per unit; decreases with altitude; isobars on graph; depends on temp
- Anticyclone
- high pressure center; clockwise in north hemisphere
- Cyclone
- low pressure center; counterclockwise in south hemisphere
- ITC- Intertropic Convergence Zone
- Area between the trade winds at the equator; horizontal airflow; weak along the equator
- Isobars
- measures barometric pressure plotted relative to sea level
- Wind
- air moving down the gradient; the greater the pressure difference, the faster the speed of air
- Trade Winds
- Tropical Easterlies-constant winds; flows toward the equator in both 25° N and S; lots of moisture
- Hadley Cell
- vertical convection cell; air that rises over equator; falls back down after glocal circulation
- Polar Front
- contact between warm air from the high pressure subtropical Hadley cells and the subpolar low zone of midlatitude storms
- Westerlies
- midlatitude winds; 30-60° N or S winds move west to east
- Subtropical High
- semi-permanent high pressure centers; clear, calm weather---> desert
- Jet Streams
- high altitude winds in upper troposphere; flows from west to east around the world
- Rossby Waves
- undulations of the polar front; cold air towards equator, warm air poleward
- Monsoons
- seasonal shift in wind, onshore in summer, offshore in winter; SE Asia
- Coriolis Effect
- air and water deflected to the right in the N Hemisphere and to the left in the S Hemisphere; greater at higher lats
- Geostrophic Winds
- winds above frictions drag of Earths surface, wind flows parallel to isobars between areas of high and low pressure
- Friction
- force opposed to motion of mass; greater at Earths surface
- World Pressure Belts
- seasonal variation; persistance of trade winds
- Global Atmospheric Circulation
- when low pressure air reaches poles, hits polar front and rises
- Currents
- oceanic water movements; vertical-due to differences in pressure, temp...l horizontal-generally due to frictional drag of wind over surface of oceans
- Gyres
- elliptical loops, clockwise in N Hemisphere, counterclockwise in S Hemisphere; same local as anticyclones
- El Nino
- warming of the sea that disturbs weather patterns all over the world
- Specific Humidity
- mass of water vapor in a volume of air; warmer air holds more moisture
- Relative Humidity
- proportion between water vapor in the air and the amount it could hold if saturated; expressed as percentage; increase due to: saturation, condensation
- Saturation
- maximum amount of water air can hold
- Dew Point
- temperature at which saturation occurs and condensation begins
- Evaporation
- latent heat of vaporization; water-->gas (heat loss)
- Condensation
- water changes from gas to liquid, heat gained, air rise--> drop in temp; reason: pressure decreases, air expands
- Condensation Nuclei
- particles in the atmosphere (dust, salt, pollutants) necesary for condensation
- Adiabatic Lifting
- large masses of air must be cooled to the dew point by expansion in rising air; doesnt gain or lose heat
- Adiabatic Process
- no heat is gained or lost by the system
- Clouds
- visible expression fo condensation; source of precipitation
- Cirrus Clouds
- thin wispy clouds; warm front; change in wind and height affect shape of cloud
- Stratus
- grayish clouds; covers entire sky; no precipitation-sometimes drizzle
- Cumulous
- puffy, flat bottomed clouds; fair weather
- Fog
- cloud in contact with ground
- Change of State of Water
-
Ice->Water-sublimination; heat absorbed
Vapor->Ice-sublimation; heat released)
Vapor->Water-condensation; heat released
water->vapor-evaportation (heat absorbed) - Hydrolic Cycle
- solar energy and gravity move water through the Earths atmosphere and land
- Water Resevoirs
-
Ocean-97% of water
Ice-2%
Surface Water-.25%
Groundwater-.6% - Adiabatic Cooling
- air rises; cools in temp but loses no heat;
- Adiabatic Heating
- air descends;; rises in temp but gains no heat
- Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate
- drop in temperature as air rises (10°/1000m); no condensation-dry
- Precipitation Process
- Ice crystal formation; forms-rain, snow, hail, sleet; depends on temp. of air and turbulence
- Atmospheric Lifting-Convective
-
uplift-->produces thermals that are cooled adiabatically as it rises; clouds form after passing condensation level
(Thunderstorms) - Orographic
-
air is forced to rise over mountain barrier
Windward Side-precipitation
Leeward Side-in rain shadow - Frontal
- warmer air is forced to rise over cooler air; in mid/high latitudes warm and cold air masses come together at a front, but do not mix due to different densities
- Convergent
- common in Intertropical Convergent Zone; air masses of same temp come together, producing instability and minor lifting
- Airmass
- large bodies of air with a relatively uniform temp and moisture content
- Source Area
- air will generally stay over source area for a few days (airmass)
- Cold Air Masses
-
arctic
continental polar
maritime polar - Warm Air MAsses
-
continental tropical
Maritime Tropical
Equatorial - Storm Surge
- large quantity of sea water pushed inland by strong winds associated with a tropical cyclone; greatest loss of life
- Occluded Front
- cold front overtakes warm front; interaction of warm and cold front makes storm; gradually will due when warm front is pushed over the cold
- Tornados
- intense cyclone rotation developed in response to extremely low pressure
- Classification of airmass by source area
-
Thermal Properties due to latitude of origin
Moisture properties reflect origin over ocean and land - Fronts
- boundaries between two air masses
- Ecosystem
- interconnected community of plants and animals within their chemical and physical environment
- Nutrient
- any element or compound needed by an organism for survival, growth, reproduction
- Macronutrient
- carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus
- Micronutrients
- trace amounts of nutrients
- Nitrogen Fixing
- conversion of nitrogen intro nitric oxide; nitrogen oxides react with water to produce nitrate ions and ammonium ions
- Photosynthesis
- plants produce their own food from carbon dioxide and water powered by solar energy
- Ecology
- study of interactions between organisms and their biological and abiatic environments
- Species
- basic unit; group of interbreeding, reproductively isolated organisms
- Solar Energy
- unidirectional flow of energy from the sun, warms Earth, photosynthesis, powers chemical reactions, drives climate that distributes heat and water
- Food Chain
- one way flow of energy; at each trophic level heat is given off and energy reduced, more levels- more energy lost
- Producers
- autotrophs (self feeders), make own food, radiant energy converted to chemical energy by photosynthesis
- Consumers
- heterotrophs; herbivores, carnivones, parasites
- Decomposers
- breaks complex molecules into inorganic compounds; complete recycling of matter
- Net Primary Productivity
- rate at which new organic material is formed through photosynthesis; highest in tropical rainforests, swamps and marshes, algal beds and coral reefs
- Biogeochemical Cycles
- recycling of nutrients through the environment by the sun
- Carbon Cycle
- carbon based building block; storage as organic matter in trees, plants; inorganic in fossil fuels, limestone
- Nitrogen Cycle
- atmospheric nitrogen unusable for most organisms; fixing makes it usable
- Phosphurus Cycle
- phosphate weathers off rock and is taken up by roots of plants; animal waste and decay; guano
- Sulfur Cycle
- sources: volcano, fossil fuels, excess in atomosphere makes acid rain
- Acid Rain
- very acidic rain; mostly in industrialized nations, acidity kills fish
- Limiting Factors Affecting Distribution of Plants and Animals
-
1)competition and predation
2) human impacts: deforestation, fires, clearance, removal of animals - Florisitic Associations
- classification of plant association usually based on struction and appearance of dominant plants
- Forests
- assemblage of trees with overlapping canopies; deciduous-leaves fall; evergreen is evergreen
- Woodlands
- trees spaced widely apart; shorter trees
- Shrublands
- dominated by shrubs or bushes
- Grasslands
- may have scattered trees, dominant vegetation is grasses and herbs; savannas, prairies, steppe
- Deserts
- extensive area with no vegetation; more in NH; same heat as tropic but no humidity
- Tundra
- low growing grass, herbs, mosses; cold deserts
- Wetlands
- swamps and marshes
- Tropical Rainforest
-
parts of mid-South America and Africa; 10-25° North or South
-little or no seasonal variation
-high rainfall-always warm and moist - Koppen System
- climatic boundaries are approximated by vegetation types; climate defined by annual and monthly values of temps and precipitation
- Tropical Monsoon Climate
-
west coast of Southeast Asia
-temp range slight; warmest before summer monsoon; max precip in summer - Tropical Savanna Climate
-
North and South of tropical lats; wet and monsoon climates to 20-25°; SA and S.Africa
-temp range low, max temps prior to summer rain
-winters dry, summer wet - Low Latitude Subtropical Desert Climate
-
subtropical high pressure systems, large land masses, 20-30° N or S- Africa, Asia, NA, SA
-moderate temp range, low hot summers; Precipitation-low, scarce, unreliable - Midlatitude Desert Climate
-
interior of continents far from precipitation sources- Central Asia
-temp range extreme
-precip scarce and unreliable - Low Latitude Subtropical Steppe Climate
-
N and S of subtropic deserts
-temps similar to subtropical deserts
-precip. is more reliable - Midlatitude Steppe Climate
-
NA and Eurasia; 30-50° N; interior of large continent
-temp tange similar to midlat. deserts
-precip. higher - Mediterranean Climate
-
dry summer climate
-west side of continents; 35°N or S; Mediterranean Sea
-mind winters, hot summers
-precip. low and concentrated in winter - Mediterranean Woodlands Biome
- midlatitude; dry summer, wet winter
- Humid Subtropical Climate
-
east side of continents, 20-40° lat. NA, SA, Asia
-moderate seasonal temp range
-summer-hot, humid
-winter-mild w/occasional frost
-precip. moderate year round - Marine West Coast Climate
-
40-65° lat.-western Euroe, Pacific NW
-temps high for mid lats, maritime climate
-precip. high yr/round - Humid Continental Climate
-
NA, Europe, Asia 35-60° lat.
-westerlies dominate weather, bring midlatitude storms
-season temp range high
-adequate amt of precip., low evaporation - Midlatitude Deciduous Forest Biome
- west coast areas in midlats; cold temp in winter
- Subarctic Climate
-
NA and Eurasia 50-70° N lat; long cold winters, short cool summers
-great seasonal temp range
-precip. low, high in summer - Boreal Forest/Taiga Biome
- NA and Eurasia at high lats
- Tundra Climate
-
very high lat. on NA and Eurasia 60-75° N
-severe, long winters, cool short summers
-precip. low, evaportation low - Ice Cap Climate
-
Greenland/Australia
-cold, high albedo
polar desert w/ little evaporation - Highland Climate Regions
-
cooler and moister then lats. suggest;
Due to: 1)environmental lapse rate
2) orographic precip.
Altitude compensates for latitude - Humid Tropical Climatic Regions (Group A)
-
Tropical Rainforest
Tropical Monsoon
Tropical Savanna
Tropical Scrub - Arid Climatic Regions (Group B)
-
Low Latitude Subtropical Desert
Mid latitude desert
Low Latitude Subtropical Steppe
Midlatitude Steppe - Humid Mesothermal Climatic Regions (Group C)
-
Mediterranean Climate
Mediterranean Woodland
Humid Subtropical
Marine West Coast Climate - Humid Microthermal Climatic Regions (Group D)
-
Humid Continental
Midlat. Deciduous Forest
Subarctic
Boreal Forest/Taiga - Polar Climatic Regions (Group E)
-
Tundra
Ice Cap
Highland Climatic Regions