Weather and Climate Questions

1. The planet is warmed by the rays of the sun.

2. Equatorial regions are warmer then polar regions as a result of them getting more sunlight.

3. Albedo is the fraction of solar energy which is reflected from Earth to space. A black roof would absorb more radiation due to it being much darker than the mountain.

4. Lapse rate is the rate where increasing altitude leads to decreasing temperature.

5. The Aspect is the compass direction that a slope faces. The south side of the Northern Hemisphere is subject to more sunlight which will enhance the rate of plant growth.

6. We have seasons as a result of the fact that the Earth is tilted on its side. At the point when the Earth's Axis is it ed towards the sun, it is summer for that particular hemisphere. It is the winter when Earth's Axis is pointed away from the sun.

7. Land heats up faster than water because it is absorbed on the surface. Water has different physical properties and it must heat all the way through, unlike on land.

8. In the prairies, being far away from water leads to a much dryer climate. Some plants may not grow and this will affect what kinds of wildlife inhabit that area.

9. The Gulf Stream in Norway contains very strong winds which keep away ice and snow from this Scandanavian country even though it is near the Arctic zone.

10. The current which runs through B.C. is the Alaska Current.

11. Extra carbon dioxide will cause the Earth to heat up, thus advancing global warming.

12. Convection is the collected, conserted movement of molecules. This could be by advection, diffusion or both. It is a major type of heat transfer.

13. Wind is the natural movement of air. It is mainly in the form of a current of air blowing in one direction.

14. Urban heat islands are metropolitan regions significantly hotter than its surrounding rural areas. This is caused by human activity with regards to the modification of land surfaces.

5 Themes Assignment - Madagascar - Part B

Location

Absolute Location: 20.000° S, 47.000° E

Relative Location:
It is about 2,740 km from South Africa. The Indian Ocean is directly east of Madagascar and to the west of the country is the Mozambique Channel.

Place

Human Characteristics:
-The official languages of Madagascar are Malagasy and French
-The population is about 22 million people
-The largest ethnic group is Malagasy, making up 90% of the population.

Physical Characteristics:
-The size of Madagascar is about 592,800 km2
-There are mountains, forests, rivers and lakes. The highest mountain is the Maromokotro at 2,876 m
-The climate varies in the island. The coast is tropical, it is temperate inland and arid in the south.

Movement

For human transportation there are several dozen roads, 2 railways, 6 ports/harbours and over 100 airport with 29 airports having paved runways.

For the transportation of information there are several privately owned newspapers. The main national TV station is Television Malagasy (TVM) and the main national radio broadcast is Radio Nationale Malagasy (RNM). There are over 100,000 main phone lines and about 8.6 million cell lines. The Internet is also prevalent as there are over 450,000 internet users in the country.

Region

There are 5 geographical regions of Madagascar:
1. Central highlands - The central highlands consist of hills, plains, marshes and outcrops.
2. Tsaratanana Massif - This region is in the north part of the island and is the highest region.
3. East Coast - This is made up of narrow lowlands and used for transportation and fishing.
4. Southwest - It is composed of a desert section and a plateau area.
5. West Coast - This was created by sedimentary formations and includes harbours for trade.

Human Environment Interaction

The people of Madagascar interact with the environment in the following ways:

They depend on: The soil for agriculture and farming which makes up around 25% of their GDP. They also rely on their rivers for water and use the Ocean and other bodies of water around the island for fishing.

They modify: the land with deforestation to create more agricultural land. It may result in more space for farming but it leads to water degradation, decreased biodiversity and soil erosion.

They adapt: to the ever present danger of a cyclone hitting the country by establishing early warning systems, creating refuge shelters, using cyclone resistant construction techniques and by educating communities on what to do when a cyclone may hit.

5 Themes Part A

Place: Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is an example of a physical characteristic because it would be there regardless of humans. Humans did not create the Pacific Ocean. However humans are having an impact on the Ocean with regards to usage and pollution. Humans use the Pacific Ocean to travel through, to explore the mysteries of the deep and to fish. The Pacific is a place created by nature and is used by humans.

Movement: Phone.
The phone is an excellent example of movement in the world. This device was created to send information across the land without having to physically travel from place to place. Today, phones are used to exchange information to and from all corners of the world. It could be a student calling his family, businessmen discussing with their clients or even for NASA to call the International Space Station in space!!! The movement of information through phones has been instrumental in the advancement of technology in today's society.

Location: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
The absolute location for Vancouver is 49.2827°N and 123.1207°W. The relative location of Vancouver is connected to various landmarks and other places. Vancouver is about 972 km from the city of Calgary and 115 km away from Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia. Stanley Park is about 2 km from Vancouver and the nearest USA/Canada border crossing is around 54 km away. Both relative and absolute locations can be very helpful and accurate in finding a place.

Madagascar and the 4 Spheres

In late January of 1994, Madagascar was hit by a crippling tropical cyclone from the Indian Ocean. Cyclone Geralda was a category 5 storm which arose from low pressure in the Indian Ocean. After several days, the storm had winds reaching 200 km/h. The cyclone caused heavy rainfall which led to intense flooding, especially in the valleys. Over 40,000 houses were destroyed by the cyclone. Madagascar's only petroleum refinery was obliterated there was severe damage done to the roads. Around 231 people died from the storm as well as over 10,000 cattle killed by the storm.

Blog 1: Madagascar Intro

Madagascar basic facts:

-It is an island located off the coast of Africa in between the Mozambique Channel and the Indian Ocean.

-The capital city of Madagascar is Antananarivo.

-The size of Madagascar is 587,041 km squared.

-The estimated population of Madagascar is 22,005,222 people.

-The government structure for Madagascar is Unitary semi-presidential republic.