W3 Physical Geography of Canada

Question 1

Natural Vegetation Zones in Canada
- Most of the vegetation we see today in Canada is not _____
- It has been introduced though human activity, such as _____
- Major natural vegetation zones in Canada (f,g,p,t)

Answer 1

Natural Vegetation Zones in Canada
- Most of the vegetation we see today in Canada is not natural
- It has been introduced though human activity, such as agriculture
- Major natural vegetation zones in Canada (forests, grasslands (prairies, tundra)

Question 2

What are the four natural vegetation zones?
CG DT
think of CG (gang name) is DT (down town) to grow some weed

Answer 2

Coniferous Forests
Grasslands

Deciduous Forests
Tundra

Question 3

Coniferous Forests
🌲
🪡
B
M
C
(believe me coniferous)

Answer 3

• Composed of evergreen trees
• Sometimes called needleleaf forests
  Example. Boreal forest (Canadian shield)
  Example. Montane forest (Interior of B.C) (interio=middle and starts with M)
  Example. Coastal rain forest (Coast of B.C)

Question 4

Grasslands
🌵
🧴📊
ONLY 🛐

Answer 4

• Found in relatively dry areas
• The length of the grass varies with moisture content
• Only found in the prairie provinces

Question 5

Deciduous Forests
🍂
B
C

Answer 5

• (they decide to loose their leaves) Composed of trees that lose their leaves each winter
  Example. Broadleaf forest (most of southern Ontario)
  Example. Carolinian forest (southern half of southern Ontario)
  -think of carolina panthers located south of ON

Question 6

Tundra
🏝️
🏃‍♀️->🪴
🎋
🌊🍍
❄️

Answer 6

• Composed of small plants that survive in harsh climates
• These plants reproduce by runners
  ——-Runners are offshoots of the main plant
• Found in the arctic and alpine areas
• These plants have shallow root systems due to the underlying permafrost

Question 7

Adaptive Vegetation
X
K

Answer 7

Xerophyte:

Question 8

Xerophyte:
🕯️
-lots of species in the ____ are xerophyte
exam

Answer 8

a plant that has waxy leaves which reduce moisture loss
————Lots of species in the tundra are xerophytes

Question 9

Krumholz:
exam

Answer 9

a plant that grows in a sideways formation because harsh dry winds desiccate the upper part of the
plant
(think of r as shape of plant growing sideways and Kentucky (K) is where the wind came from

Question 10

Vertical and Latitudinal Zonation

Answer 10

• As you go up a mountain you see a latitude pattern

Question 11

Permafrost in Canada
-Permafrost can be AZ

Answer 11

-Permafrost can be alpine or zonal

Question 12

Permafrost forms where..

Answer 12

Permafrost forms where..the mean annual temperature of the soil is below 0*C

Question 13

Discontinuous permafrost may form in
🏂

Answer 13

sloped areas with a northerly aspect
t (slope) n(northerly aspect)

Question 14

Aspect
🧭
fill in the blank

Answer 14

the direction that a slope faces

Question 15

The line separating continuous and discontinuous permafrost roughly follows the ____ line

Answer 15

The line separating continuous and discontinuous permafrost roughly follows the tree line

Question 16

• This tree line has moved________ by approximately ___km over the past __ years

Answer 16

• This tree line has moved northward by approximately 100km over the past 50 years

Question 17

Three types of permafrost:
CDS

Answer 17

Continuous permafrost
Discontinuous permafrost
Sporadic

Question 18

• Continuous permafrost –

Answer 18

– at least 80% of the ground is permanently frozen

Question 19

• Discontinuous permafrost

Answer 19

– 30%-80% of the ground is permanently frozen

Question 20

• Sporadic permafrost

Answer 20

-less than 30% of the ground is permanently frozen

Question 21

Types of permafrost

Answer 21

Question 22

Talik:
fill in the blank

Answer 22

permafrost free zone beneath a lake
-think of ta liking the ice under lake
open talik (permafrost under connected to the lake)
closed talik (permafrost under not connected to lake
through talik (no permafrost underneath)

Question 23

🏚️

Answer 23

The melting of a permafrost can cause roads to buckle and building to fracture

Question 24

• Utilities and pipelines must be built above ground on permafrost areas and many buildings are on _____
• This is because heat from buildings can heat the ___ and cause melting which leads to the
  building falling in

Answer 24

• Utilities and pipelines must be built above ground on permafrost areas and many buildings are on stilts (to keep them still)
• This is because heat from buildings can heat the soil and cause melting which leads to the
  building falling in

Question 25

What are the 5 soil classifications?
CPL CM
Copy Poor Lucas Cooking Methods

Answer 25

1. Cryosolic Soil
2. Podzolic soil
   3.Luvisolic Soil
3. Chernozemic Soil
   5.Mountain complex (do I need to know the mountain complex? why is there no slide on this

Question 26

Soil Classifications:
1.Cryosolic Soil:

Answer 26

• Found where the mean annual temperature is below 0*C and where continuous permafrost is common
• Generally found north of the tree line
• Is the dominant soil in the Arctic Archipelago and around Hudson Bay
• Location: Territorial North

Question 27

Soil Classifications:
2. Podzolic soil:

Answer 27

• Found in cool, moist climates
• Light grey in colour
• Commonly associated with the boreal forest
• Moisture easily percolated downward through this soil due to the large pore spaces
• Location: Canadian Shield

Question 28

Soil Classifications:
3. Luvisolic Soil:

Answer 28

• Most commonly found in humid continental climates
• Most commonly associated with deciduous vegetation
• High amounts of organic content are evident due to trees dropping leaves creating thick organic layer
• Organic: composed of matter from a once living organism
• Warm summers lead to quick decomposition of organic material thus adding to the soil
• Location: Southern Ontario

Question 29

Soil Classifications:
4. Chernozemic Soil:

Answer 29

• Most commonly found in dry climates
  where grasslands are located
• Light brown to dark brown with relatively
  high organic content
• Percolation of moisture does not occur as
  easily as with podzolic soil
• The grasses get longer as you go east
  because there is more precipitation
• Location: Cordillera

Question 30

Palliser’s Triangle

Answer 30

• This is a dry area in the western Prairies (only good way to grow wheat)
• It was named after the John Palliser
• He was the leader of a land survey expedition of the western part of British North America for Britain in
  the 1850’s
• He declared that the area was unsuitable for agriculture
• Growing wheat and cattle ranches have become common land uses in
  this area
• Farmers in this area often require government subsidies to aid in
  surviving long drought conditions
• Cities developed around the triangle to avoid the land

Question 31

Drainage Basins
-Drainage basin:

Answer 31

-the area surrounding a river that drains into the river
-ever river and lake have drainage basin’s

Question 32

• A lake drainage basin is

Answer 32

the area of land that drains into that lake
- Example. Arctic Basin – any raindrop that falls in that region ends up in the Arctic ocean
lake =land

Question 33

The highest point in Canada is the area where the _____ divide and the ____ divide come together

Answer 33

The highest point in Canada is the area where the Pacific divide and the Arctic divide come together

Question 34

• Divide:

Answer 34

a ridge of higher land that separates which ways rivers flow
- Divides form the boundaries of drainage basins

Question 35

The continental divide is located along the spine of the ______ __________
- It forms much of the _____ _______ – _____ border
- It separates….

Answer 35

The continental divide is located along the spine of the Rocky Mountains
- It forms much of the British Columbia – Alberta border
- It separates which ocean the rivers will eventually drain into

Question 36

Drainage basins are ____ systems
- Rivers with a drainage basin are in a state of dynamic _______ and adapt to changes in the daily inputs and outputs of water within the drainage basin
- Inputs: p s
- Outputs: r e

Answer 36

Drainage basins are open systems
- Rivers with a drainage basin are in a state of dynamic equilibrium and adapt to changes in the daily inputs and outputs of water within the drainage basin
- Inputs: precipitation, snowmelt
- Outputs: rivers, evaporation

Question 37

Columbia Ice Field

Answer 37

• The Columbia Ice Field is the last remaining ice sheet in southern Canada
• The ice field straddles the continental divide in Jasper National Park and contains 8
  large alpine glaciers
• The North Saskatchewan River originates in the Columbia Ice Field
• This river flows through Edmonton and Saskatoon

Question 38

Glacial Retreat
- The most well-known alpine glacier in the Columbia Ice Field is the _______ Glacier
- It is ________ at a rate of 2-3 meters per year
- Changes in ______ Sea Ice are also occurring

Answer 38

• The most well-known alpine glacier in the Columbia Ice Field is the Athabasca Glacier
• It is retreating at a rate of 2-3 meters per year
• Changes in Arctic Sea Ice are also occurring

Question 39

• In the coming decade, the polar areas are expected to ____ faster than any other areas on Earth
• This is due to a positive feedback loop
  1. ⚪️
  2. ☀️
  3. ⚫️
  4. 💦🏜️
  5. 🧊🧊->💦

Answer 39

• In the coming decade, the polar areas are expected to warm faster than any other areas on Earth
• This is due to a positive feedback loop
  1. Ice and snow reflect sunlight
  2. The ice and snow melt in warm conditions
  3. The resulting water and land then absorb sunlight
  4. The absorbing sunlight causes the water and land to heat up
  5. The heated land and water then causes more nearby ice to melt