1. Climate, Environment, & Resources
Geography Unit 2

2. Section 1’s BIG IDEA
The sun, location, wind, water, and mountains affect weather and climate.

3. Weather & Climate What is weather? What is climate?
While weather is short term, climate is a region’s average weather over a long period of time.

4. Weather & Climate 4 Factors that Affect Climate
Sun and Location on Earth – Creates seasons
Earth’s tilt
Movement of Earth
Shape
Wind – Moves the sun’s heat around
Water – Moves the sun’s heat around
Mountains – affects temperature & precipitation

5. Weather & Climate Energy from sun heats the earth.
Different locations receive different amounts of sunlight.
Earth’s tilt
Seasons
Movement
Rotation around the sun
Shape
Earth is a sphere

6. Weather & Climate Earth’s Tilt
As the Earth revolves around the sun, the part of the Earth that is tilted toward the sun changes during the year.
This process creates the seasons.

7. Weather & Climate Earth’s Shape
The sphere shape affects the amount of sunlight different locations receive.
The sun’s rays directly strike the equator but only somewhat strike at the poles.

8. Weather & Climate
The farther from the equator, or higher the latitude, the colder the climate.
Higher Latitudes
Area near the poles
Cold year round
Middle Latitudes
Areas halfway between the equator and poles
More seasonal changes
Lower Latitudes
Areas near the equator
Hot year round

9. Weather & Climate Wind and Water
Heat from the sun moves across Earth’s surface.
Air and water warmed by the sun are constantly on the move.
Wind and water carry heat from place to place.

10. Weather & Climate Global Winds
Wind, or the sideways movement of air blows in great streams.
Air has weight that changes with temperature.

11. Weather & Climate
At the equator, hot air rises and flows towards the poles.
At the poles, cold air sinks and flows towards the equator.

12. Weather & Climate
Earth’s rotation causes prevailing winds to curve east or west.
Winds that form from warm air or pass over lots of water, carry moisture
Winds that form from cold air or pass over lots of land are often dry.

13. Weather & Climate Gulf Stream North Atlantic Drift Westerlies
US East Coast
Warm current that flows east
North Atlantic Drift
Across the Atlantic into Europe
Westerlies
Northwestern Europe
Warmed air blown across Europe

14. Weather & Climate Large Bodies of Water
Water heats and cools more slowly than land does. Large bodies of water make the temperature of the land nearby milder.

15. Weather & Climate
The state of Michigan is largely surrounded by the Great Lakes
The lakes make temperatures in the state milder than other places as far north.

16. Weather & Climate
Wind, Water, and Storms: Most storms occur when two air masses collide.
Air masses frequently collide in regions like the United States, where the westerlies meet the polar easterlies.
Fronts can produce rain or snow as well as thunderstorms and icy blizzards.
Hurricanes produce drenching rain and strong winds that can reach speeds of 155 mph or more.
They can form tall walls of water called storm surges. When it smashes into land, it can wipe out an entire coastal area.

17. Weather & Climate Thunderstorms Rain, lightning, thunder
Details
When Most Likely to Occur
Thunderstorms
Rain, lightning, thunder
Spring and Summer
Blizzards
Strong winds, large amounts of snow
Winter
Tornadoes
Small, rapidly twisting funnel of air that touches the ground; highly destructive
Spring and summer
Hurricanes
Largest and most destructive storm; forms over tropical waters in Atlantic Ocean
Summer to late fall
Typhoons
Hurricanes that form in the Pacific Ocean

18. Weather & Climate Mountains
Mountains can influence an area’s climate by affecting both temperature and precipitation.
Many high mountains are located in warm areas yet have snow at the top all year.
The reason is that temperature decreases with elevation.
Mountains also create wet and dry areas.
What is a rain shadow? A dry area on the mountainside facing away from the direction of the wind.

19. Weather & Climate

20. Section 2’s BIG IDEA
Earth’s five major climate zones are identified by temperature, precipitation, and plant life.

21. World Climate
What factors do geographers use to determine our different climate zones?
Temperature
Precipitation
Native Plants

23. World Climate
There are 5 general climate zones. They are tropical, temperate, polar, dry, and highland.
In addition, geographers divide some climate zones into more specific climate regions.

24. World Climate How does climate affect vegetation?
How does climate affect agriculture?

25. World Climate Tropical Climate Humid Tropical
Humid Tropical & Tropical Savanna
Humid Tropical
On and near the equator
Warm and high amounts of rain year round
Monsoons create extreme wet seasons
Tropical rain forest

26. World Climate Tropical Climate Tropical Savanna
Higher latitudes in the tropics
Warm all year; distinct raining and dry seasons; at least 20 inches of rain during summer
Tall grasses, scattered trees

27. World Climate Dry Climate Desert
Desert & Steppe
Desert
Mainly center on 30* latitude; also in middle of continents, on west coasts, or in rain shadows
Sunny and dry; less than 10 inches of rain a year; hot in the tropics; cooler with the wide daytime temperature ranges in middle latitudes
A few hardy plants, cacti

28. World Climate Dry Climate Steppe
Desert & Steppe
Steppe
Mainly bordering deserts and interiors of large continents
About inches of participation a year; hot summers and cooler winters with wide temperature ranges during the day
Shorter grasses, some trees and shrubs by water

29. World Climate Temperate Climate Mediterranean
Mediterranean, Humid Subtropical, Marine West Coast, & Humid Continental
Mediterranean
West coasts in middle latitudes
Dry, sunny, warm summer; mild, wetter winters; rain averages
Scrub woodland and grassland

30. World Climate Temperate Climate Humid Subtropical
Mediterranean, Humid Subtropical, Marine West Coast, & Humid Continental
Humid Subtropical
East coasts in middle latitudes
Humid with hot summers and mild winters; rain year- round, in paths of hurricanes and typhoons
Mixed forest

31. World Climate Temperate Climate Marine West Coast
Mediterranean, Humid Subtropical, Marine West Coast, & Humid Continental
Marine West Coast
West coasts in the upper-middle latitudes
A cloudy, mild summers and cool, rainy winters; strong ocean influence
Evergreen forests

32. World Climate Temperate Climate Humid Continental
Mediterranean, Humid Subtropical, Marine West Coast, & Humid Continental
Humid Continental
East coasts and interiors of upper-middle latitudes
Four distinct seasons; long, cold winters and short, warm summers; average precipitation
ILLINOIS
Mixed forests

33. World Climate Polar Climate Subarctic
Subarctic, Tundra, & Ice Cap
Subarctic
Higher latitudes of the interior and east coasts of continents
Extremes of temperature; long, cold winters and short, warm summers; little precipitation
Northern evergreen forests

34. World Climate Polar Climate Tundra Coasts in high latitudes
Subarctic, Tundra, & Ice Cap
Tundra
Coasts in high latitudes
Cold all year; very long, cold winters and very short, cool summers; little precipitation; permafrost
Moss, lichens, low shrubs

35. World Climate Polar Climate Ice Cap
Subarctic, Tundra, & Ice Cap
Ice Cap
Higher latitudes of the interior and east coasts of continents
Extremes of temperature; long, cold winters and short, warm summers; little precipitation
Northern evergreen forests

36. World Climate Highland Climate High mountain regions
Wide range of temperatures and precipitation amounts, depending on elevation and location
Ranges from forest to tundra

37. Section 3’s BIG IDEA
Plants, animals, and the environment, including soil, interact and affect one another.

38. Natural Environments ecosystem
A group of plants and animals that depend on each other for survival and the environment in which they live
habitat
The place where a plant or animal lives
desertification
The spread of desertlike conditions

39. Natural Environments The Environment and Life Limits on Life:
The environment limits life.
Factors such as temperature, rainfall, and soil conditions limit where plants and animals can live.
All plants and animals are adapted to specific environments.

40. Natural Environments
Connections in Nature: The interconnections between living things and the environment form ecosystems.
They can be any size and can occur wherever air, water, and soil support life.
Each part of an ecosystem fills a certain role

41. Forest Ecosystem
Sunlight is the source of energy for most living things
Plants use the energy in sunlight to make food. They serve as the basis for other life in the ecosystem
Animals such as rabbits eat plants and gain some of their energy.
Predators, such as hawks and wolves, eat rabbits and other prey for energy
Larger predators, such as mountain lions, compete for the prey that is available.

42. Natural Environments
Changes to Environments: The interconnect parts of an ecosystem exist in a fragile balance.
A small change to one part can affect the whole system. Many actions can affect ecosystems.
Actions such as clearing land and polluting can destroy habitats.
Our most diverse habitats on Earth are tropical rain forests.
Extreme changes in ecosystems can cause species to become extinct.

43. Natural Environments Soil and the Environment
Plants are the basis for all food that animals eat.
Soils help determine what plants will grow and how well.
Soils play an important role in the environment because they support plant life.
Fertile soils are rich in minerals and humus.

44. Natural Environments These soils support abundant plant life.
Soils can lose fertility in several ways.
Erosion through wind or water can sweep soil away.
Planting the same crops over and over can also rob soil of its fertility.
When soil becomes worn out, it cannot support as many plants.
This can lead to desertification in fragile dry environments.

46. Section 4’s BIG IDEA
Earth’s natural resources have many valuable uses and their availability affects people in many ways.

47. Vocabulary from Section 4
Renewable resources
Resources Earth replaces naturally
Non-renewable resources
Resources that cannot be replaced
Fossil fuels
Non-renewable resources that formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals
Hydroelectric power
The production of electricity from waterpower
Natural resource
Any material in nature that people use and value

48. Natural Resources Earth’s Valuable Resources
Using Natural Resources: Trees, oil, and metals are all examples of natural resources.
Earth’s most important natural resources include air, water, soils, forests, and minerals.
We use some resources as they are, like wind. Usually we change natural resources to make something new.

49. Natural Resources Types of Natural Resources:
We group our natural resources into two groups: those we can replace naturally, called renewable resources and those we will run out of one day, or non-renewable resources.
Once we use those up, it is gone.

50. Natural Resources Managing Natural Resources:
Although forests are renewable, we can cut down trees faster than they can grow, which causes deforestation.
Reforestation is the planting of trees to replace lost forestland.

51. Natural Resources Energy Resources
Energy resources power vehicles, produce heat, and generate electricity.
They are some of our most important and valuable natural resources.

52. Natural Resources
Nonrenewable Energy: Most of the energy we use comes from fossil fuels.
The most important fossil fuels are coal, petroleum, and natural gas.

53. Natural Resources
Coal has been a source of heat, however it pollutes the air and can harm the land. Today we use coal mainly to create electricity at power plants, not to heat single buildings. People are trying to find cleaner ways to burn coal

54. Natural Resources
Petroleum, or oil, is a dark liquid used to make oil and other products.
When first removed from the ground, petroleum is called crude oil.

55. Natural Resources
Fuels made from oil include gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel.
Oil is also used to make plastics and cosmetics.
Oil-based fuels can pollute the air and land.
Oil spills can harm wildlife.
But, because we are so dependent on oil for energy, it is an extremely valuable resource.

56. Natural Resources Natural gas is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel.
We use it for heating and cooking.
Some vehicles run on natural gas as well.
These vehicles cause less pollution than those that run on gasoline.

57. Natural Resources Renewable Energy Resources:
Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy resources will not run out.
The main alternative is hydroelectric power that can be obtained from moving water by damming rivers.
These dams harness the power of moving water in order to generate electricity.

58. Natural Resources
While hydroelectric can produce power without polluting and lessons our use of fossil fuels, the dams create lakes that replace existing resources and disrupt wildlife habitats.

59. Natural Resources Wind is another renewable energy.
Windmills have been used in the past, but today we use powerful wind turbines.
At wind farms, hundreds of turbines create electricity in windy places.

60. Natural Resources Solar power is a third source.
We use the power of the sun to heat water or homes.
We can also use solar panels to turn solar energy into electricity.
We can also use geothermal energy, or heat from within Earth.
Geothermal power plants use steam and hot water located with Earth to create electricity.

61. Natural Resources Nuclear Energy:
We obtain this energy by splitting atoms.
This process uses the metal uranium.
While nuclear power does not pollute the air, it does produce dangerous wastes.
These wastes must be stored for thousands of years before they are safe.
Accidents at nuclear power plants are extremely dangerous for the people and environment nearby.

62. Natural Resources Mineral Resources Mineral resources are valuable.
These resources include metals, salt, rocks, and gemstones.
Minerals are nonrenewable.
Recycling items such as aluminum cans will make the supply of these resources last longer.

63. Natural Resources Resources and People Resources and Daily Life:
In the United States, we have many different kinds of natural resources.
We can choose different ways to dress, eat, live, travel, and entertain ourselves.
People in places with fewer natural resources will likely have fewer choices and different needs than Americans.

64. Natural Resources Resources and Wealth:
The many natural resources in the United States have helped it become one of the world’s wealthiest countries. In contrast, countries with few natural resources often have weak economies.