1
Name _______________________
Geographic Ecology, Climate, and Biomes
I.
Introduction
A large region of land characterized by a distinct climate and species adapted to it is
called a _______________.The type of biome in a certain area is determined by the
_______________ that live there. The types of plants that live in a certain area are determined
by _______________, principally _______________ and _______________.
II.
Climate
A. Vs weather: there is a difference
1.
Weather—
Includes such things as:
2.
Climate—
B. The atmosphere
1.
2.
Compostion
Component
% by volume in dry air near sea level
Structure—Figs 20-2 and 20-3, pgs 434-435
Layer
Thermosphere
Mesopause (boundary)
Mesosphere
Stratopause (boundary)
Stratosphere—ozone=earth’s sunscreen
Tropopause (boundary)
Troposphere—where weather is made and the greenhouse effect occurs
(CO2, H2O, N2O, CH4, CFC)
Notice in the figures how temperature and pressure vary with altitude. Make
note of it.
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C. More about weather
1.
Weather is a direct result of…
2.
Fronts
a.
cold front—advancing…
warm front—advancing…
b.
Why do fronts often produce rain? cold air is ____________, so as it
advances, it pushes air ahead of it _____________. This rising air
_____________ and ___________, causing water to _____________,
leading to rain.
3.
Atmospheric pressure
a.
caused by air molecules striking things; measured with a barometer
b.
Uneven heating of the earth’s surface leads to air pressure differences,
which causes a lot of the weather we see, particularly ____________.
c.
Low pressure vs high pressure
Condition
low pressure
high pressure
Vertical air movement
Horizontal air movement
General weather
4.
Humidity—a measure of the amount of ____________________ in the air.
Effects human comfort.
a.
relative humidity- a percentage of how much water a parcel of air
contains compared to how much it COULD contain. Greatly dependent
on temperature, so it is often misunderstood.
b.
Dewpoint—temperature at which…
Gives a much more accurate picture of what it “feels like” outside
< 60 oF=
60-70 oF=
>70 o F=
>80 oF=
D. Things that effect climate (especially temperature and precipitation)
1.
Uneven heating of the earth’s surface
a.
sun angle: the sun shines directly on the__________________, but it’s
energy is dispersed as you move ________________ due to the
_______________ of the earth.
b.
The phenomena observed in letter “a” above is accentuated by the tilt
of the earth on its axis: _______ o. This creates the ________________.
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2.
Global circulation of air See Fig 6-8 on pg 107.
a.
The earth spins faster at the ____________________ than at the
_______________. As a result, air is deflected in predictable ways as it
moves across the earth’s surface. This creates ____________________
winds and the is called the ____________________ ______________.
b.
As air rises and falls, it creates six convection cells called ___________
cells that distribute heat and moisture over the earth’s surface.
3.
Long-term variations in solar radiation
4.
Ocean currents
a.
b. also help mix and distribute nutrients
c. upwelling—when persistent offshore winds push surface water away and
brings up cold, nutrient rich water. Fig 6-11, p 108
5.
El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and La Nina, Fig 6-12, pg 108
a.
Normally (La Nina), winds off South America blow ______________
(westward) creating upwelling along the western South American coast
= __________ fishing.
b.
Every 3-7 years, the normal winds slacken or reverse, causing
1.
2.
3.
4.
6.
global weather effects. See Fig 6-13, p 109
Topography and other Microclimates
a.
the rainshadow effect (Fig 6-15, pg 110):
moist air hits a mountain range, it is forced to ____________, which
causes it to __________ and water to _______________. This creates
_____________ conditions on the _______________ side of the
mountain. On the far side of the mountain (_______________), there is
less moisture available, and is considerably _______________. This is
how some _______________ are formed.
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b.
The Urban Heat Island
Cities tend to hold heat in the materials used to build them, so they are
_______________ in the winter and _______________ in the summer.
c.
Mountain slopes
In the northern hemisphere, the _______________ side of a mountain
gets more sun and is therefore warmer and drier.
d.
Moderation by water
Water has a very high _______________________, which means it is
slow to warm up or cool down. As a result, areas near water tend to be
influenced by it.
Miami vs. Miami Beach:
San Fransicko:
Jolly Olde England:
III.
Deserts
A. General characteristics
1.
precipitation:
2.
location:
3.
land coverage:
4.
vegetation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
tropical
temperate
cold
semi
B. Types
ECOTONE
C. Organism adaptations
1.
plants
a.
leaves:
b.
flowers:
c.
roots:
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2.
d.
photosynthesize:
e.
thorns & toxins
animals
a.
activity:
b.
skin/covering:
c.
water use:
d.
ears:
D. Human impact
1.
2.
IV.
Are deserts tough or fragile?
a.
growth:
b.
nutrient cyles:
c.
species diversity:
d.
water:
e.
recovery time:
Water
a.
Salinization
b.
depletion of aquifers
3.
Mining:
4.
Storage:
5.
solar cells:
Grasslands and Chaparral
A. General grassland characteristics
1.
precipitation:
2.
vegetation:
3.
seasonal drought, fires, and grazing herbivores
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B. Types
1.
2.
3.
4.
SAVANNA/ Tropical grassland
a.
alternating…
b.
fires
c.
occasional:
d.
grazing hoofed mammals
temperate grassland
a.
a.k.a
b.
soil:
c.
winter:
summer:
TUNDRA/polar grassland
a.
land coverage:
b.
climate:
c.
permafrost:
d.
vegetation:
e.
fragile
f.
soil:
Alpine tundra
Similar to arctic tundra, found on mountain slopes below snow line,
No permafrost
C. Human impact on grasslands
1.
2.
Conversion to cropland
a.
Erosion and desertification:
b.
release of CO2 from agriculture
damage to tundra from mining activities
D. CHAPPARAL/ temperate shrubland
1.
climate:
2.
vegetation:
3.
fires & flooding
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V.
Forests
A. Enough precipitation to:
B. Types
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Tropical Rain Forest
a.
Temp:
b.
Precipitation:
c.
Biodiversity:
d.
Vegetation:
e.
Nutrients:
f.
Soil:
g.
Land coverage:
TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FOTEST/ tropical seasonal forest/ tropical
monsoon forest
a.
climate:
b.
vegetation:
Temperate deciduous forest
a.
Climate:
b.
soil:
c.
vegetation:
d.
biodiversity:
TAIGA/EVERGREEN CONIFEROUS FOREST/ BOREAL FOREST
a.
Climate:
b.
biodiversity:
c.
vegetation:
d.
soil:
e.
land coverage:
Temperate rain forest/coastal coniferous forest
a.
climate:
b.
location:
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c.
vegetation:
C. Human impact on forests
Deforestation for agriculture, timber, livestock, urbanization, monoculture (TDF)
VI.
Mountains
A. General characteristics
1.
going up = going north
2.
the snow line & climate control
3.
soil:
4.
biodiversity:
5.
forests are here
B. Human impact
1.
timber
2.
mining
3.
dams/reservoirs
4.
overuse
5.
ORVs
6.
UV radiation:
VII. Latitude and altitude variations