How Can You Explain the Geography of Earth Flashcards

Geography final 

107 cards   |   Total Attempts: 188
  

Cards In This Set

Front Back
Earth’s average distance from the sun
· aapproximately 150 million km (93 million mi)
Perihelion:
· earth’s closest position to the sun, occurs during the Northern Hemisphere winter (January 3)
Aphelion:
· earth’s farthest position from the sun, occurs during the Northern Hemisphere summer (July 4)
Insolation:
Solar radiation that reaches a horizontal plane at earth (incoming solar radiation); applies specifically to radiation arriving at earth’s atmosphere and surface
Earth’s curved surface presents a continually varying angle to the incoming parallel rays of insolation; differences in angle of solar rays at each latitude result in
An uneven distribution of insolation and heating
Subsolar point:
· oonly point receiving insolation perpendicular to the surface (from directly overhead), during the year this point occurs at lower latitudes between the tropics where energy received is more concentrated
· All other places away from solar point receive _______ at an angle less than _____ and thus experience more diffuse energy
Insolation, 90 degrees
Declination:
The latitude of the subsolar point; annually migrates through 47° latitude, moving between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn
Daylength:
The interval between sunrise and sunset; the duration of exposure to insolation, which varies during the year depending on latitude
Top of our atmosphere is
· around 480 km (300 mi) above earth’s surface, beyond that altitude is the exosphere
Latitude:
The angular distance measured north and south of the equator from a point at the center of Earth
Longitude:
· aangular distance measured east and west of a prime meridian
· Parallel:
A line, parallel to the equator, that designates an angle of latitude
Meridian
A line designating an angle of latitude
· Wavelength:
The distance between corresponding points on any two successive waves