MAJOR CLIMATIC REGIONS SOUTH OF THE SAHARA Flashcards
What is a major climatic zone
It is a large area with atmospheric conditions that are different from any other area
Describe an Equatorial rain forest
- It occurs along Equatorial regions
- It has storms, heavy rains, high temperatures and humid all year long
- little change between seasons
- Examples: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Guinea
- Plants: ferns, vines, evergreen trees,a dense forest canopy
What is the characteristics of an Equatorial climate
- Constant high temperatures
- Lowest annual temperature range of any climate
- Evenly distributes, heavy precipitation
- Lots of cloud cover and high humidity
What role play rain forests in the worlds climate
They help regulate Earth’s hydrologic(water) Cycle.
What is Earth’s hydrologic cycle
The process where water that evaporates from trees and plants falls back to Earth as rain.
What is another name for the savannah biome
Temperate Grassland
Describe the temperature in the savannah
The savannah stays warm all year
On which continent is the largest savanna biome found
Africa
Describe the typical vegetation found in the savanna
Grasses with scattered trees and shrubs
Which animals would you find on the savanna
Zebras, wildebeest, elephants, giraffes, ostriches, gazelles, buffalo and lions, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs
Which animal living in the savanna is considered the fastets land animal reaching speeds of 112km/h?
cheetah
What event often occurs during the dry season of the savanna that help make way for new growth
Fire
What biome is slowly taking over the savanna in Africa due to overgrazing
Desert
What is the savanna grasslands in Australia called
Bush
What is the savanna grassland in America called
Prairies
Name threats of grassland
Farmlands because grassland soils are fertile so people use much of the savanna for growing crops and grazing animals
When farming, many of the soils nutrients are used up, top soil is lost to wind, overgrazing,
global warming, rainfall patterns change and grassland became deserts
Growth of cities.
Where do you find a Desert and describe
Occurs along Tropic of Capricorn
Very hot and very dry
High day temperatures and often much lower night temperatures
less to no rainfall per year
Name 2 subtropical deserts
Kalahari, Namib
What plants do you find in the desert
Palms, Welwitschia, succulants
Which desert is the largest in the world
Sahara Desert
Which is the cold deserts of the world
Antarctica, Arctic
How much precipitation falls in a desert per year
less than 25 mm in the Sahara and the rest up to 100mm per year
Which percentage of earth is covered by Deserts
25%
Why is the animals in the Sahara Desert mostly mammals small
They need to survive without much water
It helps them to minimize water loss. They get their water from their diets. They live in burrows during the day and hunt mostly at night when temperatures are lower.
