Geography Flashcards
What is a biome?
A particular geographic region that can be recognised by the plants and animal species that naturally live there. Also characterised by the climate.
What are all of the biomes?
Terrestrial:
- Desert
- Grassland
- Savana/tropical grassland
- Taiga
- Temperate rainforest
- Tundra
- Tropical rainforest
Marine:
- Freshwater
- Marine
Both:
- ice
What are some factors that affect biomes?
Latitude
Altitude
Continentality
Prevailing winds
Ocean currents
Wind and pressure systems
What is the prime meridian?
Where 0 degrees longitude is located on the map Greenwich
Distinguish between latitude and longitude
Latitude - horizontal - measure distance N/S of equator
Longitude - vertical - measure distance E/W of prime meridian
How does the latitude of a location affect the types of biomes that can be found there?
Latitude affects biomes by determining the amount of solar energy a region receives, with tropical biomes near the equator, temperate biomes in mid-latitudes, and polar biomes in high latitudes, shaping temperature and precipitation patterns.
How does altitude affect the types of biomes that can be found there?
Altitude affects biomes by causing temperature to decrease (by one degree every 100m approx.) and precipitation patterns to change as you go higher, leading to alpine biomes with cold temperatures at high elevations, and similar biomes to those found at lower latitudes, such as montane forests and tundra’s, depending on the height.
Relief (height) rainfall is very common than places that are low down - so more precipitation. This is caused by the prevailing winds from the sea that pick up moisture and bring it up the mountain.
How does continentality affect the types of biomes that can be found there?
Places near the coast have smaller temperature ranges due to the ocean (water) acting as an insulator as it loses and gains heat very slowly compared to the land. Therefore it sustains more even temps.
Places away from coast have larger temperature ranges (hot in day very cold at night) due to the high speed at which land gains and loses heat.
Winds blowing off warm seas carry high moisture. Due to this, places on the coast receive more rainfall than those inland. By the time wind reaches inland, the wind has lost most of its moisture.
What factors affect biomes?
Latitude
Altitude
Continentality
(Prevailing winds
Ocean currents
Wind and pressure systems)
Explain how altitude influences temperature and vegetation. How might the biome change as you ascend a mountain from sea level to higher altitudes?
As you climb higher in altitude, temperature decreases and vegetation transitions from dense forests at the base through various zones of increasingly hardy plants until reaching the highest elevations where only the most resilient species can survive.
Give an example for how latitude affects biomes
Singapore - 1 degree N of the equator - receives year round direct sunlight and is very hot
Give an example of how altitude affects biomes
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania - at the base = tropical conditions with dense vegetation, but ascending the mountain reveals progressively colder zones until reaching the snow-capped peak, despite being near the equator.
Give an example for how continentality affects biomes
Moscow being a landlocked country, gets extreme winters and hot summers, due to the speed at which land loses and gains heat, compared to the ocean or water which surrounds coastal areas, which is why they have smaller temperature ranges.
Explain the grassland biome
Vast, open ecosystems dominated by grasses.
Found in every continent besides Antarctica. Found between Tropic of Cancer and Arctic Circle and then between Tropic of Capricorn and Antarctica - not located very close to the equator.
Found inland and make up large parts of: Ukraine, Mongolia , Argentina and the US.
Altitude is between 200m-2000m. (This moderate altitude leads to a lower air pressure which means less moisture so more droughts).
Temps: -20 up to 30.
Experience seasonal extremes of hot summers and cold winters due to their continentality - landlocked countries.
Rainfall on average annually is moderate to low: 250mm-750mm.
Seasonal droughts through summer where temps are high and evaporation rates increase, reducing soil moisture.
Define a desert
An area that receives very little precipitation
Define precipitation
Any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and falls back to Earth.
What are the two types of deserts?
Hot - tropic of capricorn and get hot summers and warm winters with a low humidity
Cold - high ground, north of tropic of cancer and south of tropic of capricorn
What are the temperature ranges of Australian deserts?
Summer max: 45-50 C
Summer min: 21-25 C
Winter max: 20-25 C
Winter min: 5-10 C
Surface soil temp can exceed: 70 C
What are the temperature variations in Australian deserts caused by?
Continentality - inland so doesn’t receive cooling winds and ground gains and loses heat very quickly - no ocean surrounding it (besides the GSD) to keep more stable temperatures - because water gains and loses heat much slower no on the coast, they usually have more stable temperatures and less variation from the day to night unlike in deserts.
Latitude - experience lots of direct sunlight in summer and less in winter but still enough to still be very hot during day (close to equator)
In Cairo, Egypt (desert), what is the annual rainfall like?
150-200mm annually
Highly variable and unreliable
Extended drought periods are common
When the temps are higher, rainfall is lower
What are some of the topographic features of Australian deserts?
Sand dunes - result of wind depositing sand over time and they are held in position by vegetation
Salt lakes - high body of water that contains a high concentration of salt and other dissolved minerals. Important wildlife refuges as shade from more vegetation. Also has salt crust formation.
Gibber plains - Desert pavement stones - protects against erosion
Clay pans - Temporary water storage - wildlife gathering points - culturally significant - clean water source - greener vegetation around these small water holes provide shelter, shade and even food
What is a topographic feature?
The physical features of a landscape
What are some adaptations to desert vegetation?
Small leaves or spines to conserve water - less surface area reduces water loss through evaporation. Also catch dew and rain. Also prevents animals from eating the cactus to find water.
Thick waxy skin holds in water
Roots near soils surface to soak up rain quickly before it evaporates
Define anthropogenic
Referring to the environmental change caused or influenced by people, either directly or indirectly. E.g. mining, gardening
Impacts biomes - (specifically desert_ by mining, tourism, settlement and agriculture
Define desertification
The process of land turning into desert - caused by global warming etc. Caused when plants are removed and soil is exposed.
What are some anthropogenic impacts to desert biomes?
Agriculture - man made farms grown in deserts
Energy production - deserts get more direct sunlight and clear skies. solar panel farms
Mining - large oil and gas reserves are found in desert regions. Large roads must be built which impacts desert enviro.
Settlement - water supplies can be diverted to deserts to allow cities to grow within them
Tourism - camel, buggy rides, sandboarding. Deserts are a landscape for more money from tourism.
What are some serious landscape affects of mining on the desert landscape?
Fragmentation of the desert habitats - disruption to wildlife patterns, potential impact to groundwater systems which are needed by desert ecosystems.
Who are the stakeholders in mining of a desert?
Mining companies, residents, government (permits, tax for the mining on this land etc), environmental groups (Greens), tourism operators
Also very sacred to the Indigenous - places, cultural heritage protection etc.
Native species such as the bilby are impacted too.
Rules for the construction of a climate graph?
- locate the wettest month and high+low temps (months) and circle
- plot the rainfall - suitable scale on right side and must be 0mm at x/y intersection on right side
- use rainfall to create column graph - use ruler and ONLY PENCIL for whole graph - colour columns blue
- Create the temp scale on left side
- Plot temp data dot placed in centre of each month
- use red to join points plotted with smooth curve - no ruler - straight lines - max temp - use blue for min.
- Title - name of place, latitude, longitude and elevation if known
How do you describe a climate graph?
- look at overall shape and see if it is gentle or steep or stable
- highest and lowest rainfall and temp and the month it occurs
- calculate annual rainfall total
- anomalies
- seasonal patterns in temp or rainfall
How to write a pattern/relationship paragraph?
Write the pattern - Climate pattern varies (significantly or not a lot) over 12 months. Summer months have (high/low) rainfall. Winter had… Examples. Range
Write the relationship - differences occur because of climatic conditions which exist in (what biome it is). High/low rainfall because it is geographically situated between (latitude meaning… results in …
