TEST 3 -- GEO 203 -- MACK

climatology

the study of the climate and it’s variability

• analyzes long term weather patterns

• processes that produce earths diverse climates

• and climate change over space and time

Climate greatly influences what

ecosystems

variables that greatly influence climate

air circulation, latitude, earth sun realtion, topography, marine and continental location

climograph

graphically shows monthly temp and precipitation, average annual temp and total annual precipitation

• easy to identify climate by their climogrpah

Tropical Rainforest climate

• constantly warm and human

• small annual temp range

• heavy rain fall

• lush evergreen broad leaf forest

• water surplus

• usually poor soils

mos

most diverse climate

tropical rainforest

characterized by high biodiversity, warm temperatures, and significant rainfall.

Tropical Monsoon

dusting dry season due to shift of ITCS and STH with seasons

• thorn forests in drier regions broad evergreen in wetter

• along coastal regions

• adjacent to tropical forest

Humid subtropical hot summer

moisture all year

influenced by mT air masses

precipitation 40-80 inches a year

greater annual temp range (but not very large)

Maritime west coast climate

mild winters

cool/mild summers

midlat on w coast of continents

mP air masses

lots of trees and other vegetation

unusually mild weather for higher lat thanks to maritime influence

prcipitation is mostly drizzle or snow

seldom heavy rainand a relatively stable temperature range.

Mediterranean climate

• wet winter, dry summer

• drier than most mesothermal

• large scale ag needs irrigation

• natural vegetation

  • drought resistant plants

  • grasses

  • patches of bare ground

    often excellent wine areas

Humid continental mild summer

Frost free period shorter than mesotheral

• 90-150 days

precip less than subtropical

heavy snowfall recharges soil

hot to mild summer

soils a but thinner and less fertile

ag

• dairy

• oultry

• wheat

• sugar beets

• corn

subarctic climates

• short growing season

• thin soils

  • hard to dev in cold

  • glaciers secured soils

• large annual temp range

• mild warm summers

• estremely cold winter

• moist soil

• permafrost

• low precipitation and evaporation

• forests are slow growing

  • spruce

  • fir\

  • birch

ETREME COLD

why are deserts the way they are

subtropical high system

airmass over water cools and holds little moisture then air heats over land ad absorbs what little moisture there is

rain shadows

rain out moisture as air goes over mountain

xerophytic vegetation

drought resistant vegetation with waxy and hard leaves

• adapted to dry conditions

• low transpiration

Hot Low Latitude desert climate

true trop and subtrop deserts

less than 10 in of precipitation

avg annual temp is over 64 degrees f

precip is half or less than natural moisture demand

Cold midlat desert climate

small area of earths surface

cold winter

avg annual precip less than 10 in a year

How low lat steppe climate

precipitation is over half the nat moisture demand

avg annual precipitation varies

• 10-20 inches'

hot summer, mild winter

spare semi airid grasslands

• steppes inasia

• drier prarie NA

Cold Mid Lat steppe climate

poleward of 35 degrees lat

NOT IN S HEM

variable and unrealiable precip

mild summer/colder winter

Climate chage

been happening for 4.5 billion years

the alrgest variable is people

complex and not fully understood

Biomes

geography of plants

• defineable geographic regions

variables that affect geographic dist of plants

• CLIMATE

• soils

• geology

• aspect - local effect

• human behavior

Plants and climate are influenced by: IMPORTANT

• latitude

• altitude

• proximity to oceans

• global atmospheric circulation

Biomass

dry weight of all living organisms in an area

• plants

• animals

• insects

how are biomes classified and mapped

predominant vegetation of that particular env and organisms

vegetations

most visible part of a biome

ecosystem

community of plants, animals, and microorganisms liked by energy and nutrients flow

• come in different sizes

• local scale

• regional scale

Potential natural vegetation

vegetation that would naturally occur with no human life or influence

remember!

maps show distinct booundaries of biomes but in real life there are transition zones between vegetation types

• often occur over hundreds of miles

Forest Biomes

dominated by trees

• net surplus of available moisture

  2 reasons

  • high avg annual precipitation

  • avg temp significantly cool with little exap

tropics to high midlat

tropical rain forest biome

23.5n - 23.5 s

dense biomass

• tremendous species diversity

• tropical rain forest climate zonne

• heavy rainfall

  • 71-158 in

• high avg annual temp

MOST DIVERSE BIOME IN THE WORLD

• broadleaf evergreen trees

• lianas

• epiiphytes

tropical deciduous forest

humid tropical climate

• drier tha RF

• 50-80 inches of precip

  • distinct dry season

• tropical deciduous trees

  • most not evergreen

• tropical scrub vegetaton

• 10-40 ft high

• with limited species diversity raggedy looking

Midlat deciduous forest biome