Transcript Chapter 17 Climate

Climate is the pattern of weather that
occurs in an area over many years. It
determines the types of plants or animals
that can survive, and it influences how
people live.
 Climate is determined by averaging the
weather of a region for at least 30 years.
 Rain forests have a hot, wet climate. (Here
you would find beautiful flowers, and plants
beneath a canopy of towering trees,
variety of exotic birds and frogs. These
things all thrive in hot temperature and
abundant rainfall.)

› temperature
› precipitation
› air pressure
› humidity
› number of days of sunshine
› latitude
› landforms
› location of lakes
› oceans
› ocean currents



Regions closer to the equator are the hottest
because they receive the most solar radiation
(the sun shines almost directly over these areas.
This area is called the tropics – the region
between latitudes 23.5 N and 23.5 S.
Next are the temperate zones (23.5 – 66.5 N
and S). These zones are just above the tropics
and just below the topics. Temperatures here
are moderate. Most of the U.S is here.
Then you have the polar zones (extend from
66.5 N and 66.5 S latitude to the poles). Solar
radiation hits these zones at a low angle,
spreading energy over a large area. Polar
Regions are never warm.
Large bodies of water can affect the
climate of coastal areas by absorbing or
giving off heat
 This causes many coastal regions to be
warmer in the winter and cooler in the
summer compared to inland areas at
similar latitudes.
 Remember, water heats up and cools
down more slowly than land does. (day –
cool sea breezes: night – land breezes)

Warm currents begin near the equator
and flow toward higher latitudes,
warming the land regions they pass.
When the currents cool off and flow
back toward the equator, they cool the
air and climates of nearby land (coastal
lands).
 Winds blowing from the sea are often
moister than those blowing from land
causing coastal areas to have wetter
climates than places further inland.

At the same latitude, the climate is
colder in the mountains than at sea
level.
 Remember: the sun heats the earth’s
surface, the heat then goes back up
through the Earth’s atmosphere.
 Because Earth’s atmosphere gets thinner
at high altitudes, the air in the mountains
has fewer molecules to absorb heat.


Windward: on the
windward side of a
mountain range, air
rises, cools, and
drops its moisture.
(green, vegetation)

Leeward: on the
leeward side of a
mountain range, air
descends heats up,
and dries the land.
(desserts are found
here)

Large cities affect local climates. Streets,
parking lots, and buildings heat up, in
turn heating the air. Air pollution traps this
heat, creating what is known as the
heat- island effect. Temperatures in a
city can be 5degrees C higher than in
surrounding rural areas.
Turn to page 487
Section 1 Review Questions (#1-4)
Write the answer in a complete sentence!
Keep in your notebook = )

__________ is the average weather over
a long time.
2. Earth has been _________ in times past.
3. What has a major influence on climate?
4. The _______________ is based on studies
of temperature and precipitation.
5. The ______________ have moderate
temperatures.
6. With regard to the Ice Age, what are
we in now?
1.
Section 2 Vocabulary
Turn to page 488 and define new words in
your notebook
• When you finish read pages 488-491

Must be 150 words or more
 Must contain all 6 facts from your sheet
 Written or typed(double spaced)
 3 paragraphs:

› First paragraph – location, average rainfall
and temperature
› Second paragraph – Vegetation and
landscape
› Third paragraph – Animals and humans
No more than a minute
 You must use all your information you
gathered
 You must be knowledgeable of your
biome’s facts
 You may use note cards (do not read
them)

Be creative!!!!!!
 Must contain vegetation, animals, and
landforms
 The more you have…..THE BETTER = )

Climatologists are people who study
climates. They usually use a system
developed in 1918 by Wladimir Koppen
to classify climates.
 Climates are classified into six groups:
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›
›
›
›
›
›
tropical
mild
dry (semiarid and arid)
continental
polar
high elevation
Koppen observed that the type of climate
in a region determines the vegetation
found there. Ex.) cacti are found in desserts
not rain forests.
 An adaptation is any structure or behavior
that helps an organism survive in its
environment.
 Once adapted to a particular climate,
organisms may not be able to survive in
other climates.
 Organisms have structural and behavioral
adaptations that help them survive in
particular climates.

Some organisms have body structures
that help them survive in certain
climates.
 Fur on mammals insulates them from
cold temperatures.

 Cacti have a thick,
fleshy stem that holds
water. The waxy stem
covering prevents
water inside the
cactus from
evaporating. They
also have spiny
leaves, called needles
that further reduce
water loss.
Hibernation – behavioral adaptation for winter survival in
which an animal’s activity is greatly reduced, its body
temperature drops, and body processes slow down.
 Factors that trigger hibernation: cooler temperature, shorter
days, and lack of adequate food.


Bees cluster together in a tight ball to conserve
heat in cold weather
Desert snakes hide under rocks during hot sunny
days. At night when its cooler, they slither out
and search for food.
 Desert turtles and lizards obtain the moisture they
need from their food.
 A lungfish will survive periods of intense heat by
entering an inactive state called estivation.
When the weather gets hot, the water
evaporates and he burrows into mud and covers
itself in a leathery mixture of mud and mucus.

 In
hot weather you have adaptations
that help you adjust to climate:
› hot weather you sweat cooling you down
› cold weather you shiver to help your
body stay warm
#5
#10
#11
#18
#19
#23
***Quiz tomorrow: October 6th
***Copy the questions and answers in
your notes!
Deforestation is not a ____________
adaptation.
2. The _______________ in the polar regions
is hard to adapt to.
3. ________ have opposite extremes of day
and night temperatures.
4. Changes in the Earth’s orbit may have
caused what?
5. How is the angle of sunlight a factor in
climate?
6. An animal that hibernates does what?
1.
Turn to page 492 in your science book
 Define Section 3 terms in your notebook
 Read Section 3 quietly at your desk

***I will be checking notebooks!!!!!!

Seasons are short periods of climatic
change caused by changes in the
amount of solar radiation an area
receives.

Because the Earth is tilted; different areas
of Earth receive changing amounts of
solar radiation throughout the year.
The tropics receive fairly constant solar
radiation near the equator; therefore the
tropics do not have much seasonal
temperature change. (dry and rainy
weather)
 The middle latitudes, or temperate zones,
have warm summers and cool winters.
Spring and Fall are usually mild.
 The high latitudes, polar zones, have great
differences in temperature and number of
daylight hours.
 During the summer the sun doesn’t set for
nearly six months in the North Pole. During
that same time, the sun never rises in the
South Pole.

El Nino – a climatic event that involves
the tropical Pacific Ocean and the
atmosphere.
 El Nino can affect weather patterns. It
can alter position and strength of one of
the jet streams.

El Nino
This changes atmospheric pressure off
California and wind precipitation
patterns around the world.
 Causing: droughts in Australia and
Africa, monsoons in Indonesia and storms
in California.
 The opposite of El Nino is La Nina. During
La Nina, the winds blowing across the
Pacific are stronger than normal, causing
warm water to accumulate in the
western Pacific. May cause droughts in
southern U.S. and excess rainfall in
Northern U.S. (p.494 & 495)

Read pages 494 and 495 in your Science
book!
 Study El Nino & La Nina
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Catastrophic events, including meteorite
collisions and large volcanic eruptions,
can affect climate over short periods of
time, such as a year or several years.
› These events add solid particles and liquid
droplets to the upper atmosphere, which
can change climate.

Short- or Long – term changes in solar
output, which is the amount of energy
given off by the Sun
› Changes in Earth’s movements in space
affect climate over many thousand of years.

Atmospheric solids and liquids:
solid/liquid particles are put in the
atmosphere naturally by volcanic
eruptions, soot from fires, and wind
erosion; and by humans through
automobile exhaust and smokestack
emissions. (these effect our climate)
› These small particles block so much radiation
they can cool the planet.
› In cities, particles put into the atmosphere as
pollution can change the local climate.

Sunspots can also affect climate: the
more sunspots the hotter the climate.

Earth’s tilt changes about every 41, 000
years. Some scientist hypothesize that
the change in tilt affects climate.

The movement of Earth’s crustal plates,
continents and oceans, affects the
transfer of heat on Earth, which in turn
affects wind and precipitation patterns.
Greenhouse Effect – natural heating
process that occurs when certain gases in
Earth’s atmosphere trap heat and then
radiates the heat back toward Earth. This
keeps the Earth warmer than it would be
otherwise.
 Natural Greenhouse gases in Earth’s
atmosphere: water vapor, methane, and
carbon dioxide. (without these gases, life
would not be possible)
 Like Mars, Earth would be too cold


High level of carbon dioxide could cause
Earth to be too warm, like Venus.

Over the past 100 years, the average
global surface temperature on Earth had
increased by about .6 degrees C. this
increase in temperature in known as
Global Warming. (Carbon dioxide has
increased by 20%)
Burning fossil fuels and removing vegetation
increase the amount of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere.
 Because carbon dioxide is a greenhouse
gas, it might contribute to global warming.
Each year the amount of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere increases.
 Deforestation – destroying and cutting
down trees
 As trees grow they take in carbon dioxide

New page: Label: Chapter 17 Section 3
Review
 Page 502 #1-5
 Write the answer only, in complete
sentences!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
The tilt of the Earth’s axis causes _______.
A __________ climate may have year round
changes in seasons.
What helps keep the Earth warm for living things?
__________ may be caused by deforestation.
Planting trees can help reduce ___________ in the
atmosphere.
________ causes ocean temperatures near Peru to
increase.
____________ is released when fossil fuels are
burned.
_______________ might cause planetary cooling.
In winter at the North Pole there is what?