MS Studies

Unit I: Mississippi Geography

Coach Johnston

1. Location – every place has a specific location on earth.

2. Place – every place has physical (natural) and cultural (man made) characteristics.

3. Human-Environment Interaction – how humans use and interact with the environment.

4. Movement – the ways we are linked with regions, cultures, and people beyond our immediate environment

5. Regions – Regions are defined as areas with similar characteristics

Four GeographicalRegions Delta Hills Piney Woods Gulf Coast

MS has a humid subtropical climate. Summers are hot and winters are cool. State is humid and has ample rainfall

MS climate & rainfall helped create an agricultural state

Avg. Temp. in MS is 62°F Highest Ever 115°F Lowest Ever - 19°F

Avg. Precipitation is 52’’ per year 60’’ on the Gulf Coast

T-Storms are frequent and can result in flooding

Lightning is a problem in MSTornadoes – measured on the Fujita Scale

(F1-F5)Hurricanes – measured by the Saffir-

Simpson Scale (1-5)Earthquakes – low chance, but NW MS

does sit near the New Madrid Fault

Fujita Scale

Saffir-Simpson Scale

Hurricane Katrina

Atmosphere – The Earth’s gases.Lithosphere – all of the Earth’s

land.Hydrosphere – all of the Earth’s

water.Biosphere – all of the Earth’s life.

Surface Water – trapped in lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, etc.

Groundwater – below the earths surface.Aquifers – when groundwater

accumulates & is brought to the surface through springs or wells.

MS River makes up most of MS’s western border. The river is 2,438 miles long.

MS River drains the interior of the U.S. between the Rocky & Appalachian Mts.

MS has 9 major river systems Yazoo, Big Black, Homochitto, & Bayou Pierre-Coles

Creek Rivers drain into the MS Noxubee-Tombigbee, Pearl, Amite, Pascagoula, &

Biloxi-Wolf-Jourdan rivers drain into the south.

Reservoirs are used as flood control measure. They capture and hold flood waters.

MS has 6 major Reservoirs1. Pickwick Lake 4. Enid Lake2. Arkabulta Lake 5. Grenada Lake3. Sardis Lake 6. Ross Barnett

Reservoir

MS Rivers

MS Rivers Drainage

MS is part of the Gulf Coastal Plain All lands in MS are fairly low elevation The highest point in MS is Woodall Mountain (806 ft

above sea level) MS has 10 landform regions

Tombigbee Hills Loess Hills (Bluff Hills)Black Prairie Yazoo Basin (Delta)Pontotoc Ridge Jackson PrairieFlatwoods Pine Hills (Piney Woods)North Central Hills Gulf Coastal Meadows

Black Prairie

Tombigbee Hills

Jackson Prairie

Flatwoods

North Central Hills

Loess BluffPontotoc Ridge

Yazoo Basin (Delta)

Coastal Meadow

Pine Hills (Piney Woods)

MS has historically been an agricultural state.

MS has 4 general soil regions.

1. Hills2. Alluvial Plain

(Delta)3. Loess Hills4. Black Prairie

MS has very few mineralsPetroleum and Natural Gas in SouthGravel & SandLimestoneFire Clay

Biota describes the Flora & Fauna of a region

Flora MS is 55% forested Magnolias, Oak, Hickory, Pine, Gum, Cypress

Fauna MS has squirrels, white-tailed deer, rabbit,

raccoons, opossums, foxes Freshwater and saltwater fish & migratory birds.

MS Forest Types

MS has 4 major Ecoregions1. Coastal Meadows2. Hilly Coastal Plain3. Loess/Bluff Hills4. Alluvial Plain

Coastal Meadows Mainly flat plains, barrier islands, marshes, lagoons,

swampy lowlands Hilly Coastal Plain

½ of MS Land. Forest, Pasture, & Crops Loess/Bluff Hills

Forest & Cropland. Portions great for Agriculture Alluvial Plain

Fertile Soil. Large wetland system. Levees control flooding