Earth Rotation.ppt

* Earth Rotation The Earth spins slowly, making a full turn with respect to the Sun every day. We use the term rotation to describe this motion. The Earths rotation is important for three reasons: The axis of rotation serves as a reference in setting up the geographic grid of latitude and longitude; it provides the day as a convenient measure of time; and it influences physical and life processes on Earth. The direction of rotation of the Earth can be thought of as (a) counterclockwise at the north pole, or (b) from left to right (eastward) at the equator. (a) Parallels of latitude divide the globe crosswise into rings. (b) Meridians of longitude divide the globe from pole to pole. Earth Rotation The Earths Revolution Around the Sun Another important motion of the Earth is its revolution, or its movement in orbit around the Sun. The seasons we experience on Earth are related to the orientation of the Earths axis of rotation and the position of the Sun. The Earths Revolution Around the Sun The tilt of the Earths axis of rotation with respect to its orbital plane. As the Earth moves in its orbit on the plane of the ecliptic around the Sun, its rotational axis remains pointed toward Polaris, the north star, and makes an angle of 66 1/2° with the ecliptic plane. *See Movie on the Earth’s Revolution Around the Sun in the GeoDiscoveries section of your texts website. Map Projections Map Projections allow us to present the three-dimensional spherical Earth on a two-dimensional piece of paper or computer screen Map Projections An example of a cylindrical projection is the Mercator Projection shown here. Notice how the meridians and parallels are presented as straight vertical and horizontal lines. *See Animation on Cylindrical Projections in the GeoDiscoveries section of your texts website. A Cylindrical Projection can be produced by wrapping a piece of paper around the globe in the form of a cylinder with the paper touching at the equator. Map Projections A Conica