1. Physical Geography
WG.2a-c

2. Climate charateristics
Three common charateristics that define climate
Temperature
Precipitation
Seasons (hot/cold, wet/dry)

3. Temperature is the degree of heat or cold in the atmosphere
Precipitation is the amount of moisture falling at any given moment. It can be in the form of rain, sleet, snow, or ice.

4. Climate charateristics cont.
Elements that influence regional climate patterns
latitude--higher the latitude the colder the climates
wind
elevation--higher and colder
proximity (closeness) to water

5. There are 3 latitude climate region
Low latitude climates--from 0-30 degrees N and S latitude (tropical)
Mid latitude climates--from degrees N and S latitude (mild)
High latitude climates—from degrees N and S latitude (polar)

6. Elevation is the height an area is above sea level
Water influences temperature because it is slow to heat up or cool down. It can also influence precipitation.

7. Elements that influence regional climate patterns
Wind currents--wind and ocean currents help transfer heat from one part of the earth to another. The process is known as convection. Wind also blows in curved lines because the earth rotates Coriolis Effect

8. Climate charateristics cont.
World Climate Regions
Low latitudes-tropical wet tropical wet and dry, arid, semiarid, and highland
Middle Latitudes-semi-arid, arid, Mediterranean, humid continental, marine west coast, humid subtropical, highland

9. Climate charateristics cont.
World Climate Regions
High latitudes-subarctic, tundra, icecap

10. Climate charateristics cont.
Vegetation Regions
Rain forest -Savanna
Desert -Steppe
Middle Latitude forests
Taiga -Tundra

11. Climate charateristics cont.
Weather phenomena
Monsoons--South and Southeast Asia (rainstorms)
Typhoons--Pacific Ocean—Similar to a hurricane
Hurricanes--Atlantic Ocean
Tornadoes--United States

12. Climate charateristics cont.
Effects of climate
crops--what grows where
clothing--what needs to be worn
housing--type of building
natural hazards--dangers

13. Physical and ecological processes
There are four processes which have shaped the earth, Earthquakes, Floods, Volcanoes, and Erosion
These four processes have created mountains, lakes, islands and have caused tremendous amounts of damage

14. Human’s impact on the environment
Aral Sea--diverting water has caused the lake to shrink and become useless
Colorado River--placing dams on the river has provided hydroelectric power to millions but destroyed the natural landscape

15. Human’s impact on the environment
Aswan High Dam--has helped control the yearly flooding on the Nile River but has destroyed agriculture
Canals—man made waterway
Reservoirs—areas of stored water
Irrigation—water used for farming

16. How has the land changed due to man
Agricultural terracing has cut farms into the sides of hills and mountains in China and Southeast Asia
The use of Polders has allowed the Netherlands to reclaim millions of acres of farmland from the sea

17. Polder– land that has been taken back from the sea by building a dam and pumping the water out
Deforestation—removal of all trees from an area
Desertification—the increase of deserts by drought and over-farming or over-grazing

18. How has the land changed due to man
Deforestation has removed most of the forests in Nepal, Brazil, and Malaysia. This has caused a different set of problems in these areas
Desertification has become a major problem in areas of Africa and Asia. Major deserts are growing.

19. How has man changed the environment
Acid rain caused by pollution from factories and cars has destroyed monuments, cars, and major forests in Germany, Scandinavia, China and Eastern North America
Pollution destroys wildlife, agriculture and the land and sea. Examples are Mexico City, Chernobyl, and oil spills

20. Influence of technology
Agriculture--mechanization, fertilizers
Energy usage--fossil fuels, nuclear
Transportation--road building, railways

21. Influence of technology cont.
Airplanes--airport expansion, noise
Automobiles--parking lots, suburbs

22. How does the environment impact on humans
Settlement patterns
housing materials
agricultural activity
types of recreation
transportation patterns