GEO101
Final Exam Study Guide
The Final Exam will be on Tuesday, May 8 at 12:15P.M. The format of the exam will be the same as the others; multiple choice and short answer. Below are concepts that you should know from each chapter or section. Reminder: The exam will be about 65% on Chapters 9, 10, 15, Water, and 19…while 35% will be semi-cumulative.
Chapter 9
- natural vs. human-influenced vegetation
- examples of human influences on vegetation
- what features of vegetation are affected by environmental factors?
- what is life-form?
- annuals vs. perennials
- forest vs. woodland
- name the five biomes
- basic characteristics of biomes (largest latitudinal range, Strahler climate type, etc.)
- elevation and vegetation: why differences?, vegetation zonation, life zones, sky islands
- how does vegetation change on spatial scales? do we see this on maps? why/why not?
Chapter 10
- why is soil important to plants?
- five important factors in soil formation
- matter: mineral vs. organic
- what accounts for most of soil composition?
- physical vs. chemical weathering
- what is loam?
- importance of soil colloids
- soil acidity and alkalinity: why important?, how measured?, important #’s on scale
- soil moisture: why important?, how does moisture get to soil?, importance of infiltration, relationship between soil moisture and soil texture
- soil horizons: what are they?, how differentiated?, two main types
- 4 soil-forming processes and definitions
- temperature vs. soil formation
- soil vs. topography
- animals’ affect on soil
Chapter 15
- Percentage of fresh water as total water
- Infiltration
- Soil water belt
- 2 types of runoff
- Groundwater vs. water table
- Artesian wells
- 2 forces that move ground water
- Karst landscapes
- Cone of depression with respect to wells
- Drainage systems and watersheds
- Lag time and what it means to flooding
- Flash floods and urbanization
Water in the Southwest
- Colorado River Compact
- Basin states
- Salinity issues
- Evaporation issues
- Lee’s Ferry
- Lake Powell/Lake Mead
- Hoover Dam/Glen Canyon Dam
- Water conservation in Tucson vs. Phoenix
- Agriculture vs. urban demand
- Imperial Valley
- Environmental problems associated with the Salton Sea
- Drought
Chapter 19
- Significance of glaciers
- What are glaciers composed of?
- Where are glaciers found?
- Alpine glaciers vs. Ice sheets
- Glacial troughs
- Fiord
- Size/area of Greenland ice sheet vs. Antarctic
- North pole—glacier?
- Glaciation vs. Interglaciation
- Till
- Kettle lakes and Moraines
- Driftless Area
- Southern extent of glaciation
Concepts from earlier chapters
- rotation – what is it?, importance
- revolution – what is it?, importance
- parallels and meridians – alignment and direction of measurement
- what is energy balance?
- difference between solar and terrestrial radiation
- composition of atmosphere – most dominant gases, types of greenhouse gases
- when’s and why’s of time of minimum and maximum temperatures
- what are continentality and the marine effect?
- temperature change with height
- basic premise of global water balance
- precipitation formation processes
- pressure vs. altitude relationship
- names forces affecting wind
- air masses: what are they?, how named
- cyclones and anticyclones: high or low pressure?, convergence or divergence?, direction of air movement, associated weather
- fronts: types and definitions, what do they look like?
- what is climate?
- climographs: what are they?, how are temp and precip represented?
- why study extreme weather and climate events? (why important?)
- names of greenhouse gases
- what is necessary for scientists to gain a better understanding of climate change?
- what is major debate about global warming?
- types of satellite imagery
- types of forecasts
- forecasting methods