The BasicsUnit One

Weather, Climate, 5 Themes

The Nitty Gritty: Need to Know Terms

• Geography: The study of how humans interact with the physical features of the earth.

Prime Meridian Longitude

EquatorLatitude

Tropic of CancerLatitude

Tropic of CapricornLatitude

The 5 Themes of Geography• Location

– Where is it?• Absolute Location: Exactly where it is

on earth – latitude and longitude cordintates.

• Relative Location: Describes a place in comparison to places around it…next to the big red barn

The 5 Themes of Geography• Place

– What is it like?• Physical features, cultural

characteristics, climate, landforms, vegetation…all that make them unique from other places.

The 5 Themes of Geography• Region

– How are places similar or different?• Characteristics that unify areas

together– Physical– Political– Economic– Cultural

» Example: Midwest in the United States

The 5 Themes of Geography• Human-Envrionmental Interaction

– How do people relate to the physical world?

• How do your activities change with each season?

The 5 Themes of Geography• Movement- How Do People, Goods, and Ideas Get from One Place to Another?• Geographers use three types of distance to analyze

movement:- linear distance- time distance- psychological distance

Natural DisastersThe Earth Trembles • An earthquake occurs when plates grind or slip at a fault line • A seismograph detects earthquakes and measures the waves they create

Earthquake Locations • Location in the earth where an earthquake begins is called the focus • Epicenter—the point directly above focus on the earth’s surface • Nearly 95% of earthquakes occur at tectonic plate boundaries

Natural DisastersThe Explosive Earth • Volcano—underground materials pour from crack in

the earth’s surface • Most volcanoes occur at tectonic plate boundaries

Volcanic Action • Eruption—lava, gases, ash, dust, explode from vent

in Earth’s crust • Lava—magma that has reached the earth’s surface;

may create landform

Natural Disasters

Hurricanes• Huge storms called hurricanes, or typhoons in Asia:

- form over warm, tropical ocean waters- hit land with heavy rain, high winds, storm surge

Tornadoes• Tornado—a powerful, funnel-shaped column of

spiraling air:- born from strong thunderstorms- capable of immense damage

Natural Disasters

Blizzards• Blizzard—heavy snowstorm with strong winds, reduced visibility

Droughts• Drought: long period of time with either no or minimal rainfall

Floods• Water spreads out over normally dry land

How do we “map” the Earth??

• Two or Three Dimensions• Globe—a three-dimensional representation (a sphere) of

Earth• Map—a two-dimensional graphic representation of Earth’s

surface • Cartographer (mapmaker) tries to accurately reflect

earth’s surface• Map projection—way of showing Earth’s curved surface on

a flat map• Surveying

– Surveyors observe, measure, record what they see in a specific area

– Remote sensing, gathering geographic data from a distance, includes:

– aerial photography– satellite imaging– Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a digital

geographic database

How does Weather occur??

Ocean Motion• The ocean circulates through currents, waves, tides • Currents act like rivers flowing through the ocean • Waves are swells or ridges produced by winds • Tides are the regular rising and falling of the ocean

– created by gravitational pull of the moon or sun• Motion of ocean helps distribute heat on the planet

– winds are heated and cooled by ocean water

Water, it’s EVERYWHERE!Lakes hold more than 95% of the earth’s fresh water• Ground water—water held in the pores of rock • Water table—level at which the rock is saturated

Onto the Dry Part of the Planet…

Landforms • Landforms are naturally formed features on Earth’s surface • Tectonic plates are massive, moving pieces of Earth’s

lithosphere

Plate Movement • Plates move in a few ways: • by spreading, or moving apart

– subduction, or diving under another plate– collision, or crashing together– sliding past each other in a shearing motion

How Does Earth Change??

Altering the Landscape • Weathering—processes that alter rock on or near

the earth’s surface• Mechanical weathering—processes that break

rock into smaller pieces – Does not change rock’s composition, only size – Examples: frost, plant roots, road construction,

mining• Chemical weathering—interaction of elements

creates new substance – Example: when iron rusts it reacts to oxygen in

air and crumbles• Erosion—when weathered material moves by

winds, water, ice, gravity