GPHY 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: The Four Seasons (Band), Global Positioning System, Map Projection

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Geography
• Course: GPHY 102
• Professor: Ryan K Danby

Document Summary

Gphy102 lecture 3 the earth as a rotating planet. The shape of the earth: earth is an oblate ellipsoid. Not a perfect sphere, bulges slightly at the equator. Differential 0. 3: earth rotating around axis (think y axis) Direction of rotation: earth rotates counter clockwise when view above the north pole, when viewed from space it rotates from east to west\ Earths rotation: earth rotates on its fixed axis once every day (24 hours, important because. Axis of rotation provides reference for setting up geographic grid of. Environmental effects of earths rotation latitude and longitude. It has an important effect on physical and life processes: diumal rhythm of energy air temp, humidity, and air motion, coriolis effect. Winds and water deflected from expected direction. Key to global winds and ocean currents: tides. Moon and sun exert gravitational; pull on earths oceans.