34.5 Climate Influences Ecosystems

34.5 Climate Influences Ecosystems Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area. Climate often determines the distribution of communities. The Earth’s global climate patterns are largely determined by the input of radiant energy from the sun and the planet’s movement in space. Student Misconceptions and Concerns  Students may confuse the terms ecology and environmentalism. The science of ecology and the environmental issues that it often raises are related but distinct processes. Teaching Tips  Module 34.5 discusses the reasons why Earth’s tilt causes seasons. Consider challenging your students, perhaps as a short in-class activity, to explain why it is typically cooler (a) farther away from the equator and (b) during the winter months. Although you may not want to use class time on this activity every year, collecting student responses before your students read or learn about this in class can reveal misconceptions and areas of misunderstanding that will help direct your teaching for years to come. 2

34.5 Climate Influences Ecosystems The Earth’s permanent tilt causes the seasons. Student Misconceptions and Concerns  Students may confuse the terms ecology and environmentalism. The science of ecology and the environmental issues that it often raises are related but distinct processes. Teaching Tips  Module 34.5 discusses the reasons why Earth’s tilt causes seasons. Consider challenging your students, perhaps as a short in-class activity, to explain why it is typically cooler (a) farther away from the equator and (b) during the winter months. Although you may not want to use class time on this activity every year, collecting student responses before your students read or learn about this in class can reveal misconceptions and areas of misunderstanding that will help direct your teaching for years to come. 4

34.5 Climate Influences Ecosystems Solar radiation varies with latitude. Equatorial regions receive sunlight more directly. Higher latitudes receive sunlight at more of a slant. Most climatic variations are due to the uneven heating of Earth’s surface. Sunlight Most direct sunlight 90°N North Pole Temperate Tropical Polar Arctic Circle Tropic of Cancer Equator Tropic of Capricorn Antarctic Circle 90°S South Pole 66.5°S 23.5°S 23.5°N 66.5°N 0° Student Misconceptions and Concerns  Students may confuse the terms ecology and environmentalism. The science of ecology and the environmental issues that it often raises are related but distinct processes. Teaching Tips  Module 34.5 discusses the reasons why Earth’s tilt causes seasons. Consider challenging your students, perhaps as a short in-class activity, to explain why it is typically cooler (a) farther away from the equator and (b) during the winter months. Although you may not want to use class time on this activity every year, collecting student responses before your students read or learn about this in class can reveal misconceptions and areas of misunderstanding that will help direct your teaching for years to come. 5

34.5 Climate Influences Ecosystems Uneven heating of Earth causes rain and winds. The direct intense solar radiation in the tropics heats the air. As the air rises in the tropics, it cools and releases much of its water content, produces abundant precipitation Student Misconceptions and Concerns  Students may confuse the terms ecology and environmentalism. The science of ecology and the environmental issues that it often raises are related but distinct processes. Teaching Tips  Module 34.5 discusses the reasons why Earth’s tilt causes seasons. Consider challenging your students, perhaps as a short in-class activity, to explain why it is typically cooler (a) farther away from the equator and (b) during the winter months. Although you may not want to use class time on this activity every year, collecting student responses before your students read or learn about this in class can reveal misconceptions and areas of misunderstanding that will help direct your teaching for years to come. 6

34.5 Climate Influences Ecosystems After losing its moisture over equatorial zones, high- altitude air masses spread away from the equator until they cool and descend again at latitudes of about 30° north and south. This descending dry air absorbs moisture from the land creating deserts at these latitudes. Student Misconceptions and Concerns  Students may confuse the terms ecology and environmentalism. The science of ecology and the environmental issues that it often raises are related but distinct processes. Teaching Tips  Module 34.5 discusses the reasons why Earth’s tilt causes seasons. Consider challenging your students, perhaps as a short in-class activity, to explain why it is typically cooler (a) farther away from the equator and (b) during the winter months. Although you may not want to use class time on this activity every year, collecting student responses before your students read or learn about this in class can reveal misconceptions and areas of misunderstanding that will help direct your teaching for years to come. 7

34.5 Climate Influences Ecosystems Prevailing winds result from the combined effects of rising and falling air masses and Earth’s rotation. Student Misconceptions and Concerns  Students may confuse the terms ecology and environmentalism. The science of ecology and the environmental issues that it often raises are related but distinct processes. Teaching Tips  Module 34.5 discusses the reasons why Earth’s tilt causes seasons. Consider challenging your students, perhaps as a short in-class activity, to explain why it is typically cooler (a) farther away from the equator and (b) during the winter months. Although you may not want to use class time on this activity every year, collecting student responses before your students read or learn about this in class can reveal misconceptions and areas of misunderstanding that will help direct your teaching for years to come. 8

34.5 Climate Influences Ecosystems Ocean currents, river-like flow patterns in the oceans, result from a combination of prevailing winds, the planet’s rotation, unequal heating of surface waters, and the location and shapes of the continents. Ocean currents have a profound effect on regional climates. Student Misconceptions and Concerns  Students may confuse the terms ecology and environmentalism. The science of ecology and the environmental issues that it often raises are related but distinct processes. Teaching Tips  Module 34.5 discusses the reasons why Earth’s tilt causes seasons. Consider challenging your students, perhaps as a short in-class activity, to explain why it is typically cooler (a) farther away from the equator and (b) during the winter months. Although you may not want to use class time on this activity every year, collecting student responses before your students read or learn about this in class can reveal misconceptions and areas of misunderstanding that will help direct your teaching for years to come. 9

Greenland Europe North America Gulf Stream Africa ATLANTIC OCEAN Figure 34.5e Greenland Europe North America Gulf Stream Africa ATLANTIC OCEAN Figure 34.5e Atlantic Ocean currents (red arrows indicate warming currents; blue arrows indicate cooling currents) South America PACIFIC OCEAN 10

34.5 Climate Influences Ecosystems Climate and other abiotic factors of the environment control the global distribution of organisms. The influence of these abiotic factors results in biomes, the major types of ecological associations that occupy broad geographic regions of land or water. Student Misconceptions and Concerns  Students may confuse the terms ecology and environmentalism. The science of ecology and the environmental issues that it often raises are related but distinct processes. Teaching Tips  Module 34.5 discusses the reasons why Earth’s tilt causes seasons. Consider challenging your students, perhaps as a short in-class activity, to explain why it is typically cooler (a) farther away from the equator and (b) during the winter months. Although you may not want to use class time on this activity every year, collecting student responses before your students read or learn about this in class can reveal misconceptions and areas of misunderstanding that will help direct your teaching for years to come. 11

Biomes Overview

Aquatic Biomes Marine Biomes Freshwater Biomes