Climate and biomes

climate

the typical atmospheric conditions that occur throughout the year, measured over many years

weather

the variation in temperature and precipitation over periods of hours or days

earth’s energy budget

the ratio of incoming and outgoing radiation

what kind of energy drives Earth’s climate

incoming ultraviolet, visible and infrared energy (shortwave radiation)

Visible light and UV light coming in goes back out as what in earths energy balance

reflected light (during daytime)

infrared radiation (heat) coming in goes out as what in earth’s energy budget

radiated heat (day- and nighttime)

how is some solar radiation reflected back into outer space?

by gases in our atmosphere and by earths surface

the solar radiation that is reflected back to outer space is in what for

light

how is some solar radiation absorbed

by gases in our atmosphere, as heat

how is most solar radiation absorbed

as heat, by Earth’s surface

earth re-radiates heat, which goes where?

some of the heat escapes the gasses in our atmosphere and goes into outer space

what happens to most re-radiagted solar radiation

re-absorbed (as heat) by Earth’s surface

how do greenhouse hasses contribute to this phenomenon

heat gets trapped by greenhouse gases and causes the heat to be redirected back toward the Earth’s surface

what are greenhouse gases (GHGs)

molecules in Earth’s atmosphere that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation (heat).

t/f: the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere has large impacts on Earth’s climate

true

what percentage of gasses in the atmosphere are NOT GHGs

99%

what three factors affect solar radiation received at different latitudes

• the distance that sunlight must travel through Earth’s atmosphere

• the angle at which sunlight lights the Earth

• the reflectivity of the Earth’s surface

how does the distance the sunlight must travel through earth’s atmosphere affect solar radiation received at different latitudes

shorter distance at equator causes less solar energy reflected by atmosphere

how does the angle at which sunlight hits earth affect solar radiation received at different latitudes

solar energy is spread over smaller area at equator (more concentrated)

how does the reflectivity of the earth’s surface affect solar radiation received at different latitudes

low albedo of dark forests at equator absorb more solar energy than ice at poles

t/f: earth’s tilt causes seasonal temperatures

true

when will the northern hemisphere receive more sunlight

between March 20 and September 22

when will the souther hemisphere receive more sunlight

between September 24 and march 18

when is march equinox

3/19

when is September equinox

9/23

can warm air or cool air hold more water vapor?

warm air

during march and September, where is precipitation most concentrated

over the equator

where is precipitation most concentrated in January

south of the equator

where is precipitation concentrated during June

north of the equator

what is the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ)

the region that receives high levels of sunlight and rainfall

when is the ITCZ around the equator

in march and september

when is the ITCZ north of the equator

June

when is the ITCZ south of the equator

in December

what is a biome

a large community characterized by its climate and unique assemblage of plants and animals

what biome type is near the equator

tropical rainforests

what biome type is in the subtropics

deserts and tropical grasslands (savannas

what biome type is in the mid-latitudes (30° to 60°)

temperate forests and grasslands

what biome type is at high latitudes (60° to 70°)

taiga and tundra

what is taiga

cold forest

what is tundra

treeless, frozen soil

how are Hadley cells made

• the sun heats the moist tropical air, causing it to rise

• the rising air begins to cool, which causes water vapor to condense into rain and fall back to earth

• after rising more than 10km into the atmosphere, the now cool, dry air circulates back to earth at approximately 30°N and 30°S latitudes

• the cool dry air sinks and begins to warm. it reaches earth’s surface as warm, dry air and flows back toward the equator

how do Hadley cells explain why deserts are located at about 30°N and S

since the air and moisture being circulated in the Hadley cells curves towards the ITCZ ends at 30°N and S, the dry hot air is located at these latitudes

t/f:the ITCZ location changes throughout the year

true

what kind of precipitation patterns are seen between 0° and 23.5°N or S

wet and dry seasons, rather than fall/winter/summer/spring

what does it mean when the precipitation line is above the temperature line on a climate diagram

plant growth is limited by temperature

what does the green shaded region indicate

the growing season, when temperatures are above 0°C

what does it mean when the precipitation line is below the temperature line

plant growth is limited by precipitation

what biome does this chart represent

tundra

what biome does this graph represent and where is it located

tropical rainforest; near the equator

what is the climate like in tundra

a very cold desert', limited solar radiation and rainfall 6-10'“ per year (most precipitation is snow, unusable to plants), permafrost

how much is carbon is stored in the tundra

twice as much than the whole atmosphere

what is permafrost

frozen layer of subsoil

what is the climate like in the tropical rainforest

hot and lots of rain

what kind of nutrient and energy cycles are in the tropical rainforest

hi-speed, with plenty of water and light (there is a race for light)

what biome has the highest species diversity of plants and animals

tropical rainforest

what biome does this graph represent and where is it located

tropical savanna and between 10-20°N and S

what is the climate of the tropical savanna

warm-climate grassland, scattered trees with wet and dry seasons

other characteristics of the tropical savanna

woodlands/forests when wetter and grazers, rangelands: wild lands used for livestock production

where is the desert typically located

30°N or S

what is the climate of the desert

low rainfall (,25 cm of rain)

plants and animals have what to deal with extreme climate of the desert

adaptations