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Earth's Climate: Factors, Classification, and Biomes

Explore the factors that determine Earth's climate, including temperature, precipitation, wind, ocean currents, and proximity to oceans. Learn about climate classification and the different biomes found around the world.

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Earth's Climate: Factors, Classification, and Biomes

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  1. Chapter 14 Earth’s Climate

  2. Lesson 1 What is Climate?

  3. Think About It… What is the climate like here in Winston Salem?

  4. Focus Question… What factors determine the climate of an area?

  5. A. Climate Basics… • What is climatology? • the study of Earth’s climate and the factors that affect it • What is climate? • long-term weather patterns of an area What are three main factors that climate describes about an area? • Temperature • Precipitation • Wind

  6. Weather or Climate? 3. Weather or Climate? a. It’s rainy and warm today. • weather b. Winston Salem has 4 seasons with a moderate amount of rain and wind. • climate Weather – Cloudy with a chance of meatballs! http://www.allmoviephoto.com/takeoverAd.html?http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2009_cloudy_with_a_chance_of_meatballs_013.html

  7. Factors That Affect Climate… Latitude http://www.brockmann-consult.de/iavisa-info-web/data-set-generation.html

  8. Factors That Affect Climate… Topographical Effects http://www.sonoma.edu/users/f/freidel/global/figure%2002-20.jpg

  9. Factors That Affect Climate… Air Masses A tropical island in the Atlantic Ocean has a maritime tropical climate (warm and humid) because it’s climate is controlled by the mT air mass. http://www.atmos.illinois.edu/earths_atmosphere/images/airmasses_fronts/air_masses.gif http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/bahamas-guide/

  10. Ocean Currents Determine Climate… Write notes on Lesson! a. Currents affect climate… • East coasts have warm currents. (The Gulf Stream causes our climate to be humid subtropical.) • West coasts have cold currents. (The California current from the Bering Sea causes California to have a Mediterranean climate that is cool and dry.)

  11. Proximity to Oceans… http://earth.usc.edu/~stott/Catalina/images/Oceanography/surface%20currents.jpg

  12. Ocean Currents Determine Climate… Write notes on Lesson! b. Coastal climates are more temperate than continental (interior) climates… • Differential heating of water and land means that oceans take longer than continents to… • cool down after summer (Remember how long hurricane season lasts? Until November 30th!) • warm up after winter • Oceans act as air conditioning in summer and heaters in the winter. • Our coastal communities – such as the Outer Banks or Wilmington are cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

  13. Lesson 2 Climate Classification and Biomes

  14. Focus Question… How are Earth’s climates classified?

  15. Climate Classification… The Koeppen Classification Scale

  16. http://theweatherchannelkids.com/climate-code/be-eco-friendly-for-the-animals/tropical-climate/http://theweatherchannelkids.com/climate-code/be-eco-friendly-for-the-animals/tropical-climate/ Climate Classification… • Tropical • Constant high temperatures • Up to 600 cm of rain • Dramatic vegetation and high biodiversity http://accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID=798501

  17. Climate Classification… • Dry (arid or semi-arid) • cT air dominates • Low precipitation • Vegetation is scarce http://accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID=798501

  18. Climate Classification… 3. Humid subtropical • The North Atlantic (Gulf Stream) • Marine West Coast • Mediterranean http://www.solcomhouse.com/gulfstream.htm

  19. Climate Classification… 4. Northern • Clashing tropical and polar air masses • Rapid, violent changes in weather • Summer and winter temps can be extreme http://accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID=798501

  20. Climate Classification… • Subarctic and Tundra • Subarctic is a subclass of continental climates • Tundra is a subclass of polar climates http://accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID=798501

  21. Climate Classification… • Greenland and Antarctica • These are constantly cold • Cold air holds less moisture than warm air so precipitation is generally low. http://accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID=798501

  22. http://www.squidoo.com/machupicchuruins?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebusterhttp://www.squidoo.com/machupicchuruins?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster Microclimates… 1. What is a microclimate? • A localized climate that differs from the main regional climate • The microclimate of a very high mountain is classified as “high elevation.” • These microclimates are called uplands and highlands. A Llama in at Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains

  23. Heat Islands… 2. What is a heat island? • a place in which the climate is warmer than the area around it – lots of buildings and little vegetation. Where would you expect to find heat islands in the Piedmont? • Greensboro, Winston- Salem, Raleigh http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_is_the_urban_heat_island.htm

  24. Biomes… Biomes are large geographic regions which have similar climate; and plants and animals with similar adaptations.

  25. http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/images/polar_bear_sm.jpghttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/images/polar_bear_sm.jpg http://sasd.k12.pa.us/uploadedImages/ShalerAreaMS/Staff/GuidishD/tundra.jpg Biomes…Tundra (Polar Zone) The Tundra • Climate… • Average temperature - constantly low • low precipitation (cold air/ no convection) • Very long winters! • Vegetation… • grasses (shallow roots) • Animals… • Polar bears (big and fat!) • Air Masses – cP and A • Soil – permanently frozen

  26. Biomes…Taiga • Climate… • Avg temperatures - low most of the year • Avg precipitation - little – mostly snow! • long winters • Vegetation… • evergreen trees (needle like leaves conserve water) • Animals… • grizzly bears, elk, moose (hibernate/migrate) • Air Masses – cP and A • Soil – supports trees

  27. US! Biomes – Deciduous Forests • Climate… • Average temperatures - warm, humid summers/ dry, cool winters • Average precip – moderate • 4 seasons • Vegetation… • seasonal forests – drop leaves to conserve water • Animals… • black bears, foxes, deer • Air Masses – maritime and continental • Soil – rich and thick http://www.solcomhouse.com/gulfstream.htm

  28. Biomes… Deserts • Climate … • Average temps - usually high/ can be cold at night • Average precipitation -extremely low • Semi-arid have rainy seasons • Vegetation… • cactus - stores water • Animals… • coyote, javelina, mountain lions – active at night • Air Mass – cT • Soil – light-colored, salty, thin due to lack of water Monument Valley, Utah http://www.formalaffair.us/static/.2011/gallery/desert_14.jpg

  29. Biomes…Grasslands • Climate… • Average temperatures - Summer and winter temps can be extreme! • Average precipitation…low to moderate • 4 seasons (temperate) • Vegetation… • grasses dominate – thrive on fire • Animals… bison, wolves, prairie dogs (grazers) • Air Masses – mT and cP • Soil – temperate grasslands can be very rich (grainbelts) Tropical Grasslands - Savannahs Temperate Grasslands - North Dakota in the winter!

  30. Biomes…Rainforests • Climate … • Average temperatures - constantly high • Average precipitation - high (600 cm/yr) • Vegetation… • rain forest – large leaves to capture sunlight • Animals… • jaguar, tapirs, primates – many live in trees • Air Mass – mT • Soil – intensely weathered

  31. Lesson 3 Climate Changes

  32. Think About It… What causes the seasons?

  33. Focus Question… What factors can change Earth’s climate?

  34. Ice Ages… • What is an ice age? • periods of extensive glacial coverage • An interglacial interval is a warm period. • We are currently in an interglacial period. • Earth’s climate should warm up during an interglacial period!

  35. Ice Ages… Global temperatures were about 5 degrees Celsius lower than normal. http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/images/LastIceAgeMap.gif

  36. Seasons… • What causes the seasons? • the tilt of the Earth as it orbits the sun – We are tilted towards the sun during our summer and away from the sun during our winter. http://kennedy-outerspace.wikispaces.com/file/view/seasons.gif/168395377/seasons.gif

  37. http://www.galapagosonline.com/Galapagos_Natural_History/Oceanography/Currents.htmlhttp://www.galapagosonline.com/Galapagos_Natural_History/Oceanography/Currents.html El Niño • What is El Niño? • the warming of a current that is usually cold; • occurs along the S. American coast every 2-7 years During El Niño… • California and the Gulf Coast can experience severe weather due to a southern shift in the jet stream. • There are fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic. Recent Major El Niño Years – 1982 and 1998

  38. El Niño – Currents Affected…

  39. Change Can Be Natural… 1. What type of studies provide evidence of past climatic changes? (Before thermometers, that is!) • tree rings • ice-core samples • fossils & pollen samples • radio-carbon samples Dendrochronology is the study of tree rings. http://titlemn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/tree-rings1.jpg

  40. Natural Variations in Climate… 2. Five natural variations that can lead to changes in Earth’s climate include… • Solar activity (sunspots) • Change in Earth’s orbit (more elliptical) • Change in Earth’s Axis Angle (nutation) • Earth’s wobble (precession) • Volcanic activity We will look at each one separately…

  41. Solar Activity… 2a. Fewer sunspots decrease Earth’s temperatures. http://www.global-warming-and-the-climate.com/images/sunspot-lenght-&-teperature.gif

  42. Earth’s Orbit… 2b. When Earth’s orbit elongates to become more elliptical, it passes closer to the sun and temperatures rise! http://grendelreport.posterous.com/ipcc-corruption-included-ignoring-facts-and-s

  43. http://www.cgrer.uiowa.edu/people/carmichael/atmos_course/ATMOS_PROJ_99/bilskemp/natural_variability.htmlhttp://www.cgrer.uiowa.edu/people/carmichael/atmos_course/ATMOS_PROJ_99/bilskemp/natural_variability.html Earth’s Tilt… 2c. If the angle of the tilt of Earth’s axis increased (nutation) there would be more temperature contrast between summer and winter.

  44. Earth’s Wobble (precession)… 2d. If Earth were to wobble towards the star Vega, winters will be colder in the N. hemisphere. http://www.shiftoftheage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/precession-earth-spintop.jpg

  45. Volcanoes… 2e. Large volcanic eruptions tend to… • cool the Earth. • This cooling is due to volcanic ash and dust blocking out solar radiation. Tambora, 1815

  46. Lesson 4 Climate Change: Manmade or Natural? You Decide!

  47. Think About It… What causes climate change?

  48. Focus Question… Are people causing climate change?

  49. One Major Issue The issue of climate change is probably one of the most important of our day. No scientist questions that we have experienced warming and cooling lately. The question is the cause of the warming – is it caused by people releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere or by natural forces such as the sun and water vapor? There are two main groups of scientists – those who believe that climate change is manmade and those who believe that climate change is natural.

  50. Manmade Climate Change …Who’s On This Side? 1. United Nations IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) 2. Al Gore (Former Vice President) 3. James Hansen (NASA)

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