Transcript The role of climate Ecology unit 3 lecture 1

The role of climate
Ecology unit 3 lecture 1
What is climate?
• Climate: average, year-round conditions in a
region
• Weather: the day-to-day conditions of the
atmosphere
Greenhouse
effect
• Heat from the sun warms the earth, then is reflected
away at night.
• Gases in the atmosphere (CO2 , CH4, H2O vapor)
maintain the earth’s temperature by reflecting heat
back towards the surface
Latitude and climate
• The tilt of the earth causes uneven heating
• Tropical , temperate, and arctic climate zones
radiate from the equator to the poles
Heat transport
• Heated air rises,
then descends as it
cools, creating
winds
• Prevailing winds
bring warm or cold
air to a region
Ocean currents
• Wind blowing over the
oceans and different
water temps. within
an ocean create
oceanic currents.
Land masses
• Continents or mountain ranges can block air
or water movement
• Rain shadows form on the downwind side of
mountain ranges, creating deserts
• Why are there different climate zones on
the earth?
• How do the atmosphere and the oceans
transport heat from the equator to other
regions?
• How do the gases in our atmosphere
warm our planet?