Climate and Human-Environment Interaction Flashcards
Climate Characteristics
Precipitation and Temperature
Generally climates are warmer near the equator and cooler near the North Pole and South Pole
Latitude
blow in the same direction
Prevailing Winds
calm area near the equator
Doldrums
Blow from the east to west between 30N and 30S (low latitudes)
Trade Winds
blow from the west to the east 30-60N, 30-60S (middle latitude)
Westerlies
blow from the east to the west in 60-90N, 60-90S (high latitudes)
Polar Easterlies
cooler air and increased winds (high or low altitude)
high
orographic effect
water heats and cools ____ than land which is who coastal rehions have _____ extream seasons (slower or faster, more or less)
slower, less
warmer currents = ______ coastal regions
warmer
cold currents = _____ coastal areas
drier
certain extreme weather patterns occur predominantly in specific climate regions
weather phenomena
winds caused by shifts in pressure systems, occur in south and southeast Asia and southwestern US
Monsoons
impact western pacific ocean, cyclonic wind storms, carry lots of moisture due to forming over ocean
Typhoons
impact atlantic ocean and eastern pacific ocean, cyclonic wind storms, carry lots of moisture due to forming over ocean
Hurricanes
Rotating storm, forms most often over land, occurs most frequently in North America but can occur all continents exect Antarctica
Tornados
How does climate affect people?
What crops they grow
What clothing they wear
What housing they build
What natural hazards they encounter
Terracing in China and Southeast Asia
Polders in the Netherlands
Deforestation
Desertification
Landscape Changes
Acid Rain in Germany, Scandinavia, China, and Eastern North America
Environmental Changes
Air Polluition in LA and Mexico City
Water pollution like the oil spills in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico
Soil contamination like in Chernobyl (nuclear accident
Pollution
Affecting Sea Levels, temperatures, and weather patterns
Climate Change
Help us use more land for planting crops and raising livestock
Fertilizers and mechanization
Fossil fuels, nuclear, hydroelectric wind and solar
increase demand for energy and increase in types of energy we can access
Roads, railways, suburbs, mass/rapid transport
change in transportation
more parking lots and suburbs
increase use of automobiles
airport expansion and noise
more airplanes
how has technology impacted the environment?
Fertilizers and mechanization
Increase demand for energy and increase in types of energy we can access
change in transportation
increase use of automobiles
more airplanes
people live in previously uninhabitable areas
Settlement patterns
traditionally used what was nearby, more developed regions import these
Housing materials
raise crops and animals based on climate
Agricultural activity
climate dictates certain types of this
types of recreation
as areas expand to these we build better buildings, plan evacuations and attempt to minimize the effects
need for disaster planning
how the environment impacts humans
settlement patterns
houseing materials
agurcultural activity
types of recreation
transportation patterns
need for disaster planning
