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    Geog Ch. 1 Summary

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    Scion McKinley
    McKnight's Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation Twelfth edition-- 2017 summary notes for Chapter 1

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    Geog Ch. 1 Summary

    Uploaded by

    Scion McKinley
    25 views7 pages
    McKnight's Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation Twelfth edition-- 2017 summary notes for Chapter 1

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    Geog ch. 1 summary

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    McKnight's Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation Twelfth edition-- 2017 summary notes for Chapter 1

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    25 views7 pages

    Geog Ch. 1 Summary

    Uploaded by

    Scion McKinley
    McKnight's Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation Twelfth edition-- 2017 summary notes for Chapter 1

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 7

    Dimensions and features of the earth

    The earth has about 12.5 miles of relief with Mt. Everest over 29,000 feet (8850
    meters) above sea level and the Mariana trench about 36,000 feet (11,053
    meters) below sea level.
    The earth’s circumference is about 25 thousand miles or about 40 thousand
    kilometers.
    Note: In Egypt, Eratosthenes (~2200 years ago) calculated circumference
    using the sun angles during the summer solstice (longest day of summer in
    northern hemisphere) and measuring the distance between two locations.
    Geographic north and south and the north and south poles are determined by the
    spin axis of the earth. The velocity in space is over 1000 miles per hour at the
    equator (~25,000 mi. in 24 hours) and zero miles per hour at the pole. The
    physical forces exerted by the rotation of the earth includes the Coriolis effect
    which we’ll study more.
    Note that the magnetic poles of the earth are generated from the metallic
    core of the earth and are quite different from the geographic poles. The magnetic
    poles are also transient which means they migrate over time. The angle
    difference between true north and magnetic north at a location is called the
    magnetic declination. In western Washington the magnetic declination is about
    20 degrees west of true north.

    Latitude and Longitude:


    Parallels of Latitude are measured from the Equator: 0-90 degrees north (at pole)
    and 0-90 degrees south. Parallels of latitude are really based on the physical
    earth (spin axis) and have been used a long time historically, e.g., for navigation,
    based on sun angle and time of year. The Equator is a great circle or full
    circumference and all other parallels are small circles (less than full
    circumference).
    Important parallels include the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 degrees north and
    Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5 degrees south, as well as the Arctic circle at 66.5
    degrees north and the Antarctic circle at 66.5 degrees south.
    The inclination of the earth’s spin axis relative to the sun at 23.5 degrees
    determines the edges of the tropics and polar regions.

    Meridians of Longitude are measured from the Prime Meridian (made official in
    1884): 0-180 degrees west and 0-180 degrees east. Degrees are divided into
    minutes.
    Meridians of longitude are all great circles. Note that the Prime Meridian is
    a line set by agreement and really could be anywhere.
    While 0 degrees longitude is indicated at the Greenwich observatory in the U.K.
    (in photograph),
    a modern adjustment to the prime meridian places it several hundred feet east of
    this line based on space-based projections to the center of the earth.
    Seasons and the earth’s position relative to the sun:

    Our seasons progress as we take our year long journey in an elliptical orbit around
    the sun. The solstices are the longest and shortest days of the year. The
    equinoxes are days of equal day and night everywhere on earth.
    Note that the equator has equal day and night year-round and day length
    variation increases toward the poles. Remember that the longest day of the year
    and peak of summer in the northern hemisphere is the shortest day of the year in
    the southern hemisphere.
    Time zones roughly conform to meridians with notable adjustments based on

    conventions and boundaries in various countries and states. Some countries shift
    on the half hour or other (note central Asia).

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