Ecology lecture 2

climate

deserts show up at

30 degree north and south band

pumpkin toads have semi circular canals the fluid doesn’t move around so it

has a hard time telling where he is in space

physical factors that generate climate

temperature, precipitation, and light

What drives the global climate 

sunlight, movement, atmospheric and ocean circulation

Tilt on the axis is the reason why 

we have differences in daylight 

in winter the earth is tilted

away from the sun

sunlight is more intense at

tropical latitudes

there is intense solar energy at the

less curved

there is less intense solar energy at 

more curved areas 

when the sunlight hits the land it heats is up and the air rise, as it rises it starts to

cool off

when moistured air cools off then

condensation occurs

air moving upward at the equator creates

inter tropical convergence zone

inter tropical convergence zone 

a region near the equator where trade winds from the Northern(low) and Southern (high) Hemispheres converge, leading to frequent thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.

as air rises the air becomes denser it hits the top of the tropic sphere and then

falls down

around 30 degrees north and south

The air is like a sponge

At 30 degrees down it becomes a

dessert

Hadley cells

circulation (like a tube)

prevailing winds blow on the surface

wind from the Hadley cells is deflected from east to west

winds deflect from east to west because of the 

coriolis effect 

coriolis effect

the apparent deflection of moving objects caused by the rotation of the Earth, influencing wind and ocean currents.

if the earth was a static entity the wind would

go in the same direction

since the earth rotates wind

is deflected due to the Coriolis effect.

Fasted moving part of the earth is 

0 degrees 

Slowest moving part of the earth is

up north

Trajectory of wind because the earth is spinning 

deflected from east to west due to the slower moving part of the eart(north) to the faster (equator )

trade winds move

east to west in the equator

Under the equator the wind is

Deflected in the other direction

generation of trade winds and why it happens

Trade winds are created due to the Coriolis effect and the difference in heating between the equator and the poles, resulting in predictable easterly winds in the tropics.

Winds and coriolis effect interact with 

water w

Water circulation is due to

winds and coriolis effect

regional climate

patterns influenced by geographical features such as mountains and bodies of water, affecting temperature and precipitation.

regional climate modification

land masses, mountain ranges

mountain ranges

deflect winds, produce rain gradients,ocean

as the air rises over the mountain top it begins to cool on the 

windward side of the mountain 

the air then dries and becomes warmer on the

leeward side

A dessert not a t 30 degrees north or sought might be because there’s a

mountain range and there on the leeward side

The ocean

moderates temperature and rainfall

the warm gulf creates

moisture warm air

Gainesville should be a desert at 29.6 latitude but since we’re next to the _____ we are not 

gulf 

microclimate

very local scale

global climate change

long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place.

climate versus weather

climate is weather over long periods of time

climate is how the atmosphere behaves over a 

relatively long period of time 

Why is climate getting warmer

depletion of the ozone layer, increase greenhouse gasses

greenhouse gasses

methane, co2, o2,n20, cfcs, o3,water vapor

what is a green house gas

a gas that absorbs and emits infrared heat, but not radiation in or neat the visible spectrum

If green house gasses were gone

the Earth's temperature would significantly drop, leading to a cooler climate and harmful effects on ecosystems.

The greenhouse effect

higher concentration of greenhouse gasses, trapping heat

top emitters of greenhouse gases

USA, china

top greenhouse emitter per capita

USA

we’ve raised average temp by

1.1-1.2 degrees Celsius

greenhouse effect causes

increase in extreme weather, temperature, ocean acidity, summer sea ice, atmosphere over the ocean, coral bleaching

melting of the sea ice 

makes us darker but also makes the earth absorb more heat