1. Unit 1: Physical Geography

2. What makes Earth a “living planet”?
What color do you see the most?
Blue= Water, Water =Life

3. Bodies of Water Oceans and Seas
71% of the earth is covered by salt water
What are the major oceans?
Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Indian and Southern

4. Ocean Motion
Currents
Waves
Tides

5. Hydrologic Cycle
The continuous circulation of water between the atmosphere, the oceans and the earth.

6. Ground Water
Water that sits in the rock of the earth. The water table is the level at which the rock is saturated, or full.

7. Make your own Hydrologic cycle
In your notes, create your own version of the hydrologic cycle. Does not have to look like the example.

8. Lakes, Rivers and Streams
Bodies of fresh water

9. 4 types of Reliefs: Mountains, hills, plains and plateaus
Landforms
Relief: The geographic feature that separates one landform from another. It is the difference in elevation from the lowest point to the highest.
4 types of Reliefs: Mountains, hills, plains and plateaus

10. Oceanic Landforms
Continental Shelf: From the edge of a continent to the deep part of the ocean.
Ridges, valleys, canyons, plains and mountains all exist on the ocean floor...

11. Other Landforms: Please turn to pgs 34-35 in your textbook
Create your own landform glossary.
List and define each landform using the Cornell note format.

12. How the Earth is Shaped...
Our earth is MOVING!!

13. Enormous moving pieces of the earth’s lithosphere
Tectonic Plates
Enormous moving pieces of the earth’s lithosphere

14. Types of Plate Movement

15. What Happens When the Plates Move??
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are measured using the Richter Scale. The scale begins at 1 and has no upper limit...
What was the largest earthquake ever recorded?
9.5-Valdivia Chile

16. Tsunami: Sometimes earthquakes cause a major wave that hits the coast

17. Volcanoes Magma, gases, and water gather under the earth’s mantle
Volcanoes Magma, gases, and water gather under the earth’s mantle. Eventually, they push their way out...

18. Ring of Fire: A zone around the rim of the Pacific ocean where most of the world’s volcanoes are located.

19. External Forces….. Weathering – pg 42
What is the difference between mechanical and chemical weathering. Give three examples of how each occurs. (3 for mechanical and 3 for chemical)
Erosion - pg 43
Take notes on the 3 types Erosion (Characteristics of each)
What type of erosion is most likely to occur here in the greater Houston area?

20. Vegetation…. Read and take notes on the 3 types of vegetation pg. 66
What are their characteristics, Where are they located? (this should be in with your notes)

21. Seasons
The tilt of the earth is what causes seasons to occur (Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter)
Solstice: Longest and shortest days of the year
Equinox: Equal day and night

22. Weather
Weather: The condition of the atmosphere at a particular location and time.
Climate: Weather conditions at a particular location over a long period of time.
What’s the difference between weather and climate?
Give an example…

23. Weather Extremes
Hurricanes: A storm that forms over warm tropical ocean waters (Typhoons in Asia)
Tornadoes: A powerful funnel-shaped column of spiraling air
Blizzard: a heavy snowstorm with winds of more than 35 miles per hour
Droughts: a long period of time without rain fall
Floods: When water spreads over land not normally covered in water

24. Factors that Affect Climate
Wind Currents
Ocean Currents
Zones of Latitude
Elevation
Topography
El Nino: The warming of waters off the west coast of South America (a natural change in climate)

25. Questions
1. From the 5 weather extremes name the one that Houston has yet to experience.
2. How does location affect climate?

26. Climate Regions (brief descriptions)
Tropical Wet: Little variation in temperature, always hot and rainy
Tropical Wet & Dry: Rainy season in the summer, and a dry season in the winter
Semiarid: Typically found around deserts or interior of continents, small amount of rain
Desert: receive less than 10 inches of rain a year (can be hot or cold)

27. Climate Regions (brief descriptions)
Mediterranean: Dry & hot summers, winters are cool & rainy
Marine West Coast: Cloudy, foggy & rainy, near an ocean
Humid Subtropical: Long summers of heat and humidity
Humid Continental: mid-latitude interiors of the northern hemisphere, various temperatures

28. Climate Regions (brief descriptions)
Subartic: Huge variations in temperature, long freezing season
Tundra: Flat, treeless land surrounding the Artic Circle
Ice Cap: Snow, ice and permanently freezing temperatures
Highlands: Rugged mountain areas

29. Questions 3. Which climate zone does Houston fall into?
4. Discuss with your neighbor which climate zone you would prefer to live in and why.