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Physical Geography Review
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Volcanoes Volcanoes can occur anywhere in the world, but are most common along plate boundaries Hot Spots – volcanoes that occur far from plate boundaries Hawaiian Islands Ring of Fire Cannot predict when a volcano will erupt Volcanic ash provides fertile soil for farming
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Earthquakes More common at plate boundaries
Epicenter – where the earthquake originates Seismograph – detects if an earthquake has occurred Richter Scale – measures strength of an earthquake Cannot predict when one will occur Better buildings
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Tsunami Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic explosions Can be detected with an early warning system but not all countries can afford it
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Erosion Surface of the earth is being formed by erosion and weather
Weathering break rocks down Erosion moves the pieces Wind Water Ice Gravity Natural and human causes Preventable – covering exposed earth, planting vegetation
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Floods Occur when there is too much rain and rivers overflow their banks Semi-preventable – embankments and levees Occur mostly in low elevation areas and near rivers Mississippi River Bangladesh
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Climate and weather Characteristics
Climate is the condition of the atmosphere over a long period of time Impacts crops, clothing, housing creates natural disasters Weather is the condition of the atmosphere over a short period of time. Characteristics Temperature Precipitation Seasons Elements Latitude Winds Elevation Ocean Currents
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Latitude
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Low Latitudes Tropical Wet – rains a lot and is hot (rainforest)
Tropical Wet and Dry – rains one half of the year, no rain the other half
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Middle Latitudes Mediterranean Humid Continental Humid Subtropical
Marine West Coast
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High Latitudes Subarctic (Taiga) Tundra Icecap
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Climates that can occur in multiple Latitudes
Arid – dry (deserts) Semiarid – dry grasslands (steppe) Highland - mountains
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Vegetation Rainforest – forest with broadleaf trees located in low latitudes Savanna – Tropical grassland in Africa Steppe – dry grassland near deserts Middle Latitude Forest – Mixed forests with coniferous and deciduous trees Taiga – Coniferous forests (boreal forest) Tundra – cold grassland with permafrost
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Weather Monsoons Typhoons Hurricanes Tornadoes
Seasonal wind patterns in south and southeast Asia Typhoons Tropical storms in Pacific Ocean Hurricanes Tropical storms in Atlantic Ocean Tornadoes Twisting funnel shaped storms in U.S.
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Regions Regions are areas that share unifying physical or cultural characteristics Physical Regions Sahara Desert Taiga Rainforest Great Plains Low Countries – polder, area of reclaimed land from the sea Cultural Regions Language Latin America, Francophone world Ethnicity Chinatowns, Kurdistan Religion Islam, Buddhism Economic Wheat belts, European Union, Rust Belt Political NATO, African Union
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Water Diversion and Management
Reservoirs and canals for irrigation Aral Sea Shrinking due to over irrigation Colorado River Aswan High Dam Provides electricity for Egypt
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Changing landscapes Agricultural Terracing Polders Deforestation
Practiced in mountainous areas to create flat land Polders Area of land reclaimed from the sea Deforestation Loss of forests due to over use and removal for farming Desertification When arable land turns to desert due to overuse
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Pollution Air Water Nuclear
Caused by the burning of fossil fuels, oil, coal and natural gas Acid rain Water Runoff, waste, oil spills Nuclear Chernobyl
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Settlement Patterns and agriculture
People have a difficult time living where The climate is too hot Too cold No water Housing Materials Adobe (mud) Sod Ice Wood Clay Stone Climate impacts what kind of plants can be grown and where Topography – flat vs mountains Climate Recreation Transportation Mountains are barriers to trade Use rivers and ocean as trade routes Extreme weather makes movement difficult
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Technology and the environment
Agriculture Humans can grow more food and harvest it faster Machines, fertilizers, pesticides Energy Usage Solar, wind, geothermal, fossil fuels, nuclear Most of the world's energy is produced by fossil fuels Transportation Automobiles Internal combustion engine Allow people to travel farther faster Airplanes Easier and faster to travel Noise pollution and other environmental concerns
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