Geography
Canyon on the
Colorado Plateau,
Arizona
Section 4: Human-Environment
Interaction
BIG IDEA All living things are dependent upon one
another and their surroundings for survival. Human
actions greatly affect the natural world.
Climate
Regions
Landforms and
Water Resources
HumanEnvironment
Interaction
Reading and Writing As you read the chapter, take notes about each section under the
appropriate head. Use your Foldable to help you write a summary for each section.
Social Studies
ONLINE
Chapter 2 43
Bill Hatcher/National Geographic Image Collection
Content Vocabulary
core (p. 45)
mantle (p. 45)
magma (p. 45)
crust (p. 45)
continent (p. 45)
plate tectonics (p. 46)
earthquake (p. 47)
fault (p. 47)
weathering (p. 47)
erosion (p. 48)
Academic Vocabulary
release (p. 45)
constant (p. 47)
accumulate (p. 48)
Reading Strategy
Determining Cause and Effect
As you read, use a diagram like the
one below to list the forces shaping
the Earth and the effects of each.
Forces
44 Chapter 2
David Parker/Photo Researchers
Eects
Forces
Shaping
the Earth
This spectacular gash is
Californias San Andreas Fault. The San
Andreas Fault is about 800 miles long and
extends 10 miles beneath the Earths surface.
It is the source of the deadly earthquakes that
occurred in California in 1906 and 1989. Read
this section to learn more about processes that
have shaped the surface of the Earth.
The San Andreas Fault, located 100 miles
north of Los Angeles, California
Earths Layers
Figure 1
Crust
about 31 to 62
miles thick
(50 to 100 km)
Mantle
about 1,770
miles thick
(2,850 km)
Outer core
about 1,400
miles thick
(2,253 km)
Inner core
Chapter 2 45
Shaping the
Earths Surface
Plate Movements
Main Idea
Earthquake in Japan
46 Chapter 2
Anthony West/Corbis
Figure 2
Plate boundary
Volcano
Earthquake
ARCTIC OCEAN
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
PACIFIC OCEAN
INDIAN
OCEAN
N
W
0
0
2,000 kilometers
E
S
2,000 miles
Miller projection
Social Studies
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Student Web Activity Visit glencoe.com and complete
Weathering
The movement of tectonic plates causes
volcanoes and earthquakes to change the
Earths landforms. Once created, however,
these landforms will continue to change
because of other forces that work on the
Earths surface.
One of these forces is called weathering.
Weathering is when water and ice, chemicals, and even plants break rocks apart into
smaller pieces. For example, water can run
into cracks of rocks, freeze, and then expand.
Chapter 2 47
Erosion
Erosion in Bangladesh
These actions can split the rock. Chemicals, too, cause weathering when acids in
air pollution mix with rain and fall back
Section
Review
Vocabulary
1.
Critical Thinking
4.
5.
6.
Main Ideas
2.
3.
Results
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
48 Chapter 2
Rafiqur Rahman/Reuters/CORBIS
Using Your
Content Vocabulary
continental shelf (p. 50)
trench (p. 50)
groundwater (p. 52)
aquifer (p. 52)
water cycle (p. 53)
evaporation (p. 53)
condensation (p. 54)
precipitation (p. 54)
collection (p. 54)
Landforms
and Water
Resources
This fisherman in Indonesia
uses a hand dredge to catch fish. He lowers the
dredge into the water and drags it along the
bottom of the shallow, sandy ocean floor. There
it scoops up fish, scallops, and oysters. Read
this section to learn how landforms and water
influence human activities.
Academic Vocabulary
occur (p. 50)
define (p. 50)
availability (p. 52)
Reading Strategy
Identifying Use a diagram like the
one below to identify the various
bodies of water that can be found on
the Earths surface.
Bodies of
Water
Chapter 2 49
Paul Bigland/Lonely Planet Images
Types of Landforms
Main Idea
On Land
Mountains are huge towers of rock and
are the highest landforms. Some mountains
may be only a few thousand feet high.
Others can soar higher than 20,000 feet
Karakoram Range,
South Asia
50 Chapter 2
Jimmy Chin/National Geographic Image Collection
Roughing It
By Mark Twain
Analyzing
Literature
Mark Twain
(18351910)
Samuel
Langhorne
Clemens,
who used the
pen name
Mark Twain, was born in
a Missouri river town along
the banks of the Mississippi
River. He held many jobs,
including working as the
pilot of a riverboat, before
becoming a writer and
humorist. He was one of
the most popular American
authors of the late 1800s.
Background
Information
In Roughing It, Twain describes his experiences living
and traveling in Nevada,
California, and Hawaii in
the 1860s. In this excerpt,
he describes his trip from
Missouri to Nevada. Twain
traveled by stagecoach, a
horse-drawn vehicle for
carrying passengers.
Readers Dictionary
emancipation: freedom
Salt Water
All of the oceans on Earth
are part of a huge, continuous
body of salt water. Almost 97
percent of the planets water is
salt water. Oceans have smaller
arms or areas that are called
seas, bays, or gulfs. These larger
bodies of salt water can be linked
to oceans by the more narrow bodies called straits or channels.
Freshwater
52 Chapter 2
(l) Tom Bean/GETTY IMAGES, (r) James P Blair/National Geographic/Getty Images
Figure 3
Clouds
Precipitation
(snow, sleet, hail, rain)
Surface
runoff
Evaporation
from lakes
and streams
Evaporation
from ocean
Section
Review
Vocabulary
1.
Critical Thinking
4.
5.
6.
Main Ideas
2.
3.
7.
54 Chapter 2
Yves Marcoux/GETTY IMAGES
Content Vocabulary
weather (p. 56)
climate (p. 56)
prevailing wind (p. 57)
current (p. 57)
El Nio (p. 58)
La Nia (p. 58)
local wind (p. 59)
rain shadow (p. 59)
climate zone (p. 59)
biome (p. 60)
urban climate (p. 61)
Climate
Regions
Residents rush to escape the
swirling winds and pelting rain during the
annual typhoon season in China. Typhoons
are hurricanes that can topple buildings, snap
power lines, and uproot trees. These violent
thunderstorms draw their power from warm
ocean waters and are common in the Tropics
of southeast China. Read this section to learn
about the variety of climates that are found
on Earth.
Fleeing Typhoon Haitang,
July 2005
Academic Vocabulary
distribute (p. 56)
alter (p. 57)
Reading Strategy
Identifying Central Issues Use a
diagram like the one below to identify
the effects of both El Nio and La Nia.
~
El Nino
~
La Nina
Chapter 2 55
China Newsphoto/Reuters/Corbis
Effects on Climate
Main Idea
The Sun
Earths climate is linked directly to the
sun. As you recall from Chapter 1, the
Earth does not heat evenly. The Tropics
receive more of the suns heat energy and
the Poles receive less. The movement of
air and water over the Earth helps to
distribute the suns heat more evenly
around the globe.
te
es
W
st
e
ind rly
s
AMERICA
Horse latitudes
(calm)
es
ter
lies
Eas Pola
ter r
li e
INDIAN
OCEAN
es
ies
ANTARCTICA
Doldrums
(calm)
Horse latitudes
(calm)
Eas Pola
ter r
l ie
s
2,000 miles
LE
CTIC CIRC
ANTAR
ter
l
des
TROPIC OF CANCER
es
s
rlie
ASIA
te
es
W
EUROPE
2,000 kilometers
s
rlie
AFRICA
a
a
t he
t he
Nor
Nor de
de
tra
tra
Doldrums
Sou
(calm)
Sou
th
tra the
SOUTH trade e
de
N
60S
OCEAN
Horse latitu
(calm)
ter
l
a
t he
Nor
de
tra
Sou
t
tra he
de
PACIFIC
OCEAN
Doldrums
(calm)
ly
ter
as n ds
wi
30S
120E
ly
ter
as n ds
wi
rl y
te
as
s
nd
wi
PRICORN
TROPIC OF CA
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
ly
ter
as ds
n
wi
ea
rth
No de
tra Doldrums
Sou
(calm)
th
e
tra
de
EQUATOR
te
es
W
PACIFIC
OCEAN
ARCTIC
s
ar ie
Polsterl
a
E
s
rlie
NORTH
AMERICA
Horse latitud
es
(calm)
s te
r
ind ly
s
30N
60E
st
e
wi rly
nd
s
60N
60W
ARCTIC
ar s
Pol erlie
t
s
a
E
st
e
ind rly
s
120W
PRIME MERIDIAN
Figure 4
AUSTRALIA
ies
Cold wind
Warm wind
Polar front
High latitudes
Midlatitudes
Low latitudes
Winds
Air in the Tropics, which is warmed by
the sun, moves north and south toward the
Poles of the Earth. Colder air from the Poles
moves toward the Equator. These movements of air are winds. Major wind systems
follow patterns that are similar over time.
These patterns, shown in Figure 4, are called
prevailing winds.
Because the planet rotates, winds curve
across Earths surface. The winds that blow
from east to west between the Tropics and
the Equator are called the trade winds.
Long ago sailing ships used these winds
to carry out trade. The westerlies, which
blow over North America, move from west
to east in the area between the Tropics and
about 60 north latitude.
Storms
When moist, warm air rises suddenly
and meets dry, cold air, major storms can
develop. In the summer, these storms
can include thunder and lightning, heavy
rain, and, sometimes, tornadoes. Tornadoes
are violent, funnel-shaped windstorms
with wind speeds up to 450 miles (724 km)
per hour. In the winter, storms can become
blizzards that bring much snow.
Other types of destructive storms are
hurricanes and typhoons. Hurricanes occur
in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific
Oceans. Typhoons occur in the western
Pacific Ocean. These storms arise in the
warm ocean waters of the Tropics and can
reach great size and power. Some are as
much as 300 miles (483 km) across and create strong winds and heavy rains.
Ocean Currents
The steadily flowing streams of water in
the worlds seas are called currents. Like
winds, they follow patterns, which are
shown in Figure 5, on the next page.
Effects of El Nio
Main Idea
Landforms, especially
mountains, can affect winds, temperature, and rainfall.
Geography and You Have you ever felt a cooling sea
breeze on a hot summers day? Read on to learn how the
sea can affect climate.
Sun, wind, and water affect climate, but
the shape of the land has an effect on climate as well. The distance between landforms as well as their nearness to water
influence climate.
formed?
60N
ream
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
60S
Cold current
Warm current
Faulkland
Current
Current
30S
N
W
nC
pa
nt
urre
PACIFIC
OCEAN
torial
North Equa
Current
AFRICA
S. Equatorial
Current
INDIAN
OCEAN
torial
South Equa
t
Curren
rrent
West Australia Cu
AUSTRALIA
East
Australia
Current
LE
TIC CIRC
ANTARC
CIRCLE
TROPIC OF CANCER
ela
Benguent
Curr
u
Per
TROPIC OF
CAPRICORN
Br
azi
l Cur
SOUTH
AMERICA
PACIFIC
OCEAN
South Equatorial
Current
Guine
a
Curre
nt
rent
EQUATOR
ARCTIC
Cu
rre
nt
Equatorial Countercurrent
OCEAN
ASIA
C ur
ren
t
Gulf St
120E
EUROPE
nar
y
California
Current
r th
No
ARCTIC
ic
nt
la
t
A
Ca
ur
NORTH
AMERICA
ador
Ladrrrent
Cu
cC
n
re
30N
ka
Alas ent
Curr
N.
Pa
cifi
60E
Ja
120W
PRIME MERIDIAN
Figure 5
ANTARCTICA
2,000 kilometers
2,000 miles
Climate Zones
Main Idea
Figure 6
WINDWARD
SIDE
Warm
moist air
LEEWARD SIDE
Warm dry
air in
rain shadow
Mountain
range
Ocean
shadow effect?
Chapter 2 59
Major Climates
Scientists have identified five major climate zones, which are described in the chart
below. Four of these zones have several
Tropical
Dry
Characteristics
Highland
60 Chapter 2
Example
Tropical rain
forest
Dense rain
forests
Tropical savanna
Grasslands
dotted by
scattered trees
Steppe
Desert
Marine west
coast
Deciduous
or evergreen
forests
Mediterranean
Shrubs, low
Southern California;
trees, drought- Mediterranean region (Europe)
resistant plants
Humid
subtropical
Mixed forests
Humid
continental
Deciduous
forests
Subarctic
Tundra
Ice cap
None to very
little
Greenland; Antarctica
Changes with
altitude
Midlatitude
High
Latitude
Vegetation
Urban Climates
Large cities show significant climate differences from surrounding areas in their
climate zone. These urban climates are
marked by higher temperatures and other
differences. Paved streets and stone buildings soak up and then release more of the
suns heat energy than areas covered by
plants. This absorption leads to higher
temperaturesas much as 10 to 20F (6
to 11C) higherthan in the nearby countryside. These different heat patterns cause
winds to blow into cities from several directions instead of the prevailing direction
experienced in rural areas. Some scientists
believe cities also have more precipitation
than rural areas.
Drawing Conclusions How
do large cities affect climate?
Section
Review
Vocabulary
1.
4.
5.
6.
3.
Critical Thinking
Main Ideas
2.
7.
Chapter 2 61
AFP/Getty Images
85W
R
pi
ip
80W
L. n
ro
Hu
M 45N
i ss
iss
perior
L. Michigan
L. Su
io
ntar
L. O
L.
75W
Missouri
R.
o
hi
Zebra
mussels
clustered
on wood
Think About It
1. Why are some plants and animals called
invasive species?
2. Why are invasive species becoming more
common?
Eri
S
40N
R.
0
200 kilometers
200 miles
Albers Equal-Area
projection
Content Vocabulary
smog (p. 64)
acid rain (p. 64)
greenhouse effect (p. 64)
crop rotation (p. 65)
deforestation (p. 65)
conservation (p. 66)
irrigation (p. 66)
pesticide (p. 66)
ecosystem (p. 66)
biodiversity (p. 66)
Academic Vocabulary
layer (p. 64)
technique (p. 65)
HumanEnvironment
Interaction
Imagine guiding hundreds
of logs through rough waters in a tugboat. In
Deception Pass State Park in Washington, boats
move newly-cut logs along the waters of the
park to reach the highway. The logs are loaded
on trucks and taken to lumber yards. Read
this section to learn about the effects of human
activities on the Earth.
Logs moving through Deception
Pass State Park in Washington
Reading Strategy
Solving Problems Use a chart
like the one below to identify
environmental problems and what
people are doing to solve them.
Problem
1.
2.
3.
Solution
1.
2.
3.
Chapter 2 63
Vince Streano/age fotostock
The Atmosphere
Main Idea
Air Pollution
Air pollution has serious effects on people and the planet. Some polluting chemicals combine with ozone, a form of oxygen,
to create smog. This is a thick haze of smoke
and chemicals. Thick smog above cities can
lead to serious breathing problems.
Chemicals in air pollution can also combine with precipitation to form acid rain.
Acid rain kills fish, eats away at the surfaces of buildings, and destroys trees and
entire forests. Because the chemicals that
form acid rain come from the burning
of coal and oil, solving this problem has
proved difficult.
Some human-made chemicals, particularly chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), destroy
the ozone layer. Ozone forms a shield high
in the atmosphere against damaging rays
from the sun that can cause skin cancer.
Nations today are working to limit the
release of CFCs.
Global Warming
Some scientists, however, say that pollution is strengthening the greenhouse effect.
They claim that the increased burning of
coal, oil, and natural gas has released more
gases into the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases have trapped more of the suns
heat near the Earths surface, raising temperatures around the planet. Such warming could cause climate changes and melt
polar ice. Ocean levels could rise and flood
low-lying coastal areas.
The issue of global warming is debated.
Critics argue that computer models showing global warming are unrealistic. Many
nations, however, are addressing the problem. They are trying to use energy more
efficiently, burn coal more cleanly, and
adopt nonpolluting forms of energy such
as wind and solar power.
Explaining Why do some
scientists debate the issue of global warming?
The Lithosphere
Main Idea
Figure 7
Sun
Section
Review
Vocabulary
1.
4.
smog
acid rain
greenhouse effect
crop rotation
deforestation
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
conservation
irrigation
pesticide
ecosystem
biodiversity
Critical Thinking
5.
6.
Main Ideas
2.
3.
66 Chapter 2
Persuasive Writing Write a brief essay identifying the environmental issue you think
is most important and what people can do
about it.
Visual Summary
Inside the Earth
The Water
Planet
Hawk in
protected area,
United States
Shaping
Landforms
Humans and
the Environment
Climate
Types of
Landforms
Geographers divide
the world into
different
climate zones.
Hills in Italy
(tc) age fotostock, (tr) Tom Uhlman/Alamy, (bl) Remi Benali/Corbis, (br) Greg Stott/Masterfile
CHAPTER 2
STANDARDIZED TEST PRACTICE
TESTTAKING TIP
As you read the first part of a multiple-choice question, try to anticipate
the answer before you look at the choices. If your answer is one of the
choices, it is probably correct.
Reviewing Vocabulary
A magma formation
A mantle
B erosion
B crust
C plate tectonics
C magma
D mantle disbursement
D core
2. A plateau called a
lies off the coast of
each continent and stretches for several miles
underwater.
A continental aquifer
B continental shelf
C continental water cycle
D continental trench
D biome
A chlorofluorocarbons
A deforestation
B biodiversity
C irrigation
D conservation
GO ON
68 Chapter 2
ASSESSMENT
Document-Based Questions
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
Global Temperature
Changes (18802000)
18
8
18 0
9
19 0
0
19 0
10
19
2
19 0
3
19 0
4
19 0
5
19 0
6
19 0
7
19 0
8
19 0
9
20 0
00
Departure from
Long-Term Average (F)
Critical Thinking
Year
11. According to this press release, what is the purpose of the Kyoto Protocol?
Extended Response
13. Which part of Earths environmentthe atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, or biosphere
do you feel is most threatened by human
activity? In several paragraphs, define the part
that you chose, explain why you think it is
threatened, and describe what actions may help
decrease the threat to that area.
STOP
Social Studies
ONLINE
1
46
2
50
3
59
4
64
5
45
6
52
7
56
8
66
9
64
10
64
11
64
12
64
13
64
Chapter 2 69