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Ecosystems 4.1 The Role of Climate The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ Question • Can bananas grow everywhere? – Banana are tropical plants and need an abundance of water and heat to thrive • Can cranberries grow everywhere? – Cranberries need lots of water and a cool area to grow. The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ Climate vs Weather • Weather is the day to day account of the Earth’s atmospheric condition at a certain time and place. Varying. • Climate is the account of the “average, year after year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region. Constant. The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ 1 Climate • Observed climate is caused by a combination of many factors: – Heat trapped by the atmosphere – The latitude – The transport of heat by winds and ocean currents – Precipitation – Energy from incoming sunlight drives earth’s weather and helps to determine climate. The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ The Greenhouse Effect • Unlike other planets, temperatures on Earth remain within a suitable range due to the existence of a small blanket of atmosphere. – This Blanket insulates the earth keeping it at a fairly constant temperature – The atmospheric blanket also shields us from dangerous cosmic radiation. The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ The Greenhouse Effect • Carbon Dioxide, Methane, water vapor, and a few other atmospheric gases trap heat energy and maintain Earths temperature ranges. • Light readily passes thru the greenhouse gasses • Heat has a harder time, gets reflected. The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ 2 Is the greenhouse effect bad? • No, it is necessary for the maintenance of our comfortable temperature range. • Too much will cause over heating of the Earth. • To reiterate, Greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect, which helps maintain the earth’s temperatures ranges. Slows down the loss of heat into space. W/O it Earth would be 30 degrees cooler The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ Latitude’s influence on climate • As a results of differences in latitude and thus the angle of heating, Earth has three main climate zones: – Polar – Temperate – Tropical The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ Polar Zones • Cold areas where the sun’s rays strike the earth at a very shallow angle. • Located in the areas around the north and south poles – Between 66.5 degree and 90 degrees north and south latitudes The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ 3 Temperate Zones • Between the polar zones and the tropics. • Temperatures range from hot to cold as the angel at which the sun is hitting them changes constantly, depending on season. The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ Tropical Zones • Receives almost direct sunlight. • The areas near the equator between 23.5 north and south latitudes. • Warm year around. The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ Heat Transport in the Biosphere • Law of Diffusion • Winds form because warm air tends to rise and cool air tends to sink. Known as convection currents. • Similar patterns occur in the Earth’s Oceans. • Some of these paths are curved as a result of the earth’s rotation. The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ 4 Section 4.1 Assessment 1. What is the Greenhouse Effect? 2. Describe Earth’s three main climate zones 3. What are the main factors that determine Earth’s climate? 4. Describe two ways in which heat is transported in the biosphere. The Nora School 955 Sligo Avenue Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Biology Period _________ 5
