CH. 3:

Climate and Vegetation

GROUP WORK RUBRIC • Score of 50 (5): Superior - 100%

A 5 is superior work, and has completed all requirements of the assignments, it is in order and its presentation is almost flawless.

• Score of 24.5 (2): Very Weak – 49%

A 2 demonstrates serious flaws in the assignment. The assignment reveals inadequacy, though some work was done, still incompleteness is a strong character trait of the assignment, and disorganization is clearly apparent.

• Score of 10 (1): Incompetent - 20%

A 1 shows the assignment is almost fully incomplete. Very little work has been done.

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

extremes 1. 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.

severe cases cause

famine

Floods

Occur when:

river banks can not

hold river water

or the ground

becomes saturated

during a heavy storm.

“Climate”

5 factors that influence climate:

1. Wind currents

2. Ocean currents

3. Latitude

4. Elevation

5. Topography

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.

Ocean Currents

Like rivers in the ocean: Warm water from the equator to the poles

Cold water from the poles to the equator

Zones of Latitude 3 Zones:

1. Low/Tropical

2. Mid/Temperate

3. High/Polar

Elevation

As altitude

increases the temp.

drops 3.5 degrees

per 1000 ft.

Climates above

12,000 ft. become

like arctic areas.

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 in

earth’s atmosphere.

Causes temperatures to

rise

“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 on earth:

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

“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:

Forest

Grassland

Desert

Tundra

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.

Grasslands

Mostly flat dotted with a few trees.

Two types:

1. Savanna 2. Steppe or Praire • Northern Hemisphere

Desert

Characterized by plants that can conserve

water and withstand heat like:

Cactus Sagebrush

Tundra

Characterized by plants that tolerate the cold and dry conditions by hugging the ground like:

Lichen Moss

Human Impact on

Environment

Dams Crops

Summary of 7

sentences: