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DATES TO REMEMBER
COURSE EVALUATION PERIOD NOW OPEN• Visit www.hunter.cuny.edu/te ORwww.hunter.cuny.edu/mobilete (for smartphones)
• Sign in with your Hunter netID and password• Complete the evaluation(s)
Check your Hunter email account for notice from the Dean of Students. Can do it on line or on a SmartPhone
May 11: Last day to hand in REQUIRED LANDSCAPE EXERCISE without penalty and last day to hand in pre-approvedextra credit research paper.
May 14: Last class lecture WEDNESDAY, May 20: Exam III: The Final Exam
– From 3 to 5 PM << note different day/time from class– Same format as exams I and II;
focuses on last third of course– Last day to hand in Exam III extra credit exercise and
“Geography in the News” extra credit option.
Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada
North Pacific CoastProf. Anthony Grande
©AFG 2015
North Pacific Coast
Elongated isolated shoreline area of the West Coast between 34°N and 63°N.
Over 4,000 mi long and up to 150 mi wide (most of it is less than 100 mi wide).
Runs north from the Los Angeles Basin,
Past San Francisco Bay,
Through the Pacific Northwest, and the Inland Passage and the Alaska Panhandle,
Along the Gulf of Alaska coastal plain,
Through the Alaska Peninsula and ending at westernmost island of the Aleutians.
3LA
Alaska Peninsula
SF
Gulf of Alaska
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North Pacific Coast
When you think about this region, what images come into your mind?
FogVolcanoes
Dense forestsHydroelectricity
Harsh coastlinesSeattleFjords
Cloudy skiesWinter Olympics
OVERVIEW: Physical
Marine subtropical climate from California to AlaskaWettest area of North America.
Tall parallel coastal mountain ranges separating warmer but drier fertile lowlands. Irregular, rocky coastline with little or no coastal plain
Geologically active area. Shaped by earthquakes, volcanism, mass movements.
Northern portion shaped by mountain glaciers that reached the sea.
Heavily forested.
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OVERVIEW: Human
Isolated from the rest of North America by site and situation.
Difficult transportation between areas.
Over 150 distinct Native American ethnic groups in small coastal valleys (isolated from each other).
Explored by Spanish, Russians, British, and Americans.
Low population density with few large cities.
Diversifying economy still dominated by primary activities: lumbering, fishing, agriculture.
SW British Columbia is the fastest growing area. 6
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PHYSIOGRAPHY: U.S. West Coast
There are two major units:
California Coast
Pacific Northwest
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PHYSIOGRAPHY: California Coast
California Coastal subregionextends westward from the foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada and north of the Los Angeles Basin.
Includes:
Central Valley of CaliforniaSan Francisco Bay EstuaryCoast RangesKlamath Mountains
8LA BASIN
SF BAY >>
KLAMATH MTS
PHYSIOGRAPHY: Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest subregion includes NW California, western Oregon and western Washington State.
Consists of rugged parallel mountain ranges with two major lowland areas:
Puget Lowlands and Willamette Lowlands.
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KLAMATH MTS
Coast Ranges Linear folded mountain ranges
(3,000- 5,000 ft high in CA; to 7900 ft in WA) rising from the sea and paralleling the coast from LA to Seattle.
The only gap is the Golden Gate.
Height limits the ocean influence to coastal areas by preventing air mass movement inland, creating “rain shadow valleys.”
Olympic Peninsula (WA) is wet-test place in North America and supports a temperate rainforest.
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Big Sur
The Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay
Tidal estuary of the Pacific Ocean reached via a gap in the Coast Range – the Golden Gate.
Divided into four bays.
Fed by Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Has water quality issues from
both urban and agricultural pollution.
Six major fault zones pass through it, giving the area its NW-SE alignment, and subject-ing it to earthquakes.
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Golden Gate
2 1
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Olympic Nat’l Park on the Olympic Peninsula
• The Olympic Mts. get over 150 in of rain and 250 in of snow annually.
• A temperate rainforest is supported.
• Coastline is characterized by stacks created by headland erosion.
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Central Valley of California
400 mi long and 90 mi wide
Located between the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada.
Former inland sea filled with sediment from rivers eroding the Sierra Nevada. Extremely flat but fertile.
Divided into 2 segments: Sacramento Valley(north) and San Joaquin Valley (south).
Fresno (c.500,000), Sacramento (c.472,000)
and Bakersfield (c.325,000) largest cities; Sacramento Metro Area has over 2.2 mil people.
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Central Valley: San Joaquin Valley Area
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Dry Mediterranean-like climate (Csa) needs irrigation. Most productive general farming area (fruits and vegetables) of the US.
Klamath Mountains
Located in NW California and SW Oregon Area of very rugged metamorphic fault block
mountains.
Rises to 4,000 ft.
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Cascades Inland range running from
N California to southern British Columbia. Volcanic mountains
created by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate under the North America Plate.
Most are dormant. Mt St. Helens (WA) was
the last to erupt (activity started in 1980).
Lassen Peak (1915) and Mt. Shasta are in northern California.
Mt. Shasta 14,162 ft high
16Lassen Peak, 10,462 ft. in LassenVolcanic Nat’l Pk erupted in 1915
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Dots show epicenters of major earthquakes.
Entire region exists on the NE margin of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” - a geologic zone of earthquakes and volcanism.
17Pacific Plate
Volcanism caused by
Subduction
The Juan de Fuca Plate is being overridden by the North America Plate.
As molten rock moves to the sur-face through fracture zones in the crumbled North America Plate vol-canoes are created.
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NORTH AMERICAN PLATE
JUAN de FUCA PLATE
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Eruption of Mt. St. Helens (1980)
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Mt. St. Helens Blast Zone
20http://news.yahoo.com/magma-rising-washington-states-mount-st-helens-volcano-102422513.html?vp=1
Natural Reforestation of Mt. St. Helens Blast Zone
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1980 2013
Ash
Crater Lake
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FORMATION OF CRATER LAKE About 7500 years ago, Mt. Mazama erupted with such force that its top was blown off, creating a caldera that has since filled with water.
12,000 ft
Area blown off7,500 ft
Lake is 2,000 ft deep
Ave elevation of rim is 7500 ft
Volcano Skylines
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Mt. Rainier and Seattle, WA70 miles away
Mt. Hood and Portland, OR40 miles away
Mt. Baker and Bellingham, WA30 miles away
Urban areas, on the coastal lowlands, have grown in the shadow of the Cascades and can be affected by an eruption
Lahar Flow
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LAHAR is a term describing massive, fast-moving mud-flows (ash, debris and water from
melted snow) that may occur af-ter the eruption of a volcano. Greatest danger is at the end of winter.
The chief concern about any volcanic eruption in the Cascades is the creation of lahars.
Evidence of historic lahars are found throughout the region including the suburbs of Seattle less than 70 mi from Mt Rainier. Lahar evacuation route maps are posted around the area.
Mt. St. Helens (1982 eruption)
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A structural trough extending from Oregon to Alaska.– created along fault lines
– deepened by glaciers; flooded by sea
– warmer, drier than the highlands
Puget Sound Lowlands (WA), Willa-mette Valley (OR) and the
Fraser Valley (BC) are part of this.
The Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Is and the BC mainland is a flooded part of this.
Northwest Interior Lowlands
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BC
WA
OR
Inland areas are productive
agricultural areas.
PHYSIOGRAPHY: British Columbia and Alaska Coastal Regions
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The northernmost area. Extends from Puget Sound (WA-BC) to Attu Island, Alaska.
Dominated by the Coast Mountains.
Volcanic landscape formed by the sub-duction of the Pacific Plate under the North America Plate.
Includes Vancouver Island, Queen Charlotte Islands, Inside Passage, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands.
QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLAND
VANCOUVER ISLANDPUGET SOUND>>
INSIDE PASSAGE
Coast Mountains
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Cascades
Coa
st Ranges
Extends from British Columbia to southeast Alaska (panhandle region).
Impedes coastal, overland and inland travel. Peaks create the islands of Alaska’s Inside Passage. St. Elias Mts. (Alaska-Yukon-British
Columbia border) are world’s tallest coastal mountains and site of Mt. Logan (19,700 feet), highest point in Canada.Mountain glaciers reach the sea.
Klamath
Mts.
Alaska PanhandleSouthernmost area of Alaska.
Inside Passage is a maze of deep, scenic navigable water-ways between the islands.
Area was flooded by the sea at the end of the Ice Age. The islands are mountain tops.
Topography limits interaction with the mainland. Transportation is by boat, ferry and small airplane.
Overland travel along the length of the coast difficult or impossible.
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Juneau, Alaska
Glacier-carved Landscape
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Glacier-carved U-shaped valley.
DRY
FJORD: narrow steep-sided inlet created by a mountain glacier as it flows down a valley to the sea.When the U-shaped valley is flood-ed by the sea, afjordis created.
Glacier-carved U-shaped valley.
FLOODED
Climate Controls:Marine West Coast (Cf)
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RED = warm current
Winds blow from W to E.
Warm ocean current prevents harbors from freezing during winter
even at 60°N.
Westerly windsWarm ocean currentTall north-south mountains
- Cfb/Cfcgroups are unique to this area of N Amer. - Csb is the CA coast. - Csa is in the Central Valley.
Heavy rain and snow totals in the mountains
Variation due to latitude: Alaska’s south coast gets less rain and snow because weather systems do not reach that far north.
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Temperatures
Mild winters and cool summers.
Warm offshore ocean current with onshore winds moderate upper middle latitude temperatures.
Temperatures decrease with elevation (H).
Snow occurs where it is cold (H). Not common in the coastal areas S of Vancouver, BC
BUT 100-400 inches in the mountains. (Some mountain roads are open only from mid-June to mid-September.)
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Mudflows and LandslidesMudflows occur towards the end of the winter rainy season
and especially in areas of CA that experienced brush fires at the end of the previous dry summer season.
Landslides usually occur during and after an earthquake. 32
Mudflows
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As saturated soil (up to 30%
water by volume) loses inertia on a slope, it can no longer support weight and moves (flows) down-hill.The steeper the slope, the faster it moves and the stronger it is.
Oso, Washington, Mar. 2014
Coastal Erosion
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Occurs during winter storms as waves batter the shoreline. Houses built at the edge of cliffs “for the view” are undermined and many collapse.Coastal areas are in danger of destruction from tsunami waves. Anchorage, AK and Crescent City, CA have been severely damaged by tsunamis.
Temperate Rain Forest
Olympic Peninsula of Washington has a temperate rain forest biome: warm and humid.
Dense forest: western hemlock, red cedar, Sitka spruce, and Douglas fir(many 200 feet tall).
Lush greenery:mosses, ferns.
35Hoh Rain ForestOlympic National Park, WADouglas fir lumber yard
Oregon
Redwoods National ParkCoastal Giant Redwood trees are found on the windward (wet) side the Coast Range in N. Calif.
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Native American Settlement
Native American population was relative-ly large because of the moderate climate and abundant year-round food supply.
Culture– 100+ distinct ethnic groups, each
located in a small coastal valley.– Sustained by hunting, fishing and
gathering.– Large, impressive houses and
dugout canoes.– Totem Poles: carved record of
person’s life on a log.
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European Arrival
Last area of North America to be explored by Europeans (because of the distance from Europe)
Juan de Fuca (1592) for SpainVitus Bering (1740) for RussiaJames Cook (1778) for BritainLewis and Clark (1804) for America
Russian Settlement– First settlements late 1700s.– Fur-trading posts from SE Alaska to N California.– Never self-sufficient in food; expensive to maintain.– Conflict with the British and Americans over Oregon.– Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. in 1867.
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British Settlement
• Hudson’s Bay Company– Fur-trading operation in Columbia R Basin (early 1800s)
– Was the dominant force from N Oregon to British Columbia until 1830s.
Victoria (1843) at southern tip of Vancouver Island; strategic overlook on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
City of Vancouver
– Established as a sawmill in 1867.
– Protected harbor made it a seaport.
– Terminus of Canadian Transcontinental RR (1886).
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American ExpansionSee maps in Historical Atlas pp. 23, 32, 33, 34, 36, 42, 46, 47
Explored by Lewis and Clarke in 1804-07.
John Jacob Astor established fur trade (1810).
Treaty of 1818 extended the US-Canada border along 49°N latitude to the Rocky Mts., not to the coast.
US and Great Britain jointly administer Oregon Country (Rocky Mts. to Pacific Ocean) from 1818-46.
American settlers arrive via the Oregon Trail to Oregon’s Willamette Valley (1840s).
By late-1840s Americans in Oregon Territory were pushing for statehood.
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Oregon Country
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The Northwest was contested by Russia (Alaska), Great Britain (Canada), the United States (Oregon) and Spain (Mexico).
Spain withdrew claims after Mexican indepen-dence and Mexico did not focus on the area north of California.
Oregon Country
The OregonTreaty of 1846 set the boundary at 49°N latitude with the exception of Vancouver Is.
While politically acceptable, it disrupted N-S movement in Puget Sound and on the Columbia River.
Became Oregon Territory in 1848; a state in 1859.
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Regional Economy
Characteristics:– Production of staple products: wood, fish,
agriculture (primary sector).
– Distance from major markets of U.S. and Canada increases costs.
– Cheap electricity is a asset.
– Tourist industry is growing.
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Wine Making
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Excellent combination of climate, soil and slope.
Climate conditions are similar to those of the wine producing regions of Europe. This allowed Spanish vines to be transplanted in California. Vines from other areas of Europe came with settlers.
Areas of OR, WA and BC now have vineyards, too.
Forestry
Major economic activity of the regionBritish Columbia: 54% of Canada's timber.
Washington, Oregon, California: c.50% of U.S. total
o Large-scale logging activityTrees are large; produce much square footageClear-cut harvesting method
o Tree species vary with regionDouglas fir major lumber tree (houses, plywood)
o MarketsForest products are shipped great distancesAll parts of US&C; Asian countries, esp. Japan
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Cutting and Milling
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Clear Cutting: A harvesting method where entire areas of forest are cut down without regard to size and species of tree.
Logging Methodology:Trees are sorted, trimmed of branches and the logs are cut to transportable length on site for truck transport to the mill.
The area will be replanted with hybrid seedlings of one specie.
Lumber mills are located within the forest.
At the mill the logs are cut into usable lengths for easier transport
Forestry Industry
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OREGONBRITISH COLUMBIA
WASHINGTON OREGON
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Hydroelectric Power and Dams
Region’s hydroelectric potential unmatched in North America Rugged topography and deep
canyons. (40% of U.S. potential in Oregon and Washington)
Abundant precipitation with no dry season.
Dams on the Columbia River regulate water flow (flood control and navigation), impound water for irrigation and produce electricity cheaply. 48
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Fishing
• Once the lifeline of the region especially that of Native American.
• Area of cold water species.
Whale and salmon populations have been greatly reduced by overfishing and human interference.Dams on the rivers of the Pacific NW have
interfered with salmon migration to upstream spawning areas.
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Fish Ladders
Fish ladders have been built around dams to aid salmon moving up stream to spawn.
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Present Population Distribution
• Faster growth than national averages in both the U.S. and Canada.
• British Columbia is the fastest growing area.
• Home to 3% of U.S. population and 10% of Canada’s population.
• Most people live within the interior lowlands from the Fraser River to Willamette Valley.
• Few large cities: – San Francisco Metro Area
– Sacramento, CA
– Vancouver and Victoria, BC
– Seattle, WA
– Portland, OR
– Anchorage, AK51
Anchorage
• Alaska’s largest city with about 300,000 people and 40% of its population.
• Established (1914) as a port for the construction of the Alaska Railroad.
• Grew as a transportation hub and military base because of its harbor and connections to the interior.
• Today is a shipping center.
• Devastated by 1964 earth-quake and tsunami
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Vancouver
• Canada's 3rd largest (605,000 people) andfastest growing city.
• Metro area of more than 2.3 million people.
• Western HQ for Canadian businesses.
• Gateway to the Canadian Rockies (hosted the 2010
Winter Olympics) and interior Canada.
• Tourist hub for the Inside Passage.
• Canada's busiest seaport:Wood products; wheat. 53
Largest U.S. city of the Pacific Northwest since late 1800s; has over 600,000 in city/3.5 mil metro area
Founded as a logging center, became dominant with coming of RRs (1883) and as an outfitting point to Alaska, esp. after gold was discovered (1890s) in the Klondike;
Second largest container port in U.S. Since WWI, the home of Boeing Aircraft.
Diversification: Computer technology (Microsoft); research & development, medical biotechnology, forest products, banking and finance.
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Seattle
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Portland
Has a pop. of over 590,000 people with a metro area of over 1 million.
Ranks high among livable cities
More diversified economy than Seattle’s with better access to interior via Columbia River.
- Shipment of grain from eastern Washington.
- Large, deep port with easy access to the Pacific.
- Iron and steel, clothing, food processing, computer technology
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Northern ConurbationSan Francisco Bay Area
OAKLAND
SAN JOSE
SAN FRANCISCO
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San Francisco (c.812,000)• Northern edge of Spanish
North America.• SF was the supply port and
financial center for the 1849 Gold Rush.
• Terminus of first transcontinental RR. (Union Pacific RR).
• Largest west coast city until 1920.
• Large numbers of Asian immigrants, esp. Chinese
• Excellent harbor; access to interior.
• Cultural center.
Other AreasEast Bay: - industrial and
shipping. Oakland is the largest city (c.395,000)
Silicon Valley: the name origin-ally referred to the large num-ber of local firms that manu-facture silicon chips. Now synonymous with technology. San Jose (c. 967,000) is the largest city of the entire region.
Urbanized area with over 6.5 million people.