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29 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Why does climate vary in different parts of the earth |
over long periods of time patterns of global air circulation and ocean currents distribute heat and precipitation unevenly |
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What three major factors determine how air circulates in the lower atmosphere
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1) uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun 2) rotation of earth on its axis 3) properties of air, water, and land |
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prevailing winds |
major surface winds that blow almost continuously and help to distribute heat and moisture over the earth's surface and to drive ocean currents |
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what do ocean currents do |
redistribute heat from the sun, thereby influencing climate and vegetation |
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how do ocean currents flow |
roughly circular patterns between continents: clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere |
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how are ocean and atmosphere linked
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ocean currents are affected by winds in the atmosphere and heat from the ocean affects atmospheric circulation |
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El Nino Southern Oscillation |
large-scale weather phenomenon that occurs every few yearswhen prevailing winds in the tropical Pacific Ocean weaken and change direction. The resulting above average warming of Pacific waters alters the weather over at least two thirds of the earth for one or two years |
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La Nina Northern Oscillation |
cools some coastal surface waters and brings backupwellings |
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rain shadow effect |
Low precipitation on the leeward side of a mountain when prevailing windsflow up and over a high mountain or range of high mountains, creating semiarid and arid conditions on the leeward side of a high mountain range |
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climate of cities in comparison to nearby countryside |
smoggier, with higher temperatures and lower wind speeds |
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biomes |
large terrestrial regions, each characterized by certain types of climate and dominant plant life |
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desert |
low, unevenly scattered precipitation. Little vegetation, clear skies. Cold at night, hot in the day. Lack of vegetation makes deserts vulnerable to sandstorms. slow plant growth, low species diversity, slow nutrient cycling, very little water. |
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tropical desert |
hot and dry most of the year. Few plants and a hard, windblown surface. |
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temperate deserts |
daytime temperatures are high in the summer and low in the winter. Sparse vegetation consisting mostly of widely dispersed, drought-resistant shrubs and cacti |
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cold deserts |
sparse vegetation. Cold winters, summers are warm or hot, precipitation is low. |
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Grasslands |
mostly occur in interiors of continents. Persist due to a combination of seasonal drought, grazing by large herbivores, and occasional fires. |
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savanna |
a type of tropical grassland. Contains widely scattered clumps of trees, which are covered in thorns to keep herbivores away. Usually has warm temperatures year round and alternating wet and dry seasons. Home to grazing (grass eating) and browsing (twig and leaf eating) hoofed animals and their predators. Herds of these grazing and browsing animals migrate to find water and food. Plants are adapted to survive drought and extreme heat |
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Temperate grasslands |
bitterly cold winters, hot and dry summers. sparse/uneven rainfall. Organic matter accumulates to produce a deep, fertile topsoil held in place by a thick network of drought-tolerant grasses' intertwined roots. many have been converted into farmland. |
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prairie |
type of temperate grassland. wind blows almost continuously and evaporation is rapid, often leading to fires in the summer and fall. These fires and winds help maintain the grasslands by hindering tree growth and adding ash to the soil. Can be short-grass or tall-grass. |
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cold grasslands/ arctic tundra |
lie south of the arctic polar ice cap. treeless, bitterly cold, swept by frigid winds, covered with ice and snow. Winters are long with short days. Under the snow carpeted by a thick mat of low-growing plants (grasses, mosses, lichens, dwarf shrubs). during seven to eight week summer sun always shines. contains permafrost, which during the summer keeps melted snow and ice from draining into the ground. This melted snow creates shallow ponds which attract mosquitoes etc. animals survive through adaptations such as thick coats and feathers, as well as living under ground. |
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alpine tundra |
occurs above the limited tree growth but below the permanent snow line on high mountains. receive more sunlight than arctic tundra. during the summer grow wildflowers. |
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temperate shrubland/chaparral |
occur in coastal regions that border deserts. consist mostly of dense growths of low-growing evergreen shrubs and small trees. during summer season vegetation becomes very dry and highly flammable |
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forests |
lands dominated by trees. contain a variety of wildlife |
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tropical rain forests |
found near the equator. year round, uniformly warm temperatures, high humidity, almost daily heavy rainfall. Fairly consistent warm and wet climate is ideal for a wide variety of plants and animals. Dominated by broadleaf evergreen plants, which keep most of their leaves year-round. Tree tops form a dense canopy that blocks most light from reaching the forest floor, and as a result there is little vegetation on the forest floor. Some trees have vines (lianas). very high net productivity. contain at least half earth's known terrestrial plants and animals. high biodiversity enabled by a variety of specialized niches in distinct layers. dropped leaves, trees, and animals decompose quickly due to warm, moist conditions and hordes of decomposers. Scarce soil nutrients due to this rapid recycling and the rainfall that washes the nutrients from the think topsoil |
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jungle |
thickest and most dense parts of tropical rainforest |
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temperate deciduous forests |
moderate average temperatures that change significantly with the seasons. dominated by a few species of broadleaf deciduous trees that survive the winter by dropping their leaves in the fall and becoming dormant in the winter. grow new leaves in spring that change color before falling off again, etc. slower rate of decomposition, that allows them to accumulate a thick layer of slowly decaying leaf litter and nutrients. has been disturbed by human activity more than any other terrestrial biome |
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evergreen coniferous forests/boreal forests/taigas |
cold forests found south of the arctic tundra. subarctic climate where winters are long, dry, extremely cold. Most are dominated by a few species of coniferous evergreen trees with small, needle-shaped, wax-coated leaves that can withstand the intense cold and drought. low plant diversity. slow decomposition due to low temperatures, waxy coating on needles, highly acidic soil that makes for thin, nutrient poor topsoil. contain a variety of wildlife |
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coastal coniferous forests/temperate rain forests |
found in scattered coastal temperate areas with ample rainfall or moisture from dense ocean fogs |
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why mountains play important ecological role |
contain majority of world's forests, often habitats for endemic species found nowhere else on earth, sanctuaries for animal species that migrate to higher altitudes as they are driven away from their former lands by human activities, critical role in hydrologic cycle as they serve as major storehouses of water |
