Spring Time Geography Notes and Resources!
Everything you need to know: Vernal or spring equinox 2014
The March equinox signals the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. It marks that special moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator going from south to north. In 2014, this equinox arrives on March 20 at 16:57 UTC, or 11:57 a.m. Central Daylight Time for us in the central U.S.
Here's what we all know about this equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is rising earlier now, and nightfall comes later. Plants are sprouting. Winds are softening. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, people are enjoying the warmer days of spring. South of the equator, autumn begins. Follow the links below to learn more about the vernal equinox.
Interactive and static Maps
Delicious Cartography – Maps Made Of Food
Food is a very important part of national and regional identity. "Tell me what you eat and i will tell you where you come from." Inspired by a passion for travel, artists Caitlin Levin and Henry Hargreaves decided to map the typical ingredients of local cuisines using… food.
http://geoawesomeness.com/delicious-cartography-maps-made-food/
Digital Maps Inspired By Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" Cover
I would argue that I see at least one New Yorker wearing a Joy Division shirt with the Unknown Pleasures album art every week. The iconic design, created by Peter Seville in 1979, was inspired by the lines representing the frequency of the first observed pulsating star. The frequency map is beyond ingrained in our collective pop culture conscious, and has inspired a variety of ephemera and creative projects, such as Elevation Lines and Population Division—two maps that pay homage to the post-punk band's seminal release.
What's on the Other side of the Earth?
Map: Which Coffee Chain Dominates In Your City?
Though there are major national coffee chains (*cough* Starbucks), our coffee preferences tend to be regional, with chains that densely blanket a small area rather than spread out across the country. Statistician Nathan Yau, who we previously covered for his map of pizza chains, took a look at the nation's biggest coffee chains, from grab 'n' go chains like Dunkin' Donuts to fancier shops like Peet's, to see who drinks what and where.
How best to show that the surface of the Earth is mostly water?
http://www.pagef30.com/2014/03/how-best-to-show-that-surface-of-earth.html
The Best Five Maps of the Week
A Spellbinding Look at 24 Hours of European Flight Paths
What does a full day of flight paths over Europe look like? Sort of like an immense rave on the cloud tops, according to this trippy visualization that might have you reaching for glow sticks and PLURRing in no time.
Globe sushi
Activities & Lessons
A group activity based On Development Indicators
For senior students working with the Gapminder Statistics in collaborative groups Courtesy of DIgeo an UK based Blog
http://www.digitalgeography.co.uk/archives/2014/03/a-group-work-activity-on-development-indicators/
(Check out some of their other stuff also ML)
How Sustainable Is Your Smartphone
A WOW Geography interactive from the Guardian exploring the positive and negative impacts of smartphones.
Students can analyse the different components that make up of their phone, where they come from and see the impact on our environment from mining for the precious metals that make up a smartphone.
On the other hand how the positive improvements in food production, responding to disasters and health are outlined. This is a resource that just keeps giving and covers a broad range of Geographical topics from sustainability, economic Geography, inequality and exploitation. A must for all Geography teachers and students. (Their Words ML)
Mission: Explore Water – Download your free copy now!
We are delighted to share that Mission:
Explore Water is now available. The eBook is the latest in the series of award winning Mission: Explore books and is brimming with 51 ideas for teaching and learning about water. Just in time for world Water Day March 22
http://thegeographycollective.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/missionexplorewater/
WHAT CAUSED THE 'SHAMROCK SHAKE'?
Feel the Earth move under your feet? Watch "Earthquakes 101″ to understand why.
Can you survive extreme poverty?- Play the game
http://www.live58.org/survive125/
Interesting Geography Facts, Images, and Articles
Hershey's and Mars sweeten market for West African cocoa farmers
When it comes to being ecologically sustainable, the chocolate industry certainly could do better. Farmers, for example, could grow cocoa in the shade of trees that yield other commodities, such as fruit or timber.
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/03/20/hersheys-mars-sweeten-market-cocoa-farmers
Ten of the world's great natural wonders – in pictures
From the giant redwoods of California to the almost miraculous honeycomb rock formations of the Giant's Causeway, marvel at some of the planet's most extraordinary natural landscapes. These images are taken fromThe World's Great Wonders, a new book published by Lonely Planet
WORLDOMETERS –real time world statistics
Time to rethink the e-waste problem
My eye is caught by a recent news headline that proclaims "U.S. Isn't Flooding the Third World with E-waste". In the article, journalist Adam Minter – who in January spoke at the RGS-IBG Monday Night Lecture series – reports that the export of e-waste from the US is a trickle, rather than the flood it is often portrayed to be in a variety of NGO reports, news media, and academic publications. Tracing global flows of e-waste is a challenging task, one I take up most recently in The Geographical Journal.
http://blog.geographydirections.com/2014/03/20/time-to-rethink-the-e-waste-problem/
Innovations in Sanitation Come in All Shapes and Sizes
For many, the name Bill Gates is synonymous with high-tech. They figure if Bill Gates is involved in a project, it must involve complex advanced technology, in which case it's probably expensive. But the fact is that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation doesn't look for the flashiest solutions, it looks for the ones likely to make the biggest impact on the most people possible.
Who, what, where and why
THE United States not only incarcerates a lot of people, it also has a bewildering array of places to put them.
How India is building Asia's largest secure forest network
A landmark effort by the Indian state of Karnataka to connect isolated protected forests could lead to the building of Asia's largest unbroken forest.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-26478430
Floating cities – in pictures
As rising sea levels threaten low-lying nations around the world, floating cities are gaining political backing and some serious investment
• Has the time come for floating cities?
Just images
Never Thought A Billboard Could Be Used This Way!
This is nothing less than a revolution generation of water from nothing but thin air (and of course the most innovative advertising technique ever!). UTECH designed a billboard that can convert atmospheric humidity into drinking water through reverse osmosis in Lima, Peru where water shortage is one of the biggest problems. Peru only gets 2 inches of rainfall every year but has an extraordinarily high humidity, which is how this technological trick led to happy faces filling buckets of water and showering under the water dispenser below the billboard!!
http://www.reshareable.tv/never-thought-a-billboard-could-be-used-this-way.html?h=1
In the News Right Now
Pharrell Williams Launches Denim Line Made From Recycled Ocean Debris
Singer, songwriter, and producer Pharrell Williams has a hit new album out and collaborated on last summer's two hottest songs ("Get Lucky" and "Blurred Lines.") And now he can add sustainable fashion to his list of accomplishments. http://tiny.tw/3ijR
The sound of silence
The disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet shows how air-traffic communications need to be updated
China's urbanisation plan may fall short in terms of funding
The target has been set - Beijing wants to turn 100 million rural folk into city dwellers by 2020.
World Water Day: Droughts across the globe
March 22- People around the world will be encouraged to turn their taps off this Saturday to mark World water day.
Four BBC correspondents explain the lack of water in their areas - in the US, Australia, Pakistan and Kenya.
Very interesting Video's
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26659510
March 29- Earth Hour Momentum Sweeps Across The World As Nations Unite For The Planet
MARCH 19 2014, SINGAPORE: In its eighth year, WWF's Earth Hour continues to defy expectations by mobilising hundreds of millions of people around different environmental priorities across the planet. And now in 2014, the movement further expands its digital and on the ground reach from the Amazon to the Arctic and Tahiti to Tanzania, with a groundswell of action creating massive impact around the world to shine a light on the incredible work being done to create a sustainable planet.
http://www.earthhour.org/earth-hour-momentum-sweeps-across-the-world-nations-unite-the-planet
Crisis in Crimea: A Story Map of the Place Everyone's Watching
The Showdown Between Ukraine and Russia
Following a change of government in Ukraine, Russian forces effectively seized control of the Crimea, an autonomous republic with historical ties to Russia. Explore locations and events in Crimea, and language differences in Crimea and throughout Ukraine
http://mashable.com/2014/03/06/map-crimea-ukraine-russia/
And Things You Just Have to Have
Never Before Have I Laughed So Hard At One Guy's Non-Attempt To Save The Planet
We all know the rainforest is being destroyed. Heck, the entire planet's in distress! But is there really anything we can do about it? Actually, yes.- Follow the Frog From the Rainforest alliance
An Oldie But Goody – Back by popular request
THINKING LIKE A GEOGRAPHER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIPcOSNwVjw&sns=em
USEFUL GEOGRAPHIES – WHAT GEOGRAPHERS CAN BRING TO THE TABLE
While some geographers find it hard to demonstrate the incredible potentials of their field to the public, there is a growing curiosity from a very wide (non specialized) audience for our planet, the way we depict, map, manage and dwell it. People travel more than they used to, they travel differently, they experience distance, moving, reporting in different ways.
http://geo-pickmeup.com/useful-geographies-what-geographers-can-bring-to-the-table/
Mark Lowry
Geography and Spatial Technologies Instructional Leader
Social World Studies and Humanities
Toronto District School Board
1 Civic Center Court, Toronto , M9C 2B3
Tel (416) 394-7269 Cell (416) 576 -4515
http://tdsbweb/_site/ViewItem.asp?siteid=63&menuid=63&pageid=63
http://geographysites.blogspot.ca/
twitter @geogmark
