Landforms E 4 3 F Describe how landforms

Landforms E 4. 3 F - Describe how landforms affect the formation of clouds and precipitation.

• Three basic types • Plains • Plateaus • Mountains Landforms

Plains • Large, relatively flat areas • Two types • Coastal (lowlands) - Interior (Great Plains)

Plateaus • Flat, raised areas that have been uplifted by forces within Earth • Rise steeply from the land around them

Mountains • High, steep peaks • Four types • • Folded Upwarped Fault-Block Volcanic

Four types of mountains

Folded Mountains

Upwarped Mountains

Fault-Block Mountains

Volcanic Mountains

Major US Landforms

Climate • Average weather conditions over many years • Includes temperature, precipitation, air pressure, humidity, days of sunshine • Affected by latitude, topography, location of lakes and oceans, wind patterns, ocean currents

Latitude • Affects climate • Determines how much sunlight an area receives and at what angle Polar Zone Temperate Zone Tropics Temperate Zone Polar Zone

US Climate Zones

Topography • Topography is the surface features of the earth. • Includes • Large bodies of water • Mountains • Large cities

Topography - Water • Coastal regions have warmer winters and cooler summers. • Ocean currents affect coastal climates. • Coastal areas also have more moisture. • Causes “lake effect”

Topography - Mountains • Mountains have cooler climates • Less air molecules to hold heat at high elevations • Rain shadows form

Topography – Large Cities • Radiation is absorbed by streets, parking lots and buildings and radiated back into the atmosphere • Pollution traps heat in a “heat sink” • Skyscrapers can act like mountains and create rain shadows