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Chapter 3
Weather and Climate
Earth’s Atmosphere & Climates
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The four main attributes affecting
climate are:
• the Sun – one that affects it the
most
• atmospheric pressure
• wind currents
• the ocean
Global Energy Systems
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Temperature – the measurement of
heat energy
Greenhouse Effect – process in which
the Earth’s atmosphere traps heat
energy
• Sunlight passes through atmosphere.
• Sunlight is changed into heat energy.
• Sunlight is trapped by the atmosphere,
and this keeps the planet warm.
• Considered to be caused by atmospheric
changes
Air Pressure & Wind
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Air Pressure is the force of air around you.
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Low Pressure Areas = unstable weather
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High Pressure Areas = stable, clear, dry
weather
All low-pressure centers are called
cyclones.
Wind is the horizontal flow of air.
Wind always flows from high to low
pressure areas.
4 major air pressure zones
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Equatorial low pressure – at the
equator
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Subtropical high pressure – equator
to 30° N and equator to 30° S
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Subpolar low pressure – 30° N to
60° N and 30° S to 60° S
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Polar high pressure – 60° N to
North Pole and 60° S to South Pole
Wind Systems
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Prevailing Winds – winds that
blow from the same direction
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Doldrums – calm areas with no
winds along the equator
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Westerlies – West-to-East winds
at middle latitudes.
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Polar Winds –mainly come from
the east and occur at the poles.
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Front - two different air masses
of widely different temperatures
or moisture levels meet;
produces stormy weather
Jet Stream – high speed westerly
moving winds in the upper
atmosphere;
• Not felt directly, but they steer
major weather patterns.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sc
o/Education/wxmap/wxmap.php
Ocean Circulation
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Ocean currents – occur from the
prevailing winds blowing across
the surface of the ocean
Tides - rising and falling of the
sea due to the moon’s gravity.
Ocean Current
Water and the Atmosphere
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Evaporation –water is changed
from liquid to gas
Humidity – amount of water
vapor in the air
Condensation –water vapor
changes from a gas into a liquid
Precipitation – rain (condensed
droplets become large and fall)
Elevation and Temperature
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Orographic Effect –
• Air comes off the ocean and hits the
mountains.
• It is forced to rise and it cools and
condensation begins.
• This results in rain or snow.
Rain Shadow Effect – Deserts form on
the side of the mountain away from
the wind because areas in the rain
shadow do not receive much rain.
Orographic & Rain Shadow Effect
SECTION 3
Climate and Vegetation
Patterns
Tropical humid
climate
• close to equator
• warm temperatures,
rainfall all year
• receives Sun’s rays
directly all year
• rising warm, unstable air
• monsoons
Tropical wet and dry
climates
• north and south of
tropical humid
• seasonal change in how
Sun’s rays hit Earth
• alternating wet and dry
seasons
• savannas
The 12 types of climate regions
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Tropical humid
Tropical wet and dry
Arid
Semiarid
Mediterranean
Humid Subtropical
Marine West Coast
Humid Continental
Sub artic
Tundra
Ice Cap
Highland
Chapter 4
Landforms, Water, and
Natural Resources
Geology is the study of Earth’s
physical structures and the
processes that have created
them.
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Earth has 4
distinct parts
• Inner Core
• Outer Core
• Mantle
• Crust
Forces Beneath The Crust
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Magma – liquid melted rock
Lava – magma that spills out on
the planet’s surface
Volcano – the opening in the
Earth’s crust through which lava
flows
Earthquakes – he shock waves or
vibrations caused by movement
along a fault
Large Landforms & Plate Tectonics
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Plate Tectonics – Earth’s crust is
divided into more than a dozen
plates that slowly move on the
upper mantle.
Plates can move apart, collide, or
move laterally (slip past each
other)
Plate Boundaries
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Volcanoes and earthquakes common
at plate boundaries.
The abyssal plains under the ocean
are the world’s flattest, smoothest
regions.
Continental shelves are shallow
ocean water around the continents.
When plates collide, one plate slides
under the other forming a trench,
volcano, fold or fault.
Faults are rocks that have broken
apart and separated.
Ring Of Fire
Ring of Fire
Erosion
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Erosion is the process of
changing landforms on the
Earth’s surface.
Water is the most important form
of erosion.
Wind and ice are other forms of
erosion.
Thick masses of ice that cause
erosion are known as glaciers.
SECTION 1
Landforms
Weathering and Erosion
Weathering
physical
processes
• heating and
cooling
• freezing and
thawing
• tree roots
chemical
processes
• substances in
air and water
Erosion
water
• rainfall
• rivers
• waves
wind
• abrasion
• from one place
to another
ice
• glaciers
Types of Landforms
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Formed by tectonics (mountains,
valleys)
Formed by erosion (plateaus,
plains)
Formed by sediment deposits
(deltas)
People and Water
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Water is earth’s most important
resource.
Irrigation – the watering of land
through pipes, ditches, or canals
Hydroelectricity – Dams hold
water back and it slowly goes
through openings and turns
generators to produce electricity.
Water Characteristics
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Only substance that can exist as
solid, liquid, or gas
Has the ability to dissolve into
almost anything over time
Heats and cools very slowly
compared to other earth
materials
Water Distribution
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97% in the oceans
2% frozen in the polar regions
Less than 1% is available as
freshwater
Hydrologic Cycle – The
circulation of water among parts
of the hydrosphere.
Surface Water
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Headwaters – where streams are
formed by water runoff from
mountains and hills
Tributary – smaller streams or rivers
that flow into a larger stream or river
Estuary – semi-enclosed coastal body
of water where seawater and fresh
water mix
Lakes – when water fills a depression
on the lands surface
Wetlands – land areas that become
flooded for at least part of the year
Estuary
Wetlands
Oceans, Seas, & Gulfs
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Oceans – cover 71 % of planet’s
surface
Seas – smaller saltwater bodies
that are connected to the oceans
Gulf – saltwater body near a
coast that extends into land
Seawater
Resources
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Nonrenewable Resources –not
replaced by natural processes or
are replaced at extremely slow
rates
Renewable Resources – replaced
by earth’s natural processes
Soil
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Crop Rotation – One year a field
is planted with a soil depleting
crop, and the next year a soil
enriching crop is planted.
Desertification – process by
which the loss of plant cover and
soil eventually leads to desert
like conditions
Forests
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Deforestation – clearing of forests
• Occurring in rain forests
• 1/3 of the world’s remaining rain
forests are found in Brazil, The
Democratic Republic of Congo, &
Indonesia
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Reforestation –forests renewed
through the planting of seeds or
young trees
Rain Forests
Air Pollution
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Smog – Industrial chemicals interact with
sunlight.
Acid Rain – Chemicals (acid) combine with
water vapor in the atmosphere.
Global Air Pollution
• Ozone Layer
 Ozone layer filters out ultraviolet solar
radiation.
 Depletion of layer is leading to
increases in skin cancer.
Smog in China
Acid Rain Effects
Fossil Fuels
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Formed slowly from the buried
remains of plants & animals
Coal, petroleum, natural gas
Fossil Fuels
Renewable Energy Sources
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Water (hydroelectricity)
Geothermal Energy (capturing
earth’s heat)
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Solar Energy (capturing solar power)
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Wind Power (wind turbines)
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New innovation (tidal, kinetic)