By: Robby Hudson Table 7 12/14/12 Period 2

 We will know the different climate zones and how they affect the environment of the Earth.

 A Tropical Climate is characterized by high temperatures, high humidity, and large amounts of precipitation.  Generally found along the equator.  This category has two different types of climates, Tropical wet (rainforests) and Tropical dry (savannas). (Tropical Dry)(Tropical Wet) FUN FACT: A rainforest receives an average of 8 inches of rain each month.

 A Polar Climate is characterized by little or no vegetation and long, freezing winters.  These climates are most common around the poles  This category has three different types of climates, Tundra, Ice, and Highland (mountains).

 A Dry Climate is characterized by little rainfall and a vast range of daily temperatures.  This category has two types of climates, Semiarid and Arid.

 A Continental Climate is characterized by hot summers, cold winters, and little rain.  They are usually located in the interiors of large land masses.

K.S  What three traits describe a tropical climate? VIDEO Click Here

Works Cited BOOKS  National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Desk Reference, National Geographic Society, 1999, pg WEBSITES  “Climate”, “  Rae, Kara. ”Information on the Polar Zone”, ” 12/13/12 “  FAO – SDRN – Agrometeorology Group – “World Climates”, “ ”  “Dictionary”, “ 12/13/12, definition&FORM=DTPDIA&adlt=strict

Ice cores  By: Erika Lynn

W.W.K. We will know how the research of ice cores has helped us determine the changes in Earth’s climate over time.

Vocab:  Climate:  Climate: description of aggregate weather conditions.  Ice Cores:  Ice Cores: method of measuring historic climate conditions by extracting ancient ice in cylinders.

 The past few decades, scientists have established the life of a climate system on Earth. The sun and the other parts of Earth(the oceans, the atmosphere, the land masses, the snow and ice masses.)  Changes in any one part of the system affect all the others, and in the end cause a change in climate.  Humans production of CO2, nitrous oxide, sulfuric and nitric acids, "greenhouse" gases, as well as our impact on the ecosystems.

 Our activities could raise the average temperature from few - several degrees centigrade over the next few decades, causing altering weather patterns. Then creates a probable cause for severe, or catastrophic, disruption of the Earth's living and climate systems.  When snow falls it carries the compounds that are in the air at the time, compounds like: sulfate, nitrate, and even dust, radioactive fallout, and trace metals.

Video  change/measuring-climate-change/ice-cores/index.html

 K.S.  What is the significance of ice cores?

The Oceans’ Effect On Climate Change By; Jaren Ferguson

The Water Cycle  The Water Cycle is the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the earth.  It has four major steps; evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection.  It is directly responsible for our weather.

The Water Cycle

Oceans and Climate  The oceans are able to store energy and heat from the sun, producing average weather and also extreme and out-of-the-ordinary weather.

How the Wind Affects the Ocean  The wind has a direct affect on ocean currents causing the ocean to move the way it does.  The wind also causes weather through a process called Upwelling.  Upwelling is when warm, energy rich water on the surface trades places with cold water on the ocean floor.

Upwelling

K.S.  Name a process of the water cycle

Video

WWK We will know how the effects of global warming have done to the climate on the earth.

K.S.  Name 2 gases that trap the suns heat and radiate it back to the earth’s suface.

Our Climate  Our climate has helped us for millions of years and has been evolving constantly, even today’s time.  The climate we live in helps us and the environment we live in, in a lot of ways such as clean air, vegetation, and of course to help us survive.

Global Warming in our world  In all the years of living on this earth our climate has helped us survive for so long but there is one the thing that has corrupted our environment, Global Warming!!  Global Warming is the increase of the earth’s average surface temperature due largely to a buildup of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere.

The components of Global Warming  Less than 1% of the earth’s atmosphere is composed of greenhouse gases. These gases are:  Water Vapor(Co2)  Methane(CH4)  Halocarbons(HFC’s, CFC’s, HCFC’s)  Ozone(O3)  Nitrous Oxide(N2O)  These gases trap in the heat and radiate it back to the earth’s surface. This is commonly called the Greenhouse Effect

warming-environment/global-warming-101