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Ms. Reifsnyder
World Geography
Name:____________________________
Test Date:____________________________
Unit 3: Physical Processes and Climate
Study Guide
SOL Standards Addressed: WG 2a, b, c
Essential Questions
- What are the common characteristics that define climate?
- What are the elements that influence regional climatic patterns?
- What vegetation is characteristic of key climatic zones?
- Where do specific types of weather phenomena occur?
- What effects do climate and weather phenomena have on people living in different regions?
- How have physical and ecological processes shaped the Earth’s surface?
- What are some ways humans influence their environment?
- How are humans influenced by their environment?
- How has the use of technology expanded the ability of people to modify and adapt to their environment?
Essential Understandings and Knowledge
Climate is defined by 3 characteristics:
- Temperature – how hot or cold it is at a given time or over a period of time
- Precipitation – can be in the following forms: rain, sleet, hail, snow
- Seasons – alternating hot/cold periods or wet/dry periods, or the lack of variations
5 Climatic Elements
- Latitude – the location on the earth’s surface in relation to the equator and other numbered parallel lines
- Winds – the prevailing winds, or commonly occurring winds, in a region
- Elevation – how high or low the region is located, such as in a mountainous or plains area.
- Proximity to Water – nearness to large body of water, such as the Great Lakes, Atlantic Ocean, or
Mediterranean Sea.
- Ocean Currents – currents take a wide path along coasts and into the depths of the oceans – all of which
have an effect on the climate. An example being that Europeans benefit from the water that has been
warmed in southern latitudes and carried northward in the great oceanic circulation, particularly in the
Gulf Stream. This is known as the North Atlantic Drift. Otherwise, their latitude would make this continent
much, much colder.
World Climatic Regions and Vegetation Regions
- Low Latitude Climates– the low latitude climates are always between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 North)
and Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 South) latitude lines.
o Tropical Wet (or Tropical Rainforest Climate) – high temperatures year-round, abundant
species of animals and insects, high amounts of precipitation year-round (daily). Largest is the
Amazon Rainforest in Brazil (country). Found on or near the equator. Tropical/wet climates are
suffering from deforestation.
o Tropical Wet and Dry (or the Tropical Savanna) – high temperatures year-round, few trees,
precipitation varies (dry winters and wet summers), vegetation is mostly grasslands (called
savannas). Found on the outskirts of the tropical wet climate. A large region of Tropical Wet and
Dry can be found on the continent of Africa.
- High Latitude Climates - the high latitude climates are between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole
latitude lines and the Antarctic Circle and the South Pole.
o Subarctic Climate – found south of the Arctic Circle, has frozen subsoil called permafrost. Bitterly
cold winters, short cool summers. Vegetation consists of taiga (Russian word for coniferous
forests).
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Ms. Reifsnyder
Name:____________________________
World Geography
Test Date:____________________________
o Tundra Climate – found at or above the Arctic Circle. Bitterly cold winters, cold summers.
Vegetation consists of small bushes, grasses, mosses, lichens (NO TREES!). Half of the year is in
constant darkness and the other half is in constant light.
o Ice Cap Climate – found in Antarctica and the interior of Greenland (world’s largest island!). No
vegetation. Bitterly cold all the time. Snow and ice can be two miles thick.
- Middle Latitude Climates – these are always found between the Arctic Circle and Tropic of Cancer latitude
lines and the Antarctic Circle and Tropic of Capricorn latitude lines.
o Humid Continental Climate – found in interior regions of continents. Precipitation varies
throughout the year. Vegetation consists of middle latitude forests (mixed forests). Warm summers
and cold winters – these areas experience the four seasons.
o Humid Subtropical Climate – found in southeastern regions of continents such as the state of
Florida, vegetation consists of middle latitude forests (mixed forests). Precipitation varies
throughout the year with high levels of humidity. Short, mild winters and long hot summers –
mostly 2 seasons.
o Marine West Coast Climate – found on western coasts of continents (such as the U.S. states of
Oregon and Washington and in western Europe). Vegetation consists of middle latitude forests,
often called mixed forests (coniferous trees and a few deciduous trees). Abundant precipitation
year-round, ocean winds bring cool summers and mild winters.
o Mediterranean Climate – found around the Mediterranean Sea. Vegetation consists of chaparral
(ex: olive trees and date trees). Mild and rainy winters with hot, sunny, dry summers. Also found in
southern California and southern Australia.
- Climates that Can be Found in Any Latitude Belt
o Arid (Desert) Climate – annual precipitation is less than 10 inches. Vegetation is scarce and may
include the cactus plant. Temperatures may be hot or cold; does not have to have sand.
o Semi-Arid (Steppe) Climate – usually found on the borders of a desert (arid) climate. Annual
precipitation is between 10 and 20 inches. Vegetation consists of grasslands (steppe).
Temperatures may be hot or cold.
o Highland/Mountain Climate – Temperatures and vegetation depend on elevation. Timberline is
the height in elevation above which trees cannot grow.
Weather Phenomena
- Hurricanes – a hurricane is a major tropical storm originating in the Atlantic Ocean or in the Pacific Ocean
generally east of the International Date Line (longitude line)
- Typhoons – a typhoon is a major tropical storm that originates in the Pacific Ocean generally west of the
International Date Line.
- Monsoons – the term monsoon refers to strong winds that blow in different directions depending on the
season, summer or winter. The summer monsoon winds bring heavy rains in the South and Southeast Asia
areas.
- Tornadoes – a tornado is a violent rotating column of air that often forms in severe thunderstorms.
Tornadoes most frequently occur where warm air and cool air collide. The area in the United States where
this happens in the spring and summer seasons is referred to as tornado alley. This region is found in the
Great Plains (central U.S.) area.
Climate Has an Effect On:
- Crops, clothing, housing, natural hazards, etc.
Physical and Ecological Processes
- Earthquakes – occur where tectonic plates meet and build pressure. The part of the world where
earthquakes are prevalent is called the Ring of Fire, an area that encircles the Pacific Ocean. This area is
often referred to as the Pacific Rim. Earthquakes can cause great damage to buildings and structures and
can destroy human and animal life.
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Ms. Reifsnyder
World Geography
-
Name:____________________________
Test Date:____________________________
Floods – When there is more water (in the form of precipitation) than the earth’s surface can absorb. A
flood can be very destructive and can also result in human casualties.
Volcanic Eruptions – a vent through which magma erupts, is often found in the Ring of Fire area that
surrounds the Pacific Ocean (area called the Pacific Rim). They can also destroy life and cause great damage
to structures.
Erosion – the wearing away of the earth’s surface. The forces of erosion include water (precipitation, river,
ocean movement), wind, and glaciers.
Deposition – The deposit of sediment in the process of erosion. Wind, water, and ice are ways that the
sediment is carried to the area of settlement.
Human Impact on Environment
Many of the ways humans impact/change the environment are negative. Many of these changes are either
irreversible or would take a very long time to correct or nullify.
Water Diversion/Management
- Dams – humans build dams to control the flooding of rivers and to create hydroelectric power. Examples of
manmade dams: Hoover Dam in Arizona and Nevada, Aswan High Dam in Egypt.
- Canals – humans build canals to connect two bodies of water, usually resulting in shorter trade routes.
Examples of canals: Erie Canal (connects the Hudson River to Lake Erie), Panama Canal (connects the
Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean), Suez Canal (connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea)
- Reservoirs – a reservoir is a place where humans collect water for future use
- Irrigation – humans often divert (change the direction) water from a river or lake toward a field being
used for agriculture. Examples: the Colorado River is being diverted for the purpose of irrigating the fields
in the southwest United States; the rivers feeding into the Aral Sea in central Asia are being diverted
resulting in the draining of the Aral Sea.
Landscape Changes
- Agricultural terracing – in mountainous regions, humans cut or carve steps out of the mountainside to
create level areas for the purpose of farming. Examples include rice terracing in the Himalayan Mountains
and Southeast Asia, terracing in the Andes Mountains of South America.
- Polders – in low-lying land areas, humans may “reclaim” the land from the sea, which is actually pumping
the water off the land for the purpose of agriculture. Example: the polders of the Netherlands.
- Deforestation – humans cut down trees in areas, usually for the purposes of habitation, agriculture, and
the selling of forest resources. Examples: cutting down of rainforests in Nepal, Brazil (the Amazon
Rainforest), and Malaysia.
- Desertification – humans continue to practice pastoralism. The animals overgraze semi-arid (steppe)
areas resulting in the loss of grasslands in the areas. As the grasslands disappear the land reverts to arid
(desert) conditions. Examples: the sahel (steppe – semi-arid) region of Africa is shrinking, and the spread of
the Gobi desert in Asia.
Environmental Changes
- Acid rain – humans continue to create air pollution in industrialized regions. This pollution is usually the
result of industrial and automotive exhausts. The pollution mixes with the air moisture to create
precipitation with traces of acid. This precipitation is usually acid rain, but can also be in the form of snow,
sleet, or hail. Examples: the Black Forest in Germany, forests of Scandinavia and China, the forest areas of
Eastern North America (especially between Boston and Washington D.C.)
- Pollution – humans contaminate the environment with harmful substances in both industrialized and
under-developed regions. Pollution can be in the forms of soil, water, or air. Examples: Mexico City, Mexico,
the nuclear explosion at Chernobyl (former USSR and present-day Ukraine), and oil spills (such as the
Exxon Valdez spill of 1989.
Influence of Technology
Technology has expanded people’s capability to modify and adapt to their physical environment. Examples include:
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Ms. Reifsnyder
Name:____________________________
World Geography
Test Date:____________________________
- Agriculture – Use of fertilizers, advanced farm machinery (mechanization), and pesticides
- Energy Usage – Use of nuclear energy and burning of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil)
- Transportation – Use of technology to aid in quicker transportation, building of roads/rails/ airports.
- Automobiles – Clearing of forests and grasslands to create parking lots and housing in suburbs, especially.
- Airplanes – The construction of airports and additions to existing airports; the problem of noise pollution
from the airplane engines.
Environmental Impact on Humans
- Settlement Patterns – People tend to live or settle in areas where the environment provides water, mild
climate, and fertile soil. Technology has expanded the choices for settlements with improved
communication.
- Housing Materials – Shelters of regions reflect the type of resources found naturally in a region – and the
advances made for developing these materials.
- Agricultural Activity – The type of agriculture (expanded with new technology and improved tools) in a
region depends on the climate and soil makeup of that region.
- Types of Recreation – Recreational activity reflects the climate and environment of a region (ex: snowskiing in cold, snowy regions).
- Transportation Patterns – The type of transportation people use depends on the environment (ex:
airplane transportation over mountains)
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