Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity Chapter 7 What factors
Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity Chapter 7
What factors influence Climate? How are WEATHER & CLIMATE different?
The Earth Has Many Different Climates § Weather – local area’s short-term temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, etc. • Measured over hours or days
The Earth Has Many Different Climates § Climate – area’s general pattern of atmospheric or weather conditions • Measured over long periods of time
The Earth Has Many Different Climates § Climate - varies over different parts of the earth • Uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun • Rotation of the earth on its axis • Properties of air, water, and land
Solar intensity § Amount of sunlight hitting the earth’s surface § Varies with latitude
Seasons
Earth’s Atmosphere Tropics – air is warm Equator – 30 o N/S
Earth’s Atmosphere Polar regions – air is cold 60 o - 90 o N/S
Convection Currents § Up-and-down movement of air due to temperature differences
Convection Currents § Rule: Hot air rises and cold air sinks. § Equator • Hot air rises and heads toward the poles
Convection Currents § Rule: Hot air rises and cold air sinks. § Poles • Cold air rushes in to fill the space at the equator
Figure 6. 5
Wind § Horizontal movement of air
Convection Currents + Earth’s Rotation Equator
Coriolis Effect § Earth rotates and causes circulating air to be deflected § Causes things thrown in straight line to move to the right or left (depends on hemisphere)
Imagine a merry-go-round…
Coriolis Effect Summary § Causes moving objects on Earth to follow curved paths • Northern Hemisphere – follows a path to the right of its intended target • Southern Hemisphere – follows a path to the left of its intended target § Acts on all moving objects
Prevailing Winds § Major wind patterns on the Earth § Direction caused by: 1. Convection currents 2. Earth’s rotation from west to east 3. Air pressure
Global Air Circulation
Wind Belts § Trade Winds • Historically: Used by ships traveling between Europe and the Americas • 5 o-30 o North and South of the Equator
Wind Belts § Doldrums • Between 5 degrees North and 5 degrees South latitude • Winds are calm
Wind Belts § Westerly Winds • Remaining air (air that does not descend at 30 degrees North or South latitude) continues toward the poles
Wind Belts § Polar Easterlies • Cool air sinks and moves towards the equator • Air is deflected by Earth’s rotation
Winds Drive Surface Ocean Currents! § Global winds drag on the water’s surface • Cause water to move and build up in the direction that the wind is blowing
Natural Capital: Generalized Map of the Earth’s Current Climate Zones
Climate and Biomes
Biotic and Abiotic Factors § Biotic Factors • Biological (living) influences on an organism within an ecosystem • Predators • Prey § Abiotic Factors • Physical (non-living) factors that shape ecosystems • Temperature • Precipitation • Humidity
What is a biome? § Terrestrial community that covers a large area and is characterized by certain soil and climate conditions • Particular assemblages of plants and animals.
Biomes § Variations in plants and animals help different species survive under different conditions in different biomes. § Tolerance - ability to survive and reproduce under conditions that differ from their optimal conditions
The Major Biomes 60°N 30°N 0° Equator 30°S 60°S Tropical rain forest Tropical dry forest Tropical savanna Tundra Temperate grassland Temperate fore Northwestern Desert coniferous fore Boreal forest Temperate woodland (Taiga) and shrubland Mountains and ice caps
Biomes § Large terrestrial regions characterized by similar climate, soil, plants, and animals • Location irrelevant
Biomes § Not uniform; consist of a mosaic of patches with different biological communities
Generalized Effects of Elevation and Latitude on Climate and Biomes
Natural Capital: Average Precipitation and Average Temperature as Limiting Factors
Your Turn! § Biome Jigsaw § Biome Bags
Global Air Circulation, Ocean Currents, and Biomes
Energy Transfer by Convection in the Atmosphere § Heat is absorbed and released more slowly by water than by land • Moderate weather and climate of nearby lands
Biomes and Climate § The climate of a region is an important factor in determining which organisms can survive there. • Temperature and precipitation can vary over small distances. • Microclimate - the climate in a small area that differs from the climate around it
The Earth’s Surface Features Affect Local Climates § Cities • Microclimates • More haze and smog • Higher temperatures • Lower wind speeds • Causes • Bricks, asphalt, and concrete absorb and hold heat • Buildings block wind flow
The Earth’s Surface Features Affect Local Climates § Mountains • Rain shadow effect: moist air blowing inland is forced upward; cools and expands • Loses most of its moisture as rain or snow on the windward slope • Air dries and warms over leeward side; increases ability to hold moisture and dries ecosystem
Climate Terms § Tropical – warm; receives direct or nearly direct sunlight year round § Desert - dry § Temperate – moderate
Climate Graphs of Three Types of Deserts
Climate Graphs of Tropical, Temperate, and Cold Grasslands
Chaparral Vegetation in Utah, U. S.
Climate Graphs of Tropical, Temperate, and Cold Forests
Stratification of Specialized Plant and Animal Niches in a Tropical Rain Forest
Major Human Impacts on Terrestrial Ecosystems
Tundra
Taiga § See Clip
Tropical Rain Forest
Temperate Forest
Temperate Grassland
Desert
Chaparral
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