We have been working on a project with our partners.
1. What Country does US share a bored with of over 5000 miles?
2. What are some tensions between US and Canada?
3. What causes acid rain?
4. What does acid rain cause?
5. What percentage of people died after the Europeans arrived, and why?
6. What are the three stages of population and settlement?
7. What are reasons for western movement?
8. Define megalopolis?
9. What did the sprawl cause?
10. What resources are rich in North America?
11. how many people are in North America?
12. Why does North America consume so much water?
13. What is counter urbanization?
14. In your opinion, how many immigrants should be allowed into the country annually? Why?
- 335 million in north America
Highly mobile population- people move from states, houses, ect
Megalopolis- big cities with millions of people- Washington, new York, Boston: all close together, one close area
Pull and push forces- like great depression, or good jobs
Incredibly culturally diverse; people have come from all different areas of the world; different languages, religions, cultures
1492 Columbus discovered America
Human activities alter our environment- causing environmental change like Katrina
Human geo and environmental geo are linked
Productive- in food, iron, wood, metal, vegetation,
Abundant energy sources
Urban City- lots of jobs, space,
Rural Country- little jobs,
Changing conditions of rural agriculture- people selling their farms to big corporations ; hard for family farmers
Europeans showed up and pushed Indians out; made changes
No big push forces pushing people form Canada and Europe
The US is a melting pot
Draw to Wisconsin because of farming opportunities
We have a variety of natural resources- they're exported to global markets
We are extremely globalized
Movies is the number one export
Environmental Geography
North America's physical and human geography are very different and complexly linked. Physical geography is the study of the earth's natural features of the earth's surface, as well as their formation. Human geography is the study of human activities and diversities.
North America's physical and human geography are very different and complexly linked. Physical geography is the study of the earth's natural features of the earth's surface, as well as their formation. Human geography is the study of human activities and diversities.
A great example of environmental geography in North America is Hurricane Katrina. There were three main variables of the storm. The Hurricane itself was large and powerful, heading inland across Louisiana with harsh winds reaching one hundred and twenty miles per hour. Secondly, the environment the storm hit was vulnerable to the hurricane’s effects especially since New Orleans sits under sea level. Third, the region’s social geography made evacuating urban areas in Louisiana difficult. Poverty rates across the region are almost double the normal. The damage, destruction, and slow economic recovery are evidence that the costs and impacts of a natural disaster are unavoidable to regions cultural, social, and economic characteristics.
Processes of globalization and economic growth have changed our regions landforms, vegetation, soils, and climate. Human activities are altering our environment, effecting temperatures, rain patterns, and animals in almost every eco-system. Global climate change can easily affect all of us no matter what region we live, but especially in our region, North America. Coastlines are affected by coastal pollution, the south west is at high risk of future drought, and the eastern part is the United States is affected by acid rain, all due to pollution. Human activities affect the environment majorly; this is why environmental and human geography are so intricately linked.
Test Review:
What causes global warming?
• Green house effect
• Cfc's, co2, nitrous oxide, methane, and other harmful gases build up in the atmosphere, creating a blanket surrounding the earth.
• Deforestation
What are the effects?
• Ice caps melting leading to sea levels rising.
• Ocean warming, causing more intense storms.
• Animals in danger
• Increased carbon footprint
What's the argument?
• Is global warming a process of natural climate change, or something that can be prevented?
• How big of a problem is this?
• What should be done to stop it?
There are many causes of global warming. Since 1850, earth’s temperature has increased by about a degree or two because of the greenhouse effect . The greenhouse effect occurs when heat generated by sunlight hits the earth and is intercepted by certain gases in the atmosphere, preventing the heat from radiating away from the planet and into outer space. These gases are carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons . The reason these gases build up is that Carbon Dioxide can’t be removed out of the air due to deforestation . Deforestation causes plants and vegetation to die. The reason that this is a problem is because plants, trees especially, remove harmful gases out of the air. If the vegetation isn’t here to take the gases out of the air, the gases will continue to build up, and create a blanket around the earth.
Since the nineteenth century, carbon dioxide concentrations have increased by over thirty percent. When the levels of carbon dioxide rise or fall in the atmosphere, the temperature changes with them. This is known as the greenhouse effect, global warming, or global climate change. Research indicates that human activities have a measurable cause in climate effects. However, it is difficult to prove that the earth’s surface and lower atmosphere have gotten warmer from the greenhouse effect rather than an unknown process of natural climate change. Driving cars, burning gases, and burning down forests are just a few ways that humans can cause damage to the earth. Since humans are part of the reason for global warming, everyone should be willing to help stop this process. Simple changes in lifestyle such as recycling paper and reusing water bottles can be a help. There are many small actions that can help stop global warming and reduce global climate change.
Global climate change can have many serious impacts, not just on the earth, but on animals. One of the worst impacts is the melting of polar ice caps. The warming is predicted to be up to 3 times greater in Polar Regions as to tropical areas. When the white ice melts in Polar Regions, the exposed ground or water is darker in color, and absorbs more solar radiation. This adds on to the temperature increase. Also because of the ice melting, sea levels will rise, and may make low lying land become flooded. This puts polar animals in danger, such as penguins, seals and polar bears. In addition, the strength of storms could also increase, making hurricanes and tornadoes almost 10 percent stronger, due to a raise in ocean temperature. Rainfall patterns are expected to change, as well as animals’ hibernation patterns. Research shows that about 25 percent of the world’s species could be at high risk of irreversible extinction. One more effect is an increase in carbon footprint. There are many ways to help stop these harmful effects of global warming. Organizations such as World Wild Life Funds (WWF) are a great way to get involved. By donating to this organization or others like it will help the animals in danger and also help reduce pollution.
Recycling can be a huge help in putting a stop to global warming. Today, many Americans have become familiar with the phrase “reduce, reuse, and recycle”. Reducing the amount of resources we use can be a big impact. Walking or biking rather than driving can conserve gas and prevent harmful gases from radiating into to atmosphere. Studies show that the US is running out of landfill space. The down side of recycling is the cost. Still, environmentalists are committed to recycling . I believe recycling is totally worth the effort to support our earth. Recycling helps reduce the amount of pollution and conserve the earth’s resources. If we don't recycle, we could run out of resources and we wouldn’t be able to rely on our earth for much longer. The more we conserve the more the earth will have positive effects.
I got some of this information from my intellegent brain, and some from :
"Greenhouse effect." World of Scientific Discovery. Ed. Kimberley A. McGrath and Bridget Travers. Online ed. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2007. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. John Carroll School. 9 Oct. 2009
issues in global warming are whether the cost of recycling is worth its cause.
I believe it is worth it because recycling conserves the earths resources. If we want the earth to last we need to save the resources.
Another issue is if global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect or by an unknown natural process. I personally believe that it is cause by pollution, because of scienctific research and proof.
<http://www.globalwarming.org>