Soil and Climate Quiz

Geography Study Notes

• Geography is the study of Earth and the relationships between people and their environment.
• An ecosystem encompasses all living organisms and the physical environment they inhabit.
• Relative location describes a place's position in relation to other geographical features.
• Absolute location pinpoints a place's precise coordinates (latitude and longitude).
• Key geographic concepts relevant to location include interrelationships, spatial significance, and patterns/trends.
• Geographic inquiry involves active questioning and investigation to understand the world.
• Studying and analyzing primary sources (e.g., census data) and secondary sources (e.g., reference books) is essential to geographical investigation.
• Visual materials (e.g., maps, globes) are helpful tools in geography, offering insights to the geographic world.

Geographic Concepts

• Interrelationships: Relationships between different patterns and trends
• Spatial Significance: The importance of a location in geography
• Patterns: Arrangement of objects on Earth's surface
• Trends: Noticeable changes in patterns over time
• Geographic Perspective: A way to view the world by considering its political, environmental, and social impacts
• Geographic Inquiry: An active, questioning approach to understanding the world through a geographical viewpoint.

Available Sources

• Field sources (local studies, school grounds)
• Primary sources (census data, photographs, speeches)
• Secondary sources (documentaries, films, news reports, reference books)
• Visuals (satellite images, maps, globes, models)
• Community resources (conservation areas, community groups, government resources)
• Geotechnology (use of advanced tech for geographers)
• Global Positioning System (GPS)
• Geographic Information System (GIS)
• Georeferencing (linking data to a location)
• Remote sensing (measuring from a distance)
• Telematics (long-distance digital information transmission)
• Population Density: Average number of people in a particular place (population/km^2)
• Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs): Urban areas in Canada with populations greater than 100,000. These encompass a city and the surrounding areas.
• Community: A group of people who share common characteristics (history, beliefs, space).

Fields of Geography

• Physical Geography: Study of landforms, climate, soils, etc.
• Urban Geography: Study of cities, land use, transportation issues
• Social Geography: Study of people and their interactions with the environment
• Environmental Geography: Study of the environment and human interaction with the environment
• Economic Geography: Activities used to extract or create goods and services or provide services

Common Types of Map Projections

• Mercator: Gives true compass bearings; distorts sizes of areas
• Winkel Tripel: Balances size, shape, distance, and direction; provides realistic representation
• Equal-Area: Distorts shape, but displays accurate areas.

Types of Maps

• General Purpose Maps: Provide multiple pieces of information on a single map (e.g., bodies of water, roads)
• Thematic Maps: Display specific, concentrated information (e.g., population distribution)
• Small-Scale maps: Show large areas with little detail
• Large-scale maps: Show small areas with great detail

Population Patterns in Rural Areas

• Dispersed populations: Evenly distributed over a wide area.
• Concentrated populations: Areas around specific resource industries such as mines or mills.
• Linear populations: Population settled along features like rivers or coastlines.

Important Factors Affecting Rural Settlements

• Natural resources (farmland, water bodies, forests)
• Transportation methods (railroads, roads, boats)
• Role of government (provisions by the government)

Chapter 2: Exploring Connections, Landforms, Geology, & Human Activities

• Tsunamis: Large ocean waves caused by earthquakes or powerful disturbances underneath the ocean.
• Plate Tectonics: Theory that Earth has multiple plates that move. These plates' movements drive earthquakes, volcanoes, and also mountain formation and destruction.

Types of Plate Movement

• Divergent: Plates move apart (creates volcanic activity, mid-ocean ridges)
• Convergent: Plates move toward each other (continental plates collide, form mountains; continental-oceanic plates collide, oceanic plate subducts)
• Transform: Plates slide past each other (frequent, small earthquakes).

Rock Cycle

• Igneous rocks: Form when magma or lava cools. (Intrusive cools inside Earth, extrusive cools on the surface.)
• Sedimentary rocks: Form from compacted sediments (compaction, cementation)
• Metamorphic rocks: Form from other rocks with intense heat and pressure.

Soil and Natural Vegetation

• Minerals: Components that form from rocks.
• Bacteria and organic material: Decomposition of plant and animal remains creates soil and nutrients for plants.
• Humus: Dark, rich material that forms from decayed organic material and provides nutrients for plants.
• Air: Pockets of air help give soil its porosity.
• Moisture: Essential for chemical and physical processes in soil, and also enables plant roots and growth.

Soil Processes

• Leaching: The removal of nutrients from the soil in high precipitation regions
• Calcification: The buildup of minerals in areas with low precipitation.

Soil Regions in Canada

• Tundra: Harsh for plant growth
• Boreal and Taiga: Forests with coniferous trees
• Grasslands: Dominated by grasses
• Mixed: Transition zones between forest and grasslands.
• Deciduous: Dominated by broadleaf trees, often in warmer climates.
• West Coast: Diverse forest types, often near water.

Chapter 3: Exploring Connections: Climate, Soil, and Natural Vegetation and Human Activities

• Natural vegetation: Plants that grow in an area without human intervention.
• Climate: Long-term weather conditions (including temperature, precipitation, seasonality)
• Weather: Short-term weather conditions.

Chapter 4: Rethinking How We View And Use Natural Resources

• Total stock: All environmental components (energy, organisms, non-living matter).
• Resources: Parts of the total stock that humans use.
• Renewable resources: Resources that replenish quickly. (e.g., trees, soil)
• Non-renewable resources: Resources that don't replenish quickly. (e.g., minerals, fossil fuels)
• Flow resources: Resources perpetually replaced. (e.g., wind, sunlight)

Resources and the 3Rs

• Reducing: Use fewer resources.
• Reusing: Find different uses for items.
• Recycling: Convert materials into something new.

Chapter 5: Managing Renewable Resources Successfully

• Sustained yield management: Harvesting resources at a rate equal to or lower than the regrowth rate of the resources.
• Forestry: Sustainable use of forest resources.
• Farming: Sustainable use of farmland resources and effective management of resources.

Human Activities

• Mining: Extraction of resources from the earth.
• Manufacturing: Creation of finished products from raw materials.
• Transportation: Movement of people and goods.

Chapter 6: Freshwater-Canada's Special Resource?

• Precipitation: Water falling from the atmosphere (rain, snow, etc.)
• Stores: Places where water is stored (lakes, rivers, oceans, etc.).
• Flows: Processes of water movement (precipitation, evaporation, etc.)
• Groundwater: Water underground.
• Potential Evapotranspiration: the amount of water that evaporates from the land.

Test your knowledge on soil composition, nutrient provision, and the effects of climate on temperature and moisture. This quiz covers key concepts relevant to environmental science and geology.