Chapter 3 – Climate, Environment, and Resources

Section Notes Weather and Climate World Climates Natural Environments Natural Resources

Video Impact of Weather

Images Natural Resources Global Wind Systems Flood Rescuers Rain Shadow Effect Soil Layers Quick Facts

Chapter 3 Visual Summary

Maps Major Ocean Currents World Climate Regions Prevailing Winds Close-up

A Forest Ecosystem

World Almanac World Energy Production

Today

Weather and Climate

The Big Idea

The sun, location, wind, water, and mountains affect weather and climate.

Main Ideas

•  While weather is short term, climate is a region’s average weather over a long period.

•  The amount of sun at a given location is affected by Earth’s tilt, movement, and shape.

•  Wind and water move heat around Earth, affecting how warm or wet a place is.

•  Mountains influence temperature and precipitation.

Weather

Climate

•  The short-term changes in the air for a given place and time •  Temperature and precipitation from hour to hour or day to

day

•  A region’s average weather conditions over a long period •  The expected weather for a place based on data and

experience

Main Idea 1: While weather is short term, climate is a

region’s average weather over a long period.

Main Idea 2: The amount of sun at a given location is

affected by Earth’s tilt, movement, and shape.

Tilt •  The part of the

Earth tilted toward the sun receives more solar energy than the part tilted away from the sun.

Movement •  As Earth revolves

around the sun, the part of Earth that is tilted toward the sun changes during the year, thus creating the seasons.

Shape •  Earth’s spherical

shape means that the sun’s rays directly strike the equator, but only somewhat strike the poles.

•  The farther from the equator, or the higher the latitude, the colder the climate.

Main Idea 3: Wind and water move heat around Earth,

affecting how warm or wet a place is.

•  Air and water warmed by the sun are constantly on the move, making different areas of Earth warmer or cooler.

•  Wind, or the sideways movement of air, blows in great streams around the planet.

•  Prevailing winds are winds that blow in the same direction over large areas of Earth.

Wind

•  Weight of air –  Cold air is heavier than warm air. –  When air cools, it gets heavier and sinks. –  When air warms, it gets lighter and rises. –  As warm air rises, cooler air moves in to take its place, creating

wind.

•  The rising, sinking, and flowing of air creates Earth’s prevailing wind patterns. –  At the equator, hot air rises and flows toward the poles. –  At the poles, cold air sinks and flows toward the equator. –  Earth’s rotation causes prevailing winds to curve east or west.

•  Prevailing winds can make a region warmer or colder and drier or wetter.

Water and Wind

•  Ocean currents—large streams of surface seawater driven by winds—move heat around Earth. –  Carry warm or cool water to different areas –  Water’s temperature affects air temperature near it.

•  Large bodies of water, such as an ocean or sea, also affect climate. –  Water heats and cools more slowly than land does. –  Large bodies of water make the temperature of the land

nearby milder. •  The place where two air masses of different temperatures or

moisture content meet is a front. –  Can produce rain, snow, thunderstorms, and blizzards

Storms

•  Produce rain, lightning, and thunder

•  Most common in spring and summer Thunderstorms

•  Produce strong winds and large amounts of snow

•  Most common during winter Blizzards

•  Small, rapidly twisting funnel of air that touches the ground

•  Can be destructive and deadly Tornadoes

•  Large, rotating storms that form over tropical waters in the Atlantic Ocean (hurricanes) or Pacific Ocean (typhoons).

•  Produce drenching rains, strong winds, and storm surges

•  Largest, most destructive storms

Hurricanes and Typhoons

Main Idea 4: Mountains influence temperature and

precipitation.

•  Mountains can influence an area’s climate by affecting both temperature and precipitation.

•  Temperature decreases with elevation, the height on Earth’s surface above sea level.

•  Mountains also create wet and dry areas. –  Air blowing against mountains is forced to rise. –  As the air rises, it cools and precipitation falls. –  This effect produces a rain shadow, a dry area on the

mountainside facing away from the direction of the wind.

World Climates

The Big Idea

Earth’s five major climate zones are identified by temperature, precipitation, and plant life.

Main Ideas

•  Geographers use temperature, precipitation, and plant life to identify climate zones.

•  Tropical climates are wet and warm, while dry climates receive little or no rain.

•  Temperate climates have the most seasonal change.

•  Polar climates are cold and dry, while highland climates change with elevation.

Main Idea 1: Geographers use temperature, precipitation,

and plant life to identify climate zones.

•  Earth is divided into five general climate zones. –  Tropical—occur near the equator, in low latitudes –  Temperate—occur about halfway between the equator and

the poles, in the middle latitudes –  Polar—occur near the poles, in the high latitudes –  Dry—occurs at many different latitudes –  Highland—occurs at many different latitudes

•  Geographers divide some climate zones into more specific climate regions.

Main Idea 2: Tropical climates are wet and warm, while

dry climates receive little or no rain.

Humid Tropical Climate •  At the equator •  Warm, muggy and rainy year-

round •  Temperatures average 80°F. •  Rainfall ranges from 70 to 450

inches. •  Some areas have monsoons,

seasonal winds that bring either dry or moist air.

•  Can support lush tropical rain forests that host a great diversity of plant and animal life

Tropical Savanna Climate •  North and south away from the

equator •  Long, hot, dry season followed

by short periods of rain •  Temperatures are hot in the

summer, cooler in the winter. •  Can support savannas—areas of

tall grasses and scattered trees and shrubs

Dry Climates

Desert Climate •  Earth’s hottest and driest

climate •  Receive less than 10

inches of rain a year

•  Temperatures can reach as high as 130°F.

• Only very hardy plants and animals can live in these conditions.

Steppe Climate •  Semidry grasslands or

prairies—called steppes • Often border deserts

•  Receive slightly more rain than deserts

•  Short grasses are most common plants, but shrubs and trees grow along streams and rivers.

Main Idea 3: Temperate climates have the most

seasonal change.

Temperate Climates

•  Mild and tend to have four seasons –  Warm or hot summers –  Cool or cold winters

•  Occur in the middle latitudes, the regions halfway between the equator and the poles

Temperate Climates

•  Occurs on west coasts where winds carry moisture in from the seas

•  Mild temperatures year-round

Mediterranean

•  Sunny, pleasant climate occurring mainly in coastal areas

•  Summers hot, dry, and sunny; winters mild and somewhat wet

Marine West Coast

•  Occurs closer to the poles, in the upper-middle latitudes

•  Four distinct seasons

•  Occurs along east coasts near the tropics

•  Summers are hot and muggy; winters are mild

•  Storms occur year-round.

Humid Subtropical

Humid Continental

Main Idea 4: Polar climates are cold and dry, while

highland climates change with elevation. Subarctic Climate

•  Occurs mainly in Northern hemisphere south of Arctic Ocean

•  Winters are long and bitterly cold; summers short and cool

•  Below freezing half the year

Tundra Climate •  Coastal areas along the Arctic

Ocean •  Long, bitterly cold winters •  In some parts is permafrost,

or permanently frozen layers of soil

Ice Cap Climate •  North and South poles •  Temperature lows of more than

-120°F •  Snow and ice remain year-

round, but little precipitation

Highland Climate •  Found on mountains •  Includes polar climates plus

others; several climates in one •  As you go up a mountain,

temperatures drop and plant life grows sparser.