November-December

Hi students. Here you have the link for you to print the puzzle. I will be answered in the CLASSROOM! Remember to bring glue and scissors!

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/landforms/landforms-1_WMWNF.pdf 

http://www.esltower.com/VOCABSHEETS/landforms/Landforms%20and%20Physical%20Geographywordsearch.pdf

http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/files/literacy-project/Visit_Indiana_Curriculum_Landforms_Crossword_A.pdf

COMPLETE THE SENTENCES USING THE WORDS IN THE BOX  (quiz 101)

Rotation

Revolution

Crust

Leap year

troposphere

tropical climates          dry climates          mesosphere

These are very warm climates found in the tropics that experience high quantities of precipitation. The primary distinguishing characteristic of these climates is all months have average temperatures above 18°C:  __________________

The spinning of the Earth around its own axis causes day and night. It takes

 hours to complete this movement: ________________

These are climates that experience little precipitation during most of the year. Further, potential losses of water from evaporation and transpiration greatly exceed atmospheric input. ___________

 The Earth moves around the Sun. It takes almost 365 days to complete this movement. _____________

The calendar always has 365 days, after every 4 years, the earth has made one extra rotation, so calendars add a ________________

_________is the layer next to the ground or surface of the Earth. It covers around 16 km high. This is where we live and even where planes fly.

 Earth’s _____________ is in the surface of the planet and it’s covered by water and vegetation.

The mesosphere covers the next 50-80 km beyond the stratosphere. This is where most meteors burn up upon entry. ________________

Atmosphere layers

The atmosphere is divided into five layers. It is thickest near the surface and thins out with height until it eventually merges with space.

1) The troposphere is the first layer above the surface and contains half of the Earth's atmosphere. Weather occurs in this layer.
2) Many jet aircrafts fly in the stratosphere because it is very stable. Also, the ozone layer absorbs harmful rays from the Sun.
3) Meteors or rock fragments burn up in the mesosphere.
4) The thermosphere is a layer with auroras. It is also where the space shuttle orbits.
5) The atmosphere merges into space in the extremely thin exosphere. This is the upper limit of our atmosphere.

The Earth's atmosphere is divided up into 5 major layers: Exosphere - The last layer and the thinnest. It goes all the way to 10,000 km above the Earth's surface. Thermosphere - The thermosphere is next and the air is very thin here. Temperatures can get extremely hot in the thermosphere. It covers around 80-640 km high. Mesosphere - The mesosphere covers the next 50-80 km beyond the stratosphere. This is where most meteors burn up upon entry. The coldest place on Earth is at the top of the mesosphere. Stratosphere - The stratosphere extends for the next 32 miles (16 – 50 km) after the troposphere. Unlike the troposphere the stratosphere gets its heat by the Ozone Layer absorbing radiation from the sun. As a result, it gets warmer the further away you get from the Earth. Weather balloons go as high as the stratosphere. Troposphere - The troposphere is the layer next to the ground or surface of the Earth. It covers around 16 km high. This is where we live and even where planes fly. Around 80% of the mass of the atmosphere is in the troposphere. The troposphere is heated by the surface of the Earth.

Oral Presentation.

Here you have the teams for your oral presentation. I will ask teacher Fernando if it's possible for us to use the computers so you can work there. I will let you know what happened! 
Here you have some links so you can get some information:
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7v.HTML
http://www.sciences360.com/index.php/climate-4295/
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/climate.htm

101
Team 1 Tropical: Diana, Julieta, Isaac, Luis Ramón, Tania Arana   
Team 2 DRY: Nathalie, Erick B, Armando I, Daneira, Marisol
Team 3 MILD MID LATITUDE: Paola, Rodrigo, Melissa, Sthefanny, Jorge Alberto Solís
Team 4 SEVERE MID LATITUDE: Dafne, Daniela, Jorge Sánchez, Israel, Tania C, Fernanda L
Team 5 POLAR: Juan Carlos, Marylu, Frida, Gibrán, Harold
Team 6 INTRODUCTION, WHAT IS THE KOPPEN CLASSIFICATION: Marco, Mary Carmen, Erick T, Irving,


102

Team 1 Tropical: Javier, Anette, Susana, Luis Eduardo, Aurora
Team 2 DRY : Diego Gerardo, Jocelyn, , Ernesto, Braulio, Rodrigo
Team 3 MILD MID LATITUDE : Danai, Alan, Abril, Cristina, Eduardo, Darian
Team 4 SEVERE MID LATITUDE: Marco Aurelio, Samuel, César, Brenda, Luis Daniel, Regina
Team 5 POLAR: Carlos O., Elizabeth, Fernanda T,  Carlos Daniel
Team 6 INTRODUCTION, WHAT IS THE KOPPEN CLASSIFICATION: Viviana, Fer ch, Mariana


103
Team 1 Tropical: Citlalli, Fernando, Rosmira, Juan Carlos, David Velázquez
Team 2 DRY : Israel, Daniela, Helena, Jorge, Elizabeth, Fernanda C.
Team 3 MILD MID LATITUDE: Erika, Sebastián, David Rodríguez, Juan Pablo, Aranza, César
Team 4: SEVER MID LATITUDE  Carlos, Mariana, Santiago, Norma, José Pablo
Team 5 POLAR: Dulce, Dolores, Jaqueline, Larissa, Fernanda Tovar, Rodrigo

104

Team 1 TROPICAL: Miguel, Andrea, André, Ximena, Isalia
Team 2 DRY: Karla, Ana Laura, Daniela E, Javier, Cristián, Dana
Team 3 MILD MID LATITUDE : Sergio, Frida, Rodolfo, Daniela H., Ruy, Miranda
Team 4 SEVERE MID LATITUD: Luisa, Gerardo, Juan Arturo, Oscar Michelle, Dafne, Illyan
Team 5 POLAR : Diego G., Jorge Adrián, Valeria, Andrés, Edson, Ivanna

105
Team 1 TROPICAL: Jairo, Lucía, Jimena M., Oscar, Brenda
Team 2 DRY: Ariadna, Sara de la Cruz, Diego, Paulina Lovera, Agustín, Ximena
Team 3 MILD MID LATITUDE: Adriana, Marina, Elías, Rubén, Aline, Alejandro
Team 4 SEVERE MID LATITUDE: Mariano, Oswaldo, Daniela, Sara, Ricardo, Paulina
Team 5 POLAR: Zainy, Natalia, Sofía, Heriberto, José Alberto, Juan Carlos

Tectonic plates

The crust of our planet is cracked into seven large and many other smaller slabs of rock called plates, averaging about 50 miles thick. As they move (only inches per year), and depending on the direction of that movement, they collide, forming deep ocean trenches, mountains, volcanoes, and generating earthquakes.

What are the Lithosphere and Asthenosphere

The lithosphere can be defined as the solid outermost surface of a planet. It is the approximately 100 first strong and rocky kilometers of the earth’s surface. Its name is derived from the Greek words for rock, or “litho,” and layer, or “sphere.” When scientists refer to plate tectonics, they are generally referring to the top plate of the earth’s surface, which would be the lithosphere. It is also divided into two sorts of layers- a continental layer and an oceanic layer. These make up accordingly for the land mass and the water on the earth’s surface. The asthenosphere is a weaker layer that flows right underneath the lithosphere. Together, the lithosphere and the asthenosphere comprise what scientists refer to as the earth’s mantle. There are two different kinds of lithosphere which together make up the earth’s surface, or crust. The oceanic lithosphere is essentially what is referred to as the ocean floor. Continental lithosphere is the continental crust, or the formation of earth’s land and continents.

A	B
TOPOGRAPHY	The shape of the land determined by elevation, relief, and landforms.
ELEVATION	Height above sea level.
RELIEF	The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest parts of an area.
LANDFORM	A feature of topography formed by the processes that shaped Earth’s surface.
LANDFORM REGION	A large area of land where the topography is similar.
PLAIN	A landform made up of flat or gently rolling land with low relief.
MOUNTAIN	A landform with high elevation and high relief.
MOUNTAIN RANGE	A series of mountains that have the same general shape and structure.
PLATEAU	A landform that has a more or less level surface and is elevated high above sea level.
LITHOSPHERE	A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust. One of four spheres into which scientists divide Earth.
CORE	Earth’s sense center, made up of the solid inner core and the molten outer core.
MANTLE	The layer of hot, solid material between Earth’s crust and core.
CRUST	The layer of rock that forms Earth’s outer surface.
ROCK	The material that forms Earth’s hard surface.
GEOLOGY	The study of the solid Earth.
MAP	A model of all or part of Earth’s surface as seen from above.
GLOBE	A sphere that represents Earth’s surface.
SCALE	Used to compare distance on a map or globe to distance on Earth’s surface.
SYMBOLS	On a map, pictures used by mapmakers to stand for features on Earth’s surface.
KEY	A list of the symbols used on a map.
EQUATOR	An imaginary line halfway between the North and South poles that circles Earth.
HEMISPHERE	One half of the sphere that makes up Earth’s surface.
PRIME MERIDIAN	The line that makes a half circle from the North Pole to the South Pole, passing through Greenwich, England.
DEGREE	A unit used to measure distance around a circle. One degree equals 1/360 of a full circle.
LATITUDE	The distance north or south from the equator, measured in degrees.
LONGITUDE	The distance in degree east or west of the prime meridian.
MAP PROJECTION	A framework of lines that helps to show landmasses on a flat surface.
SATELLITE IMAGE	Pictures of the land surface based on computer data collected from satellites.
PIXEL	The tiny dots in a satellite image.
DIGITIZING	Converting information to numbers for use by a computer.
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP	A map that shows the surface features of an area.
CONTOUR LINE	A line on a topographic map that connects points of equal elevation.
CONTOUR INTERVAL	The difference in elevation from one contour line to the next.
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM	A method of finding latitude and longitude using satellites.

Major Köppen Climate Categories

These major climate categories have the following broad characteristics:

	A - Tropical Moist Climates: These are very warm climates found in the tropics that experience high quantities of precipitation. The primary distinguishing characteristic of these climates is all months have average temperatures above 18°C (64°F).
	B - Dry Climates: These are climates that experience little precipitation during most of the year. Further, potential losses of water from evaporation and transpiration greatly exceed atmospheric input.
	C - Moist Mid-latitude Climates with Mild Winters: In these climates, summer temperatures are warm to hot and winters are mild. The primary distinguishing characteristic of these climates is the coldest month has an average temperature between 18°C (64°F) and -3°C (27°F).
	D - Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Cold Winters: In these climates, summer temperatures are warm and winters are cold. The primary distinguishing characteristic of these climates is the average temperature of warmest month exceeds 10°C (50°F), and average temperature of coldest is below -3°C (27°F).
	E - Polar Climates: These climates have very cold winters and summers, with no real summer season. The primary distinguishing characteristic of these climates is the warmest month has an average temperature below 10°C (50°F).
	H - Highland Climates: These are climates that are strongly influenced by the effects of altitude.  As a result, the climate of such locations is rather different from places with low elevations at similar latitudes.

The Köppen Climate Classification System is the most widespread system used to classify the climates of places on our planet. The system was developed German climatologist and amateur botanist Wladimir Köppen (1846-1940) who divided the world's climates into several major categories based upon general temperature profile related to latitude.

The Köppen Climate Classification System is a empirical system based on observable features
The first level recognizes six major climatic types with each group being designated by a capital letter. These major climate categories have the following broad characteristics:

A	Tropical humid	Af	Tropical wet	No dry season
		Am	Tropical monsoonal	Short dry season; heavy monsoonal rains in other months
		Aw	Tropical savanna	Winter dry season
B	Dry	BWh	Subtropical desert	Low-latitude desert
		BSh	Subtropical steppe	Low-latitude dry
		BWk	Mid-latitude desert	Mid-latitude desert
		BSk	Mid-latitude steppe	Mid-latitude dry
C	Mild Mid-Latitude	Csa	Mediterranean	Mild with dry, hot summer
		Csb	Mediterranean	Mild with dry, warm summer
		Cfa	Humid subtropical	Mild with no dry season, hot summer
		Cwa	Humid subtropical	Mild with dry winter, hot summer
		Cfb	Marine west coast	Mild with no dry season, warm summer
		Cfc	Marine west coast	Mild with no dry season, cool summer
D	Severe Mid-Latitude	Dfa	Humid continental	Humid with severe winter, no dry season, hot summer
		Dfb	Humid continental	Humid with severe winter, no dry season, warm summer
		Dwa	Humid continental	Humid with severe, dry winter, hot summer
		Dwb	Humid continental	Humid with severe, dry winter, warm summer
		Dfc	Subarctic	Severe winter, no dry season, cool summer
		Dfd	Subarctic	Severe, very cold winter, no dry season, cool summer
		Dwc	Subarctic	Severe, dry winter, cool summer
		Dwd	Subarctic	Severe, very cold and dry winter, cool summer
E	Polar	ET	Tundra	Polar tundra, no true summer
		EF	Ice Cap	Perennial ice

October- December

Hi again students!

I will begin to upload your topics for the 2nd bimonthly evaluation.

COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS

The coast as a system

The coast is also an open system. It has inputs, flows, stores, and outputs.  The coast is the transition zone between the land and the sea.

Coasts have two main zones: the ONSHORE (inland), and the OFFSHORE (sea).

To understand the coast as a system, we have to consider 4 basic elements:

·         LAND. Physical processes, geology and river sediments, and ecosystems

·         SEA. Physical processes, sea level, water depth, ecosystems

·         WEATHER. Wind strength and direction, rainfall, temperature, storms

·         HUMAN ACTIVITY. Settlements, development, coastal management.

 

Marine processes.

Water can change the aspect of the land. Waves can erode, transport and deposit materials. Waves are created by the wind. Wind moves the surface of the water.

As waves get near the coast, they enter into shallow water. When this happens, we can observe two phases:

·         SWASH. It’s the forward movement of water  through  the beach.

·         BACKWASH. It is the water running back down the beach.

 

Because of this movement, we may recognize CONSTRUCTIVE and DESTRUCTIVE waves.  Constructive waves deposit material on the beach (deposition). Destructive waves drag down material from the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

Coastal landforms

The coast may change its form mainly because of:

·         Hydraulic action: this results from the force of the waves hitting the cliffs

·         Abrasion: cause by waves picking up stones and hurling the at cliffs

·         Corrosion: the dissolving of rocks by sea water

·         Weathering: breakdown of rocks caused by freeze thaw, salt crystals,  vegetation

·         Erosion: caused by wind and rain

·         Mass movement: caused by gravity (rocks falling down)

 

The most common coastal landforms shaped in the coasts are the HEADLANDS and the BAYS. As a result of these, we may also find cliffs,  caves, arches, stacks, and stumps

 

 

 

 

Spit

 

 

Tombolo

 

Cuspate foreland

 

Lagoon

 

 

Sand dune

COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS UNDER THREAT

 

Coastal ecosystems offer some value to people, but, some of human actions threatens their existence.

Coral reefs

Coral reefs are important to people because of:

·         Their biodiversity: lots of coral and fish species

·         Protection from tropical storms

·         Rich fish stocks (food supply for LICs)

·         Tourism

 

Since coral reefs presents these benefits, they attract a lot of persons. This may have negative results to the reef, such as:

·         Increased pollution

·         Removal of fish

·         Sewage and fertilizers to the sea

 

Mangroves

Mangroves, as the other ecosystems, provide some benefits to people:

·         Nurseries of fish and crustaceans

·         Mangrove roots trap sediments and help creating new land

·         Protection from storm surges

Threatens to mangroves:

·         Aquaculture

·         Deforestation

·         Land reclamation to build hotels

·         Expanding agriculture

 

 

Salt marshes

Specific threatens to salt marshes include:

·         Reclamation of land to create farmlands (agriculture), industrial and port development

·         Industrial pollution (power stations and oil refineries).

·         Agricultural  pollution: fertilizers and pesticides

·         Development of marinas and recreatiñonal facilities

 

Coastal sand dunes

·         People uses these areas as recreational spaces (biking and horse riding)

·         Loss of vegetation

·         Risk being built over

·         Tourism (golf courses and caravan sites)

 

 

COASTAL CONFLICTS

The coast is also a SYSTEM. We have things entering the system (INPUTS), and may stay in there (STORES), or also, they may pass through it (TRANSFERS) to then leave (OUTPUTS).

If there is a balance between inputs and outputs, is said to be in EQUILIBRIUM. Equilibrium can be easily broken by human activities; Human can use ecosystems lands and their resources to develop industry and for recreational activities.  As a result of this, we can find conflicts between CONSERVATION and DEVELOPMENT

CONFLICTS BETWEEN COASTAL USERS

Since coasts offer a lot of goods, we can find  types of users competing for them:

·         Local residents

·         Employers (shops, offices, factories

·         Farmers

·         Fishermen

·         Port authorities

·         Transport companies

·         Tourists

Because of the people taking advantage of these ecosystems, the natural environment is being damaged. Coastal ecosystems are being affected by 3 activities: the ships serving the oil and gas terminals; discharges from industrial plants; agricultural chemicals into the sea. One effective solution would be to separate or assign areas to the different activities.

 

 

 HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS

A hazard is an event that threatens or causes damage or destruction to people and/or their property.  A natural hazard is one produced by environmental processes and involves events such as storms, floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

GEOLOGICAL	CLIMATIC	BIOLOGICAL	TECNOLOGICAL
Earthquakes	Storms	Fires	Nuclear explosions
Volcanic eruptions	Floods	Pests	Accidents
Landslides	Drought	Diseases	pollution

 

An important aspect of all hazards is related to risk. Risk is the probability of an event to happen and the scale of its possible damage. Also, there are 4 main aspects to know about a hazard:

·         Distribution: Where do they occur?

·         Frequency: Do they occur regularly?

·         Scale: How much damage?

·         Prediction: Can the hazard be predicted?

To minimize the damage made by a hazard, we must take precautionary actions. These actions are known as ADJUSTMENT or MITIGATION

 

 

EARTHQUAKES

An EARTHQUAKE is a sudden and brief period of intense ground-shaking. They are caused by the different movements of tectonic plates.

There are two scales to measure the intensity of earthquakes. The RICHTER SCALE measures the movement  strength according to the amount of energy released. This strength is measured with a seismograph, and the scale runs from 2.4 to over 8.0.  The MELCALLI SCALE is based on the amount of damage done and it runs from 2 to 12.

We can identify different elements of earthquakes. The first one is the focus. The FOCUS is the centre of the earthquake underground. The EPICENTRE is the point on the surface directly above to the focus.

The main threat of earthquakes is their ability to shake building so they may fall apart and collapse. Nowadays, buildings are designed so they can resist earthquakes. Another effect of earthquakes is the tidal wave or TSUNAMI. Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes happening under the sea, so they generate large and destructive tidal waves.

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

What is a volcano? A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth. When pressure builds up, eruptions occur. Gases and rock shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill the air with lava fragments. Lava, ash, and gas emissions threaten not only people but their environment.

Volcanoes can have a very serious effect on the lands and people around them when they erupt.

·         Buildings are destroyed and people are made homeless.

·         People are killed.

·         Clouds of ash cover plants making them inedible.

·         Poisonous gases kill people and animals.

·         Dust causes pneumonia and illnesses to the survivors.

·         Dark skies, severe winds and heavy rains may follow an eruption for months afterwards.

                           

 

 

Reasons for living in high risk areas

People build cities and live in them knowing that many of these are high risk areas. Some of these cities are constantly hit by hurricanes and earthquakes. Why?

·         A lack of education may mean that residents DO NOT KNOW about the risks of living in these cities.

·         Because of the benefits of living in these places

·         People are unable to move from hazardous areas due to the lack of money or permanent jobs. Also, some of these persons and/or families have been for generations and they feel comfortable living there despite the hazards.

·         The investment made in these cities. People have invested in houses, buildings, attractions, etc., and since living there will represent a certain amount of risk, houses and living will be cheaper.

Living near a volcano may offer some other benefits, such as minerals (diamonds, gold, and copper), fertile soils, tourism, etc.