1. The United States and Canada: Climate and Vegetation
Chapter 5 Section 2

2. EQ: What factors cause variations in climate and vegetation in most of the U.S. and Canada?
OBJ: I will be able to identify the key factors that affect variation in climate and vegetation in the U.S.

3. Southern Climates: Warm and Wet Climates
Subtropical, tropical, desert and Mediterranean climates are found in the U.S.
The humid subtropical climate of the SE is rainy with long, muggy summers and mild winters
Wetlands and swamps like Florida’s Everglades shelter a great variety of vegetation and wildlife
In late summer and early autumn, hurricanes can greatly impact the region’s coastlines
Florida’s dry season is winter
Hawaii, Puerto Rico also have tropical wet climates

4. Southern Climates: Warm and Dry Climates
The rain shadow effect creates desert areas when dry air moves down the leeward side of a mountain
With limited water in these desert areas, like Death Valley, temperatures can reach a high of 134 degrees Fahrenheit
A Mediterranean-like climate is found in central and southern California
Coastal areas have mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers
Vegetation consists of chaparrals

5. RECAP! What four main climates are found in the U.S.?
What are hurricanes?
What is time of year is Florida’s dry season?
What is the rain shadow effect?
Under what conditions do chaparrals typically grow?

6. Northern Climates: Interior Climates
The Great Plains in the center of North America has a humid continental climate with very cold winters and hot summers
Western mountains often block moisture-filled Pacific winds
However, the Great Plains benefits from warm, moist that blow north from the gulf of Mexico and cold, moist winds the blow south from the Arctic
Prairies are treeless expanses of grasses that spread across the Great Plains in the central section of the continent
In the Great Plains and in the Eastern part of the U.S., supercells, or violent spring and summer thunderstorms, often create tornadoes in the regions

7. The Great Plains
Missouri Coteau in Saskatchewan

8. Supercell Infographic

9. Northern Climates: Interior Climates
In the 1930s, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl devastated the agricultural industry in the Great Plains region
Some areas west of the plains experience a steppe climate with a mixture of vegetation, depending on latitude or elevation
Steppe climates are transitional climates that occur between the dry desert climates and humid interior climates
Coniferous forests cover the middle elevations of the ranges and beyond the timberline, the elevation above which trees can’t grow, lichens and mosses grow
In early spring, a chinook, or a warm, dry wind, blows down the eastern slopes of the Rockies, melting snow

10. Northern Climates: Coastal Climates
Ocean currents and westerly winds with the Pacific Ranges and the Pacific coast form a marine west coast climate
This climate ranges from southern Alaska to northern California
The mountain forms a barrier that forces the warm, wet ocean air upwards, where it cools and releases moisture
Parts of the region receive more than 100 inches of rain per year
Winters are overcast and rainy, while summers are cloudless and cool
Ferns, mosses, and coniferous trees grow in this regional climate

11. High Latitude Climates
Large parts of Canada and Alaska are in high latitude areas and have a subarctic climate with frigid winters
Much of northern North America experiences blizzards with winds of more than 35 mph
Coniferous as well as forests with a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees sweeps from Newfoundland into the subarctic Yukon Territory
Lands along the Arctic coast of Greenland fall into the tundra climate zone
Sparse tundra vegetation consists of sedge cotton grass, and lichens
Small ice free areas have some tress, while some dwarfed birch, willow, and alder shrubs survive
The interior parts of Greenland have an ice cap climate

13. RECAP!
Where are the Great Plains located? What type(s) of climate does it have?
What is a supercell?
What major event happened in the 1930s that hurt the farming industry besides the Great Depression?
What is a tundra?
Is most of Greenland a tundra? If not, what other term is used to describe its main type of climate?

14. Worksheets! Please work on pages 15, 16, 18 and 19 for classwork
Complete pages 21 and 22 for homework
If you are finished please review your notes for an upcoming quiz on Monday (11/9) or Tuesday (11/10)