Page 2-1

SECTION II The Physical World:

The Earth, Climate and Water

Page 2-2

Page 2-3

Film: The Heat Within (The Miracle Planet)

1. What is the temperature of the earth at the bottom of the Western Deep Levels Mine

(11,738 feet below the surface)? _____________ 2. How deep is the earth’s hard rock surface layer (the Lithosphere)? ___________ 3. Why did the earth become a ‘sea of molten rock’ when it was impacted by planetesimals in

the primordial age?

________________________________________________________________________ 4. How often do volcanoes erupt in Iceland? ______________________________________ 5. How was Iceland formed?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

6. How are ‘pillow lava’ formed and where are they found? __________________________

________________________________________________________________________

7. What do ‘smokers’ emit? ___________________________ 8. What do travertines emit? __________________________ 9. Why is the Rift Valley sinking? _______________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

10. Describe the ‘blanket effect’ _________________________________________________ 11. What was the name of the earth’s supercontinent that existed 250,000 million years ago?

____________________________________________

12. Which fragment of the African continent created the Himalayan mountains when it impacted

the Asian continent? _______________________________ 13. What does fossil evidence found in the Himalayas and the Alps indicate?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

14. What is the primary force driving the process known as ‘continental drift’? ________________________________________________________________________

Page 2-4

Page 2-5

Physical Geography Assignment

Part A: Tectonic Plates, Plate Boundaries and Landforms

The shape of the earth is in large part a product of the movement of its tectonic plates across its surface over billions of years. The objectives of this section are to have you:

• identify the world’s major tectonic plates and the boundaries between them • locate major earthquakes, volcanos and landscape features • effectively communicate this information on a map using symbols to a reader • describe the relationship between the plates and major physical landscape features

To do this assignment you need coloured pencils – please come equipped!

Instructions

Use ArcExplorer to prepare a map showing major tectonic plates, earthquakes and volcanoes:

1. Open ArcExplorer

2. Add the layer 'plates.shp' (in the 'world' directory of the data directory).

- Right-click on this layer in the TOC to open the Properties menu and then:

• under Colour, change to “light gray”

• change the width of the line used to show the plates to '3' from '1' to make the plate boundaries stand out more clearly

• under the Labels tab, add the names of the plates, change the text size to 12, the colour to magenta, and make them bold - this will make them easier to see and read on the map

3. Add the layer 'countries.shp', open its Properties menu and make it transparent.

4. Add the layer 'qks20012005gt4.shp' (this shows earthquakes of magnitude of greater than 4 from 2001-2005) and then:

- select this layer by clicking on qks20012005gt4 in the TOC.

- use the 'QueryBuilder' to find those earthquakes during this period with a magnitude of greater than 7.5 on the Richter scale.

- how many of these very large earthquakes are there? _______ (also record on answer sheet)

- with the earthquakes layer on top of the others, the plate boundaries are obscured; to allow us to see these boundaries more clearly, drag the earthquakes layer to the bottom of the list of layers in the TOC; the earthquakes that you found in the query building step should remain on top and be easier to see

- rename this layer by right-clicking on it in the TOC, choose “rename” and make it ‘Major Quakes 2001-2005' & press Enter.

- Use the Properties menu of this layer to:

• Change the colour of the symbol used to show the quakes to 'yellow'

• Change the size of the symbol used to '5' from '6'

5. Add the layer 'volcanoes.shp' and rename it 'Major Volcanic Eruptions'

- use the Properties menu of this layer to:

• Change the symbol used for volcanoes to a 'triangle'

• Change their colour to 'green'

• Change their size to '5' from '6'

- how many of these volcanoes are there (see the Attribute Table)? _______

Page 2-6

6. Go to the Layout view. Click on the globe at the bottom to re-centre and resize your map. Add a title, legend, source and north arrow to your map.

7. Export your map to an image file and print a copy (preferably in colour).

8. Using the plate tectonics map on p. 2-2 as a reference, add arrows manually to your map to show the direction each plate is moving.

9. On the map, manually indicate which plate boundaries are primarily convergent, divergent and transform by adding lines of different colours to these boundaries. Add this information to your legend as well.

10. Describe the relationship between the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes on your map and the types of plate boundaries near to which they are located.

11. Using your atlas, locate and show the following physical landscape features on your map:

• Marianas Trench

• Aleutian Trench

• Java Trench

• Tonga Trench

• Peru-Chile Trench

• Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• East Pacific Rise

• Indian Ocean Ridge

• East African Rift System

• Himalaya Mountains

• Andes Mountains

• Rocky Mountains

Choose a symbol to represent each TYPE of feature and add it manually to your map at these locations. You do not need to identify the features individually, only by type of feature. Define the symbols you chose in your legend.

12. Describe the relationship between the distribution of trenches, ridges/rifts and mountains on your map and the types of plate boundaries near to which they are located.

13. Using your atlas, locate the following volcanic islands with a red square (add them manually to your map and legend, – you do not need to identify them individually):

• Hawaii

• Kerguelen Island

• Saint Helena

• Cape Verde Islands

Why are these volcanic islands located where they are in relation to plate boundaries?

Page 2-7

Part B: Climate Classification

One way geographers try to make sense of global climates is to classify climates into categories. In this section, you will interpret climate data from two stations to find the modified Köppen Climate Classification code and locate the stations.

The objectives of this assignment are for you to:

• demonstrate an understanding of different global climates

• classify the climate of different places

• prepare and interpret climographs

• interpret and work with a scientific classification system

Instructions:

Climographs are diagrams that combine thirty-year average monthly values of temperature and precipitation. They provide a quick visual summary of the climate of an area. Months are placed on the x-axis of the graph, temperature (°C) is plotted on the left y-axis with a line connecting the monthly values, and precipitation (cm) is plotted as vertical bars on the right y axis. 1. Use two of the sets of climate data on the next page (they will be assigned to you by your

instructor) to create two climographs (one above the other) on one sheet of graph paper.

• Use a red line for temperature and blue bars for precipitation (no gap between bars).

• Precipitation must start at 0 cm and the maximum must be 40 cm on both graphs.

• For temperature, start at -40°C and go to 40°C.

• Diagrams should be neat, correctly labelled, with a proper title, legend and source.

2. Determine for each of these two stations:

a. Whether they are in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. Explain your reasoning.

b. The Köppen Climate classification for your location (pp. ). Back up your choice of EACH letter with an explanation based on the data.

c. A more precise location (from the choices provided). Explain your reasoning.

Page 2-8

Climate Data for Six Stations, Average 1971-2001

Station I II III

Month Temp (°C) Precip (cm)

Temp (°C) Precip (cm)

Temp (°C) Precip (cm)

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

-31.3 -28.2 -25.3 -18.6 -6.7 3.2 6.6 6.6 1.2 -11.2 -23.6 -28.1

0.7 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.7 3.2 4.6 4.8 2.8 0.9 0.4 1.0

22.2 22.8 22.3 20.5 18.5 17.1 16.3 16.1 16.1 17.0 18.5 20.5

0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1

29.4 28.8 28.4 28.2 27.9 27.3 26.4 24.9 25.8 27.6 28.6 29.3

23.2 40.0 34.5 31.3 9.5 2.1 0.0 0.0 0.5 1.6 7.1 14.3

Year -13.1 20.4 19 2 25.8 164.1

Station IV V VI

Month Temp (°C) Precip (cm)

Temp (°C) Precip (cm)

Temp (°C) Precip (cm)

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

26.0 26.2 25.6 24.1 22.4 21.1 20.7 21.2 21.6 22.3 23.4 24.9

13.5 12.4 13.4 10.9 7.8 5.2 4.5 4.6 6.2 8.2 10.0 13.7

-12.0 -10.6 -4.5 3.2 10.8 16.2 19.2 17.7 12.8 6.8 -0.1 -8.9

8.5 7.5 7.9 7.6 9.3 10.8 11.2 10.9 11.3 8.9 10.0 10.4

11.3 13.2 15.6 17.6 20.7 23.8 28.0 28.2 25.0 20.8 15.8 12.0

2.7 3.1 3.6 3.2 1.7 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.7 2.0 3.7 2.8

Year 23.3 110.4 4.3 114.2 19.4 24.7

Source: U.S. Geological Service.

Page 2-9

Name: ______________________ Physical Geography Assignment

Teacher: ______________________ Intro to Geography

Part A – Tectonic Plates, Plate Boundaries and Landforms 1-3. Attach your map. Make sure that it has:

• a proper title, legend, north arrow and source

• arrows added to show plate movement directions

• coloured lines added to show the different types of plate boundaries

• symbols representing trenches, ridges, mountains and volcanic islands

4. How many earthquakes greater than 7.5 on the Richter scale were there between 2001 and 2005? __________

5. How many volcanoes are there in this database? __________

10. Circle all of the correct answers for the following:

Earthquakes tend to be located near what type of plate boundaries?

a. Transform b. Convergent c. Divergent

Volcanoes tend to be located near what type of plate boundaries?

a. Transform b. Convergent c. Divergent 12. Ocean Ridges tend to be located near what type of plate boundaries?

a. Transform b. Convergent c. Divergent

Ocean Trenches/Rift Systems tend to be located near what type of plate boundaries?

a. Transform b. Convergent c. Divergent

Mountain ranges tend to be located near what type of plate boundaries?

a. Transform b. Convergent c. Divergent 13. Why are these volcanic islands located where they are in relation to plate boundaries (Hawaii,

Kerguelen Island, Saint Helena, Cape Verde Islands)?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Page 2-10

Part B -- Climograph Preparation and Interpretation

1. Complete on ONE sheet of graph paper the TWO properly formatted climographs assigned to you by the instructor.

2. Station (Circle the FIRST climograph completed) I II III

This location is in the NORTHERN / SOUTHERN hemisphere (CIRCLE ONE)

Explanation: _________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Köppen Climate Code (all applicable letters) ______ ______ ______

Explanation:_________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Possible Location: (Choose one and circle)

Churchill, Manitoba

Tiksi, Former USSR

Lima, Peru

Darwin, Australia

Vancouver, Canada

Capetown, South Africa

Explanation:___________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

3. Station (Circle the SECOND climograph completed) IV V VI

This location is in the NORTHERN / SOUTHERN hemisphere (CIRCLE ONE)

Explanation:__________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Köppen Climate Code (all applicable letters) ______ ______ ______

Explanation:__________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Possible Location: (Chose one and circle)

Chicago, USA

Marrakech, Morocco

Cairo, Egypt

Salvador, Brazil

Quebec, Canada

Cochin, India

Explanation:__________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Page 2-11

Köppen Climate Classification The Climate Regions map in on pages 126-127 of the Canadian Oxford World Atlas is a simplified version of the Köppen climate classification system, which systematically identifies up to three letters to describe the climate (temperature and precipitation) of a region. The first letter is always CAPITALIZED (sometimes the first two). Climates are divided into six broad groupings:

A Tropical Climates Coolest month is above 18ºC

Af Tropical equatorial Hot and wet, rain all year Am Tropical monsoon Hot and wet, pronounced summer wet season

Aw Tropical wet and dry Hot, winter dry season

B Arid Climates See limits on graphs below

BW Arid desert Hot, very dry BS Semi-arid -- steppe Cool, very dry (low precipitation)

C Temperate Climates Coldest month >0ºC, <18ºC, warmest >10ºC

Cs Temperate mediterranean Mild winters, winter precipitation Cfa Temperate humid Mild winters, precipitation all year Cfb,Cfc Temperate marine Cool summers, precipitation all year

D Continental Climates Coldest month <0ºC, warmest month >10ºC

Da, Db, Dc Continental humid Large seasonal temperature range, precipitation all year (precipitation decreases poleward) Dw Continental dry winter Large seasonal temperature range, winter dry season

E Polar Climates Warmest month less than 10ºC (long cold winters)

ET Polar Tundra Climate Warmest month < 10°C, >0 ºC, low precipitation EF Polar Ice Cap All months <0 ºC, low precipitation

H Mountain Variable temperature and precipitation by altitude and direction of slope

Lower-case letters each have a specific meaning about either temperature or precipitation:

a Warmest Month >22°C b Warmest Month <22°C c Less than 4 months >10°C d Less than 4 months >10°C

and coldest month <-38°C f Constantly moist (precipitation all year) h Hot and dry, all months above 0°C

k Cold and dry, at least 1 month <0ºC m Monsoon rain (short dry season, heavy rainy season) n Frequent fog n1

Infrequent fog but high humidity and low rainfall s Dry season in summer (<30% of annual precipitation) w Dry season in winter (<30% of annual precipitation)

Dry Climates – use the graph that meets the conditions below:

Precipitation evenly distributed (Neither the six coldest nor the six warmest months of the year has over 70% of annual precipitation)

Dry Season in Winter (<30% of annual precipitation is in six coldest months of the year)

Dry Season in Summer (<30% of annual precipitation is in six warmest months of the year)

Page 2-12

Defining Köppen Climates Note: on the course website (under Links) there is a web-based tool that takes you through this one step at a time.

As

Page 2-13

Montreal’s Climate

Month

(ºC)

Temp.

(cm)

Precip.

Jan -10 6.3

Feb -9 5.6

Mar -2 6.8

Apr 5.7 7.5

May 13 6.8

Jun 18 8.3

Jul 21 8.6

Aug 19 10

Sep 15 8.7

Oct 8.3 7.5

Nov 1.6 9.3

Dec -7 8.6

Following the steps on the previous page: Is the Station E (Polar climate)?

No, there are months above 10ºC

Is the Station B (Dry climate)?

Neither 6 warmest (53%) nor 6 coldest (47%) months have >70% of total, therefore precipitation is evenly distributed

On graph, mean temp = 6.1, precip. = 94, therefore not a B climate

Is the Station A (Tropical climate)?

No, there are months with an average temperature below 18ºC

Is the Station C (Mild climate)?

No, there are months with an average temperature below 0ºC

Therefore Montreal is a ‘D’ (Continental) climate

The warmest month is less than 22ºC, therefore the 2nd letter is not ‘a’

The warmest month is less than 22ºC , but there are over 4 months >10ºC

Therefore the second letter is ‘b’ and not ‘c’ or ‘d’

Precipitation evenly distributed (>30% in six warmest and six coolest months)

Therefore the third letter is ‘f’

Montreal’s Köppen climate classification is therefore Dbf

Source: data averaged 1961-1990 from Environment Canada

Mean/ Total 6.1 94

Page 2-14

Film: Global Warming: The Signs & the Science

Answer the following questions as you watch the film: 1. For how long has the earth’s temperature been rising at an increased rate? 2. According to ‘science’, what is driving this increase? 3. What are some of the signs that global warming is happening? 4. What are some of the negative consequences? 5. What evidence of global warming can be found in the Canadian north? 6. How is global warming affecting Africa and the Alps? 7. How long ago did humans start using ‘ancient sunlight’? 8. Which activities are primarily responsible for the depletion of carbon deposits? 9. The atmospheric concentration of CO2 during the Industrial Revolution was: ____ ppm. Today, the concentration is ____ pppm. 10. In the near future, ___________ will replace the U.S. as the world’s largest economy. 11. Why does it object to restrictions on its GHG emissions? 12. Levels of GHG emission ____________ as LDC countries increase incomes. 13. How is global warming affecting the spread of infectious diseases? 14. How do warmer temperatures contribute to an increase in violent storms?

Page 2-15

15. Where is El Nino found? 16. What happens when El Nino reverses direction? 17. What is the main cause of rising sea levels? 18. How did Hurricane Katrina affect gas prices? Why? 19. How will global warming impact semi-arid regions? 20. One degree of warming leads to a ______% decrease in the world’s rice yields,

which provides ______% of the Earth’s food supply. 21. Nitrogen is released when fossil fuels burn. How does this contribute to global warming? 22. List the two possible options for addressing global warming. a) __________________________________________________________ b) __________________________________________________________ 23. List the eight mitigating measures presented in the film.

a) _____________________________

b) _____________________________

c) _____________________________

d) _____________________________

e) _____________________________

f) _____________________________

g) _____________________________

h) _____________________________

Page 2-16

Film: Bottled Water – Who Needs It?

1. How much more does bottled water cost than tap water (in Britain)?

2. Did the professional sommeliers detect a difference between bottled and tap?

3. Why do people like bottled water?

4. Compare the carbon footprint of bottled and tap water.

5. Which was the first company to successfully market bottled water?

6. How did they succeed in marketing it (what idea did they sell)?

7. How much is spent on advertising bottled water per year?

8. How much does the British government spend on bottled water & coolers?

9. What proportion of water bottles end up in landfill?

10. How much plastic is now produced worldwide?

How much has that increased over the last 7 years?

11. How long do plastic bottles last in landfill?

Page 2-17

12. What is the problem with plastic granular pellets washing up on ocean shores?

13. How much of Fiji Island’s export revenue comes from Fiji water Co.?

14. For whom was the Fiji water supposed to be, when it was originally discovered?

15. What proportion of Fiji residents don’t have safe tap water?

16. What are the health consequences of this?

17. Why is the village water source unsafe?

18. Who gets the bulk of the money from Fiji Co. bottled water sales?

19. How is Fiji Co. trying to reduce their environmental impact?

20. Which bottled water company is now using compostable bottles?

21. What did scientists in the British DOE (department of environment) determine about the quality of their tap water compared to bottled?

Page 2-18