Case Studies and Topographical Skills Flashcards
What is the Boreal Forest case study and its absolute and relative locations?
Whistler, 50°7’15”N, 122°57’16”W, 125KM north of Vancouver
What is the peak of Whistler’s mountainous region and total area?
Peak of 2182m and area of 240.490KM squared
How many permanent residents are there in Whistler and what are the main economic activities?
10,000 permanent residents, main activities are tourism, recreation and logging
What is the temperate forest case study and what are its most important geographic characteristics?
Black Forest, most important geographic characteristics are climate, scale, flora and fauna
What are the most relevant natural and human processes in the Black Forest?
Seasonal change and urbanisation
What is the relative location of the Black Forest?
South-West Germany, 760KM south-west of Berlin
What is the grassland case study and how many countries does it contain?
Sahel region in Africa, contains 10 countries
What is the climate and average precipitation in the Sahel?
Semi-arid climate, 100-600mm of precipitation per year
What are the average temperatures during summer and winter in the Sahel?
36-42°C in summer and 27-33°C in winter
What is the soil like in the Sahel?
It is laterite and has a high clay content, but there is heavy leaching in the rainy season
What is the tropical rainforest case study and who is it named after?
The Daintree Rainforest, named after Richard Daintree, an Australian geologist and photographer
What is the absolute and relative location of the Daintree Rainforest?
16°12’0”S, 145°24’0”E, 1500KM north-west of Brisbane, 100KM north-west of Cairns
What types of species does the Daintree Rainforest contain?
90% of Australia’s bat and butterfly species, over 12,00 species of insects
Which animal is endangered in the Daintree Rainforest?
Southern Cassowary
What is eutrophication?
Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water
What are the human impacts on the Daintree Rainforest?
Mining, dams, logging and climate change
What was the desert case study and what was the size and area of this desert?
Great Sandy Desert, Northern Territory, 2nd largest desert in Australia, 284,993KM squared
What is the climate like in the Great Sandy Desert?
It is a hot, dry desert, but monsoonal rains occur from September to April
What is temperature range during summer and winter in the Great Sandy Desert?
37-42°C in summer and 25-30°C in winter
What is the vegetation like in the Great Sandy Desert?
It is dominated by spinifex and is sparsely populated
What was the tundra case study?
Greenland, an autonomous country within the Danish Realm
What does Greenland contain?
The Jakobshavn glacier, with a population of 4,530 people
What are easting and northing lines on a map?
Eastings are vertical grid lines and northings are horizontal grid lines
What are area and grid references?
Area references are four-figure numbers and grid references are more detailed six-figure numbers
What are examples of natural and human features on a topographic map?
Natural features include mountains, rivers, and valleys, whereas human features include roads, dams and cities
What are contour lines used to determine?
The height of the land
What do cross-sections demonstrate?
The shape of a feature viewed from the side
What does elevation refer to?
The height above or below a fixed reference point
What is the aspect on a topographic map?
The compass direction that a slope faces
