1. Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity
Chapter 7

2. What factors influence Climate?
How are WEATHER & CLIMATE different?

3. The Earth Has Many Different Climates
Weather – local area’s short-term temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, etc.
Measured over hours or days

4. The Earth Has Many Different Climates
Climate – area’s general pattern of atmospheric or weather conditions
Measured over long periods of time

5. The Earth Has Many Different Climates
Climate - varies over different parts of the earth
Uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun
Rotation of the earth on its axis
Properties of air, water, and land

6. Solar intensity Amount of sunlight hitting the earth’s surface
Varies with latitude

7. Seasons

8. Earth’s Atmosphere
Tropics – air is warm
Equator – 30o N/S

9. Polar regions – air is cold
Earth’s Atmosphere
Polar regions – air is cold
60o - 90o N/S

10. Convection Currents
Up-and-down movement of air due to temperature differences

11. Convection Currents Rule: Hot air rises and cold air sinks. Equator
Hot air rises and heads toward the poles

12. Convection Currents Rule: Hot air rises and cold air sinks. Poles
Cold air rushes in to fill the space at the equator

13. Figure 6.5

14. Wind
Horizontal movement of air

15. Convection Currents + Earth’s Rotation
Equator

16. Coriolis Effect
Earth rotates and causes circulating air to be deflected
Causes things thrown in straight line to move to the right or left (depends on hemisphere)
If the Earth did not rotate and remained stationary, the atmosphere would circulate between the poles (high pressure areas) and the equator (a low pressure area) in a simple back-and-forth pattern. But because the Earth rotates, circulating air is deflected. Instead of circulating in a straight pattern, the air deflects toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere, resulting in curved paths. This deflection is called the Coriolis effect. It is named after the French mathematician Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis ( ), who studied the transfer of energy in rotating systems like waterwheels. (Ross, 1995).
Continue to 2 3 4
 (top) 

17. Imagine a merry-go-round…

18. Coriolis Effect Summary
Causes moving objects on Earth to follow curved paths
Northern Hemisphere – follows a path to the right of its intended target
Southern Hemisphere – follows a path to the left of its intended target
Acts on all moving objects

19. Prevailing Winds Major wind patterns on the Earth Direction caused by:
Convection currents
Earth’s rotation from west to east
Air pressure

20. Global Air Circulation

21. Wind Belts
Trade Winds
Historically: Used by ships traveling between Europe and the Americas
5o-30o North and South of the Equator

22. Wind Belts
Doldrums
Between 5 degrees North and 5 degrees South latitude
Winds are calm

23. Wind Belts Westerly Winds
Remaining air (air that does not descend at 30 degrees North or South latitude) continues toward the poles

24. Wind Belts Polar Easterlies
Cool air sinks and moves towards the equator
Air is deflected by Earth’s rotation

26. Winds Drive Surface Ocean Currents!
Global winds drag on the water’s surface
Cause water to move and build up in the direction that the wind is blowing

27. Natural Capital: Generalized Map of the Earth’s Current Climate Zones

28. Climate and Biomes

29. Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Biological (living) influences on an organism within an ecosystem
Predators
Prey
Abiotic Factors
Physical (non-living) factors that shape ecosystems
Temperature
Precipitation
Humidity

30. What is a biome?
Terrestrial community that covers a large area and is characterized by certain soil and climate conditions
Particular assemblages of plants and animals.

31. Biomes
Variations in plants and animals help different species survive under different conditions in different biomes.
Tolerance - ability to survive and reproduce under conditions that differ from their optimal conditions

32. The Major Biomes 60°N 30°N 0° Equator 30°S 60°S Temperate grassland
Tropical rain forest
Temperate grassland
This map shows the locations of the world’s major biomes. Other parts of Earth’s surface are classified as mountains or ice caps. Each biome has a characteristic climate and community of organisms.
Temperate forest
Northwestern coniferous forest
Tropical dry forest
Desert
Temperate woodland and shrubland
Boreal forest (Taiga)
Tropical savanna
Tundra
Mountains and ice caps

33. Biomes
Large terrestrial regions characterized by similar climate, soil, plants, and animals
Location irrelevant

34. Biomes
Not uniform; consist of a mosaic of patches with different biological communities

35. Generalized Effects of Elevation and Latitude on Climate and Biomes

36. Natural Capital: Average Precipitation and Average Temperature as Limiting Factors

37. Your Turn!
Biome Jigsaw
Biome Bags

38. Global Air Circulation, Ocean Currents, and Biomes

39. Energy Transfer by Convection in the Atmosphere
Heat is absorbed and released more slowly by water than by land
Moderate weather and climate of nearby lands

40. Biomes and Climate
The climate of a region is an important factor in determining which organisms can survive there.
Temperature and precipitation can vary over small distances.
Microclimate - the climate in a small area that differs from the climate around it

41. The Earth’s Surface Features Affect Local Climates
Cities
Microclimates
More haze and smog
Higher temperatures
Lower wind speeds
Causes
Bricks, asphalt, and concrete absorb and hold heat
Buildings block wind flow

42. The Earth’s Surface Features Affect Local Climates
Mountains
Rain shadow effect: moist air blowing inland is forced upward; cools and expands
Loses most of its moisture as rain or snow on the windward slope
Air dries and warms over leeward side; increases ability to hold moisture and dries ecosystem

43. Climate Terms
Tropical – warm; receives direct or nearly direct sunlight year round
Desert - dry
Temperate – moderate

44. Climate Graphs of Three Types of Deserts

45. Climate Graphs of Tropical, Temperate, and Cold Grasslands

46. Chaparral Vegetation in Utah, U.S.

47. Climate Graphs of Tropical, Temperate, and Cold Forests

48. Stratification of Specialized Plant and Animal Niches in a Tropical Rain Forest

49. Major Human Impacts on Terrestrial Ecosystems

50. Tundra

51. Taiga
See Clip

52. Tropical Rain Forest

53. Temperate Forest

54. Temperate Grassland

55. Desert

56. Chaparral