Study Guide Notes for Exam - Focus Planet Earth 2 | GEOG 203, Study notes of Geography

Download Study Guide Notes for Exam - Focus Planet Earth 2 | GEOG 203 and more Study notes Geography in PDF only on Docsity! Following are some topics, terms, and questions to stimulate your thinking and help guide you in preparing for the first Geography 203 test. This is not a comprehensive list of every single item we covered, but it is rather a list of major topics meant to guide your test preparation. When you can look at each of these items and truly know what it means and know the appropriate vocabulary to discuss these issues; and when you can answer the questions peppered throughout; and when every term on these pages is familiar, you are ready to take the test. Note that preparing for the test requires you to think through the concepts we have discussed, rather than merely memorize a lot of facts and terms. You must understand the processes and the spatial/temporal patterns that result. True, vocabulary is important, but hopefully you will learn the vocabulary in the process of learning the concepts. Understand latitude and longitude (i.e., how the system works, not just the definition); equator, prime meridian, etc. Ex.: Given locations of two places in Latitude/Longitude coordinates, which is farther north, east, etc. Earth-sun relationships. What is insolation? Hot objects emit shorter or longer wavelengths than cold objects? What causes seasons? Where do sun’s direct rays strike on solstices, equinoxes? What does the earth’s tilt have to do with seasons? The atmosphere – Important gases in the atmosphere. What is greenhouse effect? How could increased greenhouse gas concentrations contribute to increased global temperatures (think about role of greenhouse effect in earth’s radiation balance), and why are greenhouse gases increasing? Have a general familiarity with the patterns of global and northern hemisphere temperature changes observed using instruments (thermometers) and proxy records (for example, tree-ring and ice core data and the famed “hockey stick”). Where is the ozone layer in the atmosphere? Which pollutants cause ozone depletion? Why does this matter? Water vapor – importance for energy transfer (latent heat storage and release) and as a greenhouse gas. What does evaporation do to the temperature of a surface? What does condensation do to temperature? What is evapotranspiration? Describe typical changes in pressure and temperature with increasing altitude. What is lapse rate? Vertical temperature stratification of atmosphere. In which layer does weather occur? Earth’s radiation balance. What happens to the insolation that earth receives (i.e., what pathways does it take before ultimately being radiated back to space; we did not cover this in great detail, but you should be familiar with the general concepts)? The earth emits shorter- or longer-wavelength radiation than the sun? Low- vs. high-albedo surfaces. Temperature. Which latitudes have more extreme seasonal variations in radiation receipt (and temperature)? What is seasonality? At what latitudes do the highest/lowest temperatures occur? How do oceans, ocean currents, mountains, continents, etc. influence spatial variations in temperature? What is continentality? Describe and explain the patterns of continentality we discussed in class. What is an isotherm? In which hemisphere is continentality more pronounced? Pressure and winds. What is the ultimate source of air pressure differences? What is an isobar? What force causes wind to blow? Wind blows from __ to __ pressure. Rising air is associated with L pressure, descending air with H pressure. What is convection? Where does surface divergence occur? Surface convergence? What is the Coriolis effect, and which way does it deflect air in the N & S hemispheres? Draw a map view of a surface cyclone and anticyclone for either hemisphere, showing appropriate deflection of winds and appropriate convergence or divergence of air.