University “Alexandru Ioan Cuza”

Department of Geography
Iasi, Romania

ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR GEOGRAPHERS

LECTURE 2

Daniela LARION

WHY IS THE EARTH STATING THIS ABOUT HUMANKIND?

Is humankind stupid??
 THE EARTH SYSTEM
1. The Solar System
2. Movements of the Earth.
3. The Earth System Components
4. The Structure of the Earth; Continents and Oceans
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 QUIZ
1. Which of the following best describes geography?
a. The study of where things are
b. The study of the distribution and interrelationships of earth phenomena
c. The study of the earth
d. The study of landforms and weather

2. Which scale will show the most detail on a map?

a. 1:24 000
b. 1:62 500
c. 1:100 000
None of the above as the amount of detail will be the same no matter the scale

3. If you were half way between the equator and the north pole
and one quarter of the way around the earth west of the prime
meridian you will be at:
a. 45°N; 90°W
b. 45°N; 180°W
c. 45°N; 90°E
d. 45°N; 180°E

4. The prime meridian is located at:

a. 90°W b. 180°W c. 0° d. 90°N

Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi

 5. Use the data set below to determine the correct annual average
temperature (AT) and the temperature range (TR)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

°C -6.2 -3.3 3.1 10.6 16.5 21.9 24.8 23.3 18.2 11.8 3.8 -3.8

a. AT=10.025; TR=18.6
b. AT=18.6; TR=10.025
c. AT=31; TR=10.025
d. AT=10.025; TR=31

6. 45 degrees North latitude falls in the ........................ Geographic zone

a. Subtropical
b. Midlatitude
c. Subarctic
d. Arctic

7. Lines of longitude
a. Converge at the poles
b. Measured north or south of the prime meridian
c. Are parallel to each other
d. All of the above.
8. Lines connecting points of equal elevation are called:
a. Topographic lines
b. Elevation lines
c. Contour lines
d. Isobars
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 UNIVERSE

MILKY WAY

SOLAR SYSTEM

PLANET EARTH

Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi

 THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Reading
This solar system contains the sun and its 8 planets* which revolve around the sun in elliptical
orbits.
Because the planets are at varying distances from the sun, and because they revolve around the
sun, they each take a different time to complete one orbit.
MERCURY completes its orbit in 88 days, that is, a year on Mercury lasts 88 days.
The EARTH completes its orbit in 365 ¼ days, which is the length of one year on earth.
The MOON, which revolves around the earth, takes approximately 27 days to do so.
*Eight “classical” planets are recognized by the International Astronomical Union.
In 2008, Pluto was classified as a “plutoid” – a kind of dwarf planet.
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 THE SUN – a STAR at the center of the Solar System

Diameter = 1,392,684 km (Earth x109)

Mass = 1.989×1030 kilograms (Earth x 330,000)
Chemical composition:
hydrogen (3/4)
helium (almost ¼)
oxygen, carbon, neon, iron
Internal temperature = 15 million degrees Celsius

The sun seen from different planets

The light of the sun falls on each of the planets and it is in turn
reflected by them.
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 Write down the NOUNS corresponding to the
following adjectives:`(using two different suffixes):

Adjective Noun
long length
wide width
deep depth
high height
strong strength
thick thickness
sharp sharpness
round roundness
weak weakness
hard hardness
heavy heaviness

Other adjectives adding suffix “ness” to form a noun: dark, aware, happy, lazy, tidy, lonely, forgetful, rude
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 SOLAR WIND
THE SOLAR WIND AND AURORAS a continuous flow of charged
particles (ions and electrons)
from the Sun

Reading:
During periods of high solar activity, the solar wind is more dense, travels faster, and
possesses more energy. Reaching the Earth’s magnetic field it sets off amazing
displays of light by exciting atmospheric gases.
In the Northern Hemisphere this spectacular light shows are called aurora borealis
(or northern lights). In the Southern Hemisphere they are called aurora australis (or
southern lights)

Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi

 MOVEMENTS OF THE EARTH

A. It rotates (Rotation of the Earth)

B. It revolves (Revolution of the Earth)

A. ROTATION OF THE EARTH

The earth rotates once in 24 hours and this results in:

1. Day and night
2. A difference of 1 hour between two meridians 15° apart
3. The deflection of winds and ocean currents
4. The daily rising and falling of the tides

Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi

 B. REVOLUTION OF THE EARTH

The earth takes 365 ¼ days to revolve once round the sun. Every fourth year is given 366
days and this is called a leap year.
The revolution of the earth and the inclination of its axis result in:

1. Changes in the altitude of the mid-day sun at different times of the year
2. Varying lengths of day and night at different times of the year
3. The four seasons
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 WHAT CAUSES THE SEASONS?
(short video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgq0LThW7QA

The Earth currently has an axial tilt of about 23.4°

At present, it is decreasing at a rate of about 47″
per century.
For the next 1 million the Earth’s tilt will vary
between 22° 13' 44" and 24° 20' 50".

Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi

 WHICH IS THE SHORTEST TIME UNIT?

a. 1 second?
b. 1 nanosecond?
c. 1 millisecond?
d. 1 microsecond?
e. None of the above

Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi

 TIME UNITS – more than you probably know!
attosecond 10−18s month 28-31days

femtosecond 10−15s season 3 months

picosecond 10−12s year 12 months

nanosecond 10−9s common year 365 days

microsecond 10−6s leap year 366 days

millisecond 0.001s biennium 2 years

centisecond 0.01s
triennium 3 years
decisecond 0.1s lustrum 5 years
second 1s decade 10 years
decasecond 10 s gigasecond 1 billion s (31.7 years)
minute 60 s jubilee 50 years
hectosecond 100 s century 100 years
kilosecond 1,000s millenium 1,000 years

hour 60 min terasecond 1 trillion s (31,700 years

day 24 h megaannum
HOURGLASS
1 million years

(sandglass, sand timer,

megasecond gigaanum
1 million s 1 billion years
sand watch, sand clock,
fortnight 14 days exasecond
egg timer) 31.7 billion
years
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi (11.6 days) (more than twice the age of the Universe)
 Which is the longest day of the year?
21st of June (Summer solstice)

Which is the shortest day of the year?

22nd of December (Winter solstice)
Summer solstice - Stonehenge

Spring equinox Winter solstice Autumn equinox Summer

(vernal) (autumnal) solstice
Date March 21 December 22 September 23 June 21

Subsolar 0° 23° ½ S 0° 23° ½ N

Point
Tangent North and South Arctic and North and South Arctic and
Rays Poles Antarctic Circles Poles Antarctic Circles
Day 12 hour day length 24 hours of darkness at 12 hour day length 24 hours of darkness at
length everywhere North Pole; everywhere South Pole;
24 hours of day light at 24 hours day light at
South Pole; North Pole;
12 hours of day light at 12 hours day light at
Equator Equator

APHELION - July 7 (longest distance between the Sun and the Earth)
PERIHELION – January 3 (shortest distance)
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 1. Your book is beside/besides the computer.
2. Beside/besides John, who else is coming?
3. That is Paul playing beside/besides the piano.
4. Beside/besides I doubt Peter is even his real
name.
5. There are four other Romanian families on the
cruise beside/besides us.

BESIDE = langa (next to)

BESIDES = in afara de, pe langa (apart from)
in plus/si inca ceva (another thing)

Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi

 COMPONENTS OF THE EARTH SYSTEM

The Earth system is a complex functioning

system that includes all the components of
the various “spheres”:
• the solid Earth ....................................
• the gaseous envelope surrounding the
Earth....................
• the living organisms .............................
• the water “sphere”...............................

Systems can be classified as open, closed or isolated.

Open systems allow energy and mass to pass across the

system boundary.
A closed system allows energy but not mass across its system
(includes solid water) boundary.
An isolated system allows neither mass nor energy to pass
(made or modified by humans)
across the system boundary.

closed
THE EARTH SYSTEM as a whole is a ...................... system.
Where does the Earth system take energy from?
a. From the SUN (exogenic forces → exogenic processes)
b. From inside the EARTH (endogenic forces → endogenic processes)
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 What sort of energy created the following situations
(endogenic or exogenic)?

Dust storm (exogenic) Tornado (exogenic)

Volcanic eruption (endogenic)

Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi

 THE STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH

INNER CORE

OUTER CORE

MANTLE
LOWER MANTLE
UPPER MANTLE
(Astenosphere)
CRUST

LITHOSPHERE = CRUST + uppermost MANTLE

The crust is broken into several individual pieces called tectonic plates.
These rigid plates are slowly but continually moving, generating earthquakes,
volcanic activity, and the deformation of large masses of rock into mountains.

Sea-floor spreading (oceanic lithosphere is being created)

Subduction zones (oceanic lithosphere is being consumed)
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 THE CONTINENTS AND THE OCEANS

A continent is usually regarded as a large unbroken land mass completely

surrounded by water. Are there any exceptions?............
The seven continents (defined by physical and cultural conventions) are:
................
”World Ocean” – 71% of the Earth’s surface
Why is Earth called the “Blue Planet”? .......................
The Pacific Ocean – 166 million square kilometers
The largest ocean is..........................
The Arctic Ocean – 14 million square kilometers
The smallest ocean is..........................
One ocean was recognized in 2000 by the International Hydrographic
Organization.
The Southern Ocean
Name it: ..............................
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 BETWEEN or AMONG?

1. among open-minded people.

I want to live ...............
2. between fantasy and reality.
He is unable to differentiate ...............
3. What is the difference between .............. hate, loathing, and disdain?
4. among
Share these sweets ................. yourselves.
5. between the palm tree and the hut.
The map is ................
6. among his 5 children.
The billionaire divided his estate ...............
7. The employers are blind to the employees’ conflict
between work and life.
................
8. We must choose between............... two equally unattractive
alternatives.
among the six
9. Choose a colour palette from ..............
design schemes.
among
10. He was glad to find a friend ............... enemies.

BETWEEN = intre AMONG = intre

(2 lucruri/fiinte – sau 3 (mai multe lucuri/fiinte
– foarte specific) – mai general)
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 Earth’s Rotation
(to rotate)
Earth’s Revolution
(to revolve)
Axial tilt
Elliptical orbit
Spring Equinox
Summer Solstice
EARTH: Autumnal Equinox
Inner core Winter Solstice
Outer core Leap year
Lower mantle Aphelion
Upper mantle Perihelion
Universe
Crust
Milky Way Tectonic plates Aurora Borealis
Solar System (northern lights)
Sun Sea-floor spreading Aurora Australis
Planets Subduction zone (southern lights)
Moon
Lithosphere
Mercury SUN: Atmosphere
Venus Core Biosphere
Earth Photosphere Hydrosphere
Mars Chromosphere Cryosphere
Jupiter Corona Anthroposphere
Saturn Sunspot
Solar prominence
Uranus
Solar wind
Neptune Radiative zone Time Units
Pluto Convective zone
Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 The thought of the day:

An Essay on this topic: 10 points (max)

Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi
 Thank you for your attendance!

Daniela LARION – UAIC Iasi