Geography 1 Physical Geography Fall 2008
Class Times: MW 9:35-11. 11:10-12:35, 5:20-6:45
L.A. Harbor College
Classroom Village (CV) 4
Dr. Melanie P. Renfrew, www.lahc.edu/earthscience/geography
[email protected] For e-mail, please i.d. your name & Geog 1 in subject line.
Office Hours: MW 12:35-2:05, 4:45-5:15; MW 9:45-10:15 p.m. (or when evening students finish
lab or tests), in CV 4, or by appointment.
Course Description: Physical geography is an exploration of the atmosphere, hydrosphere,
biosphere, and lithosphere. Major topics are Earth-sun relations, mapping and satellite imagery,
weather and climate patterns, ecology, plate tectonics, landform development, and human impacts
on the environment. This is a foundation course for students interested in Earth sciences and
environmental studies, as well as a major in geography. Nature walks are a regular part of the class.
Textbook and other requirements: 1. DK Smithsonian EARTH, 2005, J. F. Luhr, NY:
Dorling Kindersley: Hardback recommended. 2. Optional, recommended: Rand McNally
Education Atlas of World Geography, 2006. Required Materials: 8-9 Form 883 Scantrons
(have matching and completion on back), pencils, eraser, 24-pack colored pencils, portable pencil
sharpener which contains the shavings. Please have these materials in your book bag, as we‟ll do
activities with them.
Harbor Lake walks: Any day without rain, we may take a nature walk to Machado/
Harbor Lake or around the wetlands. All 4 spheres are part of our exploration: atmosphere,
hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere, and how the spheres are integrated. What we cover will be
on tests, so take notes. I want you to enjoy these walks, so please come prepared with comfortable
walking shoes (no open-toed sandals or heels), insect repellant, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and water
bottles: please don‟t skip these things, as headaches come from eyestrain or dehydration, and West
Nile virus is a remote risk. With ozone depletion, skin cancers are epidemic, so protect yourself
from U.V. rays. Bugs are attracted to perfumes and the color yellow. (These are not “field trips.”)
Please make sure to eat before class, and drink water: the brain cannot function
without nourishment and good circulation! When we don‟t eat or drink water, „fog brains‟
prevent us from processing the maps or new way of thinking: geography wasn‟t taught well in our
schools, so it takes extra alertness to learn “spatial” thinking (3-D, maps). We are in this learning
process together. Try to figure out how to be ready, e.g., tea, washing your face, exercise and
fresh air before class to stimulate circulation, etc. Circulation in the brain is key.
Please do not wear perfume, strongly scented hand lotion, or aftershave to
class, as we can’t control the circulation well, and it causes others to suffer with histamine
reactions (allergies, stuffed-up noses), which deprives them of oxygen. It‟s scientific: our bodies
are saying, “Don‟t take this in.” Some people do not realize how strong their scent radiates, so try
to think of what will make the best learning environment for the class as a whole when you choose
what to wear. We need all the help we can get, as L.A.‟s air is already not very clean.
Optional/extra credit for Geog 1: Physical Geography Field Trips will all be in Palos
Verdes Peninsula this fall to cut down on gasoline costs. They are fun, and the places are beautiful!
(If you are also enrolled in Monday night Lab, Geography 15, two field trips are required.) Dates
will be announced soon, depending on the schedules of lab students: one will be on a Friday
morning; others will be on a Sat. morning and Sun. afternoon. The 3 trips will be: 1) Ocean Trails
and Forrestal Canyon, 2) Royal Palms State Beach and George F. Canyon, and 3) Crenshaw
Extension Trail and Klondike Canyon. Some photos are already on the geography website.
Grading:
Distribution: 90-100% = A, 80-89% = B, 67-79% = C, 60-66% = D, < 59%=F.
Please record test scores as you receive them. Test 1 ______Test 2 _____Test 3____
Quiz scores: _____ _____ ____ _____ ____ ___(lowest quiz score will be dropped.)
The total possible points may be 300- 400: about 200 points - Tests, Quizzes, Comprehensive
Final Exam. Approximately 100-200 points: Homework & class exercises, “P & E” =
Participation & Effort = Respect - no talking while the professor is teaching, visibly
trying, improvement on test scores, no cell phones or walking in and out of class to
answer cell phones, no text messaging, no whining, no swearing. Students who distract
others during class activities (repetitive talking about other things) will have a reduction from
this score each time, plus it will affect your final P & E letter grade, and rude students will not
be allowed to stay. If you are on the border between 2 grades, this Participation and Effort
score is the most important decision-maker for your final grade.
Students earning a solid A all semester can skip the final! Try!
Students can work together, but each is responsible for understanding the material, and writing
in his or her own words. (If someone copies your work, both will get a zero.)
No cut-and-paste copying from the Internet: Plagiarism is using someone else‟s work.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated, and will earn an F.
No make up tests without a genuine emergency or medical excuse: notify me on e-mail on
the day of the scheduled test, or call 310-233-4557. (This number is an office I am not using
because of campus construction, but I check it occasionally. E-mail is preferable.) If you are
sick, be ready to take a make-up, possibly essay test on the day you return, during an office
hour.
No make-up quizzes: your lowest one will be dropped.
Extra credit field trip write-ups only count at the end IF your Test 3, homework at
the end, and Final exam scores are C’s or above: reports cannot substitute for tests or the
final , and will be recorded in a separate column on the grading sheet; i.e., the end. Do not
focus on Extra Credit rather than studying content covered in class & the book.
Take charge of your college transcript: delay college and get a job first if it is not “in
your heart” to learn. If you can‟t finish the class for any reason, you must drop it yourself.
Student success takes a plan! I want to help, but you must strategize from the
start how to do well. To get an A, plan on at least 6 hours of study time a week,
depending on your background. Students at Harbor are preparing for UCLA,
USC, and jobs in D.C., so it is important to have solid content and grading.
Compete, or jobs requiring education and skills will be moved overseas
(“offshore”). Our economy is in bad shape, so learn to compete and excel, and
you’ll do well.
Homework and class exercises: 1. Start watching local TV weather forecasts (e.g.,
Channels 7, 9), and the Weather Channel if you have it, almost every day. Follow the
hurricane news, and stories about fires, earthquakes, environmental issues, air and
water, recycling, energy, and many other geography-related events.
2. Each week, there will be new exercise instructions on the book, Internet, etc.
3. Find the map locations on the next page on 2-4 blank world maps, right away.
Quizzes and Tests will be given almost every Wednesday, and will cover all class
instruction and activities as well as the assigned reading: Start on I – Intro and II –
Atmosphere Reading below.
Reading schedule (Earth text pages): Study guides give more detail.
I. Introduction to Earth, Earth in Space: Read 6-17, 43-51; Study pages 48, 128-129. Quizzes.
II. Atmosphere and Hydrosphere: 126-129, 438-477 Test 1
III. Additional Hydrosphere: 126-131, 210-259, 382-435 Map Quiz, Test 2
III. Biosphere: 132-137, 282-373 Quiz, Test 3
IV. Lithosphere: Skim 21-41, 52-103. Study 78-82. See study guide for pages 104-125, 140-209,
260-281, 430-433, 480-495. Map Quiz, Test 4
Final Exam for your section:____________
Geographic Location
Latitude and Longitude are a grid system to find absolute locations on Earth’s sphere.
Latitude measures 0 – 90 degrees North and South of the equator (0º latitude, the place
of maximum rotation and divider of northern and southern hemispheres). Lines
measuring latitude are called parallels because they are parallel to the equator, and
they go E-W across the map, but show how far north or south a location is. (This is
what causes confusion, so learn it right!) Latitudes are important for understanding
climates, as they determine varying sun angles and temperatures through the year.
Tropic of Cancer (23.5 º N) and Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 º S) are the northern and
southern limits of the direct rays of the sun in Earth’s yearly orbit, and are boundary
lines for the “tropics,” e.g., tropical climates.
Roughly 0 º-30 º N & S are the “low latitudes,” 30-60 º N & S are “middle latitudes” (or
mid-latitudes, which we live in), and areas near the North Pole (90 º N) and South
Pole (90 º S) are called “high latitudes” (60-90 º N & S). The Arctic Circle (66.5 º N)
and Antarctic Circle (66.5 º S) are the limits of 6-month day and night, periods of 24hour light and darkness where the sun circles the sky near the horizon at a low angle.
Longitude measures 0-180 degrees East and West of the Prime Meridian, which is 0 º
longitude, the Greenwich Meridian, near London, England, U.K., and is the dividing
boundary between eastern and western hemispheres. North-south lines of
longitude are called meridians, and show locations E and W of the Prime Meridian.
Longitude influences time zones because Earth rotates from west to east, giving the
appearance of the sun moving from east to west. Traveling eastward, locations are
later in time than we are (e.g., New York, Europe), because they had the sun before
we do. Locations west of us (e.g., Alaska, Hawaii) are earlier than we are in
California. If we continue going west across the Pacific Ocean and pass the 180 º
meridian, we will cross the International Date Line and go to the next day. The
I.D.L. zigzags across the 180º meridian to group islands together.
A. Practice: Plot and locate the following. Circle the location that is not visible on the diagram.
1. 35oN, 90oW 2. 10oN, 30oE 3. 30oS, 10oW 4. 80oN, 80oE 5. 15oS, 20oE 6. 10oN, 150oE
B. Draw in the Tropic of Cancer, and label to the side.
C. Is the Tropic of Capricorn visible? If there is space, draw in and label.
D. Label the equator and Prime Meridian outside of the sphere, and identify with
connecting lines.
E. Are the 180o meridian and International Date Line visible? Label.
GEOG 1 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY MAP LOCATIONS TO KNOW
Mountain Ranges
Rocky
Cascade
Appalachian
Sierra Nevada
Sierra Madre (E & W)
Andes
Alps
Carpathian
Pyrenees
Atlas
Ethiopia & “Turkey eastward”
are also mountainous regions.
Himalayas
Archipelagoes
Hawaii
Indonesia
Philippines
Japan
“West Indies”
Large Islands
Greenland
Madagascar
Great Britain
Ireland
Sri Lanka
Sumatra
Borneo
Java
New Guinea
Honshu
Taiwan
New Zealand (N. & S. Isl.)
Peninsulas
Palos Verdes
Baja California
Alaska, Florida
Yucatan
Iberian
Turkey
Italy
Greece
Scandinavian
Arabian
India
Korea
Malay
SE Asian
Large Lakes & Seas
Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Japan
Bering Sea
East China Sea
South China Sea
Philippine Sea
Yellow Sea
Gulf of California
Gulf of Mexico
Hudson Bay
Bay of Bengal
Arabian Sea
Caribbean
North Sea
Baltic Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Black Sea
Caspian Sea
Red Sea
Persian/Arabian Gulf
Lake Victoria
Lake Turkana (NW Kenya)
Lake Superior
Lake Michigan
Lake Huron
Rivers
Mississippi
Missouri
Colombia
Colorado R. & delta
St. Lawrence
Rio Grande
Amazon
Orinoco
Rhine
Danube
Nile R. & delta
Congo
Zambezi (Victoria Falls)
Niger R. & delta
Huang He (Yellow R.)
Chang (Yangtze)
Indus
Ganges
Brahmaputra (N of Himalayas)
Mekong
Tigris
Euphrates
Yenisey
Volga
Ob
Straits/Canals
Panama Isthmus, Canal
Gulf of Suez, Suez Canal
Strait of Malacca
Strait of Gibraltar
Strait of Hormuz
English Channel
Turkish Straits
Other major geographical features
Great Basin in NV/UT
Sahara Desert
Sahel (semi-arid grasslands south of Sahara)
Tibetan Plateau
Great Barrier Reef
Great Rift Valley.
Great Plains, U.S
Other map patterns in class related to topics we study
(plate tectonics, volcanoes and earthquakes,
climates and biomes, etc.).
The goal of geography is not to memorize place locations,
but to understand spatial patterns on Earth, see
correlations and solutions: seeing the “bigger picture.”
Geog 1 Physical Geography Atmosphere Study Guide + Hydrosphere Dr. Melanie Renfrew
Simthsonian Earth text pages (126-130, 236-243, skim 244-251, 437-477: study whole
section; add p. 384 about ocean water composition). Subheadings to study are listed below.
Hydrosphere map requirement: memorize locations of water features listed in syllabus.
ATMOSPHERE Overview: The first part of understanding the atmosphere is to try to grasp
the size of the universe, and “Our Mr. Sun”: go outside at dark when the moon isn’t out, and
try to count the stars. I counted 40-50 from my backyard, despite city “light pollution.”1
Readings: The Earth in Space (42-51); The Universe, Solar System, The Earth and
Sun, Earth and Moon.2 Diagrams on p. 48 are important. Earth is a planet, and we need to
have a glimpse of how large the sun, galaxy, and universe are, so we don’t “freak out” over
normal variations in the weather.3 Climate variation is normal, and although we can burn less
fossil fuels and plant trees (reforest rather than deforest) to try to reduce global warming,
in earth’s history, most periods experienced some type of warming or cooling trend. Plants
and animals (including humans) either adapt or die. The La Brea Tar Pits Museum illustrates
some of what L.A.’s climate was like once, and as the waterholes dried up, animals got stuck
in abundance.
Structure of the Atmosphere (440-441): Layers (especially troposphere &
stratosphere), Composition, Airborne water, Atm. Particles, Living at High Altitude.
Atmospheric Temperature
Study: Review p. 48; Energy in the Atmosphere (442-3), Solar Budget, Greenhouse
Effect, Absorption Variables, Changes in State. Ozone Layer (all, 445). Climate Change
450-51; Global Warming (453). Climate Regions (454, Skim 455-457).
Air Pressure and Wind
Study: Wind – Pressure and Wind Speeds, Oceanic Winds, Seasonal Winds, Daily
Winds (land and sea breezes), Dust devils and Sand storms, Tornadoes (474-477).
Atmospheric Circulation (446-448) – Coriolis Effect, Fluid Circulation, Jets & Waves,
Prevailing Winds (especially mid-latitude westerlies, and easterly trade winds in the tropics),
Winds & Currents. Pressure systems (460), Jet streams (461), High- & Low-pressure
Weather (462). Monsoon systems (463).
I even saw a moon of Jupiter or Saturn! (or else I was „seeing double‟!)
Note Pluto has been demoted from its former label as a planet; but it has been going to counseling for its “rejection
issues,” and is making progress toward self-acceptance as a non-planet.
3
Commercial television is driven by capitalist competition, so the news stories are “hyped” to try to attract viewer
interest, tension, and excitement: if they can lure you with tense music and make you scared and curious before a
commercial, then they‟ve kept you from changing the channel, and increased their ratings. Not all stories are
factual: some are speculation. Listen to how they are worded, and whether their sources are reliable. Remember
how the “Reggie” story was “hyped.”
1
2
Atmospheric Moisture, + Weather Conditions & Storms which combine temperature,
pressure, wind, and moisture:
Review and study Water cycle diagrams (128-129), Airborne Water (441).
Precipitation and Clouds (all 466-473). Air Masses and Weather Systems, Fronts, MidLatitude Depressions (low-pressure centers) (460-462). Tropical Cyclones (hurricanes) (463465). Moisture and the Oceans (448), Variation and Oscillation, El Nino (449), Global
warming’s effect on rising sea levels, Rain and drought (453), skim Climate Regions again as
you think about rainfall (454-457). Make cloud diagrams by altitude and shape (466-473).
Review questions: These are just a sample. Your class notes are essential to know.
1. What are dominant gases in the atmosphere?
2. Which layers are the troposphere and stratosphere, and why are they important?
3. How much of solar radiation is visible light?
4. How do reflection and absorption vary?
5. What is the Greenhouse Effect? Which gases absorb heat?
6. Why has CO2 increased 30% since 1900?
7. How do evaporation and condensation affect heat? What is latent heat?
8. What does the ozone layer do, and how is it being depleted?
9. How is ozone up in the stratosphere beneficial, and ozone on the ground harmful?
10. Why are global wind belts (i.e., prevailing winds, “westerlies,” “easterly trades”)
important to understand?
11. Does orographic rain fall on the windward or leeward sides of mountains ?
12. How do high-pressure (anticyclone) and Low-pressure (cyclone) systems differ?
13. For other continents, when is the wet monsoon, and when is the dry one?
14. (Added terms): temperature inversion
rain shadow
HYDROSPHERE
1. In your notes, copy both global and local water cycle diagrams. Make sure you understand
the phase changes and arrows (126-130).
2. Properties of water: list them (fresh water, + salt water - see salinity p. 384).
3. Locations of water: find water features listed in syllabus in your atlas. (Read 126-130,
skim 216-235, 236-243,390-425). Read also p. 403 - Atlantic, p. 416 - Pacific, p. 418 - Gulf
of Calif.
4. Movement of water: how do ocean currents move heat and cold around the earth?
(Surface circulation). Identify major currents in the Pacific Ocean (Pacific gyre formation)
and northern Atlantic (pp. 390-91).
Geography 1 Biosphere
Dr. Renfrew
DK Smithsonian Earth Text Assignments: Read 282-353. Skim 27-41 first, & study 132-135 as a
foundation of basic biology and biogeography.
A. Study Climate – Biome relationships below, and text maps: (Atmosphere/Biosphere Interface)
How are Earth’s major climates and biomes correlated? (How do average temperature and precipitation
influence plant growth?) (134-135, 282-353) Make sure to look at the world map locations of all wetlands,
deserts, forests, and grasslands named in the book so you can see and think about geographical patterns.
B. Wetlands 323-331: Study 323-325: In Harbor Lake, “succession” would occur if not for park dredging.
C. Deserts 286-301: 1. What band of latitudes are most deserts in or near?
2. Find, list, and briefly describe the specific adaptations of 20 desert animals and plants in photos.
D. Forests 304-321
1. What are 3 main types of forests, and where are they located related to latitude?
2. How do broadleaf and coniferous trees differ?
3. Draw and label the Alpine zonation diagram (306), and study the recovery sequence on p. 307.
4. Study the forests highlighted on 308-311, and also look through 312-321. Locate in your text maps.
E. Grasslands 333-341: What are other names for grasslands and their regions?
2. What native herbivores grazed on the North American Great Plains?
3. List 15 other examples of animals living on the grasslands highlighted (including introduced ones).
F. Tundra 343-343: What is it, and where does it occur?
Climate and Biome (Vegetation) Relationships:
Climate
Biome / Major Vegetation Type
„A‟ Tropical Wet (Humid)
Tropical rainforest (wet)
Tropical rainforest
Tropical Savanna (wet and
Tropical savanna (grasslands with scattered trees)
dry seasons)
„B‟ Dry
Desert (<10” rain/year)
Desert
Steppe/semi-arid
Steppe (short, dry grass), also some “Scrub”
„C‟ Mild Midlatitude (temperate)
Mediterranean (S.W.)
Humid Subtropical (S.E.)
Marine West Coast/Moist coastal
„D‟ Severe Midlatitude (cold)
Humid Continental (N.E.)
Subarctic
Mediterranean (in So. Calif., our main 4 types are
coastal sage scrub, chaparral shrubland, oak
woodland, riparian woodland)
Mixed Midlatitude forest and Grasslands – all 3
of these climates have mixed deciduous and evergreen/
coniferous forests and grassland areas
Coniferous forest (cone-bearing, needleleaf evergreen;
also called boreal („northern‟) forest, taiga
„E‟ Polar
Tundra
Ice cap
Tundra
No vegetation
„H‟ Highland (high mountains)
Altitude zones of vegetation
Geography 1 Lithosphere Class activities and Homework Instructions
Dr. Renfrew
Rock Drawing Exercise – 15 points possible. Draw and label 12 rocks from samples
shown in class. Describe the textures, colors, and a few characteristics you learned from the
book and Internet. For the test, know:
Igneous: intrusive – granite, diorite (+ „granodiorite‟); extrusive – basalt, obsidian
Sedimentary: shale, sandstone, limestone, conglomerate
Metamorphic: gneiss, schist, quartzite, slate, marble
Study and learn lithosphere features associated with Plate tectonic boundary types:
1. Convergent boundaries /subduction zones: mountain ranges, ocean trenches, volcanoes,
island arcs: study world maps of plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes
2. Divergent boundaries/sea-floor spreading: mid-ocean ridges (e.g., Mid-Atlantic, East
Pacific Rise), rift zones (e.g. East African Great Rift Valley, Death Valley)
3. Transform/transverse boundaries (e.g., San Andreas Fault) – strike-slip faults, etc.
Landform Drawings from Earth text (copying diagrams): – worth 15 points if carefully
done. Landforms are individual relief features: draw and color at least 20-25 landforms, some
from each of the processes listed below. Some diagrams have several landforms in one, but
do a variety. It is not necessary to copy terms that are not on the list. The goal is to understand
the different landform-shaping processes and the specific landforms in the list below: copy
their shapes, and you‟ll be able to recognize them in travel, TV and movies.
Fluvial landforms are shaped by rivers and streams (running water, erosion and
deposition): canyons/valleys, rills/gullies, drainage basin, drainage divide, dendritic pattern,
tributary streams, oxbow lakes, meander scar, deltas - triangular, bird-claw [e.g,.
Mississippi], natural levees, floodplain, bluffs / river banks, braided stream…
Karst landforms shaped by the carbonation (chemical weathering -dissolving, dissolution,
and deposition) of limestone, by groundwater: caves, stalactites, stalagmites, pillars,
sinkholes, tower Karst…
Desert (arid) landforms mainly shaped by running water during storms (fluvial erosion
and deposition): alluvial fans, basin and range topography, mesa, butte, plateau …
Glacial landforms shaped by frozen water: the tremendous power and weight of moving
ice sheets and rocks they drag: e.g., U-shaped + hanging valleys (Yosemite), horn
(Matterhorn), arête (jagged ridge), cirque…
Coastal landforms – erosion and deposition by waves and currents (wind & Earth‟s
rotation), also growth of coral: beach, reef, bay/cove, wave-cut cliff, marine terrace,
headland/point/cape, lagoon, coral reef, barrier island, atoll…
Winds shape sand dunes, both in deserts and along coasts (“Aeolian” deposition).
“Mass Wasting” Video: 1. Mass wasting (mass movement p. 436) is the downward
movement of earth materials because of gravity: it is not the same as erosion. Learn the
types, related to speed and wetness of the materials. Landslide scars could also be
considered a type of landform.
2.Why is Southern California especially prone to episodes of mass wasting (that is, natural
causes)?
3. What human activities contribute to it?
4. What can be done to prevent it?
5. List the major types and reasons for mass wasting in these locations:
Armero, Colombia
Malibu Big Rock, Santa Monica Mountains
San Pedro (“Sunken City”), P.V.
Portuguese Bend, P.V.
Wrightwood, California (by San Andreas Fault)