This is an interesting article on some Earth-Sun relationships that challenges the dominant north-centered normative view of how to think about our planet.  My favorite tidbit of information: “The velocity of the Earth’s rotation varies depending on where you stand: 1,000 mph at the Equator versus almost zero at the poles. That means that the fastest sunrises and sunsets on the planet occur on the Equator, and centrifugal and inertial forces are also much greater there. “

This is an interesting article; some seem the linkages that he is making between population growth and drought with war and conflict as being environmentally deterministic while others think that it is appropriately taking the geographic factors into consideration.  Conflicts over water can erupt, but how much of the conflict can be attributed these factors?  What do you think? 

Tags: Syria, MiddleEast, conflict, political, water, environment,

“Aerial photographer Alex MacLean estimates he has spent about 6,000 hours in the sky photographing American farms.  His unique perspective depicts the dramatically changing agricultural landscape in the U.S., something he has been drawn to since he started flying nearly 40 years ago.  ‘I’ve been photographing agricultural lands since I started flying, in the early 1970s,’ he says. ‘I was drawn to the aesthetics of farmland, in part because of its natural response to environmental conditions, climates, soils and topography…A lot of what I photograph is through discovery of seeing crops, seeing patterns.’ 

Tags: agriculture, landscape, images.

A steep slope and unstable ground in this picture from Egypt results in mass wasting and the ‘flow’ of the sand down the slope.  Sand dunes are often formed more by aeolian (wind) processes, making this image especially noteworthy.

Tags: physical, geomorphology, erosion, landforms.

With all the tornado warnings, damage and concern, this map shows the spatial configuration of the danger zone.  This is the link for the interactive weather map that is continuously updated by NOAA.  Here is the high resolution, static version.   

For a the full lesson on how access to clean drinking water and human well-being are connected on the Indonesian island of Flores, visit World Vision Australia.  

Tags: Indonesia, water, development.

The article connected to this map from the New York Times can be found here.  “Two years of extreme drought, during which farmers relied almost completely on groundwater, have brought the seriousness of the problem home. In 2011 and 2012, the Kansas Geological Survey reports, the average water level in the state’s portion of the aquifer dropped 4.25 feet — nearly a third of the total decline since 1996.”

Tags: water, agriculture, environment, consumption, resources, environment depend.

You can dowload the 2013 FRQs or any previously released FRQs on the AP Human Geography College Board website. 

The beginning of their love story is rooted in cultural traditions that many would find oppressive (arranged marriage), and yet their much about their sweet relationship that is near-universally admired.