2.5 - Climate and natural vegetation

Question 1

Draw a diagram of the structure of the cells in the atmosphere:

don’t draw the winds

Answer 1

note that the polar winds are incorrect on this diagram, another flashcard has the correct winds

Question 2

REPLACE DIAGRAM, ONLY NEED TRADE WINDS

Name and draw the main winds above Earth’s surface and why they are curved:

Answer 2

(polar easterlies)

-wind deflection due to Earth’s rotation (Coriolis effect)

Question 3

Explain how the Hadley cells operate:

Answer 3

-insolation heats air, rises, forms low pressure area

-air is diverted away from the equator, falls at 30°, high pressure

-on surface, air transported back to equator as the N/SE trade winds

Question 4

Describe the 3 types of rainfall:

Answer 4

-orographic/relief - P winds force moist air to rise up windward side of the mountain range and precipitates, forms rain shadow on leeward

-convectional - warm air rises between convection cells and condenses into clouds and precipitates

-frontal - area of low pressure meets an area of high pressure and the low pressure air rises, condenses and precipitates

Question 5

When reading climate graphs, what should you remember?

Answer 5

-bars represent rainfall, lines represent temperature

-remember to read the correct scale

Question 6

Name the factors that can affect the climate:

Answer 6

-ocean currents (warm water increases evap, eg Benguela)
-latitude (height of sun, thickness of atm.)
-air pressure
-altitude
-winds (P winds from sea raise winter temp)
-distance from sea (coastal areas are warmer in winter but cooler in summer due to SHC)

(O, LAAWD)

Question 7

Explain the 5 relationships between the climate and the natural vegetation in a rainforest:

Answer 7

-high rainfall + sunlight, ^plant growth
-high sunlight causes adaptations (tall trunks, UCs, emergents)
-high rainfall causes adaptations (drip tips, thin bark for faster runoff)

-evergreen due to little seasonal variation
-shrubs grow in clearings where light is there

Question 8

Why does the TRF have a high biodiversity?

Answer 8

-high temp with little seasonal variation
-many undisturbed habitats with large supply of food
-rapid material cycling

Question 9

Describe the structure of the TRF:

Answer 9

-shrub layer (0-5m), cheese plant
-understory (5-20m)
-canopy (20-40m), arboreal life (lives in trees, eg sloth)
-emergent (>40m), just big canopy trees

Question 10

Give 4 general adaptations of trees in the TRF:

Answer 10

-buttress roots (disperses weight of tree, collects near-surface nutrients)
-umbrella crowns (gets most sunlight/rain)
-drip tips (leaves with pointy tips allow rain to fall off easily, preventing damage or bacteria growth)
-tall straight trunks (maximises height)

Question 11

What 4 things can cause the formation of a desert?

Answer 11

-lack of clouds and rain (high pressure, rain shadows from mountains, cold ocean current)
-deforestation
-inland, away from water sources
-dry inland prevailing winds (brings no moisture)

Could mention it being near the Tropics too

Question 12

Give some general adaptations of plants in the desert:

Answer 12

- long deep root system to access deep water table
-shallow but wide root system to catch rain water before it evaporates
-leaves with low SA
-fewer/sunken stomata
-thicker waxy cuticle

The bottom 3 reduce transpiration

Question 13

Define an ecosystem:

the geography way

Answer 13

geographical area in which the flora/fauna have adapted to the physical/climatic conditions which occur at that location

Question 14

Define a desert:

Answer 14

an area of land that receives less than 250mm rain per year

Question 15

What is a xerocole?

Answer 15

an animal adapted to live in a dry environment (eg golden wheel spider)

Question 16

Give reasons for deforestation:

Answer 16

-farming (logging, commercial farming, arable/pastoral)
-mining
-urbanisation (^population)
-tourism (^urbanisation)

(FMUT)

Refer to these even in a case study about deforestation, just as backup points

Question 17

What global/local consequences can arise from deforestation?

Answer 17

-less CO2 uptake, ^global warming
-species extinction (due to habitat destruction), less biodiversity

-desertification
-less tree defense so more soil erosion (^flood risk, harder to farm)

Question 18

How would you describe the distribution of rainforests in Africa?

Answer 18

-name specific countries
-give specific latitudes
-compare regions with/without rainforests

Question 19

Why does a cold ocean current decrease rainfall?

Answer 19

-low evaporation rates
-less water vapour in the air
-can’t condense into clouds

Question 20

When discussing characteristics of vegetation in the rainforest, what should you mention?

Answer 20

-layers in rainforest
-epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants for structure, eg vines, moss, lichen)

Question 21

Describe the processes which result in a large amount of rainfall in equatorial areas:

Answer 21

-highest amount of insolation
-air rises forming low pressure areas (explain conv. rainfall)
-high transpiration rate

Question 22

Generally, how are animals adapted to live in a desert environment?

Answer 22

-produces less sweat/urine + increased capacity to store water
-can eat succulent plants for water
-nocturnal
-light in colour
-can bury down into the sand for cooling