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Biomes
History:
• Ancient Greeks used to classify the environment into zones which had different
degrees of warmth. This resulted in Aristotle describing the terrain in terms of flora
and fauna.
What determines a biome:
1. Precipitation
2. Temperature
The main elements of the weather (day-to-day) that are measured are1. Temperature
2. Wind (Direction and Speed)
3. Humidity
4. Precipitation
5. Sunshine
World Biomes Map
• Our world is a diverse and beautiful place filled with a range of environments.
• As Earth scientists, we strive to understand the Earth as a system and how each part
compares and works with another.
• We know that heat transfer occurs constantly
• Radiation
• Conduction
• Convection
• Creates uneven heating of the Earth’s surface
• Effects the physical and biological landforms based on the climate conditions,
controlled by convective cells and the amount of solar radiation absorbed by
Earth surface
• This creates biomes in different regions on Earth
Biomes & Climate
• Earth’s tropospheric convective cells are the driving force to create
different climates in different regions
– Hadley Cell
– Ferrel Cell
– Polar Cell
• Air pressure belts control the movement of air at different latitudes
– RULE: Warm air rises, Cool air sinks
– Air moves from HIGH pressure to LOW pressure
• Rules for Air Movement and Climate
– Air Rising= Rain= Wet Climates
– Air Sinking= No Rain= Dry Climates
• Temperature
– Near Equator = Warm Hot Climate
– Middle Latitudes (40-60⁰N/S)= Mild Climate
– Near Poles= Cold Climate
Atmospheric Circulation and
Biomes
In general:
Hadley Cell
0⁰ (Equator)= Tropical Rainforest
20-35⁰ N/S = Hot Deserts
Ferrel Cell (Middle Latitudes)
30-50⁰N/S= Subtropical regions,
Chaparral, Savannah,
& grasslands
40-60 ⁰N/S =Deciduous Forest
Polar Cell
60-90⁰N/S= Taiga & Cold Deserts/
Tundra
Atmospheric Circulation and
Biomes
Köppen Classification System:
• Wladimir Koppen was a German botanist and climatologist that studied and divided the
Earth into climate regions using temperature and precipitation data.
5 main divisions based on annual (yearly) temperatures:
A - Tropical Moist Climates: all months have average temperatures above 18° Celsius.
B - Dry Climates: with deficient precipitation during most of the year.
C - Moist Mid-latitude Climates with Mild Winters.
D - Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Cold Winters.
E - Polar Climates: with extremely cold winters and summers.
Climatograms
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Climatograms show a city’s or region’s temperatures (maximum, average, and
minimum) and Precipitation throughout the year.
Some graphs show day length, relative humidity, average sunlight, days with
frost, etc.
In this graph:
The blue bars tell you the amount of precipitation. In Rio de Janeiro for this
particular year.
The red, orange and yellow lines show temperature.
As you can see from the graph,
temperatures in Rio
are generally high with varying
rainfall throughout the year.
This graph shows that Rio is
a tropical rainforest
Tropical Rainforest
• Located along the equator due to
warm, moist air rising
• This creates high rainfall
• This area receives direct sunlight,
creating a very hot climate
• In general, tropical rainforests
have hot and humid climates
where it rains virtually everyday.
• Locations on Earth:
– Central America, South America
(Amazon), Eastern Madagascar
Tropical Rainforest Climatogram
• The different color bars represent
the precipitation of the region.
• As you can see, the amount of
precip. varies throughout the
year.
– High- 300 mm (11 inches) in March
– Low- 10 mm (less 1 inch) in
November
• The line across the top represents
average temperature.
• As you can see, temperature in
the tropical rainforest stays the
same.
Temperate Rainforest
• Found in the midlatitudes
• Caused from rising moist
air with mild
temperatures
• High amounts of
precipitation throughout
the year
• Locations:
– Northwest U.S.A
(Washington, Oregon)
– Japan
– United Kingdom
Temperate Rainforest Climatogram
• The bars represent precipitation.
• In this graph, there is high rainfall
but it varies throughout the year.
• The lines represent temperature
(red= max., purple= avg., blue=
min.)
• In this graph, it shows
temperatures vary with season
throughout the year in this
region.
– High 80 mm (3 inches) in December
– Low ~25 mm (less than an inch) in
July
• In general, Temperate Rainforest
have seasons and high amounts
of precipitation throughout the
year.
Desert
• Occurs between 15-28⁰N/S
• Caused from sinking dry air
• There is very little
precipitation in these regions
• As air sinks, the warm
temperatures cause water
vapor in the air to evaporate
instead of releasing as rain.
• Locations:
– Sahara Desert & Kalahari
(Africa), Great Australian
Desert (Australia), Mojave
Desert (United States)
Desert Climatogram
• The green bars show
precipitation
• In this graph, there is very
low precipitation
throughout the year
– High- 30 mm (1 inch)
– Low- 15 mm (0.5 inches
• The lines show temperature
for max., avg., and min.)
• In this graph, you can see
that temperatures vary
throughout the year
– High- July 30⁰C (86⁰F)
– Low- December 12⁰C (53⁰F)
Deciduous Forest
• Occur between 25-50⁰N/S
• There are 4 distinct
seasons in this biome
• Temperature and
precipitation vary
throughout the year
• Locations:
– Eastern U.S.A
– Most of Europe
– Northeast Asia
Deciduous Forest Climatogram
• The green bars represent
precipitation
• In this graph, precipitation
varies
– High- 130 mm (5 inches)
– Low- 77 mm (3 inches)
• The lines represent the
temperature (max., avg.,
min.)
– High- 30⁰C (86⁰F)
– Low- -5⁰C (23⁰f)
• In general, the climate in
this region varies with
season
Savanna
• Occurs near tropical
latitudes
• 2 distinct seasons
• In the winter it is dry, very
little precipitation with
cooler temperatures
• In the summer it is wet
and hot
• Locations:
– Africa (Kenya, Zimbabwe),
Northern Australia,
Honduras
Savanna Climatogram
• Bars show precipitation
• In this graph, the winter
months show high
precipitation compared to
the summer months.
• Lines show temperature.
(red-max., purple-avg.,
blue-min.)
• In this graph,
temperature drops
slightly in the winter
compared to the summer.
Grassland
• Occurs at the midlatitudes 55° N to 30° S
• Also known as a prairie
• Summers are warm and
humid with rain
• Winters temperatures
become colder but not
extreme and dry
• Very windy because it is so
flat in these areas
• Locations:
– Midwest U.S.A (Great Plains)
– Pampas of Argentina
Grassland Climatogram
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The bars represent the amount of
precipitation for this region.
In this graph, you can see that the
summer month are a time of higher
rainfall and the winter months have
very little rainfall
– High- ~130 mm (5 inches)
– Low- ~30 inches (1 inch)
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The red (max), purple (avg) and blue
(min) lines represent temperature for
this city.
– Max High- 34⁰C (93⁰F)
– Min Low- -4⁰C (24⁰F)
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In general, you can see that
temperatures vary within this region
because they are located in the midlatitudes and amount of rainfall is
seasonal.
Chaparral
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Occur in Mid-latitudes
– 30° to 50° N and 30° to 40° S latitudes
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Lie in a belt of Westerly winds
Tend to occur on western sides of
continents.
Known as a Mediterranean Climate
In the summer it is very hot and dry.
Very little precipitation during the
summer months, causing this area to
be vulnerable to fires.
Avg. precipitation is 10-17 inches for
the year, usually occurs in the winter
months.
Locations:
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Central and Southern Coast of
California, Along the coast of the
Mediterranean Sea, Western Australia
Chaparral Climatogram
• Green bars represent
precipitation for L.A.
• In this graph you can see
that there is very little
rainfall in this region
throughout the year.
• Lines represent
temperature
• In this graph you can see
that the temperature is
warm and does not vary
much throughout the
year
Taiga/ Boreal Forest
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Occurs in Polar regions
Because of earth's tilt, the taiga is
turned away from the sun in the
winter.
Less of the sun's radiation reaches
the ground to warm it up.
Exceptionally cold winds bring
bitterly cold air
Winter, with it's freezing cold
temperatures, lasts for six to seven
months
Summer is a rainy, hot and short
season
Fall is the shortest season
Spring brings flowers, the frozen
ponds melt, and the animals come
out from hibernation.
Locations:
– Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia,
Russia and China
Taiga/ Boreal Forest
Climatogram
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Green bars represent precipitation
In this graph you can see the summer
months have the highest rainfall and
winter months have very little
precipitation.
– High- 49 mm (~1 inch)
– Low- 8 mm (0.3 inches)
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Lines represent temperature (red=
max., purple= avg., blue= min.,)
In this graph, the temperature varies
with season.
– Summer warmest- 22⁰C (71⁰ F)
– Winter coldest - -28⁰C (-18⁰F)
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In general, you can see that there is
little precipitation for this biome and
temperatures remain generaly cool
throughout the year.