Tropical Climates Flashcards
What is air mass?
A large body of air in which the horizontal gradients of the main physical properties are fairly slack
What are the three main types of tropical climates?
- rainforest climates
- monsoon climates
- savanna climates
What are the main causes of the subtropical high-pressure belt?
It is caused by cold air at the tropopause descending. The position of the high pressure alter in response to the seasonal drift of the ITCZ.
How and why does the subtropical high-pressure belt vary seasonally?
The subtropical high pressure belt tends to lie over the ocean, especially in summer, when there are low pressures over the continents caused by heating
What is an oceanic gyre?
The oceanic gyre (swirl of currents) explains why east coasts are usually warm and wet, because warm currents carry water polewards and raise the air temperature of maritime areas. In contrast, cold currents carry water towards the Equator and so lower the temperature of coastal areas.
What is a monsoon?
involves wind patterns that experience a pronounced seasonal reversal. The basic cause is the seasonal difference in heating of land and sea on a continental scale.
What are tropical humid climates?
refer to areas in the tropics that are wet all year round
What are seasonally humid climates?
refer to areas within the tropics where there is a distinct dry season as well as wet season
What is succession?
refers to the spatial and temporal changes in plant communities as they move towards a seral climax
What is sere?
an association or group of species that alters the micro-environment and allows another group of species to dominate
What is community?
a group of populations living and interacting with each other in a common habitat
What is plagioclimax?
refers to a plant community permanently influenced by human activity. It is prevented from reaching climatic climax by burning, grazing and so on. The maintenance of grasslands through burning is an example of plagioclimax.
What is edaphic control?
In some areas, however, vegetation distribution may be determined by soils rather than by climate.
What is a climax community?
the group of species that are at a dynamic equilibrium with the prevailing environmental conditions.
Explain why tropical rainforests have very high rates of productivity?
Owing to the year-round growing season, constantly high temperatures (above 26°C), availability of moisture (over 2000 mm/year) and availability of light, productivity remains very high. In addition, due to the high biodiversity of the ecosystem there are species exploiting every ecological niche, which makes the ecosystem productive.
