The Earth as a Rotating Planet

Chapter 1

The Shape of the Earth

Earth or Sun moving?Early sailors view……Is the Earth a perfect sphere?(Quasi-sphere)*—Rotation causes it to bulge at the Equator and flatten at the Poles *Oblate Spheroid

Earth RotationWhat is rotation?

What direction does the Earth rotate?How long does it take to rotate?3 main effects of rotation

Why is rotation important?Axis serves as reference for geographic grid (latitude and longitude)Measure for time (time zones)Affects physical and life processes

Earth Rotation

Figure 1.2 (P. 26)

The Geographic Grid

What is a geographic grid?A system for locating or determining the location of places on the Earth’s surfaceDemarcations for hemispheres

Latitude-Distance N or S of the Equator (0 degrees latitude) **Parallels

Tucson is approximately 30 degrees North

Longitude-Distance E or W of the Prime Meridian (0 degrees longitude)

A few more points about the latitude and longitude...

Location of a point is given as:latitude (in degrees N or S), longitude (in degrees E or W)

There are two techniques for indicating a more detailed location:

Decimal degrees: 32.13°Degrees, minutes, seconds: 32° 07’ 48”

Determining a location with latitude and longitude

Parallels and Meridians

ExamplesWhat city is located at 37°S and 144°E?

Melbourne, Australia

What city is located at 40°N and 105°W?Denver, CO

What city is located at 51°N and 0°W?London, England

Distances: Given the fact that the circumference of the Earth is 24,860 miles and there are 360° in a circle—How many miles are there in 1 ° of longitude at the Equator?

Calculating Distances between Lines of Latitude

Latitude=(69 miles) x (difference in degrees latitude)Example 1: Calculate the number of miles between Atlanta (33°N, 84°W) and New York City (40°N, 74°W).

Latitude=(69) x (7°)=483 milesExample 2: Calculate the number of miles between Prague (50°N, 14°E) and Tripoli, Libya (32°N, 13°E).

Latitude=(69) x (18°)=1,242 miles

Calculating Distances between Lines of Longitude (**Difficult)

Longitude=(69 miles) x (COS of parallel traveled) x (difference in degrees long.)Example 1: Calculate the number of miles between Cairo, Egypt (30°N, 31°E) and New Delhi, India (28°N, 77°E). Assume travel along the 29°N parallel.

Longitude=(69) x (COS 29) x (46°)=2,777 miles

Map Projections

A map is just an abstraction or representation of the real world. The art and science of map-making is called cartography.When you are trying to represent a curved surface on flat paper, you get distortion. Why?Map units

From Earth to a mapStart with ellipsoidDifficult, if not impossible, to take a curved surface and place it on a flat surfaceResult is distortionAll maps have some type of distortion

Five Types of Distortion +1 more

Type ExampleShape Circle becomes ovalScale Map scale changesArea Land mass gets biggerDistance Space between cities increasesDirection Line varies: N to NW

Polar ProjectionCharacteristics: a circular map centered on North or South Poles and usually showing one hemisphere at most; meridians are straight lines; parallels are circlesAdvantage: Preserves shapesDisadvantages: scale and area distortion

Mercator Projection

A type of conformal projectionCharacteristics: rectangular; meridians and parallels are both straight linesAdvantage: straight line drawn on map represents a constant compass directionDisadvantages: scale, area, and distance distortion

Goode ProjectionA type of equal-area projectionCharacteristics: odd shape; meridians both straight and curved lines; parallels are straight linesAdvantage: Preserves areaDisadvantage: shape distortion

Global TimeHow many world time zones? US?

Not exact…why?Solar noon: period when Sun appears to be highest in the skyLines of longitude used for time zones15° of longitude = 1 hr of time (360° in one rotation ÷ 24 hrs = 15° per hour)Example 1: If it is 1 a.m. in Washington D.C., what time is it in Honolulu, Hawaii?

8 p.mExample 2: If it is Noon in Charlotte, NC, what time is it in Madrid, Spain?

6 p.m.

U.S. time zones

Time zones

Global Time (cont’d)International Date Line

Located approximately along 180°Why? 180° ÷ 15° per hr = 12 hr. So if it’s 1pm on the Prime Meridian, the IDL is 1am (next day).West adds a dayEast subtract a dayDaylight Savings Time

Midnight Meridian—the meridian that is experiencing midnight (the midnight meridian is NOT stationary)

Time Examples

If it is 10 a.m. in Santiago, Chile on Tuesday, May 25, what is the time and date in Taipei, Taiwan?

10 p.m. the same day

If it is 1 p.m. in Juneau, Alaska on Saturday, June 12, what is the time and date in Tokyo, Japan?

7 a.m. the next day (June 13)

Longitudnal Time ProblemsExample 1: If you depart Washington D.C. (33°N, 77°W) at Noon, at what speed would you have to travel to arrive in Denver, CO (39°N, 105°W) at Noon? Assume travel along the 35°N parallel.

Miles=(69) x (COS 35) x (28°)=1,582 miles1,582 miles / 2 = 791 mph

Example 2: If you depart Philadelphia, PA (40°N, 75°W) at 1 p.m., at what speed would you have to travel to arrive in Seattle, WA (48°N, 122°W) at 2 p.m.? Assume travel along the 45°N parallel.

Miles=(69) x (COS 45) x (47°)=2,293 miles2,293 miles / 4 = 573 mph

Earth’s Revolution

Movement of the Earth around the SunCounterclockwise if viewed from aboveOne revolution = 365.242 days = 1 yrResponsible for:

SeasonsAmount of daylight (along with Earth’s tilt)

Earth’s Revolution (cont’d)When viewed from above, notice that path of Earth is not a perfect circle, but an ellipse or oval.Perihelion:

When Earth is closest to the SunOccurs in January (Northern Hemisphere winter)

Aphelion: When Earth is farthest from the SunOccurs in July (Northern Hemisphere summer)

Earth’s Revolution

Earth’s Revolution (cont’d)Along with perihelion and aphelion, other times in revolution also have specific names: equinoxes and solstices.

EquinoxesMarch (vernal) and September (autumnal)Sun’s rays hit equator at 90° (subsolar pt.)All latitudes receive ~12 hrs of daylightCircle of illumination from North Pole to South Pole

SolsticesOccur in June (summer) and December (winter)Subsolar point in June: Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N); in Dec: Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S)June solstice: areas from 66.5°N to North Pole receive 24 hrs of daylight (movie – “Insomnia”)Winter solstice: areas from 66.5°S to South Pole receive 24 hrs of daylight