Chap 6 Global Climate Change

Climatology

study of climate

Isolation

how much energy is coming into atmosphere

• climate component 1/5

Temperature

how much energy is sticking in the atmosphere

• climate component 3/5

Pressure

how much H20 is getting condensed in atmosphere - air rising, sinking and in between

• climate component 4/5

Precipitation

How much water is falling back out of atmosphere

• climate componente 5/5

Tropical

always warm

• major climate classes 1/5

mesothermal

midlatitude, mild winters

• 2/5 major climate classes

Microthermal

midlatitude, severe winter

• 3/5 major climate classes

polar & highland

always cold

• 4/5

dry

POTET (sucks more air then H2O) > precipitation

• 5/5 major climate classes

microthermal

Rockford’s climate class

• hot, humid, continental (cold winters, hot summers)

Tundra

polar climate that thaws out at least one month out of year

• allows ground-hugging vascular plants to grow

Ice Caps

never does thaw out

• vascular plants can’t grow

deserts

dries of dry climates

• no grass growing

steppes

dry grassland that surrounds deserts

high pressure, rain shadow, far from ocean, next to cold ocean current

factors that contribute to producing a dry climate

colder

temperature

• characteristic of highland climates

wetter

precipitation

• rainforest/rain shadow effects

• characteristic of highland climates

stronger & more variable

winds are __

• characteristic of highland climates

insulation (highland climates)

this depends on slope aspect

• compass direction that the slope is facing

• characteristic of highland climates

tropical rain forest

wet all the time

tropical monsoon climate

wet half the time

tropical savanna

dry most of the time

• tropical grassland

humid subtropical

climates are on eastern (warm ocean current) side of midlatitude continent

marine west coast

climates are on the west coast (cold ocean current) side of midlatitude continents

mediterranean

climates are also cool west coast but are different bc they are the one climate that has dry season in summer