Transcript Questions Due Thursday

Geographical Terms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Landforms
Mountains
Plateaus
Plain
Desert
Volcano
Peninsula
8. Hill
9. Valley
10. Glacier
11. Locks
12.Canal
13.Archipelago
14.Sea
15.Isthmus
Night and Day
 Orbit- The oval shaped path the earth
takes around the sun
 Revolution- One complete orbit
 365 1/4 days
 Axis- Line running through the Earth
from the N. to S. poles
 Rotation- one complete turn on the
Earth’s axis
 24 hours (One Day)
Latitudes
 Climate and Temperature are linked to Latitudes
 Low Latitudes (23.5 N to 23.5 S) = Tropics
•
23.5 N = Tropic of Cancer
•
23.5 S = Tropic of Capricorn
 High Latitudes (66.5 N to 90 N and 66.5 S to 90
S)= Polar
•
66.5 N = Arctic Circle
•
66.5 S = Antarctic Circle
 Middle Latitudes (Temperate Zone)
 23.5 N to 66.5 N and 23.5 S to 66.5 S
 Four Seasons
Important Days of the Northern Hem
 Sun Shines on the Tropic of Cancer on June 20
or 21
 Summer solstice (First day of summer)
 Sun Shines on the Tropic of Capricorn on
December 21 or 22
 Winter solstice (First day of winter)
 Sun Shines on Equator on March 21 and
September 23
 Days exactly the same length as nights =
Equinoxes
 Seasons
 Earth is tilted on its axis
 Toward sun = Days are longer, weather
is warmer
 Away from sun = Days are shorter,
weather is colder
 Tilt causes seasonal opposites on the Earth in
the N. and S. Hemi.
Plates and Tectonics:
Internal Forces
 Plate- huge pieces of the Earth’s
crust
 Plate Tectonics- Theory that the
continents were once
connected as one supercontinent. Pangaea
 Plates float on magma (hot soft
rock) altering the Earth surface
 May move 2 inches a year
 Ring of Fire”
 Circles the Pacific Ocean
 90% of Earth’s
earthquakes happen here
Weathering and Erosion:
External Forces
 Weathering-Breaking of rocks
into tiny pieces
 Erosion- Moving of small rocks
from one place to another
 Caused by Wind Water and
Ice
Air and Water
 Atmosphere- Thick layer
of special gasses
 Oxygen, Nitrogen,
Carbon Dioxide
 Mostly Nitrogen
Weather and Climate
 Weather- Day to day
changes in the air
 Measured mostly by
temperature and precipitation
 Temp.- How warm or cool the air feels
 Celsius - Metric
 Fahrenheit - Standard
 Kelvin – Scientific
 Precip.-Water that falls to the ground
 Rain, sleet, snow, or hail
 Climate- Average
weather over many
years.
 What effect climate?
 Landforms, Elevation, Latitude
Climate affects vegetation
Vegetation- plants growing in
an area
Earths
Earth’s Vegetation
Latitude
• The closer to the Equator, the
warmer the climate
• More direct sunlight
• The farther from the Equator,
the colder the climate
• Less direct sunlight
 Tropical- Low Lat. hot and wet
 Lots of Veg.
 Rain forests
 Canopy – thick Veg. at the
top of the rainforests
 Can be 50 ft thick!
 Dry- Varied Lat. hot and little
rain
 Very little (if any) Veg.
 Mild- Middle Lat. average
rain, hardly ever freezes
 Wide variety of Veg.
 Continental-Varied Lat. fairly
dry with varied temperatures
 Veg. adapts to climate
 Polar- High Lat. Cold year
round, no trees.
 Low grass, moss, lichens
Landforms
• Landforms block or allow
weather patterns
• Over time, weather becomes
climate
Mountains block
Plains allow
Elevation
 Vertical climate- Climate
change due to elevation
 Average Lapse Rate – For
every 1000 m in elevation,
temp drops 6.4 C
Winds
East - West winds
Created by the Earth’s rotation
North - South winds
Hot air rises and circulates to
colder regions
Cold air sinks and moves toward
hotter region
 Keeps the earth from overheating
Wind Cycle
When air cools, it loses
ability to hold moisture
Rises and cools
Sinks
Water Cycle