1. Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity Chapter 7

2. 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?  Concept 7-1 An area's climate is determined mostly by solar radiation, the earth’s rotation, global patterns of air and water movement, gases in the atmosphere, and the earth’s surface features.

3.  Weather is a local area’s short-term physical conditions such as temperature and precipitation.  Climate is a region’s average weather conditions over a long period of time. “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” -- Mark Twain 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

4.  Climate varies from place to place because the air circulation in the lower atmosphere due to: 1.Uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun 2.Rotation of the earth on its axis 3.Properties of air, water, and land 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

5. 1.Uneven heating of Earth’s surface by the sun: Equator vs. poles – round planet Earth’s tilt – 23.5º Albedo – how strongly it reflects light Insolation – solar radiation received by a given area in a given time (kWh/m 2 /day) 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

7. 2.Rotation of Earth on its axis: Rotation is FASTER at equator than poles… causes the Coriolis Effect – the deflecting of air masses by the rotation of the Earth Also causes complex global air circulation Wind belts produce ocean surface currents 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

8. If the Earth didn’t rotate, we could expect wind to flow in the following manner… 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

9. Instead it looks like this… 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

10. 3.Properties of air, water, and land: Convection cells form due to interaction between air/water/land 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

12.  Heat and moisture are distributed over the earth’s surface by vertical air currents, which form six giant convection cells at different latitudes. 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

13.  Ocean Currents are caused by: Prevailing wind belts Earth’s rotation 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?  Ocean currents influence climate by distributing heat from place to place.  The temp. of the water affects the temp. of the air

14. Generalized Map of the Earth’s Current Climate Zones 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

15.  The Greenhouse effect keeps the entire planet warmer than it would be without it  Greenhouse gases: Water vapor – H 2 O Carbon Dioxide – CO 2 Methane – CH 4 Nitrous Oxide – N 2 O 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

16. The Rain Shadow Effect  Interactions between land and oceans and disruptions of airflows by mountains and cities affect local climates.  Microclimate – local and regional climates different than the larger regional climate 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

17. 7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes?  Concept 7-2 Differences in average annual precipitation and temperature lead to the formation of tropical, temperate, and cold deserts, grasslands, and forests, and largely determine their locations.

18.  Climate Affects Where Organisms Can Live  Biomes – large terrestrial regions characterized by similar climate, soil, plants, and animals Biomes vary by, and are determined by: Latitude and elevation Annual precipitation Temperature 7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes?

20. Generalized Effects of Elevation and Latitude on Climate and Biomes 7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes?

21. Average Precipitation and Average Temperature as Limiting Factors 7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes?