Unit 1.3: Understanding Interactions Between Natural and...
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Unit 1.3: Understanding Interactions Between Natural and Human Systems (pages 76-99)
Transcript of Unit 1.3: Understanding Interactions Between Natural and...
Unit 1.3: Understanding Interactions Between
Natural and Human Systems (pages 76-99)
Systems Thinking: Thinking about how all of the little pieces from each system fit together as a whole
Looks at how people interact with their environment
Systems thinking helps manage resources in a sustainable way
Weather: The temperature, precipitation, and wind conditions that are experienced daily in an area.
Weather changes daily.
Climate: The average conditions of temperature and precipitation that an area experiences over time.
Climate stays the same for long periods of time
● Practice:
Do the following phrases refer to weather or climate?
1. Annual precipitation of 200 mm.
2. Rain forecasted for tomorrow.
3. Normal July temperature averages 22 oC.
4. Temperatures this week will range between 20 & 30 oC.
5. It was unusually hot this summer.
6. Vancouver has an annual frost free period of 233 days.
7. The greatest annual precipitation 11, 680 mm falls on Mt. Waialeaie in Hawaii.
8. Residents in Florida are preparing to take shelter from a hurricane.
Climate Weather Climate Weather
Climate Climate
Climate
Weather
1. Jet Stream
2. Bodies of Water
3. Latitude
4. Ocean Currents
5. Winds and Air Masses
6. Elevation
7. Relief
Subarctic climate region
In the north the suns rays are less direct and must cover a larger area. This reduces the amount of energy any one area gets.
Why Does Latitude Influence Temperature?
The sun is directly over head at the tropics. The light is direct and covers a smaller area.
Temperature and Latitude
Elevation
Elevation: The high a place is above sea level
As elevation increases temperature decreases
This means that the higher up a mountain you go the colder and dryer it will get
This is why you see treeless mountain tops
Warm Moist Air
Cools, drops moisture as precipitation
Air is Cold and Dry
As dry air descends it warms rapidly
Climate Graphs
Reading and Constructing
Climate Graphs
• Climate graphs are a combination of a bar graph and a
line graph.
• Temperature is shown on a line graph, with the figures
(o Celsius) being shown on the left side of the graph.
• Rainfall is shown by a bar graph with the figures (mm)
being shown on the right side of the graph.
Sample Climate Graph
Interpreting climate graphs
• Look for patterns in the temperature data
• Is the temperature the same all year round? If it is
different, where’s summer and winter?
• Would you classify summer as cool, warm, or hot?
• Would you classify winter as mild, cold or very cold?
• What is the range of temperature? (REMEMBER: Subtract the
minimum temperature from the maximum temperature).
Practice - Temperatures
Interpreting climate graphs
• Look for patterns in the rainfall data
• Does the rainfall occur all year round?
• Check which season(s) is/are drier or wetter than others.
• What is the total annual rainfall? Add each month's total together to get the annual total.
Practice - Rainfall
Practice
Practice
Subarctic
Continental Warm Summer
Continental Cool Summer
Practice
Which is further
north??
Putting it All together!
• Put the rainfall and temperature information
together - what does it tell you about this place?
• Describe the patterns in temperature and rainfall,
including how they relate to each other. You now
have a description of the climate.
How Does Climate Influence Human Systems?
Transportation: Cold climates influence our modes of transportation
Encourages use of Tracks for snow
Promotes Larger Heavier Vehicles
Restricts Some Types of Transportation
Infrastructure: To deal with the long winter special measures must be taken to keep people safe, and productive
Roads need plowing Power lines need to be fortified
Ice needs to be broken
Avalanches need to be triggered
Energy: To live in our cold climate people must spend more energy to stay warm.
Economy: Our climate influences our economy in many ways
We have to pay for damages caused by storms
Snow Storms Shut down traffic systems causing stopping people from working
Weather closes banks, trading markets, and many other economic institutions stopping trade
How Humans Influence Climate?
Data indicates that humans have had a dramatic influence on the climate
The main cause is the increase of greenhouse gasses which include:
The Earth is getting warmer at an alarming rate
Carbon Dioxide
Water Vapor
Methane Ozone
Nitrous Oxide
Temperature stays within a normal pattern for nearly 1900 years
Then in the 1900’s there is a dramatic increase in temperature!!
Global Warming: The rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans since the late 19th century.
It’s no wonder when you consider this!!
These graphs show that there has been an exponential increase in the amount of greenhouse gas that can be detected in the atmosphere
The Link To CO2
Temperature increase over the last 1000 years shows a link with an increase in CO2 production
