chapter 3 assesment

Chapter 3, Section 1

1. How does Earth’s position in relation to the sun affect temperatures on Earth? Earth's position is on a tilt towards the sun by the summer solstices, that is why summer temperatures are normally hotter in the Northern Hemisphere. Meanwhile during the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere the Earth is tilted away from the sun so there are cooler temperatures. The exact opposite of these weather patterns happen in the Southern Hemisphere. During the Spring and Fall equinox the sun is overhead at the equator so there is a similar affect in both hemispheres.

2. How might global warming affect Earth’s air, land, and water? Global warming might affect Earth's air by having to much CO2 in the air there could be an increase in the suns radiation levels. Also the water will evaporate more quickly making more rainfall and more humidity. With this increase of rain the soil will eventually dry out, and become more dry than before.

Creative Writing: “Global warming is a natural process and there is nothing we can do to affect the severity or effects of global warming on the environment.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Write a paragraph explaining your reasoning. I disagree and agree with this statement because there is always something that we can do to help our environment. Also it is probably just a natural cycle to help the Earth restore its natural balance. We can either do nothing and just see what the Earth does. Or we can reduce what we put into our atmosphere that makes global warming.

Chapter 3, Section 2

1. How do latitude and elevation affect climate? Latitude affects climate because during the course of the year either a specific elevation is in the sun which makes it hot. Or its in a less sunny area which makes it less warm. This is why there is seasons to tell when that latitude is going to be in the sun. Elevation affects the climate because if the elevation is higher the air is thinner and it retains less heat. Also the thin air filters less rays of sunlight. Even though there is a lot of sun it it still cold in the higher places of the world. While elevations at lower levels the air is more dense so it retains more heat. And the air filters more rays of sunlight so it may be dark outside but the weather still feels hot.

2. What role do wind patterns, ocean currents, and landforms play in Earth’s climates? Wind patterns play and important role in the Earth's climate because the reason why winds blow is the temperature differences on earth. If there was no temperature differences on Earth there would be no winds, without wind then ships would not be able to move throughout the seas. There are two different types of ocean currents, warm and cold. The ocean currents are also moved by the rotation of the earth. Warm currents bring warm temperatures, and cold currents bring cool temperatures. Landforms affect Earth;s climate by either having very mild changing weather or very unpredictable changing weather. Coastal areas have a very mild changing weather, because since the ocean is usually very uniform the land around it stays the same way. Inland the weather

Creative Writing: The North Atlantic Current, which warms the shore of western Europe as much as 10˚C in some places, came to a halt for ten days in November of 2004. Researchers are unsure of the cause of the shutdown. What might be some of the consequences for the European climate if the current weakened or shut down permanently?

Chapter 3, Section 3

1. How do geographers classify the climate regions of the world? Geographers classify the climate regions of the world by tropical, dry, mid latitude, high latitude, and highland.

2. How do recurring phenomena influence climate patterns over time? Recurring phenomenal influences the Earth's climate over time by human interaction and how the Earth chooses to repair itself. For example the Earth has gotten considerably warmer when humans have lived on it. Yet there had been a record of four ice ages over the past two million years.

Creative Writing: Describe the climate region where you live, including its characteristic soils and natural vegetation. Remember that natural vegetation is the plant life growing where the natural environment is unchanged by human activity. I live in an area that is desert/coastal there is desert and some grassland. There is also a huge ocean that is also in the region.

chapter 2 assesment

Chapter 2 Section 1

1. Describe the different surfaces and geographical areas found on Earth. Earth's surface is made up of water and land. Seventy percent of Earth's surface is water, with only thirty percent land. The geographical areas that make up Earth are the lithosphere, which is the all of the land that makes up earth. there is also the hydrosphere which takes up all of the bodies of water that make up Earths surface. Also there is the atmosphere which has all of the air that we need to survive, it is basically a layer of air that covers the entire Earth. Finally there is the biosphere which is the part of the Earth that supports life, animals, humans and ext.

2. What point on Earth is the greatest distance from sea level? The greatest point away from sea level is Mount Everest. Mount Everest is 29,028 feet above sea level, located in the Himalayas.

Creative Writing: Agree or disagree with the statement: When small objects in space, such as meteoroids and comets, enter Earth’s atmosphere, they have no long-term effect on Earth’s lithosphere, atmosphere, or biosphere. Justify your conclusion. I disagree with this statement, because the comets or meteorites that enter Earth's atmosphere can affect the land in which it landed. The comet, or meteorite can create craters, fires, flatten cities and much more.

Chapter 2, Section 2

1. How do Earth’s layers contribute to the planet’s physical characteristics? Earths layers contribute to the physical characteristics of Earth by making the planet what it is today. Since Earth's surface is moved by volcanic and tectonic activity, it is slowly changing the surface of Earth. Since the planet is changing, its characteristics are changing slowly.

2. How do internal forces of change affect Earth’s surface differently from external forces of change? Internal forces of change deal with all faults and volcanoes. Also with earthquakes, and all of the internal layers of the Earth. External forces of change deals with weathering, and with all the different types of erosion. Basically it deals with anything that is on the outside of the Earth's layers.

Creative Writing: Describe how internal forces may have changed the surface of what is now North America over the past 225 million years. 225 million years ago all of Earths continents were together in a supper continent called Pangaea. Internal forces have moved all of the continents around the world, to what we know now. Just because the plates have hit each other and folded under each other. This reaction changed the original landmass into seven different continents. Probably in another million years Earth will slowly have changed.

chapter 1 assesment

Chapter 1, Section 1

1. What are at least two of the concerns cartographers have when they select a map projection? Explain your reasoning. When cartographers are trying to select a map projection they have to make sure that the map isn't distorted. Another concern that cartographers face is that the distance from one point on a map to another point is the shortest route. If the map is too distorted in the areas that the cartographers are studying it could lead to false information. Also, when the map is flattened out the shortest route between two points change measurements. Those two problems are what cartographers have to be concerned about when they choose a map projection.

2. Identify two physical features, two human-made features, and two political features that could be shown on a typical urban-area map. Two physical features that can be shown on a typical urban-area map is the certain elevation in an area, also the landforms that are in a specific are would be shown. The human made features that could be shown on a urban area map would possibly be boundaries, capitols,cities, roads, highways, and railroads. Finally two political features that could be shown on a map are human-made cities and roads. Yet there is also physical features such as, rivers and mountains that would be considered as physical features.

Creative Writing: Imagine that you are a city planner in a fast-growing urban area, and you are using GIS to create a map to help choose locations for new elementary schools. What types of information would be useful? Write a paragraph about the features to be shown on the map. In order to create new elementary schools in the new growing urban area, I would need my GIS to tell me where there are already homes and where new construction of homes are going to be constructed. With that information I would be able to find places around the new homes so that I could build a elementary school, so the new families could have an easy accessible school. Also I think that the GIS should show where the biggest population is, so more people could go to these new schools. This is the information that I think that would help me build new elementary schools.

Chapter 1 Section 2

1. What are the major branches of geography, and what topics does each branch study? The major branches of geography are location, place, regions, movement, and human interaction. Location can be considered in two parts; absolute location and relative location. Absolute location is the exact longitude and latitude of a spot, while relative location is the terms that describe where the spot is located. Place is a particular space with physical and human meaning. Which means that every place on earth has its own special characteristics. Regions are areas that have similar characteristics. The determining factors may be climate, landforms, or animal life. Movement is studied by how people ideas, or goods move in and out of the area. Its basically trade routes, traffic, and other routes. Human interaction is the study of how people interact with the environment around them.

2. How is geography used? Geography is used to study the earth and all the qualities about it. For example, to study the unique landforms of North America, or how the climate is different from Antarctica to Mexico. Geography helps us learn what goes on in the world and also how the world is evolving.

Creative Writing: Consider the place where you live. Write a paragraph describing its site, situation, and a type of region in which it belongs. Include examples of how the movement of people has affected its culture and how human-environment interaction has changed the environment. I live in Huntington Beach, it is on the coast of California. On the west side is the Pacific Ocean, on the east side is Fountain Valley and the rest of the U.S.A. The situation of H.B. is that its a coastal city on the Pacific coast. The region H.B. belongs to on and off warm and cool weather, it is a mostly flat city with some hills, we get some wildlife due to the wetlands along our beaches. Many people have moved to H.B. because of the beautiful weather and great climate, this big movement of people has not changed the laid back culture that H.B. still has. Since the environment that Huntington Beach has is coastal you can normally see a group of people on the beach enjoying their surroundings. Most people who live here do visit the beach often, which makes a normal human-environment interaction.