Time Zones and Climate

Master time zones and climate with our engaging geography worksheet! Calculate time differences and learn about Earth's regions.

Latitude and Longitude The world map is not uniform, continents and oceans occupy different positions relative to each other but why are they important? Lines of longitude and latitude help to specify the precise location of features on the surface of the earth. The units of measurement for geographic coordinates in latitude and longitude are degrees (°), minutes (’), and seconds (”). Distance is calculated as air distance or “as the crow flies”.Latitude = indicate a location’s distance, measured in degrees, away from the equator, in both the northern and southern hemispheresLongitude = indicate a location’s position east or west of Greenwich Meridian, measured from 0 to 180 degrees east and from 0 to 180 degrees west. Match each latitude with its correct distance away from the equator: Key Lines of Latitude Equatorial latitudes Between 5 degrees North and South of the Equator Tropical latitudes Anywhere between 23.5 degrees North and South of the Equator Sub-Tropical latitudes Between 23.5 and approximately 30 degrees North and South of the Equator Temperate latitudes Between approximately 30 and 50 degrees North and South of the Equator Arctic latitudes Around 66.5 degrees North and South of the Equator Polar latitudes Anywhere between the Poles and 66.5 degrees North and South Time zones Time ZonesSir Sanford Fleming recommended that the world be divided into 24 time zones that would be spaced 15 degrees of longitude apart. Since the earth rotates once every 24 hours, and there are 360 degrees of longitude, each hour the earth rotates 1 of a circle or 15 degrees of longitude.Some interesting variations of the original times zones include:China, that uses one time zone (but actually spans five), they are 8 hours ahead of UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) based on the time zone running through Greenwich at 0 degrees longitude (UTC is the same as GMT or Greenwich Mean Time)Australia uses three time zones, its central time zone is 30 mins ahead of its designated time zone. Several countries in the Middle East and South Asia also utilise half-hour time zones.Daylight Savings Time and the International Date LineSome countries introduce Daylight Saving Time (DST) for certain months of the year. In the UK GMT is used during the winter months but the clocks are set forward 1 hour for British Summer Time until October when they revert back to GMT.The International Date Line (IDL) is an imaginary line on earth opposite to the Prime Meridian Meridian where the date changes as one travels east or west across it. It is located roughly along 180 degrees longitude and mostly corresponds to the boundary separating -12 and +12 hours GMT. If a passenger were to cross the IDL, for example, making a journey from Los Angeles in the USA (which is behind GMT) to Sydney in Australia (which is ahead of GMT), then they would actually have gone forward a day. Depending on the route followed and the locations involved, passengers might arrive at their destination on the day before their scheduled departure. Time Zone Calculations Fill in the gaps in the table to show that you understand how time zones work. You will be given a city and told its position in relation to GMT as well as the time at GMT and all you have to do is to write in the time at the destination. For example:If the city is Dhaka, Bangladesh and it is five hours ahead with GMT currently at 04:00 then the time in Dhaka would be 04:00 plus five hours, and so you would write in the table 09:00.Please remember to use the 24 hour clock! i.e. if the time is past midday then you need to write 13:00 for 1pm and 22:00 for 10pm etc. Destination Relationship to GMT Current time at GMT Current time at destination Dhaka, Bangladesh +5 04:00 09:00 Beijing, China +8 12:30 20:30 Sydney, Australia +10 01:00 11:00 Anchorage, Alaska, USA -9 10:00 01:00 Panama City, Panama -6 17:00 11:00 Montevideo, Uruguay -3 23:30 20:30 Bangkok, Thailand +7 09:00 16:00 Victoria, Seychelles +4 15:45 19:45 Oslo, Norway +2 19:00 21:00 Climatic Environmental Characteristics Equatorial environments such as Brazil’s Amazon region are hot, wet and humid all year round.Tropical regions such as the African Savannah are characterised by having no cold season but they do have summer rains.Tropical Monsoon regions such as in India again don’t have a cold season but they do have very heavy summer rains.Tropical Desert regions such as North African Sahara don’t have a cold season and the rainfall is negligible.The Mediterranean is classified as having a Warm Temperate climate which is characterised by having a hot dry summer and a cool wet winter.Cool Temperate climates such as the USA border have both a cold winter and a hot summer as well as even rainfall throughout the year.Arctic climates, such as those found in Scandinavia, are characterised by lots of snow and harsh cold winters as well as cool summers with rain.Polar climatic regions, such as Greenland, have snow and ice throughout most of the year. Natural Hazards Click on each pulsing dot and write in one of the following natural hazards:LandslideVolcanic eruptionTropical stormDroughtMonsoonFlooding - burst river banksBush fireClimate change Tropical storm Drought Climate change Landslide Bush fire Volcanic eruption Flooding - burst river banks Monsoon Natural Hazard Impacts Sort the following impacts of natural hazards into their correct groups: Tropical Storm Can cause structural damage, flooding, disrupt flights, creates a low season, beach erosion, sea surges Volcanic Eruption Unsafe for visitors and locals, disrupts flight paths, destroys infrastructure Climate Change Causes coastal flooding, rising sea levels, warmer oceans, damaged coral, shortens ski season, causes drought shortages, beach erosion Monsoon Similar to a tropical storm it can cause flooding, disrupting tourist activities, creates a low season, beach erosion, sea surges Drought Leads to water rationing that impacts both tourists and locals, can damage natural environment, can lead to forest fires Case study: Hurricane Sandy - The Impacts of Tropical Storms EconomicimpactsHurricane Sandy caused $71 billion in damages. In New York City, economic losses are estimated at exceeding $18 billion and buildings, cars, people's possessions and business stock were lost. More than 18,000 flights were cancelled leading to disruptions in business, tourism and trade. Crops were lost resulting in loss of earnings for farmers.SocialimpactsAt least 286 people were killed either directly or indirectly by Hurricane Sandy. A power failure at New York University's Langone Medical Centre led to the evacuation of all 215 patients to other hospitals and more than 8.5 million homes and businesses were left without power.In Washington DC and other cities, many supermarkets ran out of essentials such as bottled water and batteries as people prepared for the worst. The New York City marathon was cancelled resulting in a loss of income for many businesses.Environmental impacts346,000 houses were damaged or destroyed in New Jersey and 305,000 damaged or destroyed in New York.Makeshift shanty towns in Haiti were washed away and fallen trees and flooded vegetation affected animals' habitats. More than 70 per cent of crops, including bananas and maize, were also destroyed in the south of Haiti.In areas such as New York and New Jersey, untreated sewage was washed into public drinking water, threatening human health. Roads, train lines and other transport infrastructure became unusable due to flooding, resulting in disruptions to travel and trade and approximately 10 metres of beach was lost in some parts of New Jersey, (making it narrower) exposing the coast to further erosion and impacting wildlife. Why Are Developing Countries More Vulnerable to Natural Disasters? Developed countries are better prepared to handle the impact of disasters as well as the aftermath.In developing nations, natural disasters trap people in a cycle of poverty because they do not have the resources to rebuild their homes and meet other basic needs, making them less able to recover in the long run.Certain factors present in poverty environments will turn a natural hazard into a disaster:–Poorly constructed buildings–Poor sanitation–Rapid population growth density population–Limited resources for disaster response and rebuilding–Lack of economic safety nets