Weather & climate Flashcards
What is the weather
Daily atmospheric conditions outside
What is climate
General or average weather conditions of a region over a longer period
What is climate very important in
Determining vegetation, soils, animals (fauna) of a region
What are some different climate weather conditions
Drought, hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, blizzards, wildfires, windstorms etc
What is latitude
Measurement of distance north or south from the equator in degrees and minutes
How much kilometres wide is each degree of latitude
110 km wide
What does latitude determine
Amount of sunlight a place receives
What is altitude
Elevation of earth surface.
The higher the elevation the cooler the temp
What is solar energy
Amount of sunlight reaching the earths surface. Lower latitudes receive higher months of solar energy
What are global air masses an air pressure systems
In BC we get air masses from the last which is from the wind coming from the ocean. In the winter we can get air coming from the Arctic.
Air masses?
Large bodies of air w/ similar temp and humidity
Marine air masses?
Develop over large water bodies - moist weighed eg. Pacific Ocean (water evaporates if it’s warm enough)
Continental air mass
Develops over large land areas (dry warm or dry cold) eg. Interior regions of North America.
What heats up more rapidly than water
Land
Bc has 3 main types of climate regions
- Pacific (west coast)
- Cordilleran (mountainous and interior areas away from the coast)
- Boreal (north east)
Pacific climate
Warm cool summers, mild wet winters. High precipitation levels.
Cordilleran (west coast)
Cooler temp as you rise elevation - more continental air masses
Boreal
Cool summers, cold winters. Low annual precipitation
Orographic percipitation
Effect that effects precipitation.
West win move over Pacific Ocean coming towards us, absorbing moisture and ocean evaporates.
Moisture air approaches mountains in west coast. (Insular mountains on VANCOUVER ISLAND)
Once it’s approaches mountains it rises to get over mountains.
As it rises it cools and contracts causing condensation in form of rainfall
Rainfall occurs most where
West slip of mountains
What areas get less rainfall
Victoria, gulf islands, white rock, Lytton, lillooet, Kamloops
Soils
Breaking down of rock and minerals. Formed with some organic materials.
Soil horizon
Different layers in soil
O horizon - undecayed organic material (leaves, branches, grass etc)haven’t decomposed yet - top layer
A horizon - 2nd layer - decayed organic matter- a lot of nutrients. Ppl use this on top of their soil
B horizon - mineral layer - a lot of plants get minerals from this layer
C horizon - parent material - solid rock - soil came from this material
Vegetation patterns are closely tired to
Soils and climate
If you leave a land bare what u first get
Pioneer plants (grass, weeds, annual plants)
Second plant over time you get
Bigger more heartier plants (perennial plants and grasses)
3rd plant you get
Shrubs (woody pioneers)
4th plant
Short-lived pioneer trees (young forest)
5th plant
(Mature forest) climax forest - big trees
Biomes ?
Large areas of similar groups of major climax species and associated climate (tundra, boreal forest, desert, tropical forest, rainforest, grasslands etc)
Biogeoclimatic zone
In bc, biomes are divided into biogeoclimatic zone
Seeing a biogeoclimatic zone maps help with what
Where certain animals would be. Certain trees would be.where mountains are
What causes climate change
-tilt of earths axis, earths rotation
(Changes sunlight in certain areas-just a theory)
-major catastrophes - asteroid & volcanoes
(Huge dust and smoke into atmosphere - sunlight gets blocked - cooling affect)
-greenhouse gases Are rising & absorbing heat from earth
(Carbon dioxide, burning fossil fuel (oil & coal & natural gas), agriculture & methane more heat absorbing that carbon dioxide (decomposition, manure)
How is it affecting our province
Getting drier. Losing mountains. Vegetation increasing. Sea level rise because glaciers melting. Water shortages in lower mainland. Less snow on mountains. More wildfires in okanagan.
Other expected climate change
- hotter summer temp
- grow fruit
- more invasive species (different plants, insect & animals)
- more frequent storms and more flooding
- salmons would go away cause they need cold water for oxygen level
