PRE-AP GEOGRAPHY CHAPTER 3 CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT, & RESOURCES

3.1 WEATHER AND CLIMATE A. WEATHER - THE SHORT-TERM CHANGES IN THE AIR FOR A GIVEN PLACE AND TIME; TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION FROM HOUR TO HOUR OR DAY TO DAY B. CLIMATE - A REGION’S AVERAGE WEATHER CONDITIONS OVER A LONG PERIOD; THE EXPECTED WEATHER FOR A PLACE BASED ON DATA AND EXPERIENCE WEATHER VS. CLIMATE THE AMOUNT OF SUN AT A GIVEN LOCATION IS AFFECTED BY EARTH’S TILT, MOVEMENT, AND SHAPE.

C. TILT 23 ½ ° THE PART OF THE EARTH TILTED TOWARD THE SUN RECEIVES MORE SOLAR ENERGY THAN THE PART TILTED AWAY FROM THE SUN. D. MOVEMENT AS EARTH REVOLVES AROUND THE SUN, THE PART OF EARTH THAT IS TILTED TOWARD THE SUN CHANGES DURING THE YEAR, THUS CREATING THE SEASONS. E. SHAPE EARTH’S SPHERICAL SHAPE MEANS THAT THE SUN’S RAYS DIRECTLY STRIKE THE EQUATOR, BUT ONLY SOMEWHAT STRIKE THE POLES.

WIND AND WATER MOVE HEAT AROUND EARTH, AFFECTING HOW WARM OR WET A PLACE IS. AIR AND WATER WARMED BY THE SUN ARE CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE, MAKING DIFFERENT AREAS OF EARTH WARMER OR COOLER. WIND, OR THE SIDEWAYS MOVEMENT OF AIR, BLOWS IN GREAT STREAMS AROUND THE PLANET. F. PREVAILING WINDS ARE WINDS THAT BLOW IN THE SAME DIRECTION OVER LARGE AREAS OF EARTH

THE RISING, SINKING, AND FLOWING OF AIR CREATES EARTH’S PREVAILING WIND PATTERNS. AT THE EQUATOR, HOT AIR RISES AND FLOWS TOWARD THE POLES. AT THE POLES, COLD AIR SINKS AND FLOWS TOWARD THE EQUATOR. G. EARTH’S ROTATION CAUSES PREVAILING WINDS TO CURVE EAST OR WEST. PREVAILING WINDS CAN MAKE A REGION WARMER OR COLDER AND DRIER OR WETTER.

H. OCEAN CURRENTS H. OCEAN CURRENTS—LARGE STREAMS OF SURFACE SEAWATER DRIVEN BY WINDS— MOVE HEAT AROUND EARTH. OCEAN CURRENTS CARRY WARM OR COOL WATER TO DIFFERENT AREAS WATER’S TEMPERATURE AFFECTS AIR TEMPERATURE NEAR IT. LARGE BODIES OF WATER, SUCH AS AN OCEAN OR SEA, ALSO AFFECT CLIMATE. WATER HEATS AND COOLS MORE SLOWLY THAN LAND DOES. LARGE BODIES OF WATER MAKE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE LAND NEARBY MILDER.

I. THE PLACE WHERE TWO AIR MASSES OF DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES OR MOISTURE CONTENT MEET IS A FRONT. CAN PRODUCE RAIN, SNOW, THUNDERSTORMS, AND BLIZZARDS J. TORNADOES SMALL, RAPIDLY TWISTING FUNNEL OF AIR THAT TOUCHES THE GROUND CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE AND DEADLY K. HURRICANES AND TYPHOONS LARGE, ROTATING STORMS THAT FORM OVER TROPICAL WATERS IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN (HURRICANES) OR PACIFIC OCEAN (TYPHOONS). PRODUCE DRENCHING RAINS, STRONG WINDS, AND STORM SURGES LARGEST, MOST DESTRUCTIVE STORMS

MOUNTAINS CAN INFLUENCE AN AREA’S CLIMATE BY AFFECTING BOTH TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION. MOUNTAINS ALSO CREATE WET AND DRY AREAS. AIR BLOWING AGAINST MOUNTAINS IS FORCED TO RISE. AS THE AIR RISES, IT COOLS AND PRECIPITATION FALLS. THIS EFFECT PRODUCES A RAIN SHADOW A DRY AREA ON THE MOUNTAINSIDE FACING AWAY FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND.

3.2 WORLD CLIMATES GEOGRAPHERS USE TEMPERATURE, PRECIPITATION, AND PLANT LIFE TO IDENTIFY CLIMATE ZONES. A. EARTH IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE GENERAL CLIMATE ZONES. 1. TROPICAL—OCCUR NEAR THE EQUATOR, IN LOW LATITUDES 2. DRY—OCCURS AT MANY DIFFERENT LATITUDES 3. TEMPERATE—OCCUR ABOUT HALFWAY BETWEEN THE EQUATOR AND THE POLES, IN THE MIDDLE LATITUDES 4. POLAR—OCCUR NEAR THE POLES, IN THE HIGH LATITUDES 5. HIGHLAND—OCCURS AT MANY DIFFERENT LATITUDES GEOGRAPHERS DIVIDE SOME CLIMATE ZONES INTO MORE SPECIFIC CLIMATE REGIONS.

B. TROPICAL CLIMATES 1. HUMID TROPICAL - AT THE EQUATOR; WARM, MUGGY AND RAINY YEAR-ROUND WITH TEMPERATURES AVERAGE 80°F. RAINFALL RANGES FROM 70 TO 450 INCHES. A. SOME AREAS HAVE MONSOONS, SEASONAL WINDS THAT BRING EITHER DRY OR MOIST AIR. B. CAN SUPPORT LUSH TROPICAL RAIN FORESTS THAT HOST A GREAT DIVERSITY OF PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE 2. TROPICAL SAVANNA - NORTH AND SOUTH AWAY FROM THE EQUATOR WITH LONG, HOT, DRY SEASON FOLLOWED BY SHORT PERIODS OF RAIN. TEMPERATURES ARE HOT IN THE SUMMER, COOLER IN THE WINTER. A. CAN SUPPORT SAVANNAS—AREAS OF TALL GRASSES AND SCATTERED TREES AND SHRUBS

C. DRY CLIMATES 1. DESERT - EARTH’S HOTTEST AND DRIEST CLIMATE; RECEIVE LESS THAN 10 INCHES OF RAIN A YEAR WITH TEMPERATURES REACHING AS HIGH AS 130°F. ONLY VERY HARDY PLANTS AND ANIMALS CAN LIVE IN THESE CONDITIONS. 2. STEPPE - SEMIDRY GRASSLANDS OR PRAIRIES; OFTEN BORDER DESERTS BUT RECEIVES SLIGHTLY MORE RAIN THAN DESERTS SHORT GRASSES ARE MOST COMMON PLANTS, BUT SHRUBS AND TREES GROW ALONG STREAMS AND RIVERS.

D. TEMPERATE CLIMATES 1. MEDITERRANEAN - SUNNY, PLEASANT CLIMATE OCCURRING MAINLY IN COASTAL AREAS ; SUMMERS HOT, DRY, AND SUNNY; WINTERS MILD AND SOMEWHAT WET 2. HUMID SUBTROPICAL - OCCURS ALONG EAST COASTS NEAR THE TROPICS; SUMMERS ARE HOT AND MUGGY; WINTERS ARE MILD WITH STORMS OCCURRING YEAR-ROUND. 3. MARINE WEST COAST - OCCURS ON WEST COASTS WHERE WINDS CARRY MOISTURE IN FROM THE SEAS WITH MILD TEMPERATURES YEAR-ROUND 4. HUMID CONTINENTAL - OCCURS CLOSER TO THE POLES, IN THE UPPER-MIDDLE LATITUDES WITH FOUR DISTINCT SEASONS

E. POLAR CLIMATES 1. SUBARCTIC - OCCURS MAINLY IN NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SOUTH OF ARCTIC OCEAN WINTERS ARE LONG AND BITTERLY COLD; SUMMERS SHORT AND COOL; BELOW FREEZING HALF THE YEAR 2. TUNDRA - COASTAL AREAS ALONG THE ARCTIC OCEAN WITH LONG, BITTERLY COLD WINTERS A. IN SOME PARTS IS PERMAFROST, OR PERMANENTLY FROZEN LAYERS OF SOIL 3. ICE CAP CLIMATE - NORTH AND SOUTH POLES; TEMPERATURE LOWS OF MORE THAN -120°F SNOW AND ICE REMAIN YEAR-ROUND, BUT LITTLE PRECIPITATION

F. HIGHLAND CLIMATE 1. HIGHLAND - FOUND ON MOUNTAINS; INCLUDES POLAR CLIMATES PLUS OTHERS; SEVERAL CLIMATES IN ONE AS YOU GO UP A MOUNTAIN, TEMPERATURES DROP AND PLANT LIFE GROWS SPARSER. CLIMATE REGIONS OF THE WORLD

WORLD CLIMATES

3.3 NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS THE ENVIRONMENT AND LIFE ARE INTERCONNECTED AND EXIST IN A FRAGILE BALANCE. A. PLANTS AND ANIMALS LIVE WHERE THEY ARE SUITED TO THE ENVIRONMENT, OR SURROUNDINGS. FACTORS SUCH AS TEMPERATURE, RAINFALL, AND SOIL CONDITIONS LIMIT OPTIONS OF WHERE THEY CAN LIVE. B. ECOSYSTEM—A GROUP OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS THAT DEPEND ON EACH OTHER FOR SURVIVAL AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY LIVE FORMED FROM INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN LIVING THINGS AND THE ENVIRONMENT CAN BE ANY SIZE AND CAN OCCUR WHEREVER AIR, WATER, AND SOIL SUPPORT LIFE

ECOSYSTEMS EXIST IN A FRAGILE BALANCE; A SMALL CHANGE TO ONE PART CAN AFFECT THE WHOLE SYSTEM. C. PEOPLE CAN AFFECT ECOSYSTEMS IN MANY WAYS. SOME ACTIONS CAN DESTROY A HABITAT—THE PLACE WHERE A PLANT OR ANIMAL LIVES HABITAT ECOSYSTEM

SOILS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE ENVIRONMENT. SOILS HELP DETERMINE WHAT PLANTS WILL GROW AND HOW WELL. D. FERTILE SOILS ARE RICH IN MINERALS AND HUMUS - DECAYED PLANT OR ANIMAL MATTER. SOILS CAN LOSE FERTILITY IN MANY WAYS (EROSION, PLANTING THE SAME CROPS OVER AND OVER) WHEN SOIL BECOMES WORN OUT, IT CANNOT SUPPORT AS MANY PLANTS. E. CAN LEAD TO DESERTIFICATION -THE SPREAD OF DESERT-LIKE CONDITIONS

3.4 NATURAL RESOURCES EARTH PROVIDES VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR OUR USE. A. NATURAL RESOURCES IS ANY MATERIAL IN NATURE THAT PEOPLE USE AND VALUE. SOME ARE USED AS IS AND SOME ARE CHANGED TO MAKE SOMETHING NEW. B. TYPES OF NATURAL RESOURCES 1. RENEWABLE RESOURCES - ARE RESOURCES EARTH REPLACES NATURALLY. 2. NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES - ARE RESOURCES THAT CANNOT BE REPLACED; THEY WILL RUN OUT ONE DAY.

C. RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES WILL NOT RUN OUT & GENERALLY BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT 1. HYDROELECTRIC POWER - THE PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY FROM WATERPOWER. IT IS THE MAIN ALTERNATIVE TO FOSSIL FUELS. 2. WIND - USED TO POWER WIND TURBINES THAT CREATE ELECTRICITY. 3. SOLAR POWER - POWER FROM THE SUN 4. GEOTHERMAL ENERGY - HEAT FROM WITHIN EARTH

D. NONRENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES MOST ENERGY WE USE COMES FROM FOSSIL FUELS, NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES THAT FORMED FROM THE REMAINS OF ANCIENT PLANTS AND ANIMALS. 1. COAL - POLLUTES THE AIR; USED MAINLY TO CREATE ELECTRICITY AT POWER PLANTS 2. PETROLEUM, OR OIL - USED TO MAKE FUELS AND OTHER PRODUCTS 3. NATURAL GAS - CLEANEST-BURNING FOSSIL FUEL; USED MAINLY FOR HEATING AND COOKING

E. NUCLEAR ENERGY OBTAINED BY SPLITTING ATOMS, SMALL PARTICLES OF MATTER USES THE METAL URANIUM, SO SOME CONSIDER IT A NONRENEWABLE RESOURCE PRODUCES DANGEROUS WASTES THAT MUST BE STORED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THEY ARE SAFE ACCIDENTS AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS HAVE TERRIBLE EFFECTS. CHERNOBYL FUKUSHIMA

F. MANAGING NATURAL RESOURCES PEOPLE MUST MANAGE RESOURCES TO ENSURE THEY WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE. 1. DEFORESTATION - THE CLEARING OF TREES, IS A RESULT OF LACK OF MANAGEMENT. 2. REFORESTATION - PLANTING TREES TO REPLACE LOST FORESTLAND, WORKS TO PREVENT RESOURCE LOSS. NATURAL RESOURCES

MINERAL RESOURCES INCLUDE METALS, ROCKS, AND SALT MINERALS ARE NONRENEWABLE, AND THEREFORE NEED TO BE CONSERVED. RECYCLING CAN MAKE THE SUPPLY OF MINERAL RESOURCES LAST LONGER. 3. RESOURCES SHAPE PEOPLE’S LIVES AND COUNTRIES’ WEALTH. THE NATURAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE AFFECT THEIR LIFESTYLES AND NEEDS. PEOPLE IN AREAS WITH MANY NATURAL RESOURCES SOMETIMES HAVE MORE CHOICES ON WAYS TO DRESS, EAT, LIVE, TRAVEL, AND ENTERTAIN THEMSELVES. PEOPLE IN AREAS WITH FEWER NATURAL RESOURCES WILL LIKELY HAVE FEWER CHOICES AND DIFFERENT NEEDS.

AVAILABILITY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AFFECTS COUNTRIES’ ECONOMIES. THE MANY RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE HELPED IT BECOME ONE OF THE WORLD’S WEALTHIEST ECONOMIES. COUNTRIES WITH FEW NATURAL RESOURCES OFTEN HAVE WEAK ECONOMIES. SOME COUNTRIES HAVE ONLY ONE OR TWO VALUABLE RESOURCES BUT FEW OTHERS.