Climate and Natural Vegetation Flashcards
What is a drought?
a longer than usual period of dry weather.
When do droughts occur?
when rainfall fails to fall when expected.
What is the climate?
the weather conditions that are expected in a region at a particular time of year.
Where is the equatorial climate?
areas within a 10 degree latitude of the equator, north and south
What are features of the equatorial climate?
hot and wet all year
no seasons
lowlands
What are the three main equatorial climate areas?
amazon basin - south america
congo basin - central america
malaysian peninsula - south east asian islands
How does the angle of the sun’s rays affect the heating of the earth’s surface?
the higher the angle of the sun’s rays, the greater is the heating of the earth’s surface.
What are the influences of clouds on temperature?
- clouds reduce surface temperature at the equator because their white upper surface reflects some solar radiation back into space
What are the reasons for Singapore’s high rainfall?
- high temperature + air with high moisture content
- transpiration from dense forest vegetation
- surface winds are light
Do tropical desert climates have seasons?
yes
What is the maritime influence?
when air blowing in from the sea brings the temperature of the sea to the land.
Do tropical desert climates have clouds?
often not because desert air has low relative humidity.
What does extreme diurnal temperatures mean?
there is a very large range of daily temperatures in the tropical desert climate.
Why do deserts get cold at night?
there are no clouds to trap the heat.
What is aspect?
the direction in which it faces if it is on a slope.
How is the precipitation in tropical desert climates?
very little.
most rains occur in torrential downpours that are rare and erratic.
What are Hadley cells?
circulations of air.
What is an ecosystem?
an area in which plants and animals live in balance with their environment and are inter-linked with it.
What are the characteristics of the vegetation in tropical rainforests?
- very dense
- tree are very tall with straight trunks that branch only at the top
What are the five tiers of the rainforest?
Emergent
Main canopy
Under-canopy
Sparse shrub
Ground layer
Why are tropical soils red?
lots of iron near the surface.
Tell me about the animals in the tropical rainforest ecosystem.
rich + diverse animal life because:
- variety of habitats
- abundance of vegetation for food
Where do most animals in the tropical rainforest ecosystem live?
the canopy + emergent layers
What are some of the adaptations of tropical vegetation?
leaves with drip-tips to get rid of excess moisture
saucer shaped leaves
