12

ClimateandHabitat1Objectives:Bytheendofthisactivity,studentswillbeableto:

1. Listkeyfactorsthatcontributetoregionalclimate.2. Describethelinksamongprecipitation,vegetationand

habitat,usingmapsassupportingevidence.3. Describetherelationshipsamongclimate,habitat,

vegetationtypesandwildlifespecies.4. Hypothesizehowchangingregionalclimatesmayaffect

wildlife.Background:

Habitatreferstotheareainhabitedbyaparticularspecies,andisdefinedbyabioticfactors(e.g.,temperature,rainfall,light,andsoil)andbioticfactors(e.g.,plantspecies,food,predators).Habitatisinfluencedbyregionalclimate,orthetypicalweatherpatternsforaregion.Regionalclimatecontrolsmanyabioticandbioticcomponentsofhabitat.TheNorthCarolinamountainshaveadifferentregionalclimatethantheNorthCarolinacoast.Regionalclimateismainlyinfluencedbyelevation,latitude,andproximitytoalargebodyofwater(e.g.,theocean).InNorthCarolina,thebiggestfactordrivingdifferencesinannualtemperaturesiselevation.OurstatehasthelargestelevationrangeofanystateeastoftheMississippiRiver.MountMitchell(6,684feet)isthehighestpointintheAppalachianMountains.Temperaturesinthemountainsarecool,andasthelandslopestowardthecoasts,temperaturesgetwarmer.Thetopographyofthemountainsalsoaffectsprecipitationamounts.Partofthesouthwesternmountains(nearLakeToxawayinTransylvaniaCounty)receivesalmost230cm(90in)ofrainfallperyearonaveragefromweathersystemsthatcomefromthesouth.Bycontrast,thenearbyFrenchBroadRivervalley(includingAsheville)isshelteredonallsidesbymountains,anditreceivesonlyabout100cm(40in)ofrainperyear,onaverage.Thislargedifferenceacrossashortdistance(about50miles)iscausedbyorographiclift,whichiswhenairisforcedfromlowelevationtohighelevation.Becausetheprevailingwindsinthisareacomefromthesouthwest,airisforcedfromthevalleysupthesidesoftheridgelinesofthemountains.Astheairrises,itcoolsquicklyandformsclouds,whichcausesprecipitationtoform.Therainfallspredominantlyalongtheridgeandonthesouthwestsideofthemountains(nearLakeToxaway)andasaresult,lessmoistureisavailableontheoppositeside(nearAsheville)forcloudsandrainfalltoform.Inaddition,theairsinksandwarmsasitdescendstheleewardsideofthemountain,whichisalsonotfavorableforprecipitationformation.Thisisalsoknownasarainshadow.Outsideofthemountains,NorthCarolinaaveragesaround120cm(45-50in)ofannualrainfall.Proximitytotheoceanalsoaffectsregionalclimate.Otherlocationsatthesamelatitudeas

Contentareas:ScienceandsocialstudiesNCEssentialStandards:6.L.2.3.,7.E.1.4,8.E.1.1,8.L.3.1Commoncore:R1,R3,R8,W1NGSS:MS-ESS2.C,MS-ESS2.D,MS_LS2.AMaterials:

o Countymap(oneforeachgroup)

o Statewidevegetationmap(incolor,oneforeachgroup)

o Statewidewildliferangemaps(oneforeachgroup)

Either:o Statewidetemperature

andprecipitationmaps(onesetpergroup)OR

o Temperatureandprecipitationdata(onecopypergroup)

o Coloredpencils(onesetpergroup)

ActivityTime:One45-minuteclassperiodSetting:Classroom

13

NorthCarolinaaredesserts(e.g.,theSouthwesternUnitedStates).OurproximitytotheGulfofMexicoandtheAtlanticOceanaswellastheprevailingsouthwesternwindscreatehumidconditionsinNorthCarolina.ThewarmGulfStreamandtheAtlanticOceanalsoinfluencetemperaturesalongthecoast.Ittakesalongtimefortheoceantoheatupandcooldownincomparisontotheland.Asaresult,theoceantemperaturelagstheairtemperatureintermsofwhenitisatitswarmestandcoolestpointsduringtheyear.So,theoceanhelpsmoderateairtemperaturesnearthecoast.Thismeansthatinthesummer,theoceanworkstolowertheairtemperaturealongthecoastandinthewinter,theoceanworkstowarmtheairtemperatureatcoastallocationsincomparisontosurroundinglocations.Thiseffectisespeciallyprominentduringwintermonths.Anotheraspectofthemoderatingeffectistheoceantemperaturedoesnotvaryasdrasticallyasairtemperature.Asaresult,coastallocationsenduphavingalowerdailytemperaturerange.2 Anadequatehabitatincludestherightrangeoftemperatures,accesstofreshwater,foodsources,andplacestohidefrompredatorsandraiseyoung.3Regionalclimatedriveslong-termpatternsintemperatureandprecipitation,whichdeterminethetypeofvegetationinanarea.Thisvegetation,inturn,influenceswhichwildlifespeciescansurviveinaparticularlocation.Forinstance,thecoolandwetsouthwesternNorthCarolinamountainssupportcertainspeciesliketheEasternHellbender,whichrequirecool,fastflowingriverstosurvive.Theabundanceofrainfallkeepsthosestreamsflowingwithplentyoffresh,well-oxygenatedwater.TheregionalclimatealsoprovidesexcellentconditionsforplantsliketheCatawbaRhododendronthatservesascoverforbirdslikethegrouseandprovidesfoodforhummingbirdsandbutterflies4.Thecoastalswamplandsaregenerallywarmerthanthemountainsandalthoughtheyreceivelessrainfall,thesoilsarebetteratholdingwater.Thewarmtemperaturesandsaturatedsoilssupportspecieslikethebaldcypress.Cypressseedsprovidefoodtowildturkey,woodducks,eveninggrosbeak,andsquirrels.Also,theirlargecanopiesprovidenestingsitesforbaldeaglesandospreys.Theirrootsystemsprovidebreedingsitesforcatfishandseveraltypesoffrogs,toads,andsalamanders5. Changesinregionalclimatewillchangeregionalvegetationpatternscreatinghabitatsthataremoresuitableforsomespeciesthanforothers.Inrecentyears,ariseinglobaltemperatureshasoccurred,whichhasdirectlyaffectedsomeregionalclimates.Landuseandlandcoverchangesaswellasurbanizationcanalsohaveaninfluenceonregionalclimate–thesechangescaneitherleadtocoolingorwarmingeffectsinaparticularregion.Onaverage,speciesacrosstheworldhaveshiftedtowardthepolesatarate16.9metersperdecadeandtohigherelevationsatarateof11.0metersperdecade,astheyfollowthecoolertemperaturesandassociatedvegetation.6Rainfallpatternshavealsobeenshiftingoverthepastfewdecades,withsomeareaslikethesouthwesternUnitedStatesexperiencingmorefrequentdroughts,andotherplacessuchastheSoutheastreceivingmorefrequentheavyrainfall7,8.Overrecentdecades,temperaturesinNorthCarolinahaveincreasedslightly,andaveragerainfallhasbeenincreasingveryslightly.2SealevelsalongNorthCarolinacoastshavealsoriseninresponsetoland-basedicemeltinginotherplacesaroundtheworld.9. Thenextactivitywilldivemoredeeplyintoclimatechangeanditspotentialimpactsonwildlife,butthisactivitypreparesstudentstothinkabouttheconnectionsbetweenclimate,wildlife,andhabitatandhypothesizehowclimatemayimpactwildlife.Gettingready:

1. Decidewhetheryouprovidestudentswithadatatableofannualtemperatureandprecipitationdataforyourstatebycountyorwhetheryouwillprovideready-mademaps.Usingtableswillgivestudentsgoodexperiencevisualizingdataonamap.However,itcanbetimeconsuming.Ifyouarepressedfortimeorworkingwithyoungeraudiences,youmaychoosetouseready-madetemperatureandprecipitationmaps.

14

Ifusingatable:Note:ForNorthCarolina,thereisanexampletableonpage17thatwillworkwell.Youmayusethatoneandforegothesesteps.ThefollowingrequiressomebasicfamiliaritywithExcel.

a. Visithttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/search.b. Selectthefollowingoptions:

i. WeatherObservationType/Dataset:AnnualSummariesii. Daterange:Selectthepreviouscompleteyear.Forexample,atthisprinting,wearein

themiddleof2014,soyoushouldselectJan-Dec2013.iii. Searchfor:Countiesiv. Searchterm:Stateinitials(e.g.,NC).

c. Clicksearch.Youshouldseeanumberofcountieshighlightedinyourstate.d. Intheleftmenu,addenoughcountiesthatyouhavearepresentativeareaofyourstate

covered.InNorthCarolina,youwillneedabout30counties.e. Intheupperrightcorner,clicktoviewyourcart.Thisisafreesite.f. SelectAnnualClimatologicalSummaryCSVandthemostrecentyearforthedaterangeand

clickContinue.g. SelectStationNameasanoption.Clickthe+signbyPrecipitation,thenselectTotal

Precipitation.UnderAirTemperature,selectMonthlymeantemperatureandclickcontinue.h. Enteryoure-mailaddressandsubmityourorder.Youshouldreceivetwoe-mailsshortly.The

firstconfirmsyourorderandthesecondincludesalinktoyourdataset.i. Clickdownloadthedata.Youshouldsee5columns:

i. StationIDii. StationNameiii. Date(yyyymm)iv. TPCP(totalprecipitationintenthsofaninch:divideby10forinches)v. MMNT(monthlymeantemperatureintenthsofdegreesF:divideby10fordegreesF).

Note:SomeofthedatafromtheNCDCisincompleteandyouwillsee“-9999”inplaceofactualmeasurements.Ifthisisthecase,deletethesecellsandeliminatethatstation’sdatafromyourdataset.

j. Inthenexttwocolumns,calculatetheaverageprecipitationandtemperature.Eachrowrepresentsonemonth.Forthefirststation,selecttheblankintheaverageprecipitationcolumnassociatedwithDecemberforanindividualstation.Typein“=AVERAGE(“andhighlighttheprecipitationaveragesforeachmonthassociatedwiththatcountyandclosetheparentheses.

k. Copyandpastethatformuladowntheentirecolumn.Repeattheprocessforthetemperaturedata.

l. CopybothcolumnsandPasteSpecialasvaluestodeletetheformulas.m. Deleteallrowsexceptfortheonesthatcontainthelastmonthinyourdataset(e.g.,

December).n. Usetheinternettolookupwhichcountyeachstationisin.Addanothercolumntitled

“County”andenterthatinformationintoyourdataset.ForNorthCarolina,seethetableonpages18-19foralistofstationsandcounties.

o. Providestudentswithatablewithfourcolumns.CountynameandPrecipitation(sortedfromlowesttohighestandCountynameandTemperature(sortedfromlowesttohighest).Seetheexampledatatableforclarification.

Ifyouareusingready-mademaps,downloadmapsofannualtemperatureandprecipitationfromyourstateclimateoffice.(SeeAppendixBforNorthCarolinaMaps).

15

Eachgroupwillneed:

• Ifusingdatatable:coloredpencils• Ifusingready-madetemperatureandprecipitationmaps:onesetoftemperatureandprecipitation

mapspergroup.• Setofthefollowingmaps(SeeAppendixBforNorthCarolinaMaps):

o Statecountymap(easilyfoundonline)o Statevegetationmap(searchforyourstate’sGAPanalysisproject).Theseshouldbe

printedincolorifatallpossible.Otherwiseitisdifficulttoseethedistinctionbetweenallthedifferentvegetationtypes.Ifcolorcopiesarenotpossible,considerprojectingtheimagefortheclassincolor.

o Wildliferangemaps(availablethroughyourstate’swildlifeagencyorGAPanalysisprojectwebsite).

Note:Theabovematerialsallowstudentstocomparemapsside-by-side.Youmayalsowanttohavestudentsdrawprecipitationandtemperaturelayersusingtransparencies.Forthis,youwillneedtwotransparenciesperstudentgroupandyoushouldprintallmapsexceptthecountymaponatransparency.Procedure:

1. Reviewwithstudentskeyconceptsfromthepreviouslesson:a. Differencebetweenweatherandclimate(weatherisatmosphericconditions,suchas

temperature,precipitation,wind,andhumidity,onagivenday.Weatherishappeningtodayorinthenearfutureuptotwoweeks.Climatereferstothestatisticalrepresentationoftheenvironmentovertime,includingseasonalcycles,extremeevents,andyear-to-yearvariations,anddescribestrendsoftheweather).

b. Weatherandclimatecanhaveeffectsonwildlife

2. Reviewwithstudentstheconceptthatregionalclimatedeterminesaveragetemperatureandrainfallinanarea.Brainstormfactorsthatmightaffectregionalclimate(elevation/topography,latitude,proximitytotheocean).Askstudentstothinkabouthowclimatemightaffectwhatkindsofplantsandanimalscanliveinanarea.Explaintostudentsthattoday’sactivitywillhelpanswerthesequestions.

3. Reviewthehabitatconcept.Explainwhatwildlifeneedtosurvive:water,food,shelterandspace.Introducetheideathatregionalclimateaffectswildlifesurvivaldirectlybyinfluencingtemperatureandrainfallandindirectlybyinfluencingthetypeofvegetationinaregion.

4. Havestudentsworkthroughthe“ClimateandHabitatStudentSheet”ingroups.Ifstudentsarefairly

comfortablewithmapsanddata,provideatablefortheprecipitationandtemperatureaveragesbycountythatstudentscanusetomaketheirownprecipitationandtemperaturemaps.Foryoungerstudentsortosavetime,youcanprovideaverageannualtemperatureandprecipitationmaps.SeeAppendixBforthesemapsspecifictoNorthCarolina.Ifyouareusingtransparencies,havestudentsoverlayoneblanktransparencyoverthecountymaptoshadeinprecipitationregions.Thenhavethemoverlaythesecondtransparencyoverthecountymaptoputdrawsymbolsrepresentingtemperatureregions.Studentscanthenoverlaythesetransparenciestoseehowprepetitionandtemperaturecorrelate.

5. Whenstudentscomparetheprecipitationandtemperaturemapstothelandcovermap,theyshould

answerquestionsingroupsrelatedtohowvegetationcorrelateswithprecipitationandtemperature

16

averages.Ifstudentsareusingtransparencies,theycanoverlaytheirprecipitationandtemperaturemapsontopofthelandcovermapforthiscomparison.

6. Whenstudentsarereadytocomparethesemapswiththewildliferangemaps,youcaneithergiveall

rangemapstoeachgrouporassigneachgroupadifferentrangemap.Ifgroupsdonothaveaccesstoalltherangemaps,haveeachgroupreportouttheirfindingstotheclass.Again,ifstudentsareusingtransparencies,theycanoverlayallthemapsorseveralatatimetoseehowtemperature,precipitation,land-cover,andwildliferangescorrelate.

Discussionandassessment

1. Afterstudentshavecompletedtheactivity,discussanswers,usingthefollowingquestionstoguidethediscussion.

a. Whydoyouthinksomeareasofthestategetmorerainfallthanothers?Arehotterthanothers?Whatimpactsthetemperatureofdifferentregions?Themainfactorsincludeelevation/topography,latitude,andproximitytotheocean.Seebackgroundinformationformoredetails,alongwiththeanswerkeytothestudentsheet.

b. Howdotemperatureandprecipitationaffectwildlife?Thesedeterminevegetationtypesinanarea,whichdeterminesthehabitatavailable,whichdictateswhatwildlifecanlivethere.

c. Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappenifregionalclimatechangedandsomeareasbecamewarmerorcolder?Hadlessormorerain?Ifprecipitationweremoreorlessintenseovertime(morefloodsand/ordroughts)?Thesechangeswouldhavemanyeffects(discussedinmoredetailinthenextactivity).Fornow,studentsshouldgrasptheconceptthatchangeintemperatureandprecipitationwillinfluencethetypeofvegetationthatcanliveinanarea,whichdirectlyaffectswildlifeintermsofwheretheycanthriveandsurvive.

Extensions

1. Havestudentswriteanargumentonhowregionalclimatechangesmayaffectwildlife.ReferencesandSourcesforMoreInformation1Thisactivitywasadaptedfromseveralmappingactivitiesincluding“RainfallintheForest”fromProjectWILD.2StateClimateOfficeofNorthCarolina.(2014).NCClimateOverview.RetrievedOctober27,2014,fromhttp://www.nc-

climate.ncsu.edu/climate/ncclimate.html3NationalWildlifeFederation.(2014).EffectsonWildlifeandHabitat.RetrievedOctober27,2014,from

http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat.aspx4Spira,T.P.(2011).WildflowersandPlantCommunitiesoftheSouthernAppalachianMountainsandPiedmont:ANaturalist'sGuide

totheCarolinas,Virginia,Tennessee,andGeorgia:ANaturalist'sGuidetotheCarolinas,Virginia,Tennessee,andGeorgia.UnivofNorthCarolinaPress.

5Coladonato,Milo.(1992).Taxodiumdistichum.In:FireEffectsInformationSystem,[Online].U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture,ForestService,RockyMountainResearchStation,FireSciencesLaboratory(Producer).RetrievedOctober27,2014fromhttp://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/.

6Chen,I.-C.,Hill,J.K.,Ohlemüller,R.,Roy,D.B.,&Thomas,C.D.(2011).Rapidrangeshiftsofspeciesassociatedwithhighlevelsofclimatewarming.Science,333(6045),1024–6.doi:10.1126/science.1206432

7Walther,G.,Post,E.,Convey,P.,Menzel,A.,Parmesan,C.,Beebee,T.J.C.,…Bairlein,F.(2002).Ecologicalresponsestorecentclimatechange.Nature,416,389–395.

8 National Climate Assessment. (2014). Retrieved November 21, 2014, from http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/ 9ClimateCentral.(2014).SurgingSeas:SealevelriseanalysisforNorthCarolina.RetrievedNovember03,2014,from

http://sealevel.climatecentral.org/ssrf/north-carolina

17

AverageAnnualTemperatureandPrecipitationforSelectNorthCarolinaCounties

ANNUALAVERAGE

PRECIPITATION(INCHES)

ANNUALAVERAGE

TEMPERATURE(OF)

Greene 34.7

Avery 44.5Craven 35.6

Haywood 52.9

Franklin 37.1

Transylvania 54.2Rockingham 39.2

McDowell 54.8

Scotland 40.3

Swain 55.0Chowan 41.0

Macon 55.9

Mecklenburg 41.3

Lincoln 56.5Guilford 42.0

Rockingham 56.5

Robeson 42.4

Cherokee 56.6Rowan 42.8

Wilkes 56.7

Bladen 43.5

Rutherford 57.0Orange 44.2

Caldwell 57.2

Anson 45.0

Rowan 57.5Wilson 45.1

Franklin 58.0

Hyde 45.4

Orange 58.2Lenoir 45.4

Guilford 58.4

Hoke 46.0

Cabarrus 58.6Cabarrus 47.4

Hoke 59.2

Carteret 47.9

Mecklenburg 60.0NewHanover 50.7

Bladen 60.3

Wilkes 54.8

Greene 60.4Caldwell 57.3

Wilson 60.6

Lincoln 57.4

Chowan 60.7Haywood 57.8

Anson 60.8

Rutherford 58.5

Scotland 60.8Cherokee 64.2

Robeson 61.1

McDowell 66.5

Carteret 61.2Swain 68.4

Hyde 62.4

Avery 69.7

Lenoir 62.7Transylvania 72.3

NewHanover 63.2

Macon 78.3

Craven 63.3

Retrievedfromhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datasets.2013data.Precipitationsuggestedgroupings:34-45inches,45.1-55inches,55.1-65inches,65.1-75inchesTemperaturesuggestedgroupings:45-50oF,50.1-55oF,55.1-60oF,60.1-65oF

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ClimateMonitoringStationandCountylistforNorthCarolina

Station County

Station CountyArcola Warren

Elkin Surry

Aurora Beaufort

Elkin YadkinBannerElk Avery

Fairfield Hyde

Bayboro3E Pamlico

Fayetteville CumberlandBeechMountain Avery

FlatSpringsIE Avery

Bridewater Burke

ForestCity8W RutherfordBurgaw Pender

Gastonia Gaston

BurlingtonFireStation#5 Alamance

Graham2ENE AlamanceBurnsville Yancy

GrandfatherMountain Avery

ButnerFilterPlant Granville

Hamlet RichmondCanto Madison

HawRiver1E Alamance

CarthageWaterTreatmentPlant Moore

HickoryFFAAirport CatawbaCasar Cleveland

HotSprings Madison

Catawba5SW Catawba

Jefferson AsheCelo2S Yancy

King Forsyth

CharlotteDouglasInternationalAirport Mecklenburg

Kinston LenoirChathamWTP Chatham

KinstonAGResearch Lenoir

Clayton Johnston

LakeLure RutherfordColumbiaAGGumNeck Tyrrell

Lenior Caldwell

Concord Cabarrus

Lexington DavidsonConover Alexander

Longwood Brunswick

ConoverOxfordShoal Catawba

Louisburg FranklinCullowhee Jackson

Marshall Madison

Dunn Harnett

Mocksville DavieEdenton Chowan

MooresCreekNationalBattlefield Pender

Edenton Rockingham

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Station County

Station County

Morganton Burke

Tapoco GrahamMountAiry2 Surry

Tarboro1S Edgecombe

MountHolly4NE Gaston

Taylorsville AlexanderMountOlive Duplin

Transou Ashe

MountPleasant Cabarrus

Turnersburg IredellOcracoke Hyde

Wallace1SE Duplin

OxfordAG Granville

Warsaw5E DuplinPlymouth Washington

Washington Beaufort

Raeford Hoke

Whiteville7NW ColumbusReelsboro Pamlico

Williamston Martin

Reidsville Rockingham

Wilmington7N NewHanoverRhodhissHydroPlant Burke

Wilmington7SE NewHanover

Robbinsville Graham

WilmintonInternationalAirport NewHanoverRockyMount6SW Nash

Wilson3SW Wilson

RockyMount8ESE Edgecombe

Yadkinville6E YadkinRoxboro Person

RuralHall Forsyth ShallotteAG Brunswick Shelby2NNE Cleveland Shouthport5N Brunswick SilerCity Chatham Smithfield Johnston SprucePine Avery Statesville2NNE Iredell SurfCity Pender SwansquarterFerry Hyde

20

ClimateandHabitat

StudentSheet

Name:___________________________________Directions:Yourteachermayprovideyouwithstateprecipitationandtemperaturemaps.Ifso,comparethesemapsandbeginbyansweringthequestionsfollowing#5.

1. Usingthedatatable,separatethecountiesintofourroughlyequalprecipitationgroups.Forinstance,iftheaverageprecipitationrangesfrom0-100cmannually,youmightsplitthegroupsinto0-25cm,26-50cm,51-75cm,and76-100cm.

2. Assignacolorforeachgroupofprecipitationandcreatealegendonthecountymap.3. Usingcoloredpencils,shadeeachcountyonthemaptheappropriatecolor.4. Youshouldnowbeabletoapproximatetemperatureregionsforthestate.Drawlinesbetween

differentcolorregionsshadeinregionaccordingtoyourlegend.5. Repeatsteps1-4withtheprecipitationdata,butusesymbols(x,o,#,-,etc.)insteadofcolorstosignify

thefourcategoriesofannualprecipitation.

Whichregionofthestatehasthelowestaveragetemperatures?Whydoyouthinkthatis?

Whichregionofthestatehasthehighestaveragetemperatures?Whydoyouthinkthatis?Whichregionofthestatehasthelowestaverageprecipitation?Whydoyouthinkthatis?

Whichregionofthestatehasthehighestaverageprecipitation?Whydoyouthinkthatis?

Doyouseeanyrelationshipbetweenthetemperatureandprecipitationregions?

6. Nowcompareyourprecipitationandtemperaturemap(s)tothevegetationmap.Answerthefollowingquestions:

Whatdoyounotice?

Howarevegetationpatternsrelatedtotemperatureandprecipitation?

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7. Nowcomparethewildliferangemapstomapsfortemperature,precipitation,andvegetation.Answer

thefollowingquestions:Howdoestemperature,precipitation,andvegetationcorrelatewithwhereanimalslive?Wheredoesahellbenderlive?Whydoyouthinkitlivesthere?Wheredoesanalligatorlive?Whydoyouthinkitlivesthere?WheredoesaNorthernflyingsquirrellive?Whydoyouthinkitlivesthere?

Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappentooneofthesespeciesiftheaveragetemperaturesbegantoriseovertime?

Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappentooneofthesespeciesiftheaverageprecipitationlevelsbegantoriovertime?

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ClimateandHabitatStudentSheetAnswerKey

Name:_____Key______________________________Directions:Yourteachermayprovideyouwithstateprecipitationandtemperaturemaps.Ifso,comparethesemapsandbeginbyansweringthequestionsfollowing#5.

1. Usingthedatatable,separatethecountiesintofourroughlyequalprecipitationgroups.Forinstance,iftheaverageprecipitationrangesfrom0-100cmannually,youmightsplitthegroupsinto0-25cm,26-50cm,51-75cm,and76-100cm.

2. Assignacolorforeachgroupofprecipitationandcreatealegendonthecountymap.3. Usingcoloredpencils,shadeeachcountyonthemaptheappropriatecolor.4. Youshouldnowbeabletoapproximatetemperatureregionsforthestate.Drawlinesbetween

differentcolorregionsshadeinregionaccordingtoyourlegend.5. Repeatsteps1-4withtheprecipitationdata,butusesymbols(x,o,#,-,etc.)insteadofcolorstosignify

thefourcategoriesofannualprecipitation.Whichregionofthestatehasthelowestaveragetemperatures?Whydoyouthinkthatis?

Themountainshavethelowesttemperaturesbecausetheelevationismuchhigherthanatthebeach.Inmostcases,temperaturedecreaseswithheight.

Whichregionofthestatehasthehighestaveragetemperatures?Whydoyouthinkthatis?

Thehighestaveragetemperaturesarenearthecoast.Elevationisthemainfactordeterminingthis,butproximitytotheAtlanticOceanandthewarmGulfStreamplaysabigrole,too.Asexplainedinthebackgroundsection,theoceanhasamoderatingeffectoncoastallocations.Thismoderatingeffectoftheoceantendstobemorepronouncedduringwinter(e.g.hasawarmingeffectoncoastallocations)thanduringsummer(e.g.hasacoolingeffectoncoastallocations).Anotheraspectofthemoderatingeffectistheoceantemperaturedoesnotvaryasdrasticallyasairtemperature.Asaresult,coastallocationshavealowerdailytemperaturerange.Takingintoaccountallofthesefactorsandaveragingoverayear,thecoastalareasofNCarestillwarmerthaninlandlocations. Studentswilllikelynotseethiseffectonmapsatthisscale,butitispossiblethattheymaybringupthenotionthaturbanareasarewarmerthansuburbanareas.Thisisknownasan“urbanheatisland”.Becauseurbanareashavemorepavedsurfacesandfewertrees,theyareoftenafewdegreeswarmerthantheadjacentareas.

Whichregionofthestatehasthelowestaverageprecipitation?Whydoyouthinkthatis?

ThelowestaverageprecipitationoccursintheFrenchBroadrivervalley(inthemountainsnearAsheville).Thisisbecausethemountainssurroundingthisareacreatearainshadowduetotheorographicliftdiscussedinthebackgroundsection.Mostofthemoisturecomingthroughthemountainsfromthesouthwestfallsonthesouthwestsideoftheridgeline,leavingdrier,descendingairtoenterthenextvalley.Elsewhereinthestatewherethetopographyisnotasmountainous,theprecipitationlevelsarefairlyuniform.

23

Whichregionofthestatehasthehighestaverageprecipitation?Whydoyouthinkthatis?Theareaofhighestaverageprecipitationisinthesouthwesternmountains(nearLakeToxaway

inTransylvaniaCounty)duetotheprevailingwindscomingfromthesouthwestandtheorographiclifteffect(seebackgroundsection).Theweathersystemsthatenterthisregionfromthesouthwestrunintothehighridgesofthemountainssoairrisesandcloudsform,dumpingmostofthemoisturethere.

Doyouseeanyrelationshipbetweenthetemperatureandprecipitationregions?

Studentsmaybeabletoidentifysomepatterns.Ingeneral,highertemperaturesyieldmoreevaporation.Whenthereislotsofwateravailable(likeatthecoast),higherevaporationcanyieldhigherrainfall.However,thewettestareainthestateisalsooneofthecoolest(southeasternNC).Inthiscase,theprecipitationhaslesstodowithtemperatureandhumidityandmoretodowithtopography.

Nowcompareyourprecipitationandtemperaturemap(s)tothevegetationmap.Answerthefollowingquestions:Whatdoyounotice?

Studentsshouldbeabletoseeclearpatternsbetweentemperature,precipitationandvegetation.Howarevegetationpatternsrelatedtotemperatureandprecipitation?

Somevegetationtypeslikecoolerareasandsomelikewarmerareas.Forinstance,sprucefirforeststhriveinthecoolermountaintemperatureswhilePocosinwoodlandandshrublandsarebettersuitedfortheclimatesofthecoast.

8. Nowcomparethewildliferangemapstomapsfortemperature,precipitation,andvegetation.Answer

thefollowingquestions:Howdoestemperature,precipitation,andvegetationcorrelatewithwhereanimalslive?

Theyareallconnected.Temperatureandprecipitationarelinkedtothetypeofvegetationinanarea.Thisdetermineswherecertaintypesofwildlifecanlive.

Wheredoesahellbenderlive?Whydoyouthinkitlivesthere?

Onlyinthemountains.Itlikescooltemperaturesandlivesinthewater.Coldtemperaturesandlotsofrainfallmakecool,fastflowingmountainstreams,whichareperfectforhellbenders.Becausetheyarecoldandfastflowing,mountainstreamscanholdalotofdissolvedoxygen,whichthehellbendersneedandbreatherightthroughtheirskin.Themountainshaveboth(cooltemperaturesandlotsofrainfall).

WheredoesanAmericanalligatorlive?Whydoyouthinkitlivesthere?

Thealligatorlivesinfreshwaternearthecoast.Theypreferwarmwaters,sotheyareclosertothecoastwheretemperaturesaremoreconsistentlywarmallyear.

WheredoesaNorthernflyingsquirrellive?Whydoyouthinkitlivesthere?

Inthemountains.Theyhaveaniche(specialty)habitatintheborealanddeciduousforestsofthehighestNCmountains.Theytendtoforagearoundtheconifers(redspruce,Fraserfirs,andEasternhemlocks)andnestinhardwoodtreeslikeyellowbirch,buckeye,andsugarmaple).Sincemanyofthesetrees(particularlytheconifers)onlyoccurinthesecool,highclimatesthesquirrelsalsoonlylivehere.

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Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappentooneofthesespeciesiftheaveragetemperaturesbegantochangeovertime?

Ifthetemperaturebecamewarmer,itwoulddirectlyaffectthehellbenderbecauseitneedscoolwater(whichholdsmoreoxygen).Alligatorsmaybeabletoexpandtheirranges,andtheyalsomaygrowfaster.WarmertemperaturesmaycauseNorthSprucePineforeststomovenorthward,whichmeansthatNorthernflyingsquirrelsmaylosetheirhabitatinNorthCarolina.

Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappentooneofthesespeciesiftheaverageprecipitationlevelsbegantochangeovertime?

Precipitationcanaffectthehydrologyofstreamsandcoastalriversandestuaries.Thesechangescanbecomplex,affectingwaterflowvolumes,waterchemistryandsedimentation.Ifprecipitationlevelsdrop,mountainstreamsvolumesmaydropandflowslower.Thismaylowerthedissolvedoxygenlevelsthehellbendersneed.Higherprecipitationlevelsmaybegoodforstreamflowanddissolvedoxygen,butfloodingcanalsowashextrasedimentintostreambeds,affectinghellbendernests.Lessfreshwatercomingintoanestuarysystemmaymeanthatsalinityrises,whichwouldaffectthealligatorsastheyliveinfreshwater.Higherrainfallmaymeanmorefreshwatercomingintoanestuary,whichwouldlowerthesalinitylevels.Seasonaldroughtsmayaffectthehealthofthespruce-firforestsystemsonwhichtheNorthernflyingsquirrelsdepend,whereasincreasedrainfallmaymeanmorevegetationgrowth.