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.