Physical Geography Notes WG 2a-b

Climate The weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period Characteristics Temperature Precipitation Seasons Elements Influence of latitude Influence of winds Influence of elevation Proximity to water Influence of ocean currents

World Climate Zones Low Latitudes Middle Latitudes High Latitudes Semiarid Arid Mediterranean Humid continental High Latitudes Subarctic Arctic Low Latitudes Tropical wet Tropical dry Arid Semiarid highland

Vegetation Regions Rain Forest Savanna Desert Steppe Middle latitude forest Taiga Tundra

Weather Phenomena Monsoon Typhoon Hurricane Tornado South and South East Asia Typhoon Pacific Ocean Hurricane Atlantic Ocean Tornado Central United States

Climate has an effect on… Crops Clothing Housing Natural hazards

Human interaction with the environment

Physical and Ecological Processes Earthquake Flood Volcanic Eruption Erosion Deposition

Water Diversion/Management Canals Reservoirs Irrigation

Examples: Aral Sea In the 1960s, the Soviet Union undertook a major water diversion project on the arid plains of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The region’s two major rivers, fed by snowmelt and precipitation in faraway mountains, were used to transform the desert into farms for cotton and other crops. (Irrigation)

Examples: Colorado River Hoover Dam is a reservoir on the Colorado River that provides water for southern Nevada, Arizona, southern California and northern Mexico. About 96 percent of the water in Lake Mead is from melted snow that fell in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming. Examples: Colorado River

Examples: Aswan High Dam Environmental impacts from the dam include: eliminating annual flood of Nile River (which deposited nutrient rich soil downstream), erosion of Nile Delta, and impact on agriculture Examples: Aswan High Dam

Landscape Changes Agricultural Terracing Polders Deforestation China, Southeast Asia Polders Netherlands Deforestation Nepal, Brazil, Malaysia Desertification Saharan Africa, Central Asia

Influence of Technology Agriculture Fertilizer, mechanization Energy Usage Fossil fuels, nuclear power Transportation Road building, railways Automobiles Parking lots, growth of suburbs Airplanes Airport expansion, noise, international travel