latin america climate – environmental geography gcu 122 – world regional geography jason...
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Latin AmericaLatin America
Climate – Environmental Climate – Environmental GeographyGeography
GCU 122 – World Regional GeographyGCU 122 – World Regional Geography
Jason DonoghueJason Donoghue
Chandler-Gilbert Community CollegeChandler-Gilbert Community College
Controls of ClimateControls of ClimateLatin AmericaLatin America
• The different climatic regions of Latin America are influenced by the following factors:– Global atmospheric circulation
• Positions of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, and the sub-tropical high pressure zones.
• Location of major global wind belts
– Geological configurations• Highlands of the Andes mountains• Altitudinal Zonation
Global Atmospheric CirculationGlobal Atmospheric Circulation
• Rising air at the equator allows for an abundance of precipitation year round.
• The sub-tropical high is were you will find some of the drier savannah and desert regions.
Effects of Pressure ZonesEffects of Pressure Zones• Sub-Tropical Highs
• Equatorial Low
Global Wind BeltsGlobal Wind Belts
• Wind patterns coupled with the physical landscape have a significant impact on climate.– Two prime examples
• Atacama Desert• Gulf coast of “Middle
America”
Orographic EffectOrographic EffectAtacama DesertAtacama Desert
• Prevailing winds from the east are forced up by the Andes Mountains, and descends on the leeward side.– Creates a dry high pressure zone.
Orographic EffectOrographic EffectCaribbean Coast – Middle AmericaCaribbean Coast – Middle America
• Prevailing winds from the east, again and are forced up by the highlands, creating areas of low pressure– This leads to precipitation, and
the lush rain forests located here.
Vertical Climate ZonesVertical Climate Zones
• Middle and South America also experience areas where you may find several different climates in one area.– This is because of the highland regions, and
the fact that as you rise in altitude the temperature cools.
• For every 1000 feet up you lose 5.5º
Altitudinal ZonationMiddle & South America’s Vertical Climate Zones
SeaLevel
SeaLevel
2500’ 750 m
TIERRA CALIENTE(Hot Land)
Bananas, Cocoa, Sugar, Rice
Altitudinal ZonationMiddle & South America’s Vertical Climate Zones
6,000’ 1800 m
SeaLevel
2000’ 600 m
SeaLevel
TIERRA TEMPLADA (Temperate Land)
Coffee, Rice, Corn, Sugar
Altitudinal Zonation
SeaLevel
6,000’
2000’
2,000 m
600 m
SeaLevel
12,000’ 3,600 m
TIERRA FRIA(Cold Land)
Corn, Wheat, Potato
Altitudinal Zonation
12,000’ 3,600 m
SeaLevel
6,000’
2000’
2,000 m
600 m
SeaLevel
TIERRA HELADA(Frost Land)
Altitudinal Zonation
Climate ZonesClimate Zones
• Tropical Rainforest• Tropical or subtropical
desert• Tropical Savanna and
Grasslands.• Mid-latitude Grasslands• Mediterranean Climate• Marine West Coast
Climate• Highland Climates
Tropical Rain ForestTropical Rain Forest
• The equatorial zones of high temperatures, and rainfall provide conditions for the rapid growth of vegetation in the form of rain forests of the Amazon and Middle America.– The Amazon basin ranges
from 60 to 80 inches of rain per year.
Tropical or Subtropical DesertTropical or Subtropical Desert
• Warm and dry all year long.– Partially due to the subtropical
high pressure zones located in these regions.
• Air becomes warmer and drier over the tropics and sinks.
– For the Atacama Desert it lies in the rainshadow of the Andes Mountains
• Additionally the cold ocean currents that flow north along the west coast of South America do not allow the winds to absorb much moisture.
Tropical Savanna and GrasslandsTropical Savanna and Grasslands
• These areas are typically warm and have some sort of seasonal precipitation.– The seasonal precipitation
depends on shifts in global wind patterns and pressure belts that shift to the north in the June-August season and to the south in the November-February period.
• Brasilia, Brazil – Wet Season – Nov. to Feb.
– Moto Grasso Plateau• Caracas, Venezuela – Wet
Season – Jun. to Oct.– Llanos
• Caracas, Venezuela
• Llanos
Mid-Latitude GrasslandsMid-Latitude Grasslands
• This climate zone is characterized by cooler temperatures, and low or seasonal amounts of precipitation.– Buenos Aries,
Argentina– Patagonia and the
Pampas in Argentina
MediterraneanMediterranean
• Moderate temperatures with dry summers and wet winters.
• Confined to a small section of southern Chile.– This is due in part to the
ocean currents, wind patterns and the location of the Andes Mountains.
• Wind patterns shifting north in June results in a distinct wet season here, and a distinct dry season in winter.
Marine West CoastMarine West Coast
• Cooler and wet all year long.
• Much like the Mediterranean Climate this zone is found in a small area of southern Chile, and is controlled by the same factors.– The westerlies bring heavy
rains to the coast here, partially due to the orographic effect caused by the Andes Mountains.
HighlandHighland
• Typically cooler temperatures, but this is where altitudinal zonation comes into play.– Many different climate
types can actually be contained within this zone.
Natural Hazards and Environmental Natural Hazards and Environmental ConcernsConcerns
• Tectonic Activity– Volcanoes and Earthquakes
• Caribbean Wind Patterns– Abundance of Hurricanes
• El Nino– Changes in Wind/Water flow that has global
implications
• Deforestation of the Amazon– Destruction of the “lungs” of the planet
Tectonic PlatesTectonic Plates
Earthquakes and VolcanoesEarthquakes and Volcanoes
Mexico City - 1985Mexico City - 1985
• In 1985 a major earthquake struck Mexico City.– Killed as many as
10,000 people– Devastated downtown
buildings– City sits on an old lake
bed with sediments that act similar to liquids during an earthquake
Caribbean Wind PatternsCaribbean Wind Patterns
• Tradewinds out of the east in this part of the world cause the eastern coasts of Mexico, and countries in Middle America vulnerable to hurricanes.
Honduras - 1998Honduras - 1998
• Hurricane Mitch slammed in to Honduras and surrounding nations in late October of 1998.– Dumped a year’s worth of
rain in 48 hours.– Flash floods and mudslides
deforested slopes– Left nearly 10,000 dead,
and almost 20,000 missing.• Devastated the Honduran
capital of Tegucigalpa.
El NinoEl Nino
• El Nino is a significant reason why climate in Latin America is usually variable.– During an El Nino cycle
typically cool waters off the coast of Peru begin to warm.
– This is because there is a shift in the weather patterns that characterize the south Pacific.
• Usually we see wind patterns that force the warmer water towards Indonesia and during an El Nino year, this wind slackens, or shifts entirely, allowing the warm waters to flow back across the Pacific ultimately off the coast of Peru.
• Normal Cycle
• El Nino Cycle
Effects of El NinoEffects of El Nino
• Brings warmer and wetter winds to the coasts of Peru and Ecuador.– With this we see flooding
and mudslides.• Global Effects:
– Droughts in northeast Brazil
– Floods in southern Brazil and northern Mexico
– Fewer hurricanes due to wind pattern changes.
– Droughts and fires in Indonesia, South Africa, and Australia
Deforestation of the AmazonDeforestation of the Amazon
• In the 1970’s the Brazilian government began to focus on the development of the Amazon.– Along with this came the
beginning of large scale deforestation of the rain forest.
• Networks of roads were built.• Thousands of fires are set
each year to clear large sections of forest
• The rate of deforestation vary region by region based on how they are being cleared, and used.
– General agreement is that 15 percent of the Amazon basin has been cleared and the current rate is 50,000 sq miles a year.