Climate and Biomes

Hadley Cell

At the equator, the sun’s energy is hitting the equator first, so air is also heated. Hot air rises and cold air sinks. Tropical air goes up, loses moisture then comes down as rain; circles back around as dry air

Polar Cells

On each pole, the power to drive those major currents are from cold air descending and then it slowly warms up and moves up; Cold air goes down, slowly warmed up

Ferrel Cell

Roughly 30° to 60° latitude; Powered by the Hadley and Polar Cell

Intertropical Convergent Zone

Where the Hadley Cell comes down; most of the water comes down at the equator. Tropics are wet and dry. Water gives up its heat more slowly than land, so it takes more energy to warm up.

Thermohaline Circulation

Cold water from the deep ocean gets shuttle up; movement of deeper water results in higher nutrient levels

Walker Current

A part of Thermohaline Circulation, big ocean current is super cold

El Nino

Weaker winds result in weaker pushing of the ocean current, forcing less of the nutrient-rich colder waters up; average temperature of the waters stays higher

Upwelling

The effect of cold water coming up

Biomes

Distinct habitat types determined by climate and soil; Climate + Soil Type = Biome

Biogeographical Realms

Large spatial regions, geographically isolated and serve as barriers to gene flow

Rainforests

Close to the equator, lots of rain, precipitation changes rather than temperature change

• Nutrients in soil gets washed away in the rain; no nutrients in the soil

Buttress Roots

Roots to support the enormous structure of trees competing for light

Tropical Lianas (Vines)

25% of the biomass in the tropics are actually vines; can climb up on other trees and gets access to sunlight

Tropical Deciduous Forest

Deciduous = dropping their leaves every year; never freezes: dry season and wet season; intertropical Convergence Zone comes over them

Warm Deserts

Wet winters, not completely dry; some rainfall

Mediterranean Climate

Drought-tolerant, very dry; plants grow quickly after fires

Continental Climates

Getting so far away from the oceans, so it barely affects the climate; higher temperature changes

Ex. Prairies - soil is very nutritious

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Trees that drop their leaves in the wintertime due to seasonality

Rainshadow

Side of the mountain with no moisture

Adiabatic Cooling

Atmosphere current hits a mountain, it’s warm and has a lot of water in it, then it’s pushed up higher and higher to cooler air. Once it gets to the dew point (where relative humidity is at 100%), then it loses moisture