AP Environmental Science
Earth Labs—Climatology Basics and Climate Patterns and Life
Lab 3: Climatology Basics
Directions:
Save a copy of this document to your H-drive. Save as “Climatology and Biomes Your Name”
Objectives:
After completing this investigation, you should be able to:
 describe and identify the three levels of weather and climate drivers: global,
regional, and local; and
 compare and contrast the time scales of weather and climate.
 compare climate patterns from a variety of regions of the globe and explain how
climate is defined by precipitation and temperature; and
 give examples of the relationship between climate and the living environment (the
biome).
Procedure:
Click on the link below. This will take you to the Lab 3: Climatology Basics.
http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/weather/3.html Complete Part A and Part B.
Part A Global Circulation Patterns
Use the information given in the text, graphics, interactive, and videos in this section to answer
the following questions. Give specific examples.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Describe the global motion of the atmosphere and ocean.
What do the atmosphere and ocean currents transport?
Explain how the ocean and atmosphere are interconnected.
How would Earth be different if these currents of air and water did not
exist?
Part B Regional Climate Drivers
1. Now that you have worked through this list of regional weather drivers, try to answer the
question: What are the predominate forces that are controlling your regional weather
today? Make a list of the factors influencing your regional weather; number the list in
order of size of influence.
2. After you have generated your list, go to the Climatography of the United States and use
the pull down menu to locate the descriptive climatology for your state. What did you
identify as the major climate influencing factors for your region?
When you have completed Parts A and B, go to Lab 4: Climate Basics and Life.
Lab 4: Climate Patterns and Life
Part A: Introduction to Biomes
Rollover Climate Map:
http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/weather/4a.html
Use the roll-over climate map to learn about the location of each biome.
Answer the questions below:

Determine your home biome using the maps, graphics, and other resources listed
here. List the name of the biome that you live in and then, using the Whittaker
diagram, give the range of average annual temperature and precipitation that you
would expect to find in your biome.

Given a temperature and rainfall can you predict which biome type will be found?
Use the graphic above, which characterizes biomes by climate patterns. Here are
several examples to try:
Average Annual Temperature: 15˚C / Average Annual Precipitation: 100 cm
Average Annual Temperature: -10˚C / Average Annual Precipitation: 50 cm
Skip “Become a Biome Expert”.
Part B: Biomes and Climatology Comparison
http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/weather/4b.html
Make a new folder in your H-drive to save the Google Earth files (kmz files).
For this part of the activity, make sure to open the Climate Graph Links!!

Note the patterns that emerge between biome type and geography. Record any patterns
that emerge.

How do the biomes change as you go from west to east across the United
States? Use your knowledge of regional climate forces to explain this
pattern.

Look for two cities around the world that share a biome type and compare
their climatographs. Do they have similar temperatures and receive similar
patterns of precipitation?

Describe the animals and vegetation that you see in the images of the
climate zones.

How does climate and life vary around Earth's surface? Give specific
examples from this project.