1. Forces That Shape the earth

2. Climate vs Weather What is climate?
-weather conditions over a long period of time.
What is weather?
-The current conditions of the atmosphere at a given point in time.

3. Climate Regions Tropical Dry Moist Subtropical Mid-Latitude Climates
Temperate
Polar

4. What Determines Climate
Precipitation (Rain, Sleet, Snow, Hail)
Elevation/Altitude (Height above sea level)
Location from the equator
-Latitude and Longitude
-Tropic of Cancer (Above the equator)
-Tropic of Capricorn (Below the equator)
Wind Direction
Ocean Currents
Topography

5. Wind Currents
Help distribute the sun’s heat from one part of the world to another through convection
The winds in the Northern and Southern hemispheres flow in opposite directions. This is called the Coriolis effect.

6. Ocean Currents
Warm waters flow away from the equator toward the poles, and cold water flows back toward the equator.
Affects the temperature of an area and also the amount of precipitation (rain) received.

7. Types of Weather Extremes
Blizzards
Droughts
Floods
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
El Nino (The warming of water in the Pacific)
Tsunami (Underwater Earthquakes)
Monsoons(Extreme rain storms)
-Usually occurs off the coast of Asia

8. Parts of the Earth
Lithosphere
Biosphere
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere

9. The Lithosphere The Layer of Rock -(Oceanic Crust) The ocean floor
-(Continental Crust) The land
The Continental Drift Theory
-States all the continents were once conjoined (Pangaea), but slowly
drifted apart.

10. Plate Tectonics Transform Boundaries
-The plates slide past one another
Divergent Boundaries
-The plates spread apart
Convergent Boundaries
-The plates collide with each other

11. Weathering 2 types of Weathering: Chemical and Mechanical
Chemical Weathering creates a new substance.
Mechanical Weathering breaks larger rock into smaller substances.
Erosion occurs during mechanical weathering.

12. The Biosphere
The layer of Earth that consist of all living things. (Plants and Animals)
What is a biome?
-The community of plants, animals, and types of soil.
-Tundra, Desert, Rainforest, and Grasslands.
What is an ecosystem?
-Smaller portions of biomes
What is vegetation?
-Plant Life
The climate and type of soil, ALWAYS determines the type of vegetation.

13. The Atmosphere The layer of gases that surround the Earth.
Mostly composed of Nitrogen and Oxygen.
78%Nitrogen
21%Oxygen
1%Other gases

14. The Hydrosphere All the water on Earth. The Earth is 75% water.
Includes oceans, lakes, seas, and rivers.

15. Physical Features Bodies of Water Oceanic Landforms
Continental Landforms

16. Bodies of Water
Water not only supports plants and animals, it helps distribute heat on the Earth.
Oceans and Seas
Saltwater, covers 71% of the Earth
Ocean Motion
Currents, waves, and tides
Lakes, Rivers, and Streams
Holds 95% of the Earth’s freshwater supply.
Groundwater
Held in the pores of rock
Hydrologic Cycle
Continuous circulation of water between the atmosphere, the oceans, and the Earth.

17. Oceanic Landforms Continental Shelf Similar to landforms above water
The Earth’s surface from the edge of a continent to the deep part of the ocean
Similar to landforms above water
Mountains, ridges, etc.

18. Continental Landforms
Relief
The difference in elevation of a landform from its lowest point to its highest point
4 categories:
Mountains
Hills
Plains
Plateaus
Topography
Combination of the surface shape and composition of the landforms and their distribution in a region.