Apes ch 7
Key Concepts
Factors influencing weather
Factors influencing climate
Effect of climate on distribution of biomes
Characteristics of major biome types
Supplement 8 & 9 (S 47-58)
Weather: A Brief Introduction
Weather: An areas short-term atmospheric condition for hours or days
Warm front: The boundary between an advancing warm air mass and the cooler one it is replacing
Cold front: The leading edge of an advancing mass of cold air
Weather is effected by changes in atmospheric pressure
Weather Extremes
Tornado: Forms over land due to a rapid moving warm air mass overtakes a dense mass of cold air and
rises rapidly
Tropical cyclones: Forms from low-pressure cells over warm ocean water.
Called hurricanes only if formed in the Atlantic Ocean
Called typhoons if formed in the Pacific
Core Case Study: Connections between Wind, Climate, and Biomes
Wind
Indirect form of solar energy
Circulates
Heat
Moisture
Plant nutrients
Soil particles
Long-lived air pollutants
Climate
Climate: A regions long-term atmospheric condition over decades based mainly on average temperature
and average rainfall
Temperature & precipitation: based on amount of solar energy, air and water circulation
Other factors:
Seasonal variations
Rotation of the Earth
Properties of air, water and land
Ocean Currents
Ocean currents are driven by the global wind patterns and redistribute heat
Warm currents are less dense and are at the surface
Cold currents are more dense and deep below the surface
Upwelling is when a cold current rises when it comes in contact with a land mass
Short-Term Climate Changes:
ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation)
Occurs when a change of direction of tropical winds warms coastal water, suppresses upwelling, and
alters much of the Earth’s weather
Can trigger extreme weather to 2/3 of the globe
La Nina is the reverse of this effect
Causes more Atlantic hurricanes & Florida wildfires
ENSO
(El Nino-Southern Oscillation)
Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse effect: The trapping of heat by gasses in the upper troposphere
Greenhouse gasses: Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide
Natural occurrence
Allowed life on Planet Earth
Excess gasses from burning fossil fuels is causing global warming
The Earth’s Surface Features Affect Local Climates
Heat absorption by land and water
Effect of
Mountains
Rain shadow effect
Cities
Microclimates
Climate Affects Where Organisms
Can Live
Major biomes
Latitude and elevation
Annual precipitation
Temperature
Biomes: Climate and Life on Land
Relationship between latitude and altitude
Desert Biomes
Grassland, Tundra and Chaparral
Forest Biomes
Mountain Biomes
Biomes: Latitude and Altitude
Natural Capital
The average precipitation and average temperature, acting together as a limiting factor over a period of
30 or more years without human disturbances
This is what determines what kind of biome is in an area
Desert Biomes
An area that the evaporation exceeds precipitation
Tropical deserts: Hot & dry most of the year (30O deserts)
Temperate deserts: Temperature is high in summer and low in winter (rain shadow)
Cold deserts: Winters are cold summer is warm (Gobi)
Desert Biomes
Grassland
Grasslands have enough precipitation to support grasses but not enough to support trees
Tropical grasslands and Savannas: Warm year round with 2 prolonged dry seasons
Large herds of grazers (grass and herb eaters) and browsers (twig and leaf eaters) a form of resource
partitioning
Raising cattle is destroying the savanna
Grassland
Resource Partitioning
Resource Partitioning
Grassland
Temperate grasslands: Cold winters and hot dry summers
Deep, fertile soils that make them widely used for growing crops and grazing cattle
Found in the interiors of North America, South America, Europe and Asia
Most of the world’s grasslands have been plowed under
Grassland
Natural capital degradation
Polar Grasslands
Polar grassland: Tundra
Extremely cold
Permafrost: Perennially frozen layer of soil
Alpine tundra: Located on the tops of very high mountains above the tree line
Chaparral
Coastal regions that borders deserts
Longer seasons of winter rain due to bordering the ocean
Dense low growing evergreen shrubs
Long hot dry summers
Periodic fires followed by mudslides
California and the Mediterranean
Forest Biomes
Tropical rainforest: found near the equator
Very little variation in temperature
Heavy rains almost every day
Low nutrient levels in the soil
Trees have shallow, wide roots to support the size of the trees
Vertically stratified niches
Forest Biomes
Temperate deciduous forests have long hot summers, cold winters, abundant precipitation and
distinct seasons
Hard wood trees that drop their leaves in winter
Oak, maple, hickory, poplar, beech
Fewer tree species than tropical forests
Forest Biomes
Evergreen coniferous forest: Subarctic, short mild summers, long extremely cold winters
AKA: Boreal forest, taigas
Dominated by a few species of coniferous (cone-bearing) trees
Spruce, fir, hemlock, pine
Acidic soil
Fire necessary for a healthy forest
Forest Biomes
Temperate rain forest: Coastal forests
Support huge cone-bearing trees such as Douglas fir, Sitka spruce and redwoods
Coast of North America from Canada to northern California
Winters are mild and summers are cool
Forest Biomes
Mountain Biomes
High elevation forests and snow covered peaks
Reflect sunlight
Slowly release fresh water
Most of the remaining forest are in the mountains
The greatest place on the entire planet