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| THE GEOGRAPHY OF PLANTS (PHYTOGEOGRAPHY) AND ANIMALS (BIBGEOGRAPHY) |
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| SELF CONTAINED SYSTEM EXHIBITING NO EXCHANGE OF ENERGY MATTER ACROSS ITS BOUNDARIES (INTERFACES) |
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| THE PARALLEL OF LATITUDE RUNNING AROUND THE EXACT MIDDLE OF THE GLOBE, DEFINED AS 0 DEGREES LATITDUE |
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| LITERALLY MEANS EARTH SHAPE OR FORM ; GEOGRAPHY OF LANDSCAPE AND ITS EVOLUTION, A MAJOR SUBFIELD OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY |
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| ANGULAR DISTANCE, MEASURED IN DEGREES NORTH AND SOUTH , OF A POINT ALONG A PARALLEL FROM THE EQUATOR |
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| ANGULAR DISTANCE , MEASURED IN DEGREES EAST AND WEST , OF A POINT ALONG A MERIDIAN FROM THE PRIME MERIDIAN |
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| ON THE EARTH GRID, A NORTH-SOUTH LINE OF LONGITUDE |
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| THE CREATION OF AN IDEALIZED REPRESENTATION |
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| SYSTEM WHOSE BOUNDARIES ( INTERFACES) freely permits the transfer of energy and matter across them |
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| ON THE THE EARTH GRID, AN EAST-WEST LINE OF LATITUDE |
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| NORTH-SOUTH LINE ON THE EARTH GRID, PASSING THROUGH THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY AT GREENWICH , LONDON DEFINED AS HAVING HAVEING A LONGITUDE 0 DEGREES |
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| PERTAINING TO SPACE PN THE EARTHS SURFACE ; SYNONYM FOR GEOGRAPHICAL |
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| A COMPONENT OF A LARGER SYSTEM; IT CAN ACT INDEPENDENTLY, BUT OPERATES WITHIN, AND IS LINKES TO, THE LARGER SYSTEM |
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| ANY SET OF RELATED OBJECTS OR EVENTS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS |
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| BLANKET OF AIR THAT ADHERES TO THE EARTHS SURFACE WHICH CONTAINS THE MIXTURE OF GASSES ESSENTIAL TO THE SURVIVE OF ALL TERRESTRIAL LIFE FORMS |
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| BLANKET OF AIR THAT ADHERES TO THE EARTHS SURFACE WHICH CONTAINS THE MIXTURE OF GASES ESSENTIAL TO THE SURVIVE OF ALL TERRESTRIAL LIFE FORMS |
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| ZONE OF TERRESTRIAL LIFE, THE HABITAT OF ALL LIVING THINGS; INCLUDES THE EARTHS VEGEATATION, ANIMALS, HUMAN BEINGS , AND THE PART OF THE SOIL LAYER BELOW THAT HOSTS LIVING ORGANISM |
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| GENTLY SLOPING RELATIVELY SHALLOW, SUBMERGED PLAIN JUST OFF THE COAST OF THE CONTINENT, EXTENDING TOA DEPTH OF 180 METERS |
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| COLLECTIVE NAME FOR THE ICE SYSTEM OF THE EARTH |
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| SHELLS OR LAYERS THAT MAKE UP THE TOTAL EARTH SYSTEM RANGE FORM THE PLANETS DEEPEST INTERIOR TO THOSE BORDERING OUTTER SPACE |
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| SPHERE OF EARTHS SYSTEM THAT CONTAINS ALL THE WATER THAT EXISTS ON AND WITHIN THE SOLID SURFACE O OUR PLANET AND IN THE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE |
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| OUTERMOST SHELL OF THE EARTH, LYING IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE LAND SURFACE AND OCEAN FLOOR |
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| PARTICULAR INTERCONNECTION , AT ANY GIVEN PLACE WITHIN THE TOAL EARTH SYSTEM, OF THE FIVE SPHERES OF SUBSYSTEM |
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| POINT IN THE EARTHS ORBIT WHICH OCCURS EVERY JULY 4TH , WHERE THE DISTANCE OF THE SUN IS MAXIMIZED |
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| IMAGINARY LINE THAT EXTENDS FROM THE NORTH POLE TO THE SOUTH POLE THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE EARTH ; THE PLANETS ROTATION OCCURS WITH RESEPECT TO THE AXIS |
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| ONE IF THE TWO DAYS ( MAR21-SPRING AND SEPT 21- FALL ) WHEN THE SUNS NOONTIME RAYS STRIKE THE EARTHS VERTICALLY AT THE EQUATOR |
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| ANTIPODAL TO PRIME MERIDIAN AND FOLLOQA THE 180TH MERDIAN, CROSSING THE LINE IN THE WEST SKIPS A DAY BUT CROSSING THE LINE IN THE EAST REPEATS A DAY |
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| POINTS IN THE EARTHS ORBIT, WHICH OCCURS EVERY JAN 3 WHERE DISTANCE TO THE SUN IS MINIMIZED |
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| PLANE FORMED BY THE SUN AND EARTHS ORBITAL PATH |
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| PLANE FORMED BY THE SUN AND EARTHS ORBITAL PATH |
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| ONE COMPLETE CIRCING OF THE SUN AND THE EARTHS ORBITAL PATH |
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| SPINNING OF A PLANET ON ITS AXIS ; IT TAKES THE EARTH ONE YEAR TO COMPLETE THE ORBIT |
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| SPINNING OF A PLANET ON ITS AXIS; IT TAKES THE EARTH ONE YEAR TO COMPLETE THIS ORBIT |
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| WHEN THE SUN STANDS STILL AND ITS RAYS HIT THE EARTH SURFACE VERTICALLY |
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| ZENITH POINT N THE SKY DIRECTLY OVERHEAD, 90 DEGREES ABOVE HORIZON |
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| MOST NOTHERLY LATITUDE (23 1/2) WHERE SUNS NOONTIME RAYS STRIKE THE EQUATOR VERTICALLY |
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| MOST SOUTHERNLY LATITUDE (23 1/2 S) WHERE SUNS NOONTIME RAYS STRIKE THE EQUATOR VERTICALLY |
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| long term conditions of aggregate weather over a region |
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| atmospheric gases are always found in the same proportions; nitrogen makes up 78% and oxygen make up 21% of the air |
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| solid particles floating in the atmosphere whose quantities vary in time and space; play an active role in raindrop formation |
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| rate of decline in temperature as altitude increases |
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| third layer of the atmosphere; here temperatures again decline with increasing elevation |
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| (ozonosphere) ozone-rich layer of the temperature that extends between 9-31 miles above the surface |
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| atmospheric layer lying above troposhere; here temperatures are either constant or start to increase with altitude |
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| atmospheric high-pressure cell involving divergence of air, which subsides at and flows spirally out of the center |
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| force that, owing to the Earth's rotation, tends to deflect all objects from moving over the surface of the Earth away from their original path; right deflection in north and left deflection in south; higher the latitude, the greater the deflection |
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| atmospheric low-pressure cell involving the convergence of air, which flows into and spirally rises at the center |
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| fourth layer of the atmosphere; temperatures increase as altitude increase |
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| upper boundary of the troposphere along which temperatures stop decreasing with height |
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| bottom layer of the atmosphere in which temperatures usually decreases with altitude |
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| atmospheric gases present in different quantities at different times and places; three essential to human life: carbon-dioxide, water vapor and ozone |
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| invisible gaseous form of water; most widely distributed variable gas of the atmosphere |
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| immediate and short term conditions of the atmosphere that impinge on daily human activities |
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| proportion of incoming solar radiation reflected by the surface; the whiter the surface the higher the albedo |
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| variaton of continental effect on air temperatures in the interior portions of the world's land mass |
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| drag that slows the movement of air particles in contact with, or close to, the Earth's surface; varies with "roughness" of the surface |
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| wind that results when Coriolis and pressure-gradient forces balance themselves out; follows a relatively straight path that minimizes deflection and lies parallel to isobars |
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| line connecting all points having the identical atmospheric pressure |
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| offshore airflow affecting the coastal zone, resulting from a nighttime pressure gradient that steers local winds from cooler (higher pressure) land surface to warmer (lower pressure) sea surface |
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| protected side of a topographic barrier with respect to the winds that flow across it; often refers to the area downwind from the barrier as well, which is said to be in the "shadow" of that highland zone |
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| long-wave radiation emitted by the earth's surface that is absorbed by the atmosphere and re-radiated back down to the surface |
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| proportion of incoming solar energy that travels directly to the earth's surface; about 31% |
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| analogy that describes the blanket-like effect of the atmosphere in the heating of earth's surface |
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| radiation emitted by the Earth, which has much longer wavelengths and involves much lower energy |
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| amount of radiation left over when all the incoming and outgoing radiation flows have been tallied; totals ¼ of shortwave radiation coming from the atmosphere |
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| transmission of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves |
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| environmental heat we feel or sense on our skins |
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| radiation coming from the sun, which has shorter wavelengths and involves higher energy |
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| when given mass of air is forced to expand, its temperature decreases; if air rises to a higher altitude, it expands and cools adiabatically |
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| metric temperature scale most commonly used throughout the world |
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| lapse rate of an air parcel not saturated with water vapor |
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| non-adiabatic lapse rate at any particular time or place |
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| temperature scale presently used in the US; freeze at 32 and boils at 212 |
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| lines connecting all points experiencing identical temperatures |
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| absolute temperature scale used by scientists, based on temperature of absolute zero; freezes at -273 and boils at 373 |
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| weight of the column of the column of air at a given location, determined by the force of gravity, and the composition and properties of atmosphere at that location |
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| Difference in surface pressure over a given distance, betwen two locations is called the pressure gradient: when that gradient exists, it acts as a force that causes air to move from place of higher pressure to that of lower pressure |
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| Onshore airflow affecting a coastal zone, resulting from a daytime pressure gradient that steers local winds from the cooler sea surface onto the warmer land surface |
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| movement of air relative to Earths Surface, winds are always named according to the direction from which they blow |
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| exposed, upward side of topographic barrier that faces wind that flow across it |
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| meridonal(north=south) flow of upper atmospheric winds: periodical departures from these air currents air important because they help to correct the heat imbalance between the polar equatorial regions |
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| The inter tropical Convergance Zone or thermal low pressure belt of rising air that straddles teh Equatorial latitudinal zone: fed by the wind flows of the converging NE and SE Trades |
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| Global atmospherica circulation system of wind belts and semi-permanant pressure cells, wind belts include trades, westerlies, and polar easterlies, pressure cells include equatorial latitudinal zone, which is fed by the wind flows of converging NE and SE trades |
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| Inter-Tropical Convergance Zone |
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Definition
| thermal low pressure belt of rising air that straddles the equatorial latitudinal zone, which is fed by the wind flows of converging NE and SE trades |
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| Saturated adiabatic lapse rate |
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| lapse rate of an air parcel saturated in water vapor in which condensation is occuring |
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| two concentrated, high-altitude, west to east flowing "rivers" of air that are major features of the upper atmospheric circulation system |
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| derived from the Arabic word for "season"; a regional windflow that streams onto and off certain landmasses on a seasonal basis; moist onshore winds of summer bring a wet monsoon, the offshore winds of winter bring dry monsoons |
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| surface wind belt that generally lies between the Equator and 30 degrees N; Coriolis force deflects equatorial flowing winds to the right |
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| high latitude wind belt lying between 60 and 90 degrees of latitude; the Coriolis force is strongest in these latitudes |
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| latitudinal zone, lying at approximately 60 degrees N and S where Polar Easterlies meet the Westerlies creating the Upper-Midlatitude Low Pressure Belt |
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| index used to measure kinetic energy possesed by molecules; abstract term that describes the energy of molecules |
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| horizontal rate of temperature change over distance |
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| large semipermament high-pressure cell centered approximately over the pole in the uppermost latitudes of each hemisphere |
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| surface wind belt that generally lies between the Equator and 30 degrees S; Coriolis force deflects equatorward-flowing winds to the left thus recurving south winds into SE winds |
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| semipermanent belt of high pressure that is found 30 degrees of latitude in both hemispheres |
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| Semipermanent surface low-pressure belt, lying at 60 degrees N and S where warmer westerlies are forced to rise above the colder Easterlies |
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| two broad midlatitude belts of prevailing westerly winds, lying between 30 and 60 degrees in both hemispheres |
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| westerly flow of winds that dominates the upper atmospheric circulation system poleward of 15 degrees in both hemispheres |
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