Landscape Development Environmental Change Landscapes the features of

Landscape Development & Environmental Change

• Landscapes: the features of Earth’s surface • Stream Drainage: the shape of the stream in an area

Mountains, Plateaus, & Plains • Based on gradient, elevation, & rock structure. • Mountains: high elevation, steep gradient, and distorted rock structures. Adirondack Mountains, NY

Mountains, Plateaus, & Plains • Plateaus: high elevation, flat slope, undistorted horizontal rock structure.

Mountains, Plateaus, & Plains • Plains: low elevation, flat surface, usually sedimentary rocks

Landform Regions of the Unites States

Factors of Landscape Development • Uplifting forces and leveling forces can form and change landscapes. – Impact events can also change landscapes. • Sources of energy: – Uplifting: heat from Earth’s interior / mantle convection – Leveling: insolation & gravity

Time & Landscape Changes • Landscape features depend on the length of time that uplifting and leveling forces have acted on the rocks. • Dynamic Equilibrium: at any one time, landscape features reflect a state of balance.

Climate and Landscape Development • Landscapes are influenced by: – Temperature – Moisture • Arid Climates – Steep slopes, and sharp, angular landscape features. – Sandblasted features • Humid Climates – More rounded, smooth landscape features

Arid climate Humid climate

Climate and Landscape Development • Recent Glaciation Landscape Features: – Mountaintops with little soil – Widespread transported soil – Unsorted soil – Wide, U-shaped valleys – Many lakes – Parallel grooves in bedrock – Many small hills (drumlins, etc. )

Climate and Landscape Development • Soil and Climate: – Soils in arid regions are thin/nonexistent, sandy, and contain many minerals. These trees are growing in an arid climate.

Bedrock • The composition and structure of bedrock can affect the landscape in a region. • Rock types and hill slopes: 1. Structural Features: folds, faults, etc. can lead to many changes in landscape features in an area. 2. Streams: the direction, drainage pattern, features, and gradient of a stream are directly related to bedrock.

Bedrock • Rock types and hill slopes: 3. Soils: differences in soil composition are due to differences in underlying bedrock.

Effect of Landscapes ON People • Streams and Rivers – Dangerous flooding • Ocean shores – Dangerous flooding, hurricanes, rise in sea level • Clay-rich areas – Slow mass movement; landslides, liquefaction during earthquakes • Dangers can be reduced with proper planning, laws, and zoning limitations.

Changes of Landscapes BY People • Humans have GREATLY affected the environment:

Changes of Landscapes BY People • Human population increasing RAPIDLY – Landscape pollution is HIGHEST in areas with HIGH population density.