Physical Geography 1114-020
Total Points:
Due:
Name
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #6
THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF OKLAHOMA
25
Friday, Dec. 6th
As an applied discipline, Physical Geography should provide us with the tools and techniques needed to
understand our physical environment and gain insight into new issues. One of the ways to test our grasp of this
knowledge is to apply the things we have learned to our immediate environment. Please answer the following
questions in the space provided to apply what you have learned in this course to the physical geography of Oklahoma.
1.
2.
3.
Define climate: Based on Koppen’s classification system, identify and describe the characteristics of the
two major climates associated with Oklahoma.
a.
Cfa: humid subtropical; high humidity, warm to hot summers, winter temps mild and
precipitation reaches maximum in summer
b.
Bsk: semi-arid/midlatitude steppe; transition between desert and humid climates, hot
summers and cool winters, greater precipitation than midlatitude deserts
Identify three major factors controlling the climate of Oklahoma.
a.
Latitude
b.
PPTN
c.
Air masses/wind patterns
State the month in which the following maximum and minimum occur in Oklahoma.
Temperature (maximum)_________July___________ (minimum) __________January__________
Precipitation (maximum)_______June_____________ (minimum) __________January__________
4.
The major type of Precipitation in Oklahoma is
__________________rainfall_________________________.
5.
Will Rogers has been quoted as saying, (and I paraphrase) “If you don’t like Oklahoma’s weather, stick
around a few minutes and it will change.” Explain why Oklahoma has such variable weather. Be sure to
include a discussion of the elements of weather and what types of precipitation is characteristic of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma has such variable weather because of its location and the colliding of
warm and cold. Rain and snow are the types of precipitation that are characteristic to
Oklahoma, depending on the season and temperature. Humidity and atmospheric pressure
also contribute to the variable weather in Oklahoma.
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6.
7.
Identify the 3 major Vegetation Biomes covering the state and describe the vegetation associated with each of
these biomes
a.
Mid-latitude Grassland: too dry for forests but too wet for desert, grasses, shrubs,
bushes
b.
Mid-latitude Deciduous Forest: dense growth of broadleaf trees
c.
Mediterranean Woodland and Scrub: dense woody shrubs called chaparral, dry
summer, wet winter
Make a map of on the outline of Oklahoma in the space below and plot on your map the distribution of the
three major vegetation biomes found in Oklahoma. Then answer the following questions.
Mediterranean
Woodland and Scrub
Mid-latitude
Grassland
Mid-latitude
Deciduous Forest
a.
What trend or gradient does the vegetation pattern follow?
For the most part, the scrub occurs on mountains in the Panhandle, the grassland in
Central OK and forest to the East.
b.
What factors are responsible for this trend?
The different soil types and weather conditions are responsible for this trend.
c.
Where are most of the grasslands in Oklahoma found? WHY
Most of the grasslands are found in central Oklahoma because of the soil located
there and the angle that the weather masses occur
d.
Norman sits on an ecotone between the forested eastern part of the state and the grasslands to the
west. Name that ecotone.
___________________crosstimbers_________________________________
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8..
9.
Describe two weathering processes responsible for landform and soil development in the semi-arid
environment of southwestern Oklahoma.
a.
Biological weathering by lichens that weaken and break down the rock developing
soil
b.
Exfoliation where curved layers peel off bedrock and create landforms including
exfoliation domes
The Canadian River can be classified as a braided stream. Describe the characteristics responsible for this
classification?
The Canadian River is a braided stream because of its location in a region with
prominent dry seasons and periods of low stream discharge in the arid environment. It
consists of interwoven and interconnected channels, which are braided stream
characteristics.
10.
The Canadian River is part of which major drainage basing to the East?
The Canadian River links to the Arkansas River which links to the Mississippi River,
which is all a part of the Mississippi River Drainage Basin.
11.
The Red River feeds directly into the Gulf of Mexico and not into the Mississippi River because of the
____alluvial________ _____deposits_________ that have built up on the banks the Mississippi River.
As a result, the Red River can be classified as a ________floodplain___________________ .
12.
Why is Oklahoma prone to occurrence of severe Tornadoes?
Oklahoma is so prone to the occurrence of severe tornados because of its geologic
location. The Gulf of Mexico is to the South with the warm moist air that moves upwards
and then there is the dry air from the Rocky Mountains. These two factors together create
the ideal weather conditions for severe tornados.
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