CHAPTER 5 SECTION 2

The United States and Canada: Climate and Vegetation

EQ: What factors cause variations in climate and vegetation in most of the U.S. and Canada?

OBJ: I will be able to identify the key factors that affect variation in climate and vegetation in the U.S.

Southern Climates: Warm and Wet Climates

• Subtropical, tropical, desert and Mediterranean climates are found in the U.S.

• The humid subtropical climate of the SE is rainy with long, muggy summers and mild winters

• Wetlands and swamps like Florida’s Everglades shelter a great variety of vegetation and wildlife

• In late summer and early autumn, hurricanes can greatly impact the region’s coastlines

• Florida’s dry season is winter• Hawaii, Puerto Rico also have tropical wet

climates

Southern Climates: Warm and Dry Climates

The rain shadow effect creates desert areas when dry air moves down the leeward side of a mountain

With limited water in these desert areas, like Death Valley, temperatures can reach a high of 134 degrees Fahrenheit

A Mediterranean-like climate is found in central and southern California Coastal areas have mild, wet

winters and hot, dry summers Vegetation consists of

chaparrals

RECAP!

What four main climates are found in the U.S.?

What are hurricanes?What is time of year is Florida’s dry season?What is the rain shadow effect?Under what conditions do chaparrals

typically grow?

Northern Climates: Interior Climates

The Great Plains in the center of North America has a humid continental climate with very cold winters and hot summers

Western mountains often block moisture-filled Pacific winds However, the Great Plains benefits from warm, moist that blow north

from the gulf of Mexico and cold, moist winds the blow south from the Arctic

Prairies are treeless expanses of grasses that spread across the Great Plains in the central section of the continent

In the Great Plains and in the Eastern part of the U.S., supercells, or violent spring and summer thunderstorms, often create tornadoes in the regions http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/storm-chasers/videos/supercell-sig

hted/

The Great Plains

Missouri Coteau in Saskatchewan

Supercell Infographic

Northern Climates: Interior Climates

In the 1930s, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl devastated the agricultural industry in the Great Plains region http://www.history.com/topics/dust-bowl

Some areas west of the plains experience a steppe climate with a mixture of vegetation, depending on latitude or elevation Steppe climates are transitional climates that occur between the

dry desert climates and humid interior climatesConiferous forests cover the middle elevations of the

ranges and beyond the timberline, the elevation above which trees can’t grow, lichens and mosses grow

In early spring, a chinook, or a warm, dry wind, blows down the eastern slopes of the Rockies, melting snow

Northern Climates: Coastal Climates

Ocean currents and westerly winds with the Pacific Ranges and the Pacific coast form a marine west coast climate This climate ranges from southern Alaska to

northern CaliforniaThe mountain forms a barrier that forces the warm,

wet ocean air upwards, where it cools and releases moisture Parts of the region receive more than 100 inches

of rain per year Winters are overcast and rainy, while summers

are cloudless and cool Ferns, mosses, and coniferous trees grow in this

regional climate

High Latitude Climates

Large parts of Canada and Alaska are in high latitude areas and have a subarctic climate with frigid winters

Much of northern North America experiences blizzards with winds of more than 35 mph

Coniferous as well as forests with a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees sweeps from Newfoundland into the subarctic Yukon Territory

Lands along the Arctic coast of Greenland fall into the tundra climate zone Sparse tundra vegetation consists of sedge cotton grass,

and lichens Small ice free areas have some tress, while some dwarfed

birch, willow, and alder shrubs survive The interior parts of Greenland have an ice cap climate

RECAP!

Where are the Great Plains located? What type(s) of climate does it have?

What is a supercell?What major event

happened in the 1930s that hurt the farming industry besides the Great Depression?

What is a tundra? Is most of Greenland a

tundra? If not, what other term is used to describe its main type of climate?

Worksheets!

Please work on pages 15, 16, 18 and 19 for classwork

Complete pages 21 and 22 for homework

If you are finished please review your notes for an upcoming quiz on Monday (11/9) or Tuesday (11/10)