Region: Highlands
Zones: None
Student Climate Packet
Name ____________________________Period_____Teacher ____________
Day 1: Highland Climate Predictions and Climate Investigation
Day 2: Highland Climate Region Global Effects
Highland Climate Predictions
1. Make a Prediction:
Below is a list of characteristics that may or may not be a characteristic of areas
located in Highland Climates. Circle the answer that best describes a characteristic
for the Highland climate below. If you are unsure of an answer, take your best guess.
You will have 10 minutes to complete #’s 1-2.
Characteristic
Highlands Climate Region?
1. Includes all mountain regions
Yes
No
2. Average temperature is the same as the areas around it
Yes
No
3. This climate is sometimes called the Alpine climate
Yes
No
4. The amount of precipitation depends on the elevation
Yes
No
5. The largest highlands area is located in China
Yes
No
6. There is no vegetation at the highest elevations
Yes
No
7. Temperature will increase as you move into higher altitudes
Yes
No
8. Is covered with ice and snow
Yes
No
9. Temperatures drop 10 degrees every 1000 feet in elevation
Yes
No
10. Air is dry
Yes
No
11. Temperature Range: -18 °C to 10 °C (-2 °F to 50°F)
Yes
No
12. Average Annual Precipitation: 23 cm (9 in.)
Yes
No
13. Latitude Range: found all over the world
Yes
No
14. Rocky Mountain Range in North America
Yes
No
15. Found in the Plateau of Tibet
Yes
No
2. In pairs, discuss your choices. Choose at two of the characteristics above and using the
lines below, describe your reasoning to confirm your answers were correct.
Characteristic # ______
Reasoning: ___________________________________________________________________________
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Characteristic # ______
Reasoning: ___________________________________________________________________________
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**As you complete this packet, you may correct any incorrect answers above, but please use RED
pen/pencil provided in the front of class. DO NOT erase or cross out any original answers.
Highland Climate Investigation
3. Use text book page 91 and the article on the following page to describe the
given characteristics as they relate to the Highlands Climate Region.
Highland Climate Region
Criteria
Description
Climates above tree line
Relationship between
temperature and altitude
Highlands temperatures
compared to areas surrounding
them
Relationship between
temperature and precipitation as
you travel higher up a mountain
Relationship between
precipitation and air mass’ ability
to carry moisture
Vegetation above the tree line
Vegetation below the tree line
Location
Seasons
Wildlife/Animals
4. Define the climate of the Highlands:
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Climate Types for Kids: Highland
(https://sites.google.com/site/climatetypes/highlands)
Where is it Usually Located?
Highland climate is the climate of 'high' 'land'. So, this climate is found in high mountain
areas. It is found on single mountains such as Mount Kilimanjaro and also large areas of high
elevation such as the Plateau of Tibet. The Plateau of Tibet (below) averages 20,000 feet
above sea level--it is the largest area of high land on Earth. This climate is sometimes called
Alpine Climate.
What Seasons Does it Have?
There are no seasons in Highland climate. Any seasonal differences would only be felt at low
elevations, near the bottom of a mountain.
What are the Temperatures like?
The reason mountains need their own climate type is because the "climate" changes as you
move up the mountain. At the base (bottom) of a mountain it might be 80 degrees and
sunny, but as you climb the mountain it will get colder and be rainy. As you keep climbing, it
might be snowy and freezing cold. In fact, the temperature drops about 3 degrees every
1000 feet in elevation as you move up a mountain. So, the temperatures in Highland
Regions depend on the elevation.
How Much Precipitation Does it Receive?
The amount of precipitation in Highland climate depends on the elevation. Sometimes the
land around the base of a mountain is dry, but snow may cover the top of a mountain. This
happens because high mountains force warm air to rise, where it cools and creates
precipitation. The level of precipitation in a Highland climate depends on the elevation you
want to measure.
What Kinds of Vegetation (Plants) Does it Have?
The type of vegetation that grows in Highland also depends on the elevation. At the base
(bottom) of the mountain the vegetation will be the same as the surrounding climate type.
So, a mountain in the rainforest will have rainforest at the base. As you move up in elevation
it will change to plants that can survive colder weather, eventually there will be no
vegetation at very high elevations. In fact, on high mountains you can see what is called a
tree line or timberline. A tree line is a clear elevation line that divides where trees are able to
survive from areas that are too harsh for them to live. Most mountains have different tree
lines depending on temperature, soil, and moisture.
What Kind of Animals Does it Usually Have?
The types of animals will depend on the elevation and the surrounding area.
Typically, different types of goats and sheep are common in Highland climate. Mountain
Goats are common in the Rocky Mountains--their feet are adapted to walking and jumping
on steep cliffs. Large cats such as Mountain Lions and Snow Leopards are also found here.
Snow Leopards, found around the Himalayas, have large feet and big thick tails to give
them better balance in mountain terrain.
5. Based on your reading, draw a picture/diagram in the box below that shows what
happens to temperature as you travel higher up a mountain. Be sure to label your drawing
and include a sketch of a mountain.
6. Based on your reading, use a different color to add to your picture/diagram what will
happen to the amount of precipitation that will fall as you travel higher up a mountain.
Be sure to label the precipitation amounts.
After you have completed your drawing:
1. Go to this website: https://sites.google.com/site/climatetypes/highlands
Look at the diagram labeled: Elevation and temperature.
2. Refer back to the information you learned about rain shadows when you studied
“Dry Climate Regions”.
3. Visit the following website to see an animation of a rain shadow near the Sierra
Nevada Highlands Mountain Region.
http://www.mrphome.net/mrp/rainshadow.swf
7. Make a claim about precipitation in highland mountain climate regions. Support you
claim with evidence from the above three sources.
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8. Apply It: If highland regions are colder than low lying lands that surround them and they
receive more precipitation, what would happen in the summer to both the highland region
and the low land regions that surround it when temperatures rise in these areas. State your
claim and provide reasoning from what you have learned in this investigation. Would there
be any effect on the homes and buildings in the low-lying areas? Explain your reasoning
below.
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9. Apply it: Think about what you have learned about global warming. How would
temperature changes have an effect on the precipitation in the highlands climate region?
(Hint…why is there so much precipitation to begin with in these regions? Is it because of cold
temperatures or warm temperatures?) Support your claims with evidence and reasoning.
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10. Apply it: How would global warming have an effect on life in the low land areas that
surround the highlands? Support your claim with reasoning.
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Day 2: Highland Climate Region Global Effects
The following simulation has been set up in your classroom.
Sea level: On the Rise
Clay has been added to each of two identical plastic
storage containers that represent land surface and
ocean. Ice cubes will be added in the “ocean” of the
first container. The same number of ice cubes will be
added to the second container but will be placed on
the “land surface” portion of the container. The same
amount of water will be added to the “ocean portion
of both containers. A light will be placed over the two
containers and shine on them for one hour.
1. Make a claim as to what you think we are going to be testing for during this simulation.
Support your claim with reasoning.
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2. Think about it:
Questions
Where is there a lot of ice in the world?
Your answers
Is the ice on land or on water?
Does it matter whether the ice is on land or
water if it melts?
Will one or both cause sea level to rise when
the ice melts?
The simulation continued…
A line has been drawn in the clay where the water height started in each container.
The height of the water will be measured every 15 minutes for one hour.
3. Think about it:
What will happen to the height of the water for both the ice on land and the ice in the
water? Explain with reasoning.
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4. Use the data that has been collected throughout the day to record the information on
the lab data chart.
Time (in minutes)
Water height (mm)
Floating ice
Water height (mm)
Ice on land
Start of simulation: 0 minutes
15
30
45
60
The Results are In…
5. In which situation did the water level rise more? Circle the answer: floating or land
6. How do these results compare with your prediction?
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7. Why do you think this happened?
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AHA! I get it. When ice sitting on land melts, the water runs off and adds to the volume of
water in the ocean. Conversely, floating ice is already taking up space in the water. It
displaces part of the water that is equivalent to the mass of the ice. When this ice melts, the
water fills that existing space.
8. Was your answer to #7 correct? Yes or no What did you learn?
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Read the following article. Answer the questions that follow.
SEA LEVEL: ON THE RISE
In general, as water gets warmer, it
takes up more space. Each drop of water
only expands a little bit, but when you
multiply this thermal expansion of water
over the entire depth of the ocean, it all
adds up and causes sea level to rise.
Sea level is also rising because
melting glaciers on land are adding more
water to the oceans. Glaciers are large
sheets of snow and ice that are found on
land all year long. They are found in the
western United States, Alaska, the
mountains of Europe and Asia, and many
other parts of the world. The giant ice
sheets on Greenland and Antarctica are
also considered glaciers. Warmer
temperatures cause glaciers to melt faster
than they can accumulate new snow. As
giant ice sheets and smaller glaciers melt,
they add more water into the ocean,
which causes sea level to rise.
If people keep adding greenhouse
gases to the atmosphere, the average sea
level around the world by the end of this
century (the year 2099) could be
anywhere from 7 to 40 inches higher than it
was in 2000. Sea level could rise even
more if the big ice sheets in Greenland and
Antarctica were to melt more quickly. If
temperatures keep rising, glaciers will
continue melting, some could disappear
completely.
Rising sea level is a threat to people
who live near the ocean. Hundreds of
millions of people around the world live in
low-lying areas near the coast that could
be flooded as sea level rises. Some lowlying areas will have more frequent
flooding, and vey low-lying land could be
submerged completely.
Rising sea level also threatens the
buildings and infrastructure of cities
located along coastlines, as well as coastal
ecosystems such as mangrove forests and
coral reefs. Rising sea level and stronger
storms caused by warmer oceans could
erode beaches, damage many coastal
wetlands, and even completely wipe out
certain beaches and islands.
http://www.epa.gov/climatestudents/documents/sealevel-rise.pdf
9. View the population density map for the United States.
What claim can you make about where most of the U.S. population lives?
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10. In the space provided, draw a model to show how sea level rising occurs and its effects on
the land surfaces (both natural and man made). Be sure to label the model.
11. For Homework: Read the Booklet on the Tibetan Plateau found on the following website.
Answer the questions on the “Tibetan Plateau – Global Warming Effects” handout.
http://bridgefund.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Climate-Change-Impacts-on-theTibetan-Plateau-2012-The-Bridge-Fund.pdf