Rivers/Deserts Test Outline

On Friday, you will have your Rivers and Deserts test.   It will be a combination of MC, short answer, world maps and long answer questions.

Rivers - You are responsible for understanding the theme of Interrelationships – How rivers affect humans, and how human activity affects river ecosystems.
Ex.  Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest causes massive soil erosion and siltation of the Amazon river.  This makes it difficult for species in the river to survive….
·                     The life stages of a river – youthful, mature, old age
·                     Why rivers are considered important and even sacred
·                     At least three uses of rivers (other than serving as a fresh water source)
·                     The importance of river deltas, the notion of alluvium (soil fertility from rivers)
·                     Case Study - Ganges - sacred river, Colorado, river at risk
·                     Find the following on a map - Ganges, Nile, Colorado, St. Lawrence, Mara, Mekong
·                     ISSUE - The advantages and disadvantages of hydropower and large scale dams (Chapter 43) Block 2, you received this as a photocopied booklet

You are not responsible for knowing all of the river features (ex. meander, saltation, etc.) but you may end up using these terms in your written responses.


Deserts (Ch. 16)- You are responsible for:
·                     The main forms of erosion in a desert (water - flash floods, wind)
·                     What is a desert (definition)
·                     Types of desert - hot vs. cold; sandy vs. rocky
·                     Vegetation types that you would see in a desert (sparse vegetation)
·                     Causes of desert (latitude, rainshadow, cold ocean currents
·                     Features - explain how a sand dune or oasis is created
·                     Loess - nutrients found in deserts + soil fertility
·                     Label deserts on a world map - Sahara, Gobi, Australian, Atacama, Kalahari, Patagonian, Arabian

Soil Degradation & Desertification (Chapter 36 & 37) - Block 2, you received this as a photocopied booklet
·                     Causes of Desertification -
·                     Be able to identify areas that are at risk of desertification on a map and name them – Chapter 37 – ex. Sahel, China, etc.
·                     Effects of Desertification on land and humans
·                     Be able to explain specific human activity that causes soil to deplete and become poor quality (ex. excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers, overcultivation, overgrazing of cattle, etc.)
·                     Be able to describe what healthy soil looks like
·                     Explain possible solutions to desertification – be able to articulate the difference between preventing wind and water erosion.  You should be able to recognize diagrams/images of these solutions, and draw them if necessary.

Key Terms for Soil Degradation that may be new to you:

·         Overcultivation, Over-grazing, irrigation, deforestation, shelter belts, ‘ploughing against the wind’, stubble mulching, terracing

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