A Rich Diversity in Climate and Resources

Climate and Vegetation Weather is the state of the atmosphere near Earth at a given time and place. Weather includes temperature, wind and Precipitation Precipitation is moisture such as rain or snow that falls to Earth Climate is the typical weather in a region over a long period of time A region’s climate helps determine Vegetation; trees, shrubs, grasses and other plants in an area

Vegetation Zones Polar and Tundra Northern Canada and Alaska Cool summers and very cold winters, only above freezing for two months a year Precipitation varies from 4 to 20 inches a year Ground is Frozen all year except for surface which thaws in summer

Forest Covers much of Canada, Northwest, Northeast, and South east U.S. Precipitation averages between 10 and 80 inches annually Temperatures vary from mild to cold

Rain Forest Along the Pacific Coast Precipitation can reach 167 inches Trees 300 ft. grow here Ground is covered with trees, bushes and plants Temperature is moderate, seldom falling below freezing

Grassland Center of North America Mississippi Valley gets 30 inches or more precipitation Tall grasses Further west gets less rainfall Shorter Grass Grow and raise cattle

Desert American Southwest Less than 10 inches of precipitation a year Hardiest vegetation survive

Natural Wealth Farmlands of Midwestern U.S. and prairies in central Canada have rich soil Oil in Alberta, California, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Alaska Coal in western Canada, Appalachian mountains Water resources provide jobs, transportation and food.

Neighbors and Leaders Trade between Canada and U.S. exceeds $1 billion dollars a day! More than 200 million people cross the U.S./Canada border every year Economy is the way that business owners use resources to provide the goods and services that people want

Weather Report In a group of three Pick a vegetation zone and prepare a weather report Be sure to mention the weather, and precipitation and the overall climate (15 points) Also mention the resources that are found in this area and how the weather you are reporting is affecting those resources (5 points)