Chapter 3

Seasons

• Earth’s Tilt 23.5 deg. In relation to the sun. Because of this and the earth’s revolution different parts of the earth receive the direct rays of the sun more hours of the day at certain times of the year.

Solstice

• Two lines of latitude-Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn-mark the points farthest north and south that the sun’s ray shine directly overhead directly at noon.

Equinox

• Another signal of seasonal change are the equinoxes. Twice a year the days and nights all over the world are equal in length. The equinoxes mark the beginning of the spring and autumn.

Weather

• What causes the Weather? – A complex result of several conditions.

• Water vapor This determines whether there will be precipitation falling water droplets in the form of rain, sleet, snow, or hail.

• Cloud cover Clouds may hold water vapor.• Landforms and bodies of water Water heats slowly but

also loses heat slowly. Land heats rapidly but loses heat quickly as well.

• Elevation As elevation above sea level increases, the air becomes thinner and loses its ability to hold moisture.

• Air movement Winds move the air and the solar energy and moisture that it holds. As a result , weather can change very rapidly.

Hurricanes

Terminology

• Typhoons in Japan

• Baguio in the Philippines

• Cyclones in the Indian Ocean

• Willy Willies in the South Pacific

• Chubasco in Mexico

8 September 1900

• Greatest hurricane to hit Galveston• Worst natural disaster in U.S. history• Number of deaths is estimated between 6,000 and 8,000• Tides reached more than 15’ and every structure on the

island was damaged• 3,600 buildings destroyed by the storm• 130 to 140 miles per hour is the estimate of the winds

reached during the storm • $20 million in estimated damage costs related to the

storm. In today's dollars, that would be more than $700 million.

8 September 1900

18 August 1915

• Hurricane hit Galveston• Wind speeds up to 120 m.p.h.• Tides ranged up to 14’ on the island• 275 dead with $56 million in damage• The Schooner “Crockett” was blown over

the seawall while dragging two anchors• The Trinity Shoals Buoy (21,000 lbs.) was

blown 10 miles inland

14 September 1919

• Hurricane hit near Corpus Christi

• Wind speeds over 100 m.p.h.

• 16’ tides

• 284 dead with $20 million dollars in damage

• At 1 P.M. the water was 5’ deep

• By 5 P.M. the water was 10’ deep in downtown Corpus Christi

1933

• There were 21 tropical disturbances in the Atlantic Ocean

• 7 made landfall between Corpus Christi and Brownsville

Hurricane Audrey

• 27 June 1957• Costliest and deadliest June hurricane• Made landfall at Orange, TX• Wind speeds between 85 and 100 m.p.h.• Storm surge of twelve feet • The only recorded Category 4 storm ever to

make landfall in June• 500 dead with $8 million in damage• Many died by climbing trees to escape rising

water and were bitten by poisonous snakes

Hurricane Audrey

Hurricane Carla

• 8-14 September 1961• Made landfall at Port O’Connor• Wind gust up to 175 m.p.h.• Tides were 19’ above normal• 34 dead with $300 million in damage• Largest Texas hurricane• 22’ storm surge carried flood waters 10 miles inland• Rainfall ranged from 10 to 16 inches in some spots

Hurricane Carla

Hurricane Beulah

• 18-23 September 1967• Hit Brownsville• Wind gust over 135 m.p.h.• Spawned 155 tornadoes• 15 deaths and $100 million in damage• Over 30” of rainfall in some areas• 3 areas received more than 15” of rain in a 24-

hour period• The most tornadoes ever recorded in a single

month

Hurricane Beulah

Hurricane Celia

• 3-5 August 1970• Hit Corpus Christi• Category 3 hurricane• Winds reached 130 m.p.h. with gust over 165 m.p.h.• At Aransas Pass the wind gust reached 180 m.p.h.• One of the costliest hurricanes in Texas history• 11 deaths and $454 million in damage

– would exceed the $1 billion mark by today's standards

Hurricane Celia

Hurricane Allen

• 10 August 1980• Most severe storm ever recorded in the Caribbean• Category 5• Winds of 170 m.p.h.• 950,000 Texans were evacuated• Stalled 45 miles offshore and lost some energy• Winds were 135 m.p.h. when it crossed land• Worst part of Hurricane Allen was situated over the King

Ranch• Damages totaled $1 billion

Hurricane Allen

Hurricane Alicia

• 15-21 August 1983• Wind speeds of 130 m.p.h.• 18 deaths and $3 billion in damages• Spawned 22 tornadoes• 12’ storm surge in Seabrook• Final destruction of Brownwood subdivision –

FEMA bought out the remaining homes• Trees and limbs blown down equaled an area

the size of a football field 1200’ high

Hurricane Alicia

Tropical Storm Claudette

• July 1979

• Tropical Storm Claudette (1979) brought 45 inches of rain to an area near Alvin, Texas, contributing to more than 600 million in damage

Hurricanes Outside Texas

Hurricane Camille

• 14-22 AUG 1969• This powerful, deadly,

and destructive hurricane formed just west of the Cayman Islands

• became a Category 5 hurricane

• Wind speeds near 200 mph

• $1.421 billion in damage• 256 deaths

Hurricane Agnes

• 14-23 JUN 1972• Damage was estimated

at $3.1 billion and 117 deaths were reported

• Hurricane Agnes the worst natural disaster ever to hit the Pennsylvania

• Max Winds: 75 • Category: 1

Hurricane Donna

• 29 AUG-14 SEP 1960• Hurricane Donna was

one of the most destructive storms to ever hit Florida

• nearly 12 inches of rain in Miami

• Max Winds: 140 • Category: 5

Hurricane Betsy

• 27 AUG-13 SEP 1965• a category three hurricane

struck extreme southern Florida from the east

• eye at one time estimated to be 40 miles in diameter

• Up to 11.8 inches of rain occurred

• six to eight foot storm tides • Max Winds: 135 • Category: 5

Hurricane Hugo

• 10-25 SEP 1989

• Max Winds: 140

• Category: 5

• Hugo ranked as the eleventh most intense hurricane at time of landfall to strike U.S. this century and is rated as the second costliest hurricane with over $7 billion in damages

• 82 deaths

Hurricane Gilbert

• 08-20 SEP 1988• Hurricane Gilbert had the lowest

sea level pressure (888 Mb) ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere

• A total 318 people died due to the effects of this storm

• caused $40-50 million in damages from the more than 29 tornadoes reported

• Max Winds: 160 • Category: 5

Hurricane Andrew

• 16-28 AUG 1992• Max Winds: 135 • Category: 4• $25 billion in

damages, makes Andrew the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history

• Tornados Unlike hurricanes, which take days to develop, tornadoes form quickly and sometimes without warning.

Fujita-Pearson Tornado ScaleCategory Wind Speeds Damage

F-0 40-72 Chimney damage, tree branches broken

F-1 73-112 Mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned

F-2 113-157 Considerable damage, mobile homes demolished trees uprooted

F-3 158-206 Roofs and walls torn down, trains overturned, cars thrown

F-4 207-260 Well constructed walls leveled

F-5 261-318 Homes lifted off foundations and carried large distances, autos thrown as far as 100 yards.

Other Weather Extremes• Blizzards A heavy snowstorm with winds of more than 35 miles per

hour and reduced visibility. – Greatest snowstorm in a 24 hour period was 76 inches (6 feet 4 inches)

in Silver Lake Colorado in 1921.– A snowstorm that lasted from February 13th to 19th, 1959 dumped 189

inches (almost 16 feet) on Mt. Shasta, California.• Droughts is a long period of time without rain or with a very

minimal rainfall. In the early 1930s a drought hit the Great Plains in the United States. Dust Storms damaged farms across a 150,000 square-mile region that became known as the Dust Bowl.

• Floods When water spreads over land not normally covered with water. In 1993, flooding along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers claimed 50 lives and caused about $15 billion in damage.

Factors Affecting Climates• Wind Currents Wind and ocean currents help distribute the sun’s heat from one part

of the world to another through convection.• Ocean Currents are like rivers flowing in the ocean. Moving in large circular systems,

warm waters flow away from the equator toward the poles, and cold water flows back toward the equator.

• Zones of Latitude Geographers divide the earth into three general zones of latitude– Low or Tropic– Middle or Temperate– High or Polar

• Elevation or the distance above sea level. As altitude increases the air temperature drops 3.5 deg. For every 1000 feet.

• Topography Landforms also affect climate. This is especially true of mountain areas. Remember that moisture-laden winds cool as they move up the side of mountain, eventually releasing rain or snow. By the time the winds reach the other side of the mountain, they are dry and become warmer as they flow down the mountain.

Chapter 3 Section 2

El Nino

• Occurs off the coast of South America• The coast of South America is characterized by upwelling• Trade winds blow warm water away from the shoreline which is then replaced by rising cold

water which is rich in nutrients and schools of fish• About every 7 years the trade winds weaken and upwelling slows• When upwelling slows warmer waters accumulate offshore which results in greater fish

mortality• Fish crop is reduced by half which causes the prices of beef and poultry to rise world wide

due to the loss of cheap anchoveta which is ground up into livestock and poultry feed• As fish die and rot in harbors and bay, they produce a type of hydrogen-sulfide rich acid fog• This fog, called Callao Pintor, corrodes metal• The decline of fish causes seabirds to migrate and lowers the level of Guano deposition on

offshore islands• Lack of guano results in lower levels of fertilizers and decreased agricultural production• Causes a rise in intense storm systems in the U.S.

La Nina

• Band of cool water• Periodically appears in the Pacific Ocean

along the equator• Brings drought conditions to the northern

hemisphere due to the retreat of the jet stream to the north

• Resulted in a severe drought in the Midwest in 1988 and the Great Texas Drought of 1996

Global Warming

• Controversy exist over the causes of global warming, scientists agree that the air temperatures are increasing. Since the late 1800s, the temperature of the earth has increased by one degree. However estimates for the next century suggest that will increase by 3-5 degrees.

Chapter 3 Section3

World Climate Regions

• Defining a Climate Region– Climate regions act like a code that tells geographers

much about an area without giving many local details.– Geographers use a variety of methods to describe

climate patterns. • Five General Climate Regions

– Tropical

– Dry

– Mid-latitude

– High-latitude

– Highland

Types of Climates

• Tropical Wet This subregion has little variation In temperature over the year- it is always hot, with an average temperature of 80 deg.

• Tropical Wet and Dry This climate region has a rainy season in the summer and a dry season in the winter.

• Semiarid The climate subregion does receive precipitation just not very much: about 16 inches per year.

• Desert Not just sand dunes. Deserts are categorized according to the amount of rainfall. Deserts receive less than 10 inches of rain per year.

Types of Climates

• Mediterranean

• Marine West Coast

• Humid Subtropical

• Humid Continental

Types of Climates

• Subarctic

• Tundra

• Ice Cap

• Highlands

Chapter 3 Section 4

Soils and Vegetation

• Soil Region

• Vegetation Region

World Vegetation Regions

• Forestlands

• Grasslands

• Desert and Tundra

Human Impact on the Environment