Unit D: Energy Flow In Global Systems | Outcome 3/4 | L5-7 Flashcards
What factors affect climate?
-** Temperature ** (The thermal energy reaching a region)
- **Movement of air and water **(Carries thermal energy to a region)
- Altitiude (Higher altitiudes cools air due to lower pressure)
- Humidity (Water absorbs solar energy)
Define:
Dew Point
The temperature at which water vapor condenses (to form rain or snow)
Explain why an area may get lots of preciptiation
- The ground heats up the air near it due to the solar energy absorbed
- Water from the group evaporates
- The air expands and rises (where it begins to cool)
- The moist air cools and falls as rain
Explain why an area may get little precipitation
- It is a region of fallling cool air
- This air has a greater ability to hold water vapour, causing there to be little precipitation
In a climatopgraph:
What does the Left axis represent?
Precipitation
In a climatopgraph:
What does the Right axis represent?
Temperature
In a climatograph:
What do the bars represent?
The average PERCIPITATION (Left side)
In a climatograph:
What does the line graph represent?
The average TEMPERATURE (Right side)
What are biomes?
Major geographic area with similar enviormental conditions and life forms
They are smaller pieces of the biosphere
List the Organization of the Biosphere
Biosphere, Biome, Ecosystem, Habitiat
Define
Ecosystem
interactions between living organisms
and their non-living surroundings
Bitotic and Abiotic
Define
Habitat
Place where an organism lives or usually found
Biosphere, Biome, Ecosystem, Habitat
What are the 6 Biomes?
- Tundra
- Taiga
- Temperate Deciduous Forest
- Grassland
- Desert
- Tropical Rain Forest
Define:
Physiological Adaptation
- An adaptation that occurs inside an organism (changes in internal body processes)
Ex. Venom, cold/warm blooded, internal changes during hibernation
Define:
Structural Adaptation
- Changes in the physcial featres of an organism
Ex. Fur of mammals, short legs of big horn sheep, webbed feet
Define:
Behavioral Adaptations
- A change in the things organisms do to survive
Ex. Migration, hibernation. Frogs bury into mud at bottom of lake
Describe the Average Temp and Percipitation of:
Tundra
- In artic regions
- Long cold winters (-40°C), short cool winters (5°C)
- Low percipitation; less than 25 cm/year (10-20mm)
Percipitaion barley increases in summer
Describe the Average Temp and Percipitation of:
Taiga
- Found just south of the tundra
- Long cold winters and cool sumers (-15°C to 15°C)
- 35 to 100cm/year, mostly snow (20mm to 90mm)
Percipitation mainly happens in summer
Describe the Average Temp and Percipitation of:
Temperate Deciduous Forests
- Latitiudes below 50°N or S
- Has 4 distinct seasons (from below freezing to 30°C)
- 75-150cm/year- evenely distributed (40-80mm)
Has broad leaf trees
Describe the Average Temp and Percipitation of:
Grasslands
- In almost every continent
- Hot, dry summers [4°C to 18° in praires] {184°C to 18°C to 30°C in savannah}
- 25 to 75 cm/year; usually has a prolonged dry season (prevents development of forests) (20-60mm)
Describe the Average Temp and Percipitation of:
Deserts
- In interiorof continets
- 12°C to 27°C; hot days; cold nights; greatest
daily fluctuation in temperature - Less than 25cm/year (5-15mm - very low)
High temp, low percipitation
Describe the Average Temp and Percipitation of:
Tropical Rainforest
- Near equator
- Warm all year 25°C to 30°C; little daily change (looks like line in a climatograph)
- 200 to 400 cm/year, rains nearly everyday, may have a short dry season (130-350mm)
- Dry season is during late summer
Define:
Anecdotal evidence
- Reports from individuals about their experiences and interpretations
Pro:Monitors areas more closely
Con:Not always accurate & unbiased
Define:
Scientific Evidence
- Evidence collected by trained scientists with specialized equipment that reflects general situations, instead of just particular events
Pro: Unbiased
Con: requires scientific literacy
Define:
Paleoclimatology
- The study of past climates
Evidence of past climates:
- Tree rings and Coral growth rings (rate of growth)
- Sediemnt layers (thickness)
- Ice cores (annual layers + trapped air)
-Ice cores; snowfall
-Tree trings; rainfall
-All; past temps
List:
Causes of Natural Climate Change
- Earth’s tilt and orbit
- Continental Drift
- Weathering
- Catastrophic Events
How does Earth’s Tilt Affect Climate Change?
- The greater the tilt, the more sunlight in the poles, poles get warmer
- The smaller the tilt, the less sunlight in the poles. poles get cooler
How does earth’s orbit affect climate change?
- Circle vs oval orbit can cause fluctuations in Earth’s Seasons
How do Continental Drift affect climate change?
-The slow movement of the continents and
the opening and closing of ocean basins
affect the wind and precipitation patterns
- Changing of latitiude
How does weathering affect climate change
Releases trapped CO2 in rocks
What do Catastrophic Events include
- Meteor or asteroid collisions with Earth
- Major volcanic eruptions
- Massive earthquake
How do Catastropic Events affect the climate?
- Events would put enormous volumes of dust, ash, and smoke particles into the
atmosphere - Can create a cloud that prevents sunlight from reaching earth’s surface (cooling the earth)
List:
Anthropogenic Climate Change
Causes
- Deforestation
- Fossil fuel combustion
- Wetland Removal
- Urbanization (Low albedo + heat emmiting objects)
Define:
General Circulation Models (GCM’s)
Complex 3d mathematical models of quantitative projections of future climate change
List
Global Risks of Climate Change
- Hotter temperatures and health risks
- More severe storms
- Increased drought
- Rising, warming and acidic oceans
- Loss of species
- Loss of foood
- Poverty and displacement
