Ch. 3 “Climate and Vegetation”. Ch. 3.1 “Seasons and Weather”
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Transcript of Ch. 3 “Climate and Vegetation”. Ch. 3.1 “Seasons and Weather”
Ch. 3 “Climate and Vegetation”
Ch. 3.1 “Seasons and Weather”
Seasons
• Seasons are determined by two factors:1. Earths tilt
2. Earths revolution around the sun
• Solstice: – Summer marks
longest day– Winter marks the
shortest day
• Equinox:– Both day and night are
equal all over world– Marks the beginning of
spring and fall
Weather
• Weather: condition of atmosphere at a specific time.
• Climate: atmospheric condition over a period of time.
Weather Factors• 1. cloud cover• 2. landforms & bodies of water• 3. elevation• 4. air movement • 5. water vapor
• Precipitation: falling water in the form of rain or snow (3 types)
Convectional- rain forest Orographic- coastal Frontal- great plains
Weather Extremes
• 5 Different extremes1. Hurricanes
2. Tornados
3. Blizzards
4. Droughts
5. Floods
Hurricane/Typhoons
• Storms that form over warm ocean waters.
• Take days to develop and are easy to track
Tornados
• Powerful, funnel shaped, column of spiraling air.
• Come from powerful thunderstorm.
• Form quickly with little warning
Blizzards
• Heavy snow storm with winds of 35+ mph.– Great Lakes area is
snowbelt• Avg. 37 ½ feet per
year.
Droughts
• A long period of time without rain or minimum rainfall
• Results in crop failures and reduces levels of water storage.
• In severe cases can cause famine.
Floods
• Occur when:– river banks can not
hold river water– or the ground
becomes saturated during a heavy storm.
Ch. 3.2 “Climate”
• 5 major factors that influence climate:1. Wind currents
2. Ocean currents
3. Latitude
4. Elevation
5. Topography
1. Wind Currents• Convection: distribution of sun heated
atmosphere through the motion of air• 2 types of air:
1. Warm air = Low pressure zone
2. Cold air = High pressure zone
• Transfer of air from
H L zones creates wind.
2. Ocean Currents
• Like rivers in the ocean:– Warm water from the equator to the poles– Cold water from the poles to the equator
3. Zones of Latitude
3 Zones:
1. Low/Tropical
2. Mid/Temperate
3. High/Polar
4. Elevation
• As altitude increases the temp. drops 3.5 degrees per 1000 ft.
• Climates above 12,000 ft. become like arctic areas.
5. Topography
• Landforms like mountains, affect climate• Rain shadow is an example:
Changes in Climate
• Are either due to:
1. Natural Causes 2. Human Activities
El Nino
• Warming of ocean waters off the west coast of S. America– Pushes warm waters
and heavy rains toward Americas
~
Greenhouse Effect
• Layer of gasses created by the burning of fossil fuels, traps heated air.
Ch. 3.3 “World Climate Regions”
• Generalizations of typical weather conditions found in certain areas of the earth
• 2 biggest factors in determining regions:1. Temp.
2. Precipitation
12 Types of climate:
1. Tropical Wet:– Little temp. variation, typically hot, (around
80 degrees)
2. Tropical wet and dry:– Has both a wet (warm) and dry (cold)
seasons
3. Semiarid:– Little precip. about 16 in. per year.
4. Desert:– Categorized by amount of rainfall (lack of moisture),
not landforms
5. Mediterranean:– Dry hot summers, winters cool and rainy
6. Marine west coast: – Cloudy, foggy and damp and located close to the
ocean
7. Humid subtropical: – Summers hot and humid, winters are mild to cool
8. Humid continental:– Great variety in temp. and precipitation.
9. Subarctic: – Huge temp. variation between summer and winter
10. Tundra:– Flat treeless land almost exclusively in Northern
Hemisphere– Permafrost: soil is constantly frozen
11. Ice Cap: – Snow, ice, permanently frozen temp.
12. Highlands:– Climate varies with lat., elevation, topography
Ch. 3.4 “Soils and Vegetation”
• Soil: weathered rock, humus, air, water that covers the ground
• Depth, texture, humus content of soil determine the type of vegetation that can be supported– Temp and precipitation
also influence
Vegetation Regions
• Ecosystem: Interdependent community of plants and animals
• Biome: ecosystem of a region– 4 Types of Biomes:
1. Forest2. Grassland3. Desert4. Tundra
1. Forestlands
• Two Types:
2. Coniferous•Needleleaf•ie. pine
1. Deciduous• Broadleaf• ie. cottonwood
The Rain forest is located in the tropical zone; covered with broadleaf trees.
2. Grasslands
• Mostly flat dotted with a few trees.• Two types:
1. Savanna 2. Steppe or Praire• Northern Hemisphere
3. Desert
• Characterized by plants that can conserve water and withstand heat like:
Cactus Sagebrush
4. Tundra
• Characterized by plants that tolerate the cold and dry conditions by hugging the ground like:
Lichen Moss
Human Impact on Environment
Dams Crops