Major Concepts in This Unit:

The Hydrologic Cycle

• What is the source of energy that drives Earth's hydrologic cycle?
• What are the major "stations" in the water cycle?  How can water travel from station to station in the water cycle?
• What are four different things that can happen to water when it hits the ground?
• What is a "water budget" for a region?

• Why is it said that there is no beginning or end to the water cycle?
• What evidence can you cite that refutes the idea that the earth's hydrologic cycle is a closed system?

Water in the Ground

• What is the importance of groundwater in our everyday lives?
• What factors influence the amount of water that can be stored in the ground (porosity)?
• What factors control the speed with which water infiltrates the pore space sin the ground (permeability)?
• What causes water to move upward - against gravity - toward the roots of plants (capillary action)?

Factors Influencing Our Climate

• How does latitude effect the climate of a region?
• How can mountain ranges effect the climate of a region?
• How do ocean currents and/or global wind patterns effect climate?
• What is the effect of altitude on climate?
• How does the balance between Insolation and terrestrial radiation effect the temperature of an area?

Severe Weather and its Impact on Human Activity

• How do seasonal variations in hurricanes effect residents of the eastern USA?
• What are monsoons?  Why do they occur with such regularity in some regions of the world?
• Why is the area around the Great Lakes so prone to heavy snows in the early part of the winter?  How are these heavy snows similar to monsoons?