Earth, People, and Environment Exam 1
Exam 1 covers Chapters 1-6 in the textbook, all lectures, and homework assignment 1. Chapter 1: Thinking Geographically What does the term Geography literally mean based on its Greek roots? Why are natural hazards a good example of the issues geographers study? What are the tools of GIS, GPS, Google Earth, Google Maps, mashups, and remote sensing used for? What is spatial analysis or geographic thinking? What are these terms geographers use to describe the earth? place, region, scale, space What is cartography? Is it an art or science, both? What are some ways of representing map scale? Why are Map projections needed? Why is there always some map distortion or errors in maps? What kind of map projection is the Mercator projection: cylindrical, conic, azimuthal? What areas of the globe are best portrayed by a conic projection? What are lines of latitude and lines of longitude? Where does the Prime Meridian run through? What is Greenwich Mean Time? Where is the International Date Line? How do we refer to places using latitude and longitude and the geographic grid (e.g., GPS locations?) If a football game begins at 1 pm EST, what time does it begin in Los Angeles? How are site and situation related? What is a vernacular region? Functional region? What are some pros and cons of globalization on culture in different countries? What does globalization refer to? What is culture? Is it dynamic or static? Chapter 2: Weather, Climate, and Climate Change What are some main reasons for differences in solar radiation and temperature across the globe? What are equinox, solstice, angle of incidence What is the difference between the greenhouse effect that warms our planet vs. ‘global warming’ What kind of waves bring in solar radiation and which reflect back? What effects do proximity to water or being landlocked have on temperatures? What area the ITCZ and trade winds and where are they located? How are low and high pressure related to wind flow? How does the Gulf Stream affect temperatures in Europe? What is El Nino and some of its effects? What is orographic precipitation? What are cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons? How do they differ from tornadoes? When and where do hurricanes and tornadoes generally affect the US? What is the difference between weather and climate? How are climate areas classified? What is a climograph? What are the four main climate types of the US? How do we know the Earth’s average temperature is rising? How do we know the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is rising? What are some impacts of global climate change? Chapter 3: Earth Systems Science What is the basic theory of plate tectonics? Are plates moving today? What is Pangea? How are earthquakes related to mountain formation such as in the Himalayas? How do tsunamis form? How do we measure the intensity of earthquakes? Are earthquakes and volcanoes evenly distributed across the globe? What is the Ring of Fire? Which volcano type is the most dangerous, cone or shield type volcanoes? What are the 3 major rock types?

What are some examples of weathering? How is weathering related to landslides? How is overland flow related to the creation of rills, gulleys, and valleys? What is a watershed and drainage basin? How does runoff affect water quality downstream? How is sediment transferred miles downstream? What are glaciers and how do we describe differences in their mass balance? What are the general trends in the size and extent of glaciers over the past 20 years? Chapter 4: Biosphere What are some of the biogeochemical cycles we have discussed? How do human activities within the Mississippi River drainage basin affect sediment transport, the wetlands of the Mississippi River delta, and oxygen levels of the Gulf of Mexico? Approximately how much freshwater water is available? Explain water and carbon cycle. How is carbon related to biomass? How are photosynthesis and respiration related to cycles of the global carbon budget? How are nitrogen and phosphorous related to eutrophication processes? What is the cause of coastal hypoxia? Explain food chains and relationship to energy as well as biomagnification. For example, why would it be dangerous to eat too many fish from certain locations? What is found in the O and A horizons of soil profiles? Why are mollisols among the most fertile of soils for growing crops? What is plant productivity and where is it greatest on the globe? Explain the cycles of CO2 in relation to seasonal changes in biomass What are biomes and biodiversity? Where is biodiversity greatest on the globe? Chapter 5: Population What is the current population of the Earth? What percent of population lives in China and India? Where are the 4 main population clusters located in the world? What is overpopulation? How do arithmetic, physiological, and agricultural densities describe populations in countries? What is the NIR? How is it related to the CBR and CDR? What is the Total Fertility Rate (TFR)? Generally speaking, in what countries is it really high? What are some reasons for a high TFR? What does a population pyramid show? How about a pyramid with a wide base and narrow top? How about one with a wide top and narrow base? Describe the 4 stages of the demographic transition. In what stage are most developed countries? What stage are most developing countries? What are some of the negative impacts of China’s one child policy? What is a dependency ratio and how is it related to a population pyramid? What are ways to lower the birth rate in countries? What are a few of the major stumbling blocks to reducing TFR in developing countries? Chapter 6: Migration Where did immigrants come from during the 3 main eras of immigration to the US? What does the US Census Bureau’s map of the mean center of US population tell us about population? What is the Great Migration and about how many people did it involve? To what areas of the US have most people in the US moved to recently? Is there a trend of most Americans moving to within 50 miles of a coast? What is rural to urban migration? Why does it happen so often in developing countries? What are some examples of push and pull factors in immigration? What are refugees and about how large can the largest refugee camps be in terms of population size? What are undocumented immigrants and why are they often referred to as illegal immigrants? What is chain migration? What are some suggested approaches for handling the undocumented immigrant issue in the US?