Unit 1: Physical Geography

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Unit 1 Physical Geography
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What makes Earth a living planet?
What color do you see the most?
Blue Water, Water Life
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Bodies of Water
Oceans and Seas
71 of the earth is covered by salt water What
are the major oceans?
Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Indian and Southern
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Ocean Motion

• Currents
• Waves
• Tides

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Hydrologic Cycle
The continuous circulation of water between the
atmosphere, the oceans and the earth.
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Ground Water
Water that sits in the rock of the earth. The
water table is the level at which the rock is
saturated, or full.
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Make your own Hydrologic cycle

• In your notes, create your own version of the
  hydrologic cycle. Does not have to look like the
  example.

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Lakes, Rivers and Streams
Bodies of fresh water
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Landforms
Relief The geographic feature that separates one
landform from another. It is the difference in
elevation from the lowest point to the highest.
4 types of Reliefs Mountains, hills, plains and
plateaus
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Oceanic Landforms
Continental Shelf From the edge of a continent
to the deep part of the ocean.
Ridges, valleys, canyons, plains and mountains
all exist on the ocean floor...
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Other Landforms

• Please turn to pgs 34-35 in your textbook
• Create your own landform glossary.
• List and define each landform using the Cornell
  note format.

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How the Earth is Shaped...
Our earth is MOVING!!
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Tectonic Plates
Enormous moving pieces of the earths lithosphere
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Types of Plate Movement
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What Happens When the Plates Move??
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are measured using the Richter Scale.
The scale begins at 1 and has no upper limit...
What was the largest earthquake ever recorded?
9.5-Valdivia Chile
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Tsunami Sometimes earthquakes cause a major wave
that hits the coast
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Volcanoes Magma, gases, and water gather under
the earths mantle. Eventually, they push their
way out...
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Ring of Fire A zone around the rim of the
Pacific ocean where most of the worlds volcanoes
are located.
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External Forces..

• Weathering pg 42
• What is the difference between mechanical and
  chemical weathering. Give three examples of how
  each occurs. (3 for mechanical and 3 for
  chemical)
• Erosion - pg 43
• Take notes on the 3 types Erosion
  (Characteristics of each)
• What type of erosion is most likely to occur here
  in the greater Houston area?

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Vegetation.

• Read and take notes on the 3 types of vegetation
  pg. 66
• What are their characteristics, Where are they
  located? (this should be in with your notes)

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Seasons

• The tilt of the earth is what causes seasons to
  occur (Spring, Summer, Fall Winter)
• Solstice Longest and shortest days of the year
• Equinox Equal day and night

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Weather

• Weather The condition of the atmosphere at a
  particular location and time.
• Climate Weather conditions at a particular
  location over a long period of time.
• Whats the difference between weather and
  climate?
• Give an example

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Weather Extremes

• Hurricanes A storm that forms over warm tropical
  ocean waters (Typhoons in Asia)
• Tornadoes A powerful funnel-shaped column of
  spiraling air
• Blizzard a heavy snowstorm with winds of more
  than 35 miles per hour
• Droughts a long period of time without rain fall
  
• Floods When water spreads over land not normally
  covered in water

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Factors that Affect Climate

• 5 factors that affect climate
• Wind Currents
• Ocean Currents
• Zones of Latitude
• Elevation
• Topography
• El Nino The warming of waters off the west coast
  of South America (a natural change in climate)

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Questions

• 1. From the 5 weather extremes name the one that
  Houston has yet to experience.
• 2. How does location affect climate?

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Climate Regions (brief descriptions)

• Tropical Wet Little variation in temperature,
  always hot and rainy
• Tropical Wet Dry Rainy season in the summer,
  and a dry season in the winter
• Semiarid Typically found around deserts or
  interior of continents, small amount of rain
• Desert receive less than 10 inches of rain a
  year (can be hot or cold)

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Climate Regions (brief descriptions)

• Mediterranean Dry hot summers, winters are
  cool rainy
• Marine West Coast Cloudy, foggy rainy, near an
  ocean
• Humid Subtropical Long summers of heat and
  humidity
• Humid Continental mid-latitude interiors of the
  northern hemisphere, various temperatures

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Climate Regions (brief descriptions)

• Subartic Huge variations in temperature, long
  freezing season
• Tundra Flat, treeless land surrounding the Artic
  Circle
• Ice Cap Snow, ice and permanently freezing
  temperatures
• Highlands Rugged mountain areas

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Questions

• 3. Which climate zone does Houston fall into?
• 4. Discuss with your neighbor which climate zone
  you would prefer to live in and why.