The flashcards below were created by user
HeatherM14
on FreezingBlue Flashcards.
-
What is Geography?
- The study of
- Physical features of the earth
- Atomosphere
- Human Activity
-
What is Reginal Geography?
- Looks at places and what makes them unigue
- i.e descriptive
-
What is Systematic Geography?
- is concerned with discovering understanding and modeling processes that differentiate the Earth's surface into places
- i.e. looks at common principles and phenomena
-
What is Human Geography?
How human activities and behaviour shape places
-
What is Physical Geography?
- How natural processes shape the earth and its landscape
- Sets stage for human activities and the nature of the biosphere
-
What is Climatology?
- Heat and moisture processes associated with the land surface
- Weather vs. Climate
-
What is Geomorphology?
The study of landform-making processes 
-
What is Hydrology?
The study of movement, distribution and quality of water throughout the Earth 
-
What is Coastal and Marine Geography?
Examine coastal processes, marine resources and their human interface 
-
What is Geography of Soils?
- Distribution of soil types and properties
- The processes of soil formation (geomorphology, climatology and biogeography)
-
What is Biogeography?
Examines the distrabution of organisms and the processes that produce these distrabution patterns 
-
What is Cartography?
The science and art of map making 
-
What is Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Computer based systems that can store and manipulate spatial data 
-
What is Remote Sensing?
Aerial photographs and satelite images obtained remotely from the earth's surface 
-
What is Mathematical Models and Statistics
To produce analyse and prodictions 
-
What are the 4 Spheres?
- Atomosphere
- Lithosphere
- Hydrosphere
- Bioshpere
-
Atomosphere
Gaseous layer surrounding the Earth
-
Lithosphere
Outermost solid layer of the Earth
-
Hydrosphere
- The Earth's water
- oceans, rivers, ice and water vapour
-
Biosphere
All living organisms
-
Life layer
- supports the majority of life on earth
- includes land surface and upper ~100 meters of the ocean
-
Scales
- Four spheres are interdependent
- operate at various spatial and temporal scales
- are typically defined as a cascade of a continuum
-
What are the 5 scales
- Global
- Continental
- Reginal
- Local
- Individual
-
Global Scale
- Earth Sun relationship
- need to take a vantage point from space, considering the global energy balance as a whole
-
Continental Scale
- Unequal Solar heating, drives currents of air and water
- currents are knownas the global atmospheric and oceanic circulation systems
- can distinguish continents and oceans, enabling us to track winds and ocean currents
-
Reginal Scale
- Obseve phenomena such as cloud patterns of weather systems or broad scale land cover types (The prairies)
- Relationshop between weather systems and solar control of surface temperature form the basis for the climate of the world
-
Local Scale
- Factors are important in determining the exact patterns of vegetation and soils
- Treed vegetation along rivers and standing water, cultivated lands, ect.
-
Individual Scale
- Study specific soil types or biological communites
- are formed by unique proporties of natural processes
- lowlands willow cover need very moist conditions, where as spruce forests require slightly drier conditions available at higher elevations
-
Time Scales
- Mountain ranges formnover millions of years of tectonic activity
- Earthquake can result in
- significant surface changes over a matter of minutes
- It is important to note that natural processes occur over various space and time scales
- Climate change over large scales whereas weather systems (such as a hurricane) operate on smaller scales
-
System
Set of related or organized objects
-
Flow System
energy and/or matter flows in and between the 4 spheres
-
Pathways
a mechanism by which matter or energy flows from one part of the system to another
|
|