🌋 Chapter 2: The Physical Environment

Climate

Long-term patterns of temperature and rainfall in a region

Weather

Day-to-day changes in temperature, wind, and precipitation

El Niño

Situation where ocean waters in the Pacific warm, changing global weather patterns

Southern Oscillation

Shifts in air pressure linked to El Niño and La Niña events

ENSO

El Niño Southern Oscillation – a natural climate cycle

Limestone

A type of sedimentary rock made mostly from coral and shells

Magma

Molten rock beneath the Earth’s surface

Phytoplankton

Microscopic ocean plants that produce oxygen and form the base of marine food chains

Plate Subduction

One tectonic plate slides under another, often causing volcanoes

Plate Tectonics

The theory explaining how Earth's plates move and shape continents and oceans

Sedimentary Rock

Rock formed by compressed sediments (like limestone)

Volcanic (Igneous) Rock

Rock formed from cooled lava or magma

How does plate tectonics explain the Pacific Rim of Fire?

Plates collide, pull apart, or slide past, forming volcanoes and earthquakes

Why is climate harder to predict than weather?

Climate involves long-term patterns and many complex global factors

What causes El Niño and La Niña?

Changes in Pacific Ocean temperature and wind patterns

How do typhoons and droughts affect Pacific ecosystems?

They can destroy habitats, reduce food availability, and alter ecosystems