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Equator
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Hottest area
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Poles
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Coolest Area
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At the equator,
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the sun rays hit the Earth at the 90 degrees
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Latitude is the most important factor
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High pressure = cool air
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Low pressure = warm
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Difference in pressure makes wind
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Doldrums
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air rises&cool:lots of precipitation
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Subtropical Highs
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little precipitation
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45 to 60
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greater precipitation
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Subpolar Lows
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precipitation is low
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Specific heat
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energy needed to change the temperature of 1g of a substance by 1 degrees Celsius
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land heats up faster than ocean
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land heats up more than ocean(hotter)
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ENSO
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El Nino or El Nina
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El Nino - every 3-10 years
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warm-water phase, moist America, and dry Asia
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temperature differences between land and ocean causes...
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the winds to shift seasonally
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Monsoon
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Summer: wind moves toward land Winter: Wind moves toward water
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Temperature decreases as elevation increases
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Rain Shadows
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when air mass meets mountain, air mass rises (cools and dry) and falls back down (warm and dry)
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Foehn
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rain shadows of the Alps
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Chinook
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Rain shadows of the Rocky Mountains
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Climate
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average weather condition in are over long period of time
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Daily average
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(high + low)/2
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Monthly average
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(∑daily averages)/#of days
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Yearly average
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average the monthly averages
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However, yearly temperature range is better
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Tropical Climates
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Climate
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Temp/Precipitation
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Describe
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Rainforest
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small temp range; annual 200cm
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lush vegetation with broadlp
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Desert
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large temp range; annual 25cm; no sibling
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no vegetation
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Savanna
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small temp range; annual 50cm; alternative wet/dry
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open grassland with drought-uk
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Savanna
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small temp range; annual 50cm; alternative wet/dry
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open grassland with drought-uk
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Middle Latitude
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low tmep range; frequent rain
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deciduous trees; forests
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Marine West Coast
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low tmep range; frequent rain
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deciduous trees; forests
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Steppe
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large temp range; annual 40cm
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drought-resistant vegetation and ome
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continental
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large temp range;<75cm
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evergreen teas
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subtropical
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large temp range; annual is 75-165cm.
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broadleaf and evergreen trees
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Mediterranean
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low temp range; annual 40cm
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broadleaf and evergreen; long summers
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Polar
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large temp range(63C);annual 25-50cm
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Evergreen Trees, brief, cool summers, long winters
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Subartic
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large temp range(63C);annual 25-50cm
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Evergreen Trees, brief, cool summers, long winters
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Tundra
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average temp is below 4C; annual 25cm
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treeless plains; 9 months of temp below freezing
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Polar Icecaps
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average temp is 0C; low annual
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little or no llife; temp is going to stay as below freezing.
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Microclimate
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climate of a small area
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vegetation, elevation, proximity to water
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Local Climates: Elevation
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elevation increase, temperature decreases
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Highland
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Cities in the mountains or tropical areas
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higher precipitation
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Local Climates: Water
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precipitation, smaller temp range
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higher precipitation
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Method
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Measured
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Indicated
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time
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ice cores
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concentration of gases in ice and meltwater
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CO2 indicate warm climate; ice ages follow decrease in CO2
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hundreds of thousands of years
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sea-floor sediment
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concentration of 18O shells of micro organisms
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High levels of 18O=cool water; less 18O = warm water
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hundreds of thousands of years
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Fossils
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pollen type, leaf shape, animal body adaptations
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flower pollens&broad=; pollens&waxy = ; animal fossils show changes to climate change
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millions of years
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Tree rings
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ring width
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thin = cool weather and less precipitation
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hundreds to thousands of years
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General circulation models (GCM)
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incorporate millions of pieces of data
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GCMS simulate change in only one variable at a time
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GCMS are prediction machines
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Potential Cause of Climate Change
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Plate tectonics
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change in position of continents changes wind flow and ocean currents
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Orbital Change
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Milankovitch theory
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Milankovitch theory(Every 21,000-100,000 years)
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changes in Earth's orbit, tilt, and axis
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Orbit
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Elliptical to circular causes different distances from sun
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Tilt
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Decreases temperature difference between each season
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Axis
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changes tilt and reverses the seasons
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Human Activity
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pollution and burned trees
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Volcanoes
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erupts sulfur and ash; decreases temperature by reflecting sunlight into space
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Potential Impacts
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Global warming
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dry: extinction, crop suffer; ice poles melt: sea-level change
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Sea-level change
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Coastal cities are wiped out
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What Can We Do?
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Individual
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Less energy usage
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Transportation
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hybrid cars or consistent speed
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