Chapter 9: From the Andes to the Amazon Section 2: Climate and Vegetation

Today’s preview Chapter 9, Section 2 Lecture Climate comparisons Rain Forest vegetation Post-test Closure

Objectives By the end of class today, you should be able to: Describe the climate and vegetation of Latin America Identify the characteristics of a tropical climate zone Identify the characteristics of a dry climate zone Identify the characteristics of a mid-latitude climate zone

A. Dry B. Savanna C. Semiarid D. Climate E. Rain Forest Pretest Questions: MATCHING! A. Dry B. Savanna C. Semiarid D. Climate E. Rain Forest Latin America’s _________ ranges from hot and humid to dry and desert-like. The hot and rainy weather of the tropical wet climate provides perfect growing conditions for a __________. Grass-covered plains are often found in a _________ climate. Tropical and subtropical regions have grasslands called a ___________. Central America and the Caribbean do not have _______ climate zones. 1. D 2. E 3. C 4. B 5. A

Climate & Vegetation Climate varies greatly Vegetation differences Hot and humid Dry deserts Rain forest, desert, savannas too! Vegetation differences Rain forests, grasslands, desert scrub, tundra What might some causes be for the variations of climate or vegetation? Causes: Latin America covers a lot of latitudes. Dramatic changes in elevation (high level of RELIEF). Warm currents of the Atlantic and cold currents of the Pacific blow across the continent. HAVE EVERYONE GET AN ATLAS! Variation is a result of several causes

3 Climate Zones Tropical Dry Mid-Latitude Hand out accompanying graphic organizer.

World Climates Also see Atlas page 22

Tropical Climate Types Two basic types Tropical wet climate Tropical wet & dry climate MARK THESE ITEMS ON YOUR GRAPHIC ORGANIZER IN THE Tropical  Climate Types SECTION. See map on page A6 of the textbook for a world climate map. IF ATLASES ARE AVAILABLE, use p22! See the dotted latitude lines marked “Tropic of Cancer” and “Tropic of Capricorn”? The area between those two lines is generally referred to as “the Tropics”. The climate there is a Tropical climate.

Tropical Wet Area is also called the Rain Forest Dense trees Hot and rainy year around LIST 4 COUNTRIES Rain forests are abundant in Central America, the Caribbean and South America. Rain forests are not homogenous, there is large diversity of plants and trees. Largest rain forest in the world is the Amazon rain forest, covering more than 2,000,000 square miles of South America– mostly in Brazil. Scientists have counted more than 2,500 varieties of trees. What countries have Tropical Wet/Rain Forests? Using Atlas or textbook, list countries. Central America: PANAMA, COSTA RICA, NICARAGUA, HONDURAS, BELIZE; South America: COLUMBIA, ECUADOR, PERU, BRAZIL, VENEZUELA, GUYANA, SURINAME, FRENCH GUYANA I can come up with 11 countries, you have to list 5 of them Have a unique ecosystem

Tropical Wet & Dry Region is also called the Savanna Hot climates Seasonal rain LIST 4 COUNTRIES Seasonal rain is usually in the winter. Savannas are found in South America. What are Savannas? Grasslands dotted with trees. Found in Brazil, Columbia and Argentina. Common in tropical and sub-tropical areas I counted 15 countries, you list 5 of them What countries have Tropical Wet & Dry/Savannas? North/Central America: MEXICO, GUATAMALA, EL SALVADOR, NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA; Caribbean: CUBA, HAITI, DOMENICAN REPUBLIC, JAMAICA; South America: COLUMBIA, VENEZUELA, GUYANA, PERU, BRAZIL, BOLIVIA

Dry Climate Zones Found in Mexico and some of South America Two kinds of dry climate: Semi-Arid Desert See climate map on A6 of the textbook or 22 in the Atlas! Neither Central America nor the Caribbean have dry climate zones.

Semi-arid type climate Generally dry with some rain Grassy plains, maybe some desert shrubs LIST 2 COUNTRIES What does “arid” mean? A place is arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water. Area is also called semi-desert or the steppe. Western Kansas is semi-arid; once referred to as the great Kansas desert until the discovery of the Ogallala Aquifer; it was very hard to grow crops in this region. Sometimes called “semi-desert” I counted 4 countries with semi-arid climates, you should list 2 Regions found in Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.

Desert type climate Very dry Very little rain Shrubs growing in gravel or sand LIST 2 COUNTRIES Desert areas include northern Mexico and much of the Peruvian coast. Atcama Desert is in northern Chile. Patagonia has a desert as well. We think of Latin America as desolate country, but there’s actually more desert in the United States than in Latin America. Various places in Latin America I counted 4 places in Latin America with desert, you need to list 2.

Dry Climate Zones See how the desert area and semi-arid (or semi-desert) region travels clear up the United States. Semi-arid travels clear up to America’s hat. Kansas is both semi-arid and (curiously) sub-tropical!

Mid-Latitude Climates Four zones in the Mid-Latitudes: Humid Subtropical Mediterranean Marine West Coast Highlands Parse the name: “Mid-Latitudes”. Midway between the equator and and 90 degrees. Generally south of Rio de Janeiro Moderate zones

Mid-Latitude Climates

Humid Subtropical Rainy winters and hot humid summers Vegetation is varied LIST 2 COUNTRIES On the climate map on A6, that is the light green section of Moderate (Rainy Weather) Parse this name: “Sub-tropical”. What does that tell us about where this zone is mostly located? Includes parts of Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Brazil, southern Bolivia and northern Argentina I counted 4 countries with Humid Subtropical, you list 2 of them

Mediterranean Hot dry summers and cool moist winters. Similar to climates in middle or southern California Vegetation: chaparral and scrub brush LIST 1 COUNTRY It is the brown section on A6. Parse this name: “Mediterranean”. Where is the Mediterranean? It’s nowhere near Latin America. Why do they call that climate a Mediterranean climate then? See the Mediterranean region on the A7– see how it’s all coded brown up there? It is the same kind of climate around the Mediterranean as it is in California and western Chile. Part of Chile’s west coast is in this zone Only one country in Latin America in the Mediterranean climate.

Chaparral When this Chaparral shrub reaches maturity, it dries up and the stem cracks. It then blows away and becomes a tumbleweed.

Marine West Coast Cool rain winters and mild rainy summers Similar to Oregon or Washington state Vegetation: mostly forests LIST 1 COUNTRY Parts of southern Chile and Argentina. It is the dark-green section on the tip of South America. Parse the name: “Marine West Coast”. West coast is a little misleading IMHO, because this climate area shows up on the Eastern tip of Africa and on the eastern edge of Austrailia. But it’s in western Europe and in the western United States, so maybe the term is an American term or a European term? But what does “Marine” mean? Atlas drops the term “West Coast” and just calls it a Marine climate. Runs along the coast of southwestern South America in Chile & Argentina There are 2 countries with a Marine climate, you list 1 of them

Marine West Coast Your desk atlas just uses the term “Marine” and drops the “West Coast” tag.

Marine West Coast See the coastal Northwest– Seattle, Vancouver, Portland– all those cities have the same general climate as parts of Argentina and Chile.

Highlands Highland climate zones vary from moderate to cold, depending on elevation Other factors: wind, sunlight and landscape LIST 2 COUNTRIES The Atlas calls this the Savanna See the Vertical Climate Zones graph on page 208. See the elevation chart on the left side and corresponding agriculture? Which zones are most productive for growing crops? The lower zones like Tierra Caliente and Tierra Templada. What impact might vertical climate zones have on migration and settlement? People would probably settle in lower zones rather than Tierra Fria or Tierra Helada. What is the tree line at 12,000 feet? What is the Snow Line at 15,000 feet? Found in the mountains of Mexico and South America. I counted 11 countries, but you only need to list 2 countries.

Highlands REVIEW Using your desk atlas, where are the mid-latitude climate zones located in Latin America? South of the Equator, from approximately Rio de Janerio in Brazil southward. Where is the Latin American climate similar to Oregon or Washington State? Southwestern coast of South America, the Marine West Coast. What is typical vegetation in the Marine West Coast and why so? Forests are predominant in the zone. Plenty of rain with mild temperatures.

World Climates Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Tijuana, Mexico Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Port-au-Prince, Haiti Buenos Aires, Argentina Montevideo, Uruguay Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Cape Horn, Argentina Brasilia, Brazil Georgetown, Guyana Seattle, WA Houston, TX El Paso, TX Miami, FL Atlanta, GA CLIMATE TYPES Tropical Wet/Rainforest Tropical Wet & Dry/Savanna Semi-arid/Steppe Desert Mediterranean Humid Subtropical Marine Take out a piece of paper, number 1 thorough 15 for this matching activity. Using the desk atlas, you’re going to look up these 15 cities and see what climate zone in which they fall. You’ll need the climate map on Page 22 and political maps on page 46 & 75, 100 & 104 and 112 & 115, and be flipping back and forth between them. On one page, you’ll find the city. On the other page, you’ll have to approximate that city on the map and determine what climate area in which it falls. 1. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic TROPICAL WET&DRY/SAVANNA 2. Tijuana, Mexico DESERT 3. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico TROPICAL WET&DRY/SAVANNA 4. Port-au-Prince, Haiti TROPICAL WET/RAIN FOREST 5. Buenos Aires, Argentina HUMID SUBTROPICAL 6. Montevideo, Uruguay HUMID SUBTROPICAL 7. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil TROPICAL RAINFOREST 8. Cape Horn, Argentina MARINE 9. Brasilia, Brazil TROPICAL WET&DRY/SAVANNA 10. Georgetown, Guyana TROPICAL WET/RAIN FOREST 11. Seattle, WA MARINE 12. Houston, TX HUMID SUBTROPICAL 13. El Paso, TX DESERT 14. Miami, FL TROPICAL WET&DRY/SAVANNA 15. Atlanta, GA HUMID SUBTROPICAL

A. Dry B. Savanna C. Semiarid D. Climate E. Rain Forest Post-test Questions: MATCHING! A. Dry B. Savanna C. Semiarid D. Climate E. Rain Forest Latin America’s __________ ranges from hot and humid to dry and desert-like. The hot and rainy weather of the tropical wet climate provides perfect growing conditions for a __________. Grass-covered plains are often found in a _________ climate. Tropical and subtropical regions have grasslands called a ___________. Central America and the Caribbean do not have _______ climate zones. 1. D 2. E 3. C 4. B 5. A

A. Dry B. Savanna C. Semiarid D. Climate E. Rain Forest Post-test Questions: MATCHING! A. Dry B. Savanna C. Semiarid D. Climate E. Rain Forest Latin America’s _________ ranges from hot and humid to dry and desert-like. The hot and rainy weather of the tropical wet climate provides perfect growing conditions for a __________. Grass-covered plains are often found in a _________ climate. Tropical and subtropical regions have grasslands called a ___________. Central America and the Caribbean do not have _______ climate zones. D E C 1. D 2. E 3. C 4. B 5. A B A

Closure Describe the climate and vegetation of Latin America. What are the tropical climate zones of Latin America? What are the dry climate zones of Latin America? What are the mid-latitude zones of Latin America? NEXT TIME: Climate worksheet is due NEXT TIME: Human-Environment Interaction NEXT TIME: Please read Chap 9, Section 3 NEXT TIME: Please bring your books to class again Climates: Tropical, Dry and Mid-Latitudes. Vegetation differs based on climate zones, use graphic organizer. Tropical climate zones: Tropical Wet/Rain Forests, Tropical Wet & Dry/Savannas Dry climate zones: Semi-Arid, Desert Mid-Latitudes: Humid Sub-tropical, Mediterranean, Marine, Highlands