2.5 - Climate and natural vegetation Flashcards
Draw a diagram of the structure of the cells in the atmosphere:
don’t draw the winds
REPLACE DIAGRAM, ONLY NEED TRADE WINDS
Name and draw the main winds above Earth’s surface and why they are curved:
(polar easterlies)
-wind deflection due to Earth’s rotation (Coriolis effect)
Explain how the Hadley cells operate:
-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
Describe the 3 types of rainfall:
-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
When reading climate graphs, what should you remember?
-bars represent rainfall, lines represent temperature
-remember to read the correct scale
Name the factors that can affect the climate:
-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)
Explain the 5 relationships between the climate and the natural vegetation in a rainforest:
-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
Why does the TRF have a high biodiversity?
-high temp with little seasonal variation
-many undisturbed habitats with large supply of food
-rapid material cycling
Describe the structure of the TRF:
-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
Give 4 general adaptations of trees in the TRF:
-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)
What 4 things can cause the formation of a desert?
-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
Give some general adaptations of plants in the desert:
- 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
Define an ecosystem:
the geography way
geographical area in which the flora/fauna have adapted to the physical/climatic conditions which occur at that location
Define a desert:
an area of land that receives less than 250mm rain per year
What is a xerocole?
an animal adapted to live in a dry environment (eg golden wheel spider)
Give reasons for deforestation:
-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
What global/local consequences can arise from deforestation?
-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)
How would you describe the distribution of rainforests in Africa?
-name specific countries
-give specific latitudes
-compare regions with/without rainforests
Why does a cold ocean current decrease rainfall?
-low evaporation rates
-less water vapour in the air
-can’t condense into clouds
When discussing characteristics of vegetation in the rainforest, what should you mention?
-layers in rainforest
-epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants for structure, eg vines, moss, lichen)
Describe the processes which result in a large amount of rainfall in equatorial areas:
-highest amount of insolation
-air rises forming low pressure areas (explain conv. rainfall)
-high transpiration rate
Generally, how are animals adapted to live in a desert environment?
-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
