World Regional Geography: Climate and Environment

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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment
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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Fundamental process of climate
• Absorption of incoming (shortwave) solar
  radiation by earth
• Return of long wave radiation (via reflection)
• Air is heated by the surface of the earth

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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Amount of incoming radiation varies
• Shape of the planet
• Generally
• Latitude
• Equatorsurplus
• Polesdeficit

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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Two exceptions to latitude rule
• Cloud cover
• (more frequent over equator)
• Tropics of cancer and Capricorn have highest
  incoming solar radiation
• Altitude
• Higher up cooler air temp
• 3.60 F per 1,000ft.

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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Global circulatory systems
• Transfer of excess heat to poles and cold air to
  equator
• Via Air and ocean circulatory system

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Global circulation

• Solar deficit
• North and South Poles
• Solar surplus
• Equator
• Circulation system
• a series of air and ocean convection cells that
  transfer surplus energy to the poles and cold air
  to the equator

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Global Circulatory cells

• Earths rotation
• Because of the rotation we have 3 cells
• Hadley
• Ferrel
• Polar
• These give rise to the wet/dry bands across the
  globe

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Other factors affecting climate

• Maritime and Continental effects
• Maritime moderates climate
• Continentality makes climate more extreme

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Other factors affecting climate

• Coriolis effect
• (winds blow at 450 angle)
• Due to earth spinning on its axis

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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment
Mountains Windward and leeward effects
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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Local micro conditions
• Urban heat islands (dallas)
• Lake effects (e.g., buffalo, US)

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Global environmental impacts
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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• 3 major sets of problems (briefly)
• Agriculture
• Urbanization
• Global warming

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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Agriculture (moderate loss from)
• Productive regions suffer from
• Overgrazing
• Deforestation
• Mismanagement
• Urbanization

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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Urbanization
• 24 cities with over 10 million people
• Lack of basic services for many
• Water, sewage, waste collection

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Global Warming/Pollution
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Global Warming

• World is getting hotter
• 20th century hottest on record
• 1990s hottest since late 19th century
• 30 to 90 f by 2030

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Global Warming

• Large increase in Atmospheric levels of
• CO2, methane, water vapor etc.
• Trapping heat in the atmosphere
• (reducing outgoing radiation)

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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Global Warming
• Deforestation is reducing ability of earth to
  remove these gases
• Trees
• absorb (and store) CO2
• release Oxygen to atmosphere

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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Results of Global Warming

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Displacement of People
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Shifts in Ocean Currents?
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Species Loss
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Geographic distribution of potential impacts
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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Global environmental impact
• How to limit human impact?
• 2 choices
• Technological solution
• e.g., catalytic converters, energy efficient
  appliances, recycling, etc., have helped
• BUT
• Technology as solution but also as problem
• e.g., toxic wastes, nuclear wastes
• Consumption continues to increase so even with
  technological solutions
• Negative environmental impact may continue to rise

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World Regional Geography Climate and Environment

• Reduction in resource use?
• Old habits
• Impacts on the western economy?
• Lose old jobs but generate new types of jobs
• Development in poorer parts of the world?
• Sustainable Development?
• Meet present needs
• Dont compromise future generations
• Industrial ecology
• Industrial ecosystems

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