Physical Geography

What is Physical Geography? Examines the relationships among patterns and processes within the physical environment Study of earth’s physical processes Geology – rocks and earth formations Environmental science – human interaction with the environment Topography – earth’s features Cartography – map making.

How are Physical Factors spatially defined? Location: The location of a place or thing on the earth’s surface Absolute Location: The exact spot of a place on the earth’s surface -Use Latitude and Longitude to define it Ex. - Toyko, Japan is at 36° N Latitude and 140° E Longitude Relative Location: The location of a place in relation to another place or thing Ex.) Sonic is across the street from Kroger Globe: Scale model of the earth

Zero Degrees Latitude is the Equator Numbers get higher the further North or South you move away from the Equator 90 Degree North (North Pole) 90 Degrees South (South Pole) AKA: Parallels Latitude lines measure North or South of the Equator

KNOW THESE LINES and their latitude measurements!! Equator 2 Tropics 2 Circles 2 Poles

AKA- Meridians Zero Degrees longitude is the Prime Meridian. 180 degrees East or West is the International Date Line By international agreement - 0 degrees longitude runs through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England Numbers get higher the farther you move either East of West Longitude lines measure East or West of the Prime Meridian

Where lines of latitude and longitude cross they form a pattern known as: (a global address) Each degree of the earth is equal to 1/360 of the earth. Each degree is divided into 60 minutes (‘). Each minute = 60 seconds (“)

Hemispheres If you cut the Earth through the Equator you would get two halves, the Northern and Southern Hemisphere If you cut the Earth through the Prime Meridian you would get two halves, the Western and Eastern Hemisphere The US is in the Western Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere

Basic Geography

00 0  latitude – Equator –(Distance from it has large effect on climate) 0  longitude – Prime Meridian –(Distance from it has no effect on climate)

Rotation The spinning of the earth on its axis Takes 24 hours Creates night & day

Revolution The orbit of the earth around the sun Takes 365 ¼ days Creates the seasons

Polar Night When the polar region is tilted away from the sun – the polar area receives 24 hours of darkness. When it is pointed toward the sun the area receives 24 hours of daylight.

EQUINOX Direct rays of the sun are located on the EQUATOR Days and nights are equal in length Spring (Vernal) and Fall (Autumnal) When it is Spring in the northern hemisphere it is Fall in the southern hemisphere (the opposite is also true)

SOLSTICE Direct rays of the sun are located on the TROPIC OF CANCER OR CAPRICORN Days and nights are not equal in length – summer days are longer – winters nights are longer Summer and Winter When it is Winter in the northern hemisphere it is Summer in the southern hemisphere (the opposite is also true)

Red – LOW LATITUDES 0 – 23 ½  North & South Tropics Hot and Humid Green – MID LATITUDES 23 ½ - 66 ½  North & South Temperate Mild THE MAJORITY OF THE WORLD’S PEOPLE LIVE IN THE TEMPERATE ZONE!! Blue – HIGH LATITUDES 66 ½ - 90  North & South Polar Cold and Dry

LITHOSPHERE g Solid, rocky crust covering entire planet.

ATMOSPHERE 78% Nitrogen Just under 21% Oxygen less than 1% argon, carbon dioxide & other gasses The air surrounding Earth

HYDROSPHERE All the water in or near the Earth

BIOSPHERE Composed of all living organisms Plants Animals One-celled organisms

How do physical process affect:

7 continents – Africa, Asia, Antarctica, South America, North America, Europe & Australia7 continents – Africa, Asia, Antarctica, South America, North America, Europe & Australia 5 Oceans – Southern, Arctic, Pacific, Indian, Atlantic5 Oceans – Southern, Arctic, Pacific, Indian, Atlantic

FACTORS THAT AFFECT CLIMATE 00px-The_Earth_seen_from_Apollo_17.jpg LACEMOPS

Weather – The daily condition of the atmosphere which includes temperature and precipitation. Precipitation - Moisture that falls from the sky. Precipitation has 4 forms: rain, snow, sleet, and hail. Climate - Average weather. Measured over an extended period of time (usually 30 years).

L - LATITUDE - L - LATITUDE - The most important factor! The farther from the Equator - the colder and drier it becomes. Direct rays of the sun are always between the Tropics. Areas not in the tropics receive indirect sun rays.

A - AIR MASSES In the Northern Hemisphere, cold air from the Polar Regions comes from the north. Hot air from the tropics comes from the south, Mountains to the north of a city could block the cold air from reaching the city. (opposite in the Southern Hemisphere).

C - CONTINENTALITY Water moderates climate. Water takes longer to heat and cool than land. Areas inland from the coast will be hotter in the summer and colder in the winter than areas with the same latitude on the coast. NED500.jpg&imgrefurl= %2BNED%2BShaded%2BRelief&h=353&w=500&sz=121&hl=en&start=17&um=1&tbnid=tsJBVC5mQRiZ6M:&tbnh=92&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dunited%2Bstates%2B%26svnum%3D10%26 um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GGLG%26sa%3DG

E - ELEVATION E - ELEVATION It gets colder as you go up a mountain. The formula for vertical climate is: Temperature decreases 3.5º F for every 1,000 feet increase in elevation (the opposite is also true). You can work out the temperature at the top of a tall mountain. sitem.php%3Fid%3D1050&h=300&w=400&sz=22&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=ODjU- A29uyNbXM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmt%2Beverest%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rl s%3DGGLG,GGLG: ,GGLG:en

3.5° (from formula) 3.5° (from formula) X 15 (how many thousands of feet the mountain is tall) X 15 (how many thousands of feet the mountain is tall) 52.5° (how much colder at the top than the bottom) 52.5° (how much colder at the top than the bottom) It is 75º at the base of a 15,000 ft. tall mountain. What is the temperature on top of the mountain? First, count the thousands… (15,000) 75° (temperature at bottom) 75° (temperature at bottom) ° (how much colder at the top) ° (how much colder at the top) 22.5 ° (temperature at the top)  Answer 22.5 ° (temperature at the top)  Answer Second, multiply that number by 3.5… Third, Subtract that number from the temperature at the base to get the answer…

M - MOUNTAIN BARRIERS Orographic effect: Wind containing moisture hits the windward side of a mountain (the side facing the wind). Moisture-full clouds are too heavy to get over the mountain so precipitation occurs, after they’re empty, they are able to rise over the mountain. The side facing away from the wind is called the leeward side. The leeward side of a mountain is arid. The windward side has lush vegetation. The leeward side of a mountain is in the rain shadow and is usually a desert.

O - OCEAN CURRENTS Cold currents bring dry, cool air to the coastal areas. Warm currents bring warm, wet air to coastal areas.

P - PRESSURE AND PREVAILING WINDS: Notice that these lines are located at 0, 30, 60, 90 (not 0, 23 ½, 66 ½, and 90) Pressure High pressure is heavy, cold air. Low pressure is warm, light air. Heat rises. There are some fairly constant air pressure systems.

Prevailing Winds The Equator is surrounded by an area of calm called the Doldrums (ITCZ). The Trade Winds (Tropical Easterlies) blow from east to west (generally warm and moist). Westerlies (Prevailing Westerlies). They blow from west to east. The Polar Easterlies blow from 90º in an eastward direction toward the Westerlies. There are serious thunderstorms around the 60º latitude line where the two wind patterns collide Notice that these lines are located at 0, 30, 60, 90 (not 0, 23 ½, 66 ½, and 90)

S - STORMS Where the Polar Easterlies meet the Westerlies there are thunderstorms. When hot air masses and cold air masses collide - there are storms. Cyclonic storms (hurricanes, typhoons, etc.) in the Northern Hemisphere spin counter-clockwise. In the Southern Hemisphere cyclones spin clockwise.

Continental Drift The theory that the land of the earth was once connected as one large super continent (Pangaea) and has moved “drifted” to its current locations (still moving) Plate Tectonics The theory that the crust of the earth is broken up into plates (8 major and many minor) that “float” on the mantle

The plate boundaries of the world.

Subduction When a sea plate and continental plate collide, the heavier sea plate DIVES under the lighter continental plate. The sea plate then is heated and becomes magma which escapes through volcanoes.

Spreading When sea plates pull apart leaving a rift, or deep crack. Magma wells up between the two plates to make underwater volcanoes and ridges.

Volcano mountain formed by lava (magma) that breaks through the earth’s crust.

Ring of Fire area along the edge of the Pacific Ocean that is a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanoes. area along the edge of the Pacific Ocean that is a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanoes.

Folding when moving plates squeeze the earth’s surface until it bends the layers of rock.

Faulting When moving plates grind past each other, creating cracks in the curst.

Earthquake sudden, violent moving of plates along a fault where built up pressure suddenly snaps and shifts.

Water erosion fast-moving water cuts into the land as it flows downstream. Ocean waves can also erode coastal cliffs. WATER is the most significant cause of erosion. Water Erosion creates canyons

Delta the flat, low-lying plain that sometimes forms at the mouth of a river from deposits of sediments. Deltas form as rivers empty their water and sediment into another body of water, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. They are called deltas because the alluvial deposit at the river’s mouth looks like the Greek letter delta (∆)