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Ch. 3 Climate and Vegetation
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Seasons occur because of the earth’s revolution and tilt.
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere on a daily basis.
Weather extremes disrupt normal patterns of living.
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere on one place during a short period of time.
--The Earth’s axis is a tilt at 23 ½ degrees.
--The tilt effects the temperature of places in the surface of the earth.
--The Earth rotates on its axis.
--It completes one rotation every 24 hours, which marks day and night.
Earth’s Revolution
The Earth revolves around the sun. It takes 1 year or 365 ¼ days to finish one trip.
This effects the changing seasons.
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Climate is the atmospheric condition over a long period of time.
Climate is affected by wind and ocean currents, latitude, elevation, and topography.
Global climate changes include El Niño and the greenhouse effect.
Climate is the term used for weather patterns that an area typically experiences.
- Keeps heat from escaping into space after it enters the earth’s atmosphere
Low latitude – Area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
High and middle latitudes – latitudes between the North Pole and Arctic Circle and between the South
Pole and the Antarctic Circle are known as the high latitudes.
Polar Areas – When either the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the
sun, its polar areas receives
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Elevation- The temperature of a place depends on its elevation. Also describes how high it is above sea
level.
Wind and Ocean Currentsand
combined with the effects of the sun to create the weather
and climates of the Earth.
Wind Patterns- Winds that blow in fairly constant directions
Ocean Currents- Cold and Warm “rivers” of sea water known as currents which flow in the ocean.
Landforms- Features on the Earth’s surface that can effect climates.
Windward : Side facing toward the direction from which the wind is blowing.
Leeward : Side facing away from the direction the wind is blowing.
Rain Shadow : Dry area found on the leeward side of a mountain range.
Climate effects what people will wear, how they build their houses, and transportation.
Therefore people must adapt to the climate.
Climate changes :
Changes that people make in the environment effect the climate.
Burning of fossil fuels, release of carbon dioxide, and water projects.
Climate is also effected by the variations in the sun’s output of energy and volcanic activities.
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Soil characteristics include texture, depth, and humus content.
Soil and climate are major influences on vegetation regions.
Vegetation patterns are based on ecosystems.
An interconnected community of plants & animals
An ecosystem of a region is referred to as a
There are ( 5 ) basic climate regions: tropical, dry, mid-latitude, high latitude, and highland.
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The two most significant factors in climate are temperature and precipitation.
TROPICAL CLIMATE - These regions are found in or near the low latitudes.
Tropical Rain Forest Climate - are low and wet and are found near the equator.
Tropical vegetation grows thick in layers formed at different heights.
Tropical Savanna Climate are areas with dry seasons in winter and wet in summer.
DRY CLIMATE
Desert Climates are dry areas with sparse plant life.
These areas get less than 10 inches of rain fall a year.
Desert climates cover about
of the earth’s land surface.
Steppe Climate are dry areas, often bordering deserts.
The vegetation consists of bushes and patches of short grasses without many trees.
MID-LATITUDE CLIMATES
Marine West Coast Climate are areas generally found along the western coastlines.
This region covers much of the western Europe, Pacific coast of North America, South America, Africa
and Australia.
Mediterranean Climate are areas with weather patterns and vegetation like those near the
Mediterranean Sea. These regions are found generally in coastal lands between 30 and 40 degrees north
and south latitude.
Humid Subtropical Climate are areas found at mid-latitudes in the southeastern parts of continents.
Vegetation includes both grasslands and forests.
Winds and high pressure related to nearby oceans cause high humidity.
Humid Continental Climate are influenced by landmass than by winds, precipitation, or ocean
temperatures. The regions are only found in the Northern Hemisphere.
HIGH LATITUDE CLIMATES
Subarctic Climate are regions in which the conditions limit the plant life.
Vegetation consists of needle leaved evergreen trees.
These regions are found in Russia and Canada.
Tundra Climate are regions with bitter cold winters and reduced sunlight.
In the summer the sun ray brings constant light but little heat.
Ice Cap Climate are regions with no vegetation because the temperature averages below freezing.
HIGHLAND CLIMATES
These are mountain areas in which climate varies with elevation.
Elevation influences vegetation.
Near the base of mountains deciduous and evergreen forests grow.
Equinox – The day where the sun is directly over the equator and day and night are equal
Solstice – The northernmost or southernmost point the earth receives direct rays from the sun
Spring - Summer -Autumn -Winter
The Seasons
On Earth
WATER CYCLE ---- HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
This is called the
Greenhouse Effect.