Terms and Concepts #1

47 degree band of altitude

Between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, 23.5 degrees N and S, the only place on Earth that receives 90 degree sun rays, tropics

sun's altitude

the angular distance between the horizon (a horizontal plane) and the sun (or any point in the sky)

Longitude

the angular distance measured EAST OR WEST of a prime meridian from a point at the center of Earth. A line connecting all points of the same longitude is a meridian

Latitude (mapping the earth)

the angular distance measured NORTH OR SOUTH of the equator from a point at the center of the Earth

revolution

the annual orbital movement of Earth about the Sun; determines the length of the year and seasons

axial parallelism

the condition in which Earth's axis maintains the same alignment relative to the plane of the ecliptic and to Polaris, the North Star, and other stars throughout its entire orbit around the Sun; essentially, Earth "remains parallel to itself."

circle of illumination

the division between light and dark on Earth; a day-night great circle

troposphere

the home of the biosphere; the lowest layer of the homosphere, containing approximately 90% of the total mass of the atmosphere; extends up to the tropopause; occurring at an altitude of 18 km at the equator, at 13 km in the middle latitudes, and at lower altitudes near the poles

wind

the horizontal movement of air relative to Earth's surface; produced essentially by air pressure differences between locations

thermal equator

the isoline on an isothermal map that connects all points of highest mean temperature

perihelion

the point of Earth's closest approach to the Sun in its elliptical orbit, reached on January 3, at a distance of 147,255,000 km; variable over a 100,000 year cycle

aphelion

the point of Earth's greatest distance from the sun in its elliptical orbit; reached on July 4 at a distance of 152,083,000 km; variable over a 100,000 year cycle

stratosphere

the portion of the homosphere that ranges form 20 to 50 km above Earth's surface, with temps. ranging from -57 deg. celcius at the tropopause to 0 deg. celcius at the stratopause. The functional ozonosphere is within the stratosphere

Baseline

the principal east-west line (i.e., a parallel) upon which all rectangular surveys in a defined area are based. meets its corresponding principal meridian at the point of origin, or initial point, for the land survey.

greenhouse effect

the process whereby radiatively active gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and CFCs) absorb and emit the energy at longer wavelengths, which are retained longer, delaying the loss of infrared to space. Thus, the lower troposphere is warmed through radiation and re-radiation of infrared wavelengths

lapse rate

the rate of temperature decrease with increasing altitude in the lower atmosphere; the average lapse rate is 6.4 deg. celcius per km

Scale

the ratio of the distance on a map to that in the real world; expressed as a representative fraction, graphic scale, or written scale

albedo

the reflective quality of a surface, expressed as the percentage of reflected insolation out of the total incoming insolation; a function of surface color, angle of incidence, and surface texture

Geography

the science that studies the relationships among natural systems, geographic areas, human culture, and the interdependence of all these over space

conduction

the slow molecule-to-molecule transfer of heat through a medium, from warmer to cooler portions

freezing point water farenheit

32 degrees

GMT

Greenwich Mean Time-- former world standard time, now reported as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)

representative fraction

Indicates how many units on Earth one unit represents on a map Ex: 1 : 24 000

chinook wind

North American term for a warm, dry, downslope airflow characteristic of the rain-shadow region on the leeward side of the mountains

Erathosthenes

-paid someone to walk from Aswan to Alexandria in order to calculate the circumference of the Earth -invented Geography

freezing point water celcius

0 degrees

boiling point water celcius

100 degrees

boiling point water farenheit

212 degrees

Names and Locations of 7 continents

Australia Africa Antarctica Asia Europe North America South America

UTC

Coordinated Universal Time-- The official reference time in all countries, formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time; now measured by primary standard atomic clocks; the legal reference for time in all countries and broadcast worldwide

axial tilt

Earth's axis tilts 23.5 degrees from a perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic (plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun.)

Names and locations of 5 oceans

Pacific Atlantic Arctic Indian Southern

graphic scale

a bar graph with units to allow measurement of distances on the map. Advantage= if the map is enlarges or reduced, it enlarges or reduces along with the map

GIS

a computer-based data processing tool or methodology used for gathering, manipulating, and analyzing geographic information to produce a holistic, interactive analysis

Township and Range

a division of a county

anticyclone

a dynamically or thermally caused area of high atmospheric pressure with descending and diverging airflows that rotate clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere

cyclone

a dynamically or thermally caused area of low atmospheric pressure with ascending and converging airflows that rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere

Map

a generalized view of an area, usually some portion of Earth's surface, as seen from above at a greatly reduces size

ionosphere

a layer in the atmosphere above 80 km where gamma, x-ray, and some ultraviolet radiation is absorbed and converted into longer wavelengths and where the solar wind stimulates the auroras

topographic map

a map that portrays physical relief through the use of elevation contour lines that connect all points at the same elevation above or below a vertical datum, such as mean sea level

thermosphere

a region of the heterosphere extending from 80 to 480 km in altitude; contains the functional ionosphere layer

Atmosphere

a thin, gaseous veil surrounding Earth, held to the planet by the force of gravity. Formed by gases arising from within Earth's crust and interior combined with radiant energy from the Sun. Combination of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and trace gases

seasons

changing day length and sun angle

Prime Meridian

an arbitrary meridian designated as 0 degrees longitude, the point from which longitudes are measured east or west; established at Greenwich, England, by international agreement in an 1884 treaty

exosphere

an extremely rarefied outer atmospheric halo beyond the thermopause at an altitude of 480 km; probably composed of hydrogen and helium atoms, with some oxygen atoms and nitrogen molecules present near the thermopause

urban heat island

an urban microclimate that is warmer on average than areas in the surrounding countryside because of the interaction of solar radiation and various surface characteristics

Tropic of Cancer

at 23.5 degrees N latitude, the parallel that marks the farthest north the subsolar point migrates during the year

Tropic of Capricorn

at 23.5 degrees south latitude, the parallel that marks the farthest south the subsolar point migrates during the year

Arctic Circle

at 66.5 degrees N latitude, the southernmost parallel (in the Northern Hemisphere) that experiences a 24-hour period of darkness in winter or daylight in summer

Antarctic Circle

at 66.5 degrees S latitude, the northernmost parallel (in the southern hemisphere) that experiences a 24-hour period of darkness in winter or daylight in summer

contour interval

depict slope and relief-- the 3 dimensional (3D) aspects of terrain. The pattern and spacing indicate slope. The steeper the slope or cliff, the closer together the lines appear. A wider spacing portrays a more gradual slope.

relief

elevation differences in a local landscape; an expression of local height differences of landforms

Hydrosphere

encompasses all of Earth's waters, existing in the atmosphere, on the surface, and in the crust near the surface. Water exists as liquid, solid, and gaseous forms and in two general chemical conditions, fresh and saline (salty).

legend

gives you the information needed for the map to make sense. Maps often use symbols or colors to represent things, and the map key explains what they mean

sensible heat

heat that can be measured with a thermometer; a measure of the concentration of kinetic energy from molecular motion

International Date Line (IDL)

in 180 degree meridian, an important corollary to the prime meridian on the opposite side of the planet; establishes by an 1884 treaty to mark the place where each day officially begins

Aurora Borealis

in the northern hemisphere; a spectacular glowing light display in the ionosphere, stimulated by the interaction of the solar wind with the principally oxygen and nitrogen gasses and few other atoms at high latitudes

Biosphere

includes all the living organisms on Earth taken together and linked with their physical environment-- sometimes called the ecosphere, exists wherever life is sustainable, from the seafloor to the upper layers of the crustal rock to about 8km into the atmosphere

Lithosphere

includes the Earth's crust and a portion of the upper mantle directly below the crust. Sometimes refers to the entire solid planet

remote sensing

information acquired from a distance, without physical contact with the subject-- for example, photography, orbital imagery, and radar.

contour lines

isolines on a topographic map that connect all points at the same elevation relative to a reference elevation

GPS

latitude, longitude, and elevation are accurately calibrated using a handheld instrument that receives radio signals from satellites

Equator

located at the center of the Earth, stretches east to west around the Earth

Principal Meridian

north-south line used for survey control in a large region, and which divides townships between east and west.

air pressure

pressure produced by the motion, size, and number of gas molecules in the air and exerted on surfaces in contact with the air

monsoon

seasonally shifting winds produced by changing atmospheric pressure systems that cause an annual cycle of regional precipitation regimes, ranging from a wet season to a dry season; affects India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, northern Australia, portions of Africa, and the U.S. Southwest

large scale map

shows a small are on the earth in great detail

small scale map

shows little detail (generalized) and covers a large area

insolation

solar radiation that is incoming to Earth systems

Physical Geography

the spatial study of all the elements, processes, and systems that make up the natural environment: energy, air, water, weather, climate, landforms, soils, animals, plants, microorganisms, and Earth itself

Atmosphere

the thin veil of gases surrounding the Earth, which forms a protective boundary between outer space and the biosphere; generally considered to extend out about 480 km (300 mi) from Earth's surface

rotation

the turning of Earth on its axis, averaging about 24 hours in duration; determines day-night relation; counterclockwise when viewed from above the North Pole and from west to east, or eastward, when viewed from above the equator

mesosphere

the upper region of the homosphere from 50 to 80 km above the ground; designated by temperature criteria; atmosphere extremely rarified

convection

transfer of heat from one place to another through the physical movement of air; involves a strong vertical motion