Test 12/24/19 Weather/Climate + Soil/Vegetation Flashcards
climate
the long term pattern of weather
weather
the combination of temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and winds that we experience day to day
atmosphere
the layer of gases, clouds, and moisture that surrounds the planet
precipitation
water that is part of the hydraulic cycle.
in the form of rain, hail, sleet, snow, and fog
albedo
degree of reflectivity of earths surface/atmosphere
natural vegetation
the plant that would grow in an area with no human interference
maritime climate
climate in areas near an ocean. The annual temperature range (summer to winter) is low and precipitation is high
annual temperature range
temperature of the warmest month minus the temperature of the coldest month
continental climate
climate in areas far from an ocean. The annual temperature range is large and precipitation is low
climate graph
a graph that summarizes climate data for a particular location
soil profile
the three different layers that exist in the soil beneath the surface of the ground. Each layer has a particular combination of physical, biological, and chemical characteristics
dry climate soils
soils that develop where calcification is the dominant soil forming process
feedback loop
a cycle in which the output of a process becomes an input back into the process
equinox
means “equal amount” of solar radiation from north to south pole, due to the neutral position of the earths tilt
solstice
means “turning point”, meaning in summer, the tilt is into the northern hemisphere and in winter, the tilt is away from the northern hemisphere
seasonal reverse
when the northern hemisphere has summer, the southern hemisphere has winter, and vice verse
air mass
a large volume of air that takes on the climatic conditions of the area in which it forms
air pressure
the weight of air
high pressure
cold descending air
low pressure
warm rising air
polar front
the boundary line between cold, dry air and warm, wet tropic air
polar front jet stream
a fast flowing column of air found 9000-18000m in the atmosphere that goes west to east at speeds up to 500km/h. This stream controls the location of the polar front
relief
the shape of the surface of the land
4 points to explain why Canada has a diversity of climates
1: Canada is a very large country, which means there is a lot of room for a variety of climates
2: Northern parts of Canada have different climates than southern parts
3: Coastal areas have different climate conditions than inland areas
4: Different elevations produce different climate conditions
8 climatic influences of weather and climate
- latitude -ocean currents
- landmasses(relief)/elevation -23.5° tilt of the earths axis
- air masses/jet streams -annual revolution of the
- nearness to water earth around the sun
- prevailing winds
elevation temperature rules
ABOVE CONDENSATION LINE ⇧100m: -0.6°C ⇩100m: +0.6°C BELOW CONDENSATION LINE ⇧100m: -1°C ⇩100m: +1°C
Moisture
m: maritime (moist: formed over water)
c: continental (dry: formed over land)
Temperature
T: tropical (hot: formed in or near the tropics)
P: polar (cool-cold: formed between 55°N and 65°N)
A: arctic (very cold)
names of ocean currents (east to west)
North Atlantic Drift (warm) Labrador Current (cold) Gulf Stream (warm) California Current (cold) North Pacific Current (warm)
maritime cimate
- areas along oceans or large lakes
- because of the moderating effect of the water, winter temps are relatively mild, and summers don’t get too hot
- also, as a result, the annual temperature range is quite small
continental climate
- areas found far from oceans or large lakes
- land heats up, and cools down more quickly than water, so extreme temperatures are the norm
CLIMATE: special case
-areas near the Great Lakes are a special case because they are far enough away from the ocean that they should be continental, but because they are so large, the Great Lakes provide a partial maritime influence
-they moderate the temperatures somewhat, and provide a source of moisture, as long as they are not frozen. Once frozen, they act like land.
THE AREAS AROUND THE GREAT LAKES ARE CALLED “MODIFIED, CONTINENTAL”
climate and weather patterns also have an affect on many other things, such as:
-natural vegetation -wildlife
-soil -economic activities (forestry)
agricultural patterns -population patterns
8 climate regions of Canada
- arctic -boreal
- taiga -prairie
- cordilleran -southeastern
- pacific maritime -atlantic maritime
Types of Precipitation Essex county receives and doesn’t receive
RECIEVES: -Convectional (thunderstorms)
-Cyclonic (low pressure storms)
DOES NOT RECEIVE: -Relief (orographic)
4 components of a true soil
1) minerals/nutrients
2) bacteria/organic material
3) air
4) moisture
3 layers of a soil profile
topsoil (a horizon)
subsoil (B horizon)
parent material (C horizon)
A HORIZON (topsoil)
-this soil is very fertile, meaning it has a good quantity of minerals and nutrients that plants need to grow
-the dark colour is a result of large quantities of nutrient rich organic (plant) material
IMPORTANCE?
▶︎ need god soils to grow food… basis for human civilization
▶︎ a society can’t exist unless it has a reliable food supply that rich soils provide
▶︎ regions with rich soils support many billions of people, while parts of the world with poor quality soils have low (to no) population
MOST PEOPLE TAKE SOILS ENTIRELY FOR GRANTED, KNOWING LITTLE ABOUT THEM
leaching
if there is too much rainfall, water is constantly moving downward through the soil. This process is called leaching, and it removes nutrients that are important for plant growth, such as mineral compounds with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. You can identify these soils because they lack the dark brown, fertile topsoil. We call them wet-climate soils
calcification
in areas that are drier, moisture tends to move upward. The rich topsoil layer then stands out. These are dry-climate soils
6 analysis questions for a climagraph
1) # of months of snow
2) # of months of rain
3) # of months in the growing season
4) average annual temperature
5) average annual precipitation
6) temperature range
the 4 seasons
Vernal Equinox March 21
Autumnal Equinox Sept 21
Winter Solstice Dec 21
Summer Solstice June 21
The factors that determine climate have an impact on 2 major aspects of climate:
temperature and precipitation
latitude
latitude is an important factor in determining how warm a climate is
generally, the farther from the equator you are, the less direct sunlight you receive
latitude and sunlight
since the equator is the flattest part of the earth, the sun is most concentrated on this zone, making it the warmest
north/south of equator
due tot he curvature of the earth, the suns rays have to bend and widen to reach the earths surface, therefore, moe of the suns radiation is being reflected/absorbed by the atmosphere, resulting in cooler conditions
winter
the 23.5 degree tilt of of the earths axis away from the sun (northern hemisphere) further widens the suns rays, thus maximizing cooler conditions in the northern hemisphere
summer
the 23.5 degree tilt of the earth axis into the sun (northern hemisphere) increases the concentration of the suns rays, maximizing warmer conditions in the northern hemisphere
the atmosphere can absorb
up to 15% of incoming radiation from the sun
bright coloured surfaces (white clouds, snow covered ground) can reflect
up to 85% of incoming solar radiation
relief (orographic)
- mountain barriers block moist air and force the air to rise up the windward slope of the mountains which expands and cools
- as the air cools, the amount of evaporation decreases, and condensation increases
- result: rainfall on windward side
- drier climate and rain shadow
convection (thunderstorm)
- responsible for most parts of Canada receiving more precipitation in the summer
- ex: violent but short lived rainfalls in summer afternoons
- warms air and air rises
result: rain and/or hail
cyclonic (1)
- warm air rises slowly over a cool air mass
- cloud cover and rainfall will be heavier and last long (many hours or days)
cyclonic (2)
- warm air is forced to rise quickly in front of a steep edged, fast flowing cold front
- can cause thunderstorms, strong winds, temp drop, heavy precipitation
frontal precipitation
polar front: the boundary between cold, dry polar air and warm, wet tropical air
-responsible for producing much of the rain that occurs in many parts of Canada
vegetation regions of canada
tundra boreal and taiga forest grassland mixed forest deciduous forest west coast forest wide range of vegetation types in the mountainous area
soil regions of canada
tundra soils
wet climate soils
dry climate soils
wide range of soils in the mountainous area
what wind and pressure system do we live in
the westerlies
