GEO101 Exam 1 Study Guide

GEO101 Final Exam Study Guide

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.

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 - Sub-classifications within each biome (Savannah, Forests, and Deserts) - 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

Chapter 15 - Percentage of fresh water as total water - Infiltration - Soil water belt - 2 types of runoff - Groundwater vs. water table - 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

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?