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EES 152 Bob Booth > 2.3. (9/2) Global climate & terrestrial biomes > Flashcards

2.3. (9/2) Global climate & terrestrial biomes Flashcards

atmospheric and oceanic movement

1
Q

Why is the equator warmer than the poles? What is differential heating?

A
  • solar rays pass through less atmosphere at the equator
  • beam hits a larger area at the pole
  • the angle of the ray determines the reflection percent
  • higher albedo at poles (more reflection b/c light)
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2
Q

What is albedo?

A

amount of solar radiation reflected instead of absorbed

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3
Q

What is the net solar radiation at the equator and poles?

A

there is a net surplus at the equator and a net loss at the poles

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4
Q

What do the differences in temperature/energy lead to?

A

movement
- drives circulation of ocean and atmosphere

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5
Q

How much is the Earth’s rotational axis tilted?

A

23.5 degrees relative to its path around the sun

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6
Q

What does the Earth’s tilt cause?

A

Shifts where you get the band of highest radiation

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7
Q

What is the solar equator?

A

the latitude receiving the most direct radiation (changes seasonally)
- point at which the radiation is directly hitting from the sun

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8
Q

How does the climate system equilibrate the difference in heating?

A
  • move atmosphere (wind patterns)
  • hurricanes (uneven distribution of energy) (movement of air horizontally and vertically)
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9
Q

what drives vertical movement of air?

A

heating at surface of planet, warm air is less dense, and raises

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10
Q

What is conduction?

A

the ability of heat to pass through a substance

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11
Q

what is convection?

A

transfer of heat by movement of air or water

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12
Q

What two things are related?

A

temperature and pressure

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13
Q

What is adiabatic cooling?

A

removing pressure causes air to rise, expand, and cool

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14
Q

What is adiabatic heating?

A

falling air has more pressure so the temperature rises (decreases in volume) (molecules bang more)

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15
Q

What is latent heat release?

A

energy (heat) released when water vapor turns to precipitation

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16
Q

What kind of air holds more water vapor?

A

warm air

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17
Q

what usually happens when you having falling air?

A

more evaporation

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18
Q

What is Hadley cell circulation?

A

at the equator: lots of heating, rising air, precipitation
the air goes north and south to descend at 30 degrees

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19
Q

Why do you have dry conditions at 30 degrees?

A

the falling air is heating up which means it can hold more water causing more evaporation

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20
Q

What is the intertropical convergence zone? (ITCZ)

A

Where the northerly and southerly air meets and rises

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21
Q

What is the Coriolis effect?

A

when the flow of air is deflected because of the Earth’s rotation

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22
Q

In what directions is the air deflected in the northern and southern hemispheres?

A

northern: right
southern: left

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23
Q

What are the trade winds?

A

east winds coming out of tropical areas

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24
Q

What is the doldrum area?

A

the region between the winds
- not a lot of wind

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25
Q

what is important in determining climate in the tropics?

A

relative position to the shifting solar equator that moves with the seasons

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26
Q

The Hadley cells explain tropic and subtropic atmospheric circulation, but what drives prevailing wind patterns outside of this region?

A

largeness of temperature gradient
- also determines the speed of westerly winds at mid-latitudes

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27
Q

What kind of pattern explains why we find rainforests and deserts where we do?

A

Hadley cell latitudinal patterns of moisture circulation

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28
Q

Why is there are rainforest at 30 degrees north in Asia?

A

Monsoon cycle

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29
Q

What are monsoons driven by?

A

the temperature differences between an ocean and a continent
- peak of winter and summer

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30
Q

At what speed do oceans temperatures/seasons change?

A

much slower response than a continent

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31
Q

What are the surface temperatures of the land and ocean during summer and winter?

A

in the summer the land is hotter than the adjacent ocean, and cooler in the winter

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32
Q

how does a monsoon work in the summer?

A
  1. hot land surface = rising air
  2. rising air-> less pressure -> cools
  3. cool = can’t hold moisture -> precipitation
    - air descends over cool ocean -> pulled back into rising air (repeat)
    * mini Hadley cell
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33
Q

how does a monsoon work in the winter?

A
  1. cool land/ warm ocean
  2. rising air over the ocean -> precipitation -> falling air over land (drier conditions)
34
Q

Why does the northern hemisphere experience more variable temperature

A

more land
- southern hemisphere has the ocean to moderate temperature

35
Q

What are the characteristics of deep continental interiors? coastal areas?

A
  • drier, variable
  • maritime climate
36
Q

what is maritime climate?

A

stable in terms of temperature

37
Q

What are rain shadows?

A
  • modifier local climate
  • forced air masses that go up or down (change in pressure/temperature/water carrying capacity)
  • rain where a prevailing wind hits and dry on the other side of the mountain
38
Q

What is lake-effect snow?

A
  • modifier of local climate
  • lake warmer than surrounding air (going into winter)
  • cold air mass moves across lake -> evaporation -> moisture held -> warming air -> air mass hits the other cold side (can’t hold moisture anymore leading to dumped snow)
  • 30 -50 miles from lake coast snow drives
39
Q

What do prevailing winds cause in oceans?

A

ocean currents and gyres

40
Q

What do oceans disperse?

A

tropical heat to mid/high latitudes

41
Q

What are biomes?

A

the broadest way to classify communities and ecosystems

42
Q

What is climate space?

A

*Whittaker classification
plotted distribution of biomes according to average annual temperature and precipitation
- triangle: warm-moist, warm-dry, cool-dry

43
Q

What is a walter climate diagram?

A
  • summer months in the middle
  • average temperature and precipitation on y axis
  • scaled 10-degree temperature = 20 mm precipitation
44
Q

When is plant growth limited by temperature? (walter climate diagram)

A

when the precipitation line is above the temperature line

45
Q

when is plant growth limited by precipitation? (walter climate diagram)

A

when the precipitation line is below the temperature line

46
Q

what is a growing season? (walter climate diagram)

A

when temperatures are above 0*C

47
Q

what is another way to categorize biomes?

A

soil profiles: foundation of terrestrial biomes

48
Q

what is the O horizon?

A

lose vegetation, no decomposition
* thin

49
Q

what is the A horizon?

A

organic rich, hummus, partially decomposed
*garden

50
Q

what is the E horizon?

A

leached soil (minerals carried away)

51
Q

What is the B horizon?

A

chemical resemblance to parent layer with leached minerals

52
Q

What is the C horizon?

A

broken bedrock

53
Q

What is the R horizon?

A

unaltered parent material (bedrock)

54
Q

What is a soil?

A

a complex mixture of living and non-living materials

55
Q

What is a temperate seasonal forest?

A
  • Pennsylvania
  • deciduous: maple, beech, oak
  • wide distribution
  • moderate temperature and precipitation
  • warmer and drier part: southeast with pines
56
Q

What is the temperate rain forest?

A
  • higher precipitation
  • restricted
  • douglas fir and coast redwood (60-70m tall)
  • mild winters, heavy winter rain, foggy summers
  • extensive during Mesozoic era
57
Q

What kinds of human impact have temperate forests experienced?

A
  • cities
  • logging
  • few old growth deciduous forests (east of Mississippi, Adirondacks)
58
Q

What are temperate grasslands?

A
  • continental interior
  • hotter, drier summers
  • enough moisture deficit for no trees
  • prairies, steppes
  • tallgrass (more rain) vs short grass
  • nutrient rich, low acidity
  • Mollisols: light color, homogenous, thick/alkaline/rich humus
59
Q

What kinds of human impact have temperate grasslands experienced?

A
  • agriculture and livestock production (particularly in the wetter, tallgrass areas
60
Q

What are Mediterranean woodlands and shrublands?

A
  • dry summer
  • cool, wet winter
  • maritime
  • sclerophyllous shrubs
  • chaparral/fynbos
  • year-round growing season
  • coasts
  • small areas
61
Q

what are sclerophyllous shrubs?

A

leathery, thick, prevent moisture loss

62
Q

What are chaparrals and fynbos?

A

drought-tolerant grasses and shrubs

63
Q

What limits plant growth in Mediterranean woodlands and shrublands?

A

dry summer, cold winter, frequent fires

64
Q

What is the subtropical desert?

A
  • descending branch of Hadley cell
  • high evaporation
  • low organic matter (not much primary productivity)
  • low abundance, high diversity
  • no precipitation
  • always hot
  • 20% of land surface
  • year-round growing season
65
Q

What are boreal forests?

A
  • average 5 to -5*C
  • Taiga
  • dominated by spruce
  • high latitude (50-60*N, North America/Eurasia)
  • variable temperature
  • precipitation always above temperature
  • 11% land area
  • evergreen conifers (firs)
  • precipitation does not evaporate
  • Podsolization for competition
66
Q

What is podsolization?

A

Conifer needles release hydrogen ions as they decompose decreasing the pH of the soil which bleaches out minerals like iron and aluminum immobilizing them as oxides

67
Q

How have Taigas been affected by human activity?

A

historically low, but increasing

68
Q

What are tundras?

A
  • average less than -5*C
  • not a lot of microbial activity
  • frozen soil (thaw to 0.5-1 m in short summer)
  • north of Arcitic Circle
  • superficially similar systems occur in Alpine zones
  • growing season has less than 60cm of precipitation
  • saturated soil because of impeded drainage and low evapotranspiration
  • dwarf, woody shrubs
  • many native mammals
69
Q

What are human affects on tundra?

A
  • low
  • scare resources
70
Q

Why do polygons form in the tunra?

A

freeze thaw and density

71
Q

What sets tropical climates apart?

A
  • daily temperature variation greater than monthly
  • no frost
  • differences are determines by seasonal precipitation pattern (ITCZ)
72
Q

What are tropical rainforests?

A
  • 10* of equator
  • lots of rain leaches nutrients
  • available nutrients sucked up by plants
  • year-round growth rate
  • Mycorrhizae
  • lianas
  • various canopy layers -> promotes diversity
  • epiphytes
  • evergreens
  • seasonally deciduous broad-leaved trees
  • probably contain ~1/2 of world’s species
  • soil laterization
73
Q

What are mycorrhizae?

A
  • mutualistic relationship
    -different to fungi
  • help gather nutrients
74
Q

what are epiphytes

A

plants that grow on other plants

75
Q

What are lianas?

A

woody vines

76
Q

How do humans impact tropical rainforests?

A

lumber, food, medicines

77
Q

What is laterization?

A

breaking down of clay particles leaches silicon leaving iron and aluminum oxides to dominate

78
Q

What are tropical dry forests?

A
  • pronounced dry and wet seasons
  • leaf loss at dry season
  • richer in nutrients
  • erode easily
  • year-round growing season
  • 10-30* latitude from equator
79
Q

How have humans impacted tropical dry forests?

A
  • heavily settled
  • cleared for agriculture
80
Q

What is a tropical savanna?

A

It is a type of tropical dry forest (it just has less trees)

81
Q

How have tropical savannas been impacted by human activities?

A

grazing livestock

EES 152 Bob Booth (11 decks)

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