AP Human Geography Review

Geographic Perspectives

• Geography is the study of the Earth's physical features, human populations, and the ways in which people interact with the environment.
• There are four types of interrelationships: human-environment, human-human, environment-human, and environment-environment.
• Examples of interrelationships include deforestation, climate change, and urbanization.
• Geotechnologies are tools used to collect, analyze, and interpret geographic data, including GIS, GPS, and remote sensing.
• Geotechnologies are important for understanding and addressing environmental issues, resource management, and urban planning.

Earth's Foundations - Geologic/Lithospheric Sphere

• The ecosphere includes the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.
• Plate Tectonics is the theory that the Earth's lithosphere is broken into plates that move, causing earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building.
• The causes of plate movement include convection currents and mantle plumes.
• The impacts of plate movement include the creation of mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
• The structure of a volcano includes the crater, vent, and magma chamber.
• Earthquake management stages include preparation, response, and recovery, as seen in the Haiti and Christchurch case studies.

Earth's Water - Hydrospheric/Cryospheric Spheres

• Ocean currents are the movement of ocean water in a specific direction, driven by wind, tides, and thermohaline circulation.
• Elements of ocean currents include surface currents, thermoclines, and deep-water circulation.
• The diagram shows ocean currents around the planet, with red lines indicating warm currents and blue lines indicating cold currents.

The Air We Breathe - Atmospheric Sphere

• Atmospheric cells include Hadley, Ferrel, and Polar cells, which drive global wind patterns.
• Hurricane formation occurs when atmospheric conditions are warm, moist, and unstable, leading to a rotating system of clouds and thunderstorms.
• Hurricane season typically occurs during the summer and fall months.
• Tornado formation occurs when there is a combination of moisture, wind shear, and instability in the atmosphere.
• Tornado measurements include the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
• El Niño is a climate phenomenon characterized by warmer ocean temperatures in the Pacific, leading to changes in global weather patterns.

Challenges for the Future

• The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch marked by significant human impact on the environment.
• Evidence of the Anthropocene includes increased greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and species extinction.
• Parameters of the Anthropocene include climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
• Human activities contributing to the Anthropocene include fossil fuel combustion, land use changes, and industrial processes.