Teacher Guide and Key, Activity 1: Climate and Biomes
General Instructions:
Students will need access to the Internet (broadband/fast
preferred). The preferred Internet browser for the exercise is Internet Explorer (for the
internet mapping portion). Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to display and print out the
worksheet. Students are encouraged to print out the exercise worksheet and work from a
print version of the exercise.
Students should have basic Internet browser experience. Experience with the Internet
mapping browser is not necessary. Students should be able to quickly acquaint themselves
with how the different buttons and features are used. Should problems arise the Internet
mapping browser can be closed and then reopened by clicking the exercise links in the next
section. In addition, please note that you should DISABLE any POP-UP Blockers before
accessing the Internet mapping activities
Objectives: Positively identify relationships between climates and biomes.
Time: 45- 55 minutes.
Introduction Suggestions: Include overhead photos of various types of biomes. compare
what students know about GPS and GIS.
Other Questions to Ask: What is GIS and how does it help you locate and visualize different
biomes?
Assessment: worksheet completion.
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Activity 1: Climate and Biomes.
Name:____KEY_________
Start Internet Explorer
, Netscape, or Mozilla Firefox (Internet
Explorer works best). In the address window type:
http://geography.unco.edu/sbc/index.htmand hit Enter. This will direct you to
the Learning about Soils, Biomes, and Climate page. This page has links to the
worksheets, internet mapping activities, and sources of information.
1. Biomes:
a. What is a biome?
(look in the Glossary section-http://geography.unco.edu/sbc/glossary.htm )
A a major portion of the living environment of a particular region (such as a forest or
grassland), characterized by its distinctive vegetation and maintained by local climate
conditions.
b. Describe the biome you live in from your own personal observations.
Do this by trying to detail the type of natural vegetation, animals that
are native, and other natural elements of the environment in which you
live.
Varied due to Location/situation.
c. See Biome description page http://geography.unco.edu/sbc/biomes.htm
Name the biome in your region.
Varied due to Location/situation
2. Climate:
a. What is climate? (look in the Glossary http://geography.unco.edu/sbc/glossary.htm
section )
The long-term average weather of a place over time. This includes average
temperatures and precipitation amounts.
b. Describe the climate in your area. Is it wet, dry, or windy? What are
the major differences between summer and winter?
Varied due to Location/situation
c. Name the climate in your region.
Look at the climate description link:
http://geography.unco.edu/sbc/climate.htm
Varied due to Location/situation
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3. Now click on the Activity 1 link. Or in a new browser go to
http://geography.unco.edu/website/biome1/default.htm
You should get a map similar to the one below:
Overview
Map
Layers
Toolbar
buttons
Map
Refresh
Map
Scale bar
You can’t really mess this map up—you can always just reopen another
browser and load the map again.
On opening, the map shows major climate types. You will notice many other
layers you can make visible by checking on the layer. However, in this view you
can’t see a legend that shows the meaning of the different climate colors. In the
upper left corner click on the Toggle between legends/layers button. This
should show you the legend for the layers that are visible.
Country outlines
Various climate types
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Go back and click the Toggle between legends/layers button again to get the
list of layers and put a check-mark next to the Boreal Biome layer and then click
the Refresh Map
button. Whenever you turn a layer on or off you
have to click Refresh Map. You can also turn-off the small overview map in the
upper left hand corner by clicking the
Toggle Overview Map button. Your
map should look similar to the one below:
Note the dot pattern
that occurs in the
northern latitudes
Boreal Biome
layer is
checked on
Use the
Zoom in tool to drag a box around North America (thus zooming in
to NA). If you make a mistake, you can always go back to the entire world view
by clicking the Zoom to Full Extent button and trying again. Go ahead and
zoom into North America. You can click the Zoom more than once for a closer
view. Your map may look similar to the one below:
The dotted pattern represents
the Boreal Biome on top of the
different climatic zones
You can repeatedly check-on, then check-off, the Boreal Biome layer to get a
better idea of the Boreal Biome extent (remember--to Refresh Map each time).
You can also use the
Pan tool to grab and move the map over so it is
centered on Russia and see where the Boreal Biome is found in Russia.
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Another way of determining the climatic zone most associated with the Boreal
Biome is to do the following:
Make sure the Climate layer is not just visible, but also Active. To do this click
the small circle next to climate as shown below:
The Climate
layer is now
Active
Next click the Identify button. Then click inside the map on the Boreal Biome.
You should get a result that looks similar to the one below:
There is 5,999,970
square miles (on
land) of this
climate in the
world
Climate_Name
is: Subarctic
Use to identify button to click a number of times in the Boreal Biome to
determine the most common climate associated with this biome
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Activity 1: Climate and Biomes – part 2. Use all the buttons and techniques
discussed above to fill in the blank spots in the Climate Zone column. Be sure
to check the visible box as well as active biome. For example: fill in the Climate
Zone that most dominates the Boreal Biome.
Biome
Boreal Biome
Desert biome
Grassland
Mangrove
Mediterranean
Rainforest Biome (tropical)
Savanna Biome (tropical)
Temperate Forest Biome
Hints
Climate Zone
Look in: Northern Europe
Canada
1.___Boreal______
Look in: Africa
Australia
Central Asia
1.____Desert__________
2.____Steppe__________
Look in Central USA
Central Asia
SE South America
South Africa
Try zooming into Central
America and into West Africa
Look in S. Europe
S. California
West South America
Look in Amazon
Central Africa
Look in East Africa
N. Australia
S. America
Look in North America
Europe
Asia
Tropical and Subtropical
Forest Biome
Try zooming into South and
Southeast Asia
Tundra
Look in N. Europe
N. Asia
Canada
1.____Steppe__________
2. Various: highland, Humid
Continental, Humid
Subtropical
1.____Humid Subtropical_
2. Tropical Dry
1._____Mediterranean__
2. Steppe
1._____Tropical Wet___
2. Tropical Dry
3. Others
1._____Tropical Dry___
2. Humid Subtropical,
Steppe, Desert.
1.____Humid Continental
2. Humid Subtropical
3.____Marine West Coast_
1.___Tropical Dry______
2. Humid Subtropical
1. ___Tundra__________
2. Subarctic
You’re done! You’ve learned that there is a strong (although not perfect)
relationship between biomes and climate.
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