Exam Study Guide for Semester I

Review Guide for Semester I Exam

Directions:  Use the notes on Climate, Physical Processes, Human Environment Interaction, Weather, and Technology to complete this study guide.

1.  List four elements that cause regional climate patterns.

Latitude, Wind Currents, Water, Elevation

2.  Most places near the equator have warm climates.

3.  Areas with higher elevation in a region are usually colder.

4.  What is savanna vegetation?

Tropical grassland located in East Africa

5.  What are the three characteristics of climate?

Temperature, Precipitation (rainfall), and Seasons

6.  What climate zone receives the least amount of precipitation?

Arid (desert)

7.  What area of the world do monsoons usually occur in?

South and Southeast Asia

8.  What area of the world do typhoons usually occur in?

Tropical storms in the Pacific Ocean – East Asia, Southeast Asia

9.  List the climates that usually occur in the middle latitudes.

Mediterranean, Humid Subtropical, Humid Continental, Marine West Coast

10.  List the climates that usually occur in the high latitudes.

Icecap, Subarctic, Tundra

11.  List the climates that usually occur in the low latitudes.

Tropical Wet, Tropical Wet and Dry

12.  What latitude zone are rainforests found in?

Low latitudes (near equator)

13.  What latitude zone is taiga found in?

High latitudes (subarctic climate zones)

14.  What is tundra?

Cold grassland

15.  What is the climate zone that has a rainy season in summer and a dry season in winter called?

Tropical wet and dry

16.  What is a monsoon and how does it help people?

Seasonal wind pattern in South and Southeast Asia/provides water for irrigation

17.  A __________ is a twisting funnel shaped cloud that forms over land.

Tornado

18.  What is the definition of climate?

Condition of the atmosphere over a long period of time

19.  What is the definition of weather?

Condition of the atmosphere over a short period of time

20.  What is a polder?

Area of reclaimed land from the sea

21.  List three causes of deforestation.

Cutting down forests for farming, expansion of cities, cutting down forest for timber to sell

22.  Why is the Aral Sea shrinking?

Over irrigation of the rivers that flow into it in order to grow cotton in Russia

23.  What is desertification?

Expansion of arid conditions into previously non-arid areas in which trees, shrubbery and grasses are artificially or naturally killed off

24.  Why do farmers practice terraced farming?

They need to grow food on hillsides

25.  How do volcanoes benefit humans?

The ash from volcanoes is good for farming

26.  List the forces that cause erosion.

Gravity, wind, water, ice (glaciers)

27.  What happened at Chernobyl?

It was a nuclear reactor that had an explosion in 1996 in the former Soviet Union. It is now located in Ukraine.

28.  What type of pollution does Mexico City suffer from?

Air pollution

29.  List three ecological processes that have shaped the earth's surface.

Flooding, erosion, weathering

30.  List three ways humans influence their environment.

Agriculture, energy usage, transportation

31.  List three ways humans are influenced by their environment.

Clothing, housing, types of recreation, transportation patterns

32.  List three forms of pollution.

Water, air, radioactive pollution (Chernobyl)

33.  The Aswan High Dam is on the __________ river.

Nile (Egypt)

34.  List three examples of water diversion.

Dams, reservoirs, canals

35. What causes air pollution?

Smokestack emissions from factories or industries, burning fossil fuels in your car as gasoline or at electric plants that burn coal for electricity, or farm and household chemicals (crop dusting fields)

36. What causes the majority of water pollution?

Contamination of lakes, rivers, oceans by harmful, toxic chemicals or waste, garbage, chemical run-off on agricultural fields from insecticides or fertilizers that flow with rain into creeks, streams or rivers, or oil spills in the oceans

37. What landforms help produce smog?

Mountains and valleys  trap smog down in the valleys and the height of the mountains keeps smog from blowing away in the wind

38. What is the 1990 Clean Air Act?

Goals to clean up the air in the United States

39. What are natural forms of pollution?

Volcanic eruptions, forest fires and grass fires

40. What is urbanization?

An increase in the population of cities and towns as opposed to rural areas.

41. What is an urban environment?

An urban area is the region surrounding a city. Most inhabitants of urban areas have nonagricultural jobs. Urban areas are very developed, meaning there is a density of human structures such as houses, commercial buildings, roads, bridges, and railways.

"Urban area" can refer to towns, cities, and suburbs. An urban area includes the city itself, as well as the surrounding areas.

42. What is a rural environment?

Rural areas are the opposite of urban areas. Rural areas, often called "the country," have low population density and large amounts of undeveloped land. Usually, the difference between a rural area and an urban area is clear.

43. What are the suburbs or a suburban environment?

The meaning of a suburban area is a residential or district located on the outskirts of the city. It is bounded by major cities and characteristically made up of sole family separated residences, with more green space and characterized by low population density.

44. What is weathering? And what causes it?

Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters. Weathering occurs in situ, or "with no movement", and thus should not be confused with erosion, which involves the movement of rocks and minerals by agents such as water, ice, snow, wind, waves and gravity.

Two important classifications of weathering processes exist – physical and chemical weathering; each sometimes involves a biological component. Mechanical or physical weathering involves the breakdown of rocks and soils through direct contact with atmospheric conditions, such as heat, water, ice and pressure. The second classification, chemical weathering, involves the direct effect of atmospheric chemicals or biologically produced chemicals (also known as biological weathering) in the breakdown of rocks, soils and minerals.[1] While physical weathering is accentuated in very cold or very dry environments, chemical reactions are most intense where the climate is wet and hot. However, both types of weathering occur together, and each tends to accelerate the other.

45. What is erosion? What causes it?

Erosion is the process by which soil and rock are removed from the Earth's surface by processes such as wind or water flow, and then transported and deposited in other locations.