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CH. 3:
Climate and Vegetation
GROUP WORK RUBRIC • Score of 50 (5): Superior - 100%
A 5 is superior work, and has completed all requirements of the assignments, it is in order and its presentation is almost flawless.
• Score of 24.5 (2): Very Weak – 49%
A 2 demonstrates serious flaws in the assignment. The assignment reveals inadequacy, though some work was done, still incompleteness is a strong character trait of the assignment, and disorganization is clearly apparent.
• Score of 10 (1): Incompetent - 20%
A 1 shows the assignment is almost fully incomplete. Very little work has been done.
Seasons
Seasons are
determined by two
factors:
1. Earths tilt
2. Earths revolution
around the sun
Solstice: Summer marks
longest day
Winter marks the shortest day
Equinox: Both day and night
are equal all over world
Marks the beginning of spring and fall
Weather
Weather: condition
of atmosphere at a
specific time.
Climate:
atmospheric
condition over a
period of time.
Weather Factors 1. cloud cover
2. landforms & bodies of water
3. elevation
4. air movement
5. water vapor
Precipitation: falling water in the form of rain or snow (3 types)
Convectional- rain forest Orographic- coastal Frontal- great plains
Weather Extremes
5 Different
extremes 1. Hurricanes
2. Tornados
3. Blizzards
4. Droughts
5. Floods
Hurricane/Typhoons
Storms that form
over warm ocean
waters.
Take days to
develop and are
easy to track
Tornados
Powerful, funnel
shaped, column of
spiraling air.
Come from
powerful
thunderstorm.
Form quickly with
little warning
Blizzards
Heavy snow storm
with winds of 35+
mph.
Great Lakes area is
snowbelt
Avg. 37 ½ feet per
year.
Droughts
A long period of
time without rain or
minimum rainfall
Results in crop
failures and reduces
levels of water
storage.
severe cases cause
famine
Floods
Occur when:
river banks can not
hold river water
or the ground
becomes saturated
during a heavy storm.
“Climate”
5 factors that influence climate:
1. Wind currents
2. Ocean currents
3. Latitude
4. Elevation
5. Topography
Wind Currents Convection: distribution of sun heated
atmosphere through the motion of air
2 types of air:
1. Warm air = Low pressure zone
2. Cold air = High pressure zone
Transfer of air from
H L zones creates wind.
Ocean Currents
Like rivers in the ocean: Warm water from the equator to the poles
Cold water from the poles to the equator
Zones of Latitude 3 Zones:
1. Low/Tropical
2. Mid/Temperate
3. High/Polar
Elevation
As altitude
increases the temp.
drops 3.5 degrees
per 1000 ft.
Climates above
12,000 ft. become
like arctic areas.
Topography
Landforms like mountains, affect climate
Rain shadow is an example:
Changes in Climate
Are either due to:
1. Natural Causes 2. Human Activities
El Nino
Warming of ocean
waters off the west
coast of S. America
Pushes warm waters
and heavy rains
toward Americas
~
Greenhouse Effect
Layer of gasses created
by the burning of fossil
fuels, traps heated air in
earth’s atmosphere.
Causes temperatures to
rise
“World Climate Regions”
Generalizations of typical weather
conditions found in certain areas of the
earth
2 biggest factors in determining regions:
1. Temp.
2. Precipitation
12 Types of climate on earth:
1. Tropical Wet:
Little temp. variation, typically hot,
(around 80 degrees)
2. Tropical wet and dry:
Has both a wet (warm) and dry (cold)
seasons
3. Semiarid:
Little precip. about 16 in. per year.
4. Desert:
Categorized by amount of rainfall (lack of
moisture), not landforms
5. Mediterranean:
Dry hot summers, winters cool and rainy
6. Marine west coast:
Cloudy, foggy and damp and located close to
the ocean
7. Humid subtropical:
Summers hot and humid, winters are mild to cool
8. Humid continental:
Great variety in temp. and precipitation.
9. Subarctic:
Huge temp. variation between summer and
winter
10. Tundra:
Flat treeless land almost exclusively in Northern
Hemisphere
Permafrost: soil is constantly frozen
11. Ice Cap:
Snow, ice, permanently frozen temp.
12. Highlands:
Climate varies with lat., elevation, topography
“Soils and Vegetation”
Soil: weathered rock, humus, air, water that
covers the ground
Depth, texture, humus content of soil
determine the type of
vegetation that can be supported
Temp and precipitation
also influence
Vegetation Regions
Ecosystem: Interdependent community of plants and animals
Biome: ecosystem of a region 4 Types of Biomes:
Forest
Grassland
Desert
Tundra
Forestlands
Two Types:
2. Coniferous •Needleleaf
•ie. pine
1. Deciduous • Broadleaf
• ie. cottonwood
The Rain forest is located in the
tropical zone; covered with
broadleaf trees.
Grasslands
Mostly flat dotted with a few trees.
Two types:
1. Savanna 2. Steppe or Praire • Northern Hemisphere
Desert
Characterized by plants that can conserve
water and withstand heat like:
Cactus Sagebrush
Tundra
Characterized by plants that tolerate the cold and dry conditions by hugging the ground like:
Lichen Moss
Human Impact on
Environment
Dams Crops
Summary of 7
sentences: