The climate and vegetation

1. The climate and vegetation Chapter 11: Section 2—Europe

2. Standards and Objectives Standards • H.S. 14 – Create and use maps, technology, imager, and other geographical representations to extrapolate and interpret geographic data. • HS63. Engage in informed and respectful deliberation and discussion of issues, events, and ideas • HS4. Investigate the historical development and impact of major scientific and technological Objectives • Compare and contrast the climate of Europe with that of the Oregon coast. • Analyze and compare the vegetation of Europe with that of the Oregon coast. • Interpret a variety of maps and graphs related to Europe’s climate and vegetation. • Examine a current scientific article about modern advances in the understanding of climate.

3. Bell Work: Pages 230-235 1. Define: chaparral Mediterranean climate area of shrubs and short trees 2. In which country is the Black Forest located? Germany 3. What type of climate is found in northwestern Europe? Marine West Coast 4. How has human interaction affected the forests in Europe? Cut trees down for agriculture and industry; pollution kills trees

4. Europe’s Climate Regions • Climate is closely linked to northern latitude and proximity to large bodies of water Question: Between what two lines of latitude are most of Europe and the northwest coast of the United States? Near what two large bodies of water are the northwest coasts of Europe and the U.S. located? What factors of climate might be affected by these characteristics: Therefore….

5. Europe’s Climate Regions • Most of the continent has a mild climate • Cities with the same latitude, like Winnipeg, Canada, are colder in winter and warmer in summer • This is because Europe is a peninsula surrounded by water; water retains and releases heat much more slowly than land

6. Europe’s Climate Regions • Major Climate Regions • Mostly Marine West Coast • Year-round moderate temperatures • 20-40 inches of precipitation per year • Caused by winds that blow from the Atlantic

7. Europe’s Climate Regions • The Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift are currents that bring warm water from the equatorial regions • The warm water heats the air above it and prevailing westerly winds blow that warm air over Europe • Even Norway has ice-free ports in winter Tromso, Norway, 350 miles north of Arctic Circle

8. Europe’s Climate Regions • Southern Europe has mostly a Mediterranean climate • Hot dry summers, mild rainy winters • Alps block moist Atlantic winds • In winter winds bring precipitation from the Mediterranean Los Angeles and Athens at about the same latitude, shortest air route. Question: Since they are on the same latitude, why not just follow that line with the plane?

9. Europe’s Climate Regions • Siroccos, hot winds from North African deserts, bring dry desert air and dust to Spain, France, and Italy • Mistrals, cold Alpine winds, carry cold air to southern France

10. Bell Work: Page 237, Locating Places • Directions • Use a separate sheet of paper • Number it 18 • Title it: Locating Places in Europe • Number 1-10 • Match the letter of each place to the location. Write the letter and the name. Answers B—British Isles G—Rhine River I—Sicily D—Apennine Mountains J—Danube River F—Mediterranean Sea C—Scandinavian Peninsula H—Crete A—Iberian Peninsula E—Balkan Peninsula

11. Europe’s Climate Regions • North European Plains area has a humid continental climate • Greater differences in winter and summer temperatures because too far inland from ocean winds • Hot summers, very cold winters • Question: NYC is next to the ocean. Why do you think it such a harsh climate compared to London?

12. Europe’s Climate Regions • Other Climates • Northern Italy has humid subtropical • Some areas in Spain have steppe (semi-arid) • Parts of Iceland and Scandinavia have subarctic and tundra climates: extremely cold winters and short, cool summers; these areas are permafrost A bustard on the Spanish steppe

13. Europe’s Climate Regions • Alps have a highland (mountain) climate with cooler temperatures and more precipitation • Dry winds called foehns blow down from the mountains • Can cause avalanches Swiss dry snow avalanche with powder cloud

14. Europe’s Climate Regions 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Avalanches Rock Avalanches on Mt. Rainier, Washington

15. Europe’s Vegetation • Focus on Geographic Themes—P. 232 • What areas of Europe have coniferous forests? • Sweden, Finland, Alps area, part of Poland • What vegetation area includes the British Isles, France and Germany? • Deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests • Where in Europe does chaparral vegetation thrive? • Portugal, Spain and along the Mediterranean • Where are Europe’s grassland areas located? • North European Plains

16. Europe’s Vegetation • Natural Vegetation Patterns • Vegetation areas generally match climate areas • Marine West Coast climate areas tend to have deciduous forests • What are deciduous trees? Trees that lose their leaves, like ash, elm, oak, maple Elm Tree

17. Europe’s Vegetation • Coniferous trees (trees with needles) are found in northern Europe and mountain areas—these include fir, pine and spruce • Name U.S. states that have Douglas • fir trees. What climate areas do • these states have in common? • Nnnnnnnnnnnnn Compare this to the areas of • Europe containing coniferous • forest.

18. Europe’s Vegetation • Mediterranean climates include broad-leafed evergreens, like olive trees • They do not lose their leaves in winter • Leaves have a waxy coat that helps retain water

19. Europe’s Vegetation • Grasslands make up the Northern European Plain; places with more rain have longer grasses and places with less rain have shorter grasses, like the Hungarian Basin • Dry Mediterranean areas have chaparral, or shrubs and short trees • The tundra of the Arctic region supports wild flowers, mosses and lichen in the summer

20. Europe’s Vegetation • Human Interaction • Cut down most of the trees to clear space for agriculture and to fuel industry • Some countries, like Germany in the Black Forest, regulate logging and require replanting • Unregulated air pollution from industry has ruined forests and other vegetation

21. Graph Study: Comparing Climate Regions Paris, France Directions: Line graph the average high (F), average low (F), precipitation (inches), average precipitation days, average sunshine days. What type of climate is this?

22. Capstone Project: Current Events Logging Read the articles on logging in Europe and logging in Oregon. Answer the questions relating to both articles.

23. Bibliography • Slide 1: Picto Pin—Discover Pictures to Pin • Slide 4: Stone, Greg; Prime Time; “Making Free Custom Charts for Your Night Sky;” August 18, 2009 • Slide 5: Morten; The Community Works: Creating OGC Conformance Test Map; “Straight Lines on a Sphere;” 2008. • Slide 6: Pidwirny, Michael; The Encyclopedia of Earth; “Weather and Climate;” January 12, 2011. • Slide 7: Visit Norway; Norway Tourist Site; 2008-2014.

24. Bibliography • Slide 8: TimeandDate.com; Distance from Athens to Los Angeles. • Slide 9: Wikipedia Encyclopedia; Sirocco; February 14, 2014. • Slide 9: Arrow used courtesy ofWikipedia Commons. • Slide 10: Wikipedia Encyclopedia; Climate of Missouri; 2007.

25. Bibliography • Slide 11: Munoz, Juan Carlos, photographer; WildWonders.com; March 31, 2005. • Slide 12: Wikipedia Encyclopedia; Avalanche; February 20, 2014. • Slide 13: Doughton, Sandi; Huge Rock Avalanches Rumble Down Mt. Rainier; Seattle Times; June 28, 2011 • Slide 15: Wikipedia Encyclopedia; Elm Tree; February 22, 2014.

26. Bibliography • Slide 16: Wikipedia Encyclopedia; Douglas Fir; February 15, 2014. • Slide 17: Wikipedia Encyclopedia; Olive Tree; March 3, 2014. • Slide 18: Tundra • Slide 19: Lonely Planet • Slide 20: Paris Weather Data; Future City Lab