Download climate and human impact on ecosystems

BIOMES
EARTH’S POSITION IN SPACE
NORTH CAROLINA
CLIMATE AND HUMAN IMPACT ON
ECOSYSTEMS
WHAT IS CLIMATE?
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The average temperature
and precipitation in an
area and any variations
from those norms
Powered by the sun and
the angles the radiant
energy hits earth
Complex exchange of
energy and moisture
among Earth’s spheres or
complex interactive
physical system
FACTORS THAT AFFECT CLIMATE
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Latitude
Elevation
Topography
Water bodies
Atmospheric
circulation
Vegetation
LATITUDE
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As latitude increases, the
intensity of the sun
decreases
Between 23.5 degrees N
and 23.5 degrees S forms
the tropical zone (sun at a
90 angle)
Temperate zones are
23.5 and 66.5 degrees N
and S of the equator
Polar zones are 66.5
degrees N and S to the
poles (energy strikes at
the smallest angle)
ELEVATION
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Height above sea level
Higher the elevation
the colder the climate
Also determines the
amount of
precipitation
TOPOGRAPHY
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Mountains and the
Rain Shadow effect
The windward side of
the mountain gets the
precipitation and the
leeward side gets very
little.
Creates deserts on
the leeward side of
the mountain
WATER BODIES
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The temperature of
the body of water
influences the
temperature of the air
above it
Have cooler summers
and milder winters
than those farther
inland at the same
latitude
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
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Global winds
influence climate
because they
distribute heat and
temperature around
Earth
Formation of high and
low pressure zones
VEGETATION
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Can affect both
temperature and
precipitation patterns in
an area
Influences how much of
the sun’s energy is
absorbed and how quickly
it is released
(transpiration)
Transpiration influences
precipitation
KÖPPEN CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
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Widely accepted
Uses mean monthly and
annual values of
temperature and
precipitation
5 groups: Humid tropical,
Dry, humid middle
latitude with mild winters,
humid middle latitude
with severe winters and
polar
HUMID TROPICAL CLIMATES (WET
TROPICS)
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High temperature and
year round rainfall
Biome- Tropical rainforest
10% of Earth’s land area
Average 25 C and 200
cm of rain
Solar radiation is
constantly high
Influenced by the
equatorial low
HUMID TROPICAL CLIMATES (
TROPICAL WET AND DRY)
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Have savannas, a
tropical grassland
with drought resistant
trees
Amount of
precipitation is
considerably less than
the wet tropics
DRY CLIMATES
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Precipitation is not as
great as the loss of water
by evaporation
3 variables used to
establish boundary
between wet and dry
climates: average annual
precipitation;; average
annual temperature and
the seasonal distribution
of precipitation (rain in
the warmest months)
DRY CLIMATES (CONT)
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In regions defined by
a general water
deficiency there are
two climatic types:
arid or desert and
semiarid or steppe
Semiarid is more
humid and typically
surrounds a desert
DRY CLIMATES-LOW LATITUDE
DESERTS AND STEPPES
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In the vicinity of the Tropic
of Cancer and the Tropic
of Capricorn
Stretch from the Atlantic
coast of Africa to
northwestern India,
Mexico and the
southwestern US
40% of the continent of
Australia is desert and
the rest is a steppe
Caused by the subtropical
high
DRY CLIMATES- MIDDLE LATITUDE
DESERTS AND STEPPES
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Exist because of the
positioning in the
interior of a land mass
Occupy sites on the
leeward sides of
mountains (caused
when tectonic plates
collide)
Rain shadow deserts
HUMID MIDDLE –LATITUDE CLIMATES
WITH MILD WINTERS
HUMID SUBTROPICS
 Located on the eastern
side of the continentssouth-eastern US.
 Hot sultry summers,
evening thunderstorms
 Winters are mild, frost is
normal in the higher
elevation
 affected by middle
latitude cyclones
HUMID MIDDLE –LATITUDE CLIMATES
WITH MILD WINTERS
MARINE WEST COAST
 Western side of
continents
 Strong winter rainfall
 Summer has stable
conditions with a
subtropical high
 Also known as the
Mediterranean climate
HUMID MIDDLE –LATITUDE CLIMATES
WITH MILD WINTERS
DRY-SUMMER
SUBTROPICAL
 West side of
continents( 40-50 N
and S latitude)
 Ample rainfall all year
 Mild winters and cool
summers
HUMID MIDDLE-LATITUDE CLIMATES
WITH SEVERE WINTERS
HUMID CONTINENTAL
 Central and eastern
portions of N America and
Eurasia
 Summers and winters are
severe
 Precipitation greater in
the summer than the
winter
 Winter precipitation is
determined by the
passage of fronts
HUMID MIDDLE-LATITUDE CLIMATES
WITH SEVERE WINTERS
SUBARCTIC
 Called the taiga or
coniferous forest largest stretch of
continuous forest on
the surface of earth
 Long and bitterly cold
winters
 Fairly warm summers
POLAR CLIMATES
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Mean temperature of
the warmest month is
10 C (50 F)
Extremely long days in
the summer and
winters are perpetual
night that are bitterly
cold
Two types: tundra and
ice cap
POLAR CLIMATES- TUNDRA
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Treeless climate in the
Northern Hemisphere
Winters are severe,
summers are cool
Yearly precipitation is
small
POLAR CLIMATE- ICE CAPS
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Mean average
temperature is never
above 0 C
No vegetation
Mountainous areas
and Greenland and
Antarctica
HIGHLAND CLIMATES
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Cooler and wetter but
most are similar to the
lower elevations
Every change in slope
creates a new
microclimate.
South facing slopes are
warmer and drier
North facing slopes cool
and damp
EARTH’S POSITION IN SPACE
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The third planet from the
sun
Orientation to the sun is
always changing
Aphelion- when it is the
farthest away from the
sun and can travel the
fastest (Solstices)
Perihelion- when it is the
closest to the sun and
travels the slowest due to
the gravitational pull from
the sun (equinoxes)
EARTH’S POSITION IN SPACE
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Also controls the
climates due to the
changes in the angle
that solar radiation
reaches Earth
creating the seasons
that are seen in many
climates
TERRESTRIAL BIOMES
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Biomes are determined
by the climate and the
climax community that
dominates that area
Include:
Tropical Rainforest
Temperate forests
Deserts
Grasslands
Tundra
FRESHWATER BIOMES
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Aquatic biomes with
low salt
concentrations
Include:
Ponds and Lakes
Rivers and Streams
Wetlands
MARINE BIOMES
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Covers 71% of the
Earth’s surface
Different oceans:
Indian
Pacific
Atlantic
Arctic
ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC FACTORS
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Abiotic (non-living)
factors of a biome
include: wind, water,
sand, dirt, clay, salt
content, altitude and
temperature changes
Biotic factors (living)
include birds, fish,
deer, humans, and
plants
BIOIDIVERSITY
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Increases the stability in
an ecosystem
The state of North
Carolina very diverse or
has a variety of plants
and animals
NC has 4,000 species of
plants, 2,000 species of
fungi, and 500 species of
moss and lichens
WHAT AFFECTS BIODIVERSITY
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Human population growth and
consumption of raw materials..
This is called an ecological
footprint. We use up the land
and the resources the land
provides to keep up our
lifestyle. (US and Germany rank
the highest)
Pollution also affects
biodiversity with nonpoint and
point source pollution
(including thermal pollution)
HOW CAN WE HELP BIODIVERSITY
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Conservation and
management strategies
can reduce some of the
negative effects
Management strategies
include reducing erosion,
keeping wetlands and
floodplains
Reducing pollution,
fragmentation, habitat
loss and not introducing
invasive species
DESTRUCTION OF WETLANDS
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There are several
ways that wetlands
are destroyed
Drained and
converted to farmland
Development and
road construction
waste disposal
Mosquito control
DESTRUCTION OF WETLANDS (CONT)
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Causes habitat loss
and fragmentation,
this is seen in
Louisiana
Mosquito control adds
toxic chemical to the
water
Urbanization is the
major loss of wetlands
NORTH CAROLINA’S CLIMATE
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Humid subtropical
Differences in altitude
cause changes in the
biomes because the
amount of
rainfall/temperatures
changes with the
different regions
Charlotte NC
COASTAL PLAINS OF NC
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The coastal plain
(outer and inner) is a
low flat area near
Atlantic Ocean, It
occupies 45% of NC
and very rich soils for
tobacco, soybeans
and cotton
PIEDMONT OF NC
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Located between the
coastal plains and the
mountains
It is a plateau that is
that is distinguished
by hilly, rolling land
MOUNTAINS OF NC
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Area is smaller than the
Piedmont and the coastal
plains
Occupies the western
part of the state
Has many different
mountain ranges
including the Great
Smokies and
Appalachians
HUMAN IMPACT ON GLOBAL CLIMATE
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Didn’t begin with the
onset of the modern
industrial period but it
has been occurring for
thousands of years
Altering ground cover,
use of fires and
domesticating
animals
RISING CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS
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Combustion of fossil fuels
has added great
quantities of CO2 in the
atmosphere
Clearing forests,
especially in the tropical
rain forest has helped
Plants take in and reduce
the levels through
photosynthesis
The amount has been
increasing for decades
ROLE OF TRACE GASES
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Include methane, nitrous
oxide, and CFC’s
They absorb wavelengths
of Earth’s outgoing
radiation.
The role of carbon dioxide
and trace gases isn’t the
same everywhere
CLIMATE FEEDBACK MECHANISMS
(POSITIVE)
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Warmer surface
temperatures increase
evaporation rate which
places more water vapor
in the atmosphere, this
reinforces the
temperature increase that
carbon dioxide causes
Melted sea ice absorbs
the radiation and this will
increase the temperature
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK MECHANISMS
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Global temperature
change causes more
cloud coverage which
reflects the radiation
but they can also
increase albedo and
add to the
temperature which is
stronger than the
reflection
AEROSOLS
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Aerosols are the tiny,
often microscopic liquid
and solid particles that
are suspended in the air.
Include soil, smoke, sea
salt and sulfuric acid that
can come from dust
storms and volcanoes
Most human contributed
aerosols come from the
combustion of fossil fuels
HOW DO AEROSOLS AFFECT CLIMATE?
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Sulfate compounds
produce acid precipitation
Increases clouds albedo
and more radiation is
reflected back to space,
causing a net cooling
effect
Are distributed unevenly
all over the globe
ACID PRECIPITATION AND THE
CHANGES IN SOIL PH
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Extremes in acidity or
alkalinity may affect
plant growth
Ideal soil is slightly
acidic between 5-7 on
the pH scale
ACID PRECIPITATION AND OCEAN PH
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The oceans have reduced the
effects of global warming by
absorbing carbon dioxide
They have also absorbed
nearly half of the fossil fuel
emissions
When carbon dioxide is
absorbed, it causes ocean
acidification since carbonic
acid is produced
Causes devastating effects on
the marine life
POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF
GLOBAL WARMING
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Sea level Rise:
threatens coastal
cities, wetlands and
low-lying islands.
There will be more
flooding, increased
soil erosion and
saltwater
encroachment into
coastal rivers and
aquifers
POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF
GLOBAL WARMING
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Arctic Sea Ice: decline in
sea ice
Could be part of a natural
cycle as well as human
interaction
Permafrost: the extent
found in the Northern
Hemisphere has declined.
The melting of permafrost
may reinforce global
warming