Reference no: EM133273286
1. When we look at annual rainfall patterns in "Picture 1," it is clear that there are areas in the world that receive less than average amounts of precipitation. Oddly, these areas are equidistantly and symmetrically located north and south of the equator. Use "Picture 2" to explain this distribution.
Continue to Slide 21.
2. The Taklimakan Desert in northwest China is bounded by five mountain ranges; the Altuns to the Southeast, the Kunlun Mountains to the South, the Karakoram to the Southwest, the Pamirs to the West, and the Tian Shan Mountains to the North. These mountain ranges are indicated by the purple icons. Answer the following questions: Type of desert: __________________.
a) Measure the change in elevation (in meters) from the Central Karakoram National Park to the CENTER of the Taklimakan Desert. Place your cursor on the different locations and read the corresponding elevation in the bottom right corner of the Google Earth window. If you cannot see the numbers, you will need to collapse the 'tour guide' feature along the bottom of the window. Alternatively, you can use the purple line to see a detailed elevation profile and get this number.
Change in Elevation (m): _______________
b) What happens to humid air masses upon reaching a mountain range?
c) What happens to the water contained in rising/cooling air?
d) What happens to the inland side of the mountain range?
Continue to Slide 22.
3. The Namib Desert extends over 1,200 miles along the Atlantic coast of Africa through Angola, Namibia, and South Africa. The aridity of the Namib is owed to the Benguela current along the Atlantic African coast. Go to Slide 23 and explore this the Sea Surface Temperature image to see what type of current this is (i.e., hot or cold). Answer the following questions:
Type of desert: _______________________
Compared to other deserts, the Namib is very narrow. Use the ruler in the left pane menu of Google Earth Web to measure the distance, in kilometers, along the blue line from the Namib Desert coast to its eastern border.
Namib width (km): ________________________
4. Peary Land is a peninsula in northern Greenland that extends into the Arctic Ocean. At first glance, Peary Land may not look like a desert, however, it receives under 20 cm of rain per year.
Type of desert: _________________
a) Use the ruler tool to measure the distance, in kilometers, along with the yellow line from Peary Land to the North Pole.
Distance (km): ___________________
b) Activate the 'grid' feature to see lines of latitude and longitude. Exit the presentation mode. Go to the left pane menu > click on "Map Style" > under Layers, toggle on "Turn on Gridlines." Then go back to your tour by clicking the placemark icon (hovering on top brings the text "Projects"). Go to Slide 25 to explore the Peary Land placemark icon. What is the latitude at the Peary Land placemark and in the North Pole?
Peary Land Latitude ___________________
North Pole Latitude ___________________
Continue to Slide 26.
5. The Gobi Desert straddles northern China and southern Mongolia in the heart of Asia. Use the ruler tool to measure the distance, in kilometers, along the yellow line from the Gobi Desert placemark to the Yellow Sea.
a) Type of Desert: ______________
Distance: ____________
b) Click on Slide 27 to see the "Up Close" photo. Observe the tightly packed concentration of large pebbles in the foreground. What type of landform is this?
6- The Sahara of Northern Africa is the third largest desert in the world. The Sahara Desert is centered on the Tropic of Cancer. At roughly what latitude does the Sahara terminate along its southern border?
Type of Desert: ______________
a) Latitude: ________________
b) At roughly what latitude does the Sahara terminate into the Mediterranean Sea?
Latitude: _____________
c) Click on the photo. Observe the resistant layers of rock that protect the weaker underlying rock. What type of weathering results in landforms like these?