Earth Science 7-South America2

Earth Science 7-Global Regions Index

Countries

Brazil

Argentina

Chile

Peru

Bolivia

Guyana

Suriname

French Guyana

Ecuador

Colombia

Venezuela

Paraguay

Uruguay

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Major Bodies of Water

Amazon

Orinoco

Negro

Xingu

Tocantins

Parana

Paraguay

Tapajos

Magdalena

Madeira

Sao Francisco

Rio De La Plata

Rio Uruguay

Lake Titicaca

Lake Maracaibo

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Currents

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current passes the southern tip of South America, cooling the coast.

The Peru Current, also known as the Humbolt Current,the Peru Current is a surface current that brings fog to the nearby coast but also keeps the coast one of the most intensely arid areas in the world (except during El Nino). The coldness is intensified by the upwelling caused by the drag of southeastern trade winds. [5]

The Malvinas Current, also known as the Falkland current,is a surface current that is strong, relatively fresh, and cold, with average subsurface temperatures of 6°C. [6]

The Brazil Current is a weak, surface current carrying warm subtropical water, which runs south along the coast of Brazil from about 9°S to about 38°S. The current has warm temperatures that vary from 66° to 81° F (19° to 27° C) and a high salinity that averages 35 to 37 parts per thousand.

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The equatorial countercurrent, is an eastward flow of water, flowing the opposite direction and surrounded by the westward equatorial currents of the Pacific ocean. Between latitude 3° and 10° N, the countercurrents shift south during the northern winter and north during the summer. To either side the trade winds blow constantly and push great volumes of water westward in the equatorial currents. [9]

Ice Cover

Ice masses cover roughly 4,900 square kilometers of southern South America, making a huge ice cap whose long tongues run into lakes or the sea. [10]

Tides

Latitude and Longitude

The northern most point of South America is 12 degrees and 27 minutes North. The southern most point of South America is 55 degrees and 47 minutes South. The western most point of South America is 80 degrees and 53 minutes West, and the eastern most point of South America is 34 degrees and 51 minutes West.

Elevation Range

The highest elevation in South America is at Cerro Aconcagua, Argentina, which is 6,960 meters tall. It is part of the Andes Mountain Range. The lowest point in South America is the Laguna del Carbon, which is 105 meters below sea level, also located in Argentina.

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Topographic Features

Amazon Basin

Andes Mountains

Angel Falls

Atacama Desert

Brazilian Highlands

Brazilian Shield

Cape Horn

Guina Highlands

Llanos (plain)

Pampas (plain)

Pantanal (wetlands)

Patagonia

Tierra del Fuego (archipelago)

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Bordering Oceans

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Caribbean Sea

Gulf of San Jorge

Gulf of San Matias

Gulf of Penas

Gulf of Paria

Gulf of Guayaguil

Strait of Magellan (Connects Pacific and Atlantic Oceans)

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Climate

-Equatorial, fully humid: It is equatorial because it is near the equator. It is fully humid because it is surrounded by large bodies of water and it is in a low pressure area. It is located in the Amazon Rainforest, whose vegetation contributes to the humidity of this region through transpiration.

-Equatorial, monsoonal: It is equatorial because it is near the equator, resulting in higher temperatures. It is monsoonal because it is in an area of a seasonal prevailing wind and it is surrounded by water, causing the monsoon to carry water, hence the name, wet monsoon, which is followed by the rainy season.

-Equatorial, winter dry: It is equatorial because it is near the equator, and it is dry in the winter because it is in an area of low elevation, where there is high pressure and low humidity, and in the winter, it is colder and there is much less humidity.

-Warm temperate, fully humid, hot summer: It is fully humid because it is near the ocean and it has a lot of foliage. It is hot in the summer because the angle of insolation is stronger at that time and the humidity holds in the heat. It is warm and mild usually because of its location and winds.

-Warm temperate, fully humid, hot arid: It is fully humid and mild because it is in a low pressure zone, and it is near the ocean. It is hot arid because the rain is blown away because of the prevailing winds.

-Arid, steppe, cold arid: It is arid because, like many of the things in this section, it is in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains, and it is cold because of colder temperature being pushed to it by very strong winds.

-Warm temperate, fully humid, warm summer: It is in a low pressure location surrounded by an ocean, resulting in it being mild and humid. It is warm in the summer because its angle of insolation is strong there and the water holds in the heat.

-Warm temperate, summer dry, warm summer: This region is between the 30 and 40 degrees south latitudes contributing to the warm, temperate temperatures. It in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains, contributing to its dryness. This region is on the coastline resulting in more extreme temperatures.

-Polar, polar tundra: This region has a polar tundra climate because it is close to the south pole and is surrounded by water, making the temperatures more extreme. It is near a cold ocean current resulting in colder temperatures on the coastline.

-Arid, desert, cold arid: It is arid and cold because it is far away from the equator, it is in an area of high pressure, and it is in a mountain range. It is also in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains. This also accounts for it being a desert.

-Equatorial, winter dry: This region is near the equator giving it warm temperatures. It is near a warm ocean current, giving the coast line warmer and more extreme temperatures. This region is near the ITCZ (intertropical convergence zone) resulting in wet and dry seasons instead of hot and cold seasons.

-Arid, desert, hot arid: It is hot because it is in a high angle of insolation (because it is located near the equator). It is arid and a desert because it is in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains.

-Arid, winter dry, hot arid: It is arid because it is a fair amount above sea level. It has low humidity in the winter because it is in high elevation and that is where low pressure is, and because it is not being warmed by the sun as much, it stays that way. It is hot arid because of it being in a mountainous area and that it is getting a fair amount of wind.

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