17.2 world climates

Learning Targets Describe the relationship between the climate zones and the factors that influence climate Discuss the relationship between climate zones and biomes Discuss the different biomes based on a general description

Climate Zones and Biomes Climate zone: areas with similar temperatures, humidity, precipitation, and seasons Vegetation reflects particular climate zone Biome: climate zone plus native plants and animals Found in bands of similar latitude N or S 30° deserts; 90-75°polar tundra Why at 30 degrees are deserts located? Because that is where the high pressure is located where the Hadley and Ferrel Cells meet. The organisms of a particular biome share certain characteristics around the world, because their environment has similar advantages and challenges. different species of cactus live on different continents, but they have adapted to the harsh desert in similar ways.

Climate Zones Tropic Moist (tropical moist) Dry (Arid) Moist Subtropical (Humid) mid-latitude Continental Cold Sub-polar Polar

Tropical Moist Climates ~25° N to 25° S (near equator) High temperatures and lots of rainfall Tropical wet Tropical monsoon Both are Tropical Rainforest Biome Tropical wet dry Biome - Savanna Savanna biome consists mostly of grasses, with widely scattered deciduous trees and rare areas of denser forests. Central Africa is famous for its savanna and the unique animals that live there.

Arid (Dry) Climates ~25-35° N and S Hadley convection cell drops cool dry air Hot days, cold nights; very little precipitation Deserts Biome - Steppe Steppe - short bunch grass, and scattered low bushes, or sagebrush. A steppe has few or no trees because there is not enough rain for trees to grow.

Moist Subtropical Mid-latitude ~30-40° N and S Higher along the coast 4 separate seasons; plenty of precipitation Mediterranean Humid subtropical (Southeast US) Marine West Coast Humid Subtropical climate zone is found mostly on the eastern sides of continents. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms are common. These conditions are due to warm tropical air passing over the hot continent. Forests grow thickly in much of this region, due to the mild temperatures and high humidity. Pine forests are common in the lower latitudes, while oak are more common at higher latitudes.

Continental ~40-70° N Humid but colder than humid mid- latitude No continental climates in Southern Hemisphere; land is too narrow Humid but colder than humid mid- latitude Not warmed by ocean currents Cold winters; hot summers Affected by surrounding land – low specific heat Continental climates are found in most of the North American interior from about 40°N to 70°N. In this climate, summers are cool-to-warm and winters are very cold and stormy.

Cold 70-90° N and S Very little precipitation Subpolar Polar Tundra Taiga; many coniferous forests; meltwater streams Polar Tundra Mosses and ferns; frozen most of the year Permafrost - Permanently frozen ground Ice Cap Polar tundra climate is continental, with severe winters. Temperatures are so cold that a layer of permanently frozen ground, called permafrost forms below the surface. Precipitation is low enough in many places to qualify as a desert, evaporation rates are also low, so the landscape receives more usable water than a desert. Ice caps are found mostly on Greenland and Antarctica, about 9% of the Earth’s land area

Microclimate When climate conditions in a small area are different from those of the surroundings, the climate of the small area Northern Hemisphere, a south-facing slope receives more solar energy than a north-facing slope, and so each side supports different amounts and types of vegetation. Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa lies near the equator in the tropics, but the top of the mountain is in the tundra biome and there is also a small glacier at the top.

Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa lies near the equator in the tropics, but the top of the mountain is in the tundra biome and there is also a small glacier at the top.

Your house is a microclimate