First Exam Study Guide - Physical Geography: Land and Water | GEOG 2051, Exams of Geography

Download First Exam Study Guide - Physical Geography: Land and Water | GEOG 2051 and more Exams Geography in PDF only on Docsity! First Exam Study Guide Provided by your wonderful TA This study guide provides a useful list of topics to be covered on the exam. It is NOT an absolute list detailing what WILL be on the exam, just a guide. I am only going by the topics covered in previous exams. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT EVERYTHING ON THE GUIDE WILL BE ON THE EXAM OR THAT EVERYTHING ON THE EXAM IS ON THIS GUIDE. NOTE 1: Dr. Kesel will say there is “no math” on the exam. However, he does not consider scale problems or time zone problems “math.” When he says “no math,” he means you do not have to know how to work the complicated hydrology formulas, but only have to know the relationship between the variables in these complicated formulas. YOU STILL HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO WORK SCALE AND TIME ZONE PROBLEMS. NOTE 2: Know the beginning and end dates of each recent geologic period, along with the beginning and end dates of all 4 of the major glacial periods.  Glaciers o Characteristics of glacial flow (where most of the velocity, sediment transport, erosion, etc. occurs) Middle of glaciers, sides and bottom have friction Sediment transports rubs on sides and bottom which pushes the sediments infront of it. Erosion plucking ice out the sides. Pulls them out. Abrasion (sand paper grinds up) o Snowline and where you would find the highest, lowest snowlines  Where the snow accumulates. Divinding point of accumulation below snowline Higher in summer lower in winter. Varies with season. o Geologic/Physical Geographic features associated with glacial flows U shape valley, Moraine (sides and bottom and ends of glacier), cirque (head of valley where glacier starts) Tarn is glacier lake series of lakes called paternoster lakes. Drumlin is glacial hill, tear drop shape. Esker long sinuous hill, Outwash plain water from melting glacier deposits sediments o Processes of glacial erosion, definitions, characteristics Plucking and abrading, Pluck is plucking the rocks out the side and abrading will make it smooth. o Know the different KINDS of glaciers Continental ice sheet covers continents Ex Greenland and Antartica. Valley or alpine glacier, up in mountains. Ice cap small ice fields on Iceland. o Causes for building and ablation Building has more snow accumulating in the winter then melts in the summer. Net gain. Ablation is more stuff melting off in summer and it exceeds the amount and end up with a loss. o Theories describing climate change (in terms of glaciation) Malankovitch cycle has to do with changes in tilt of earths axis. The amount of tilt changes over a period of thousands of years. Next cycle is not only is it tilted but it wobbles like a top. Finally it changes in the shape of the earths orbit around the sun. Its elliptical. That elip changes over time. More elliptical and less eliptical over time.  Tidal Zones and the Ocean o Characteristics of the tidal zones and associated definitions (rip currents, swash zone, fetch, uprush, etc.) Rip current is when water rushes up shore and it moves along shore and finds deeper spot to go back out to the sea. Swash zone is when the wave breaks and washes up the beach and water runs back. Fetch is the distant over which wind blows, factor in creating waves. Besides fetch the wind speed, how fast it goes and wind duration how long it blows hours. Fetch is the distant over which is blows. This determines how big the waves really are. Uprush is the water rushing up on the shore.  Definitely know the different zones associated with tidal processes Check book. o Sea Level  Know how sea level has changed during the latest geologic periods Its been rising since the glaciers have started melting and sea level has been rising. o Coral Reefs  Characteristics-  How they’re formed- They form around the fringes of a volcanic island and as the island sinks under own weight if the corals keep up with the sink rate, itll form a fringing reef around the volcano. Then a barrier reef, Then it finally becomes a Atoll.  How they’re related to sea level- If growth keeps up with rise in sea level, coral form a reef and if they cant they drown and die out. o Cause for tide  High/Low Tide information  The gravity of sun and the moon causes the tide. Gravity of moon has stronger effect on tides. Moon is so much closer to earth than the sun.