World Rainfall Patterns
Wet Regions • 0-10o Lat. – Doldrums… Wet Regions • East Coasts, 10-25o Lat. – Trade Winds… Wet Regions
East Coasts, 25-40o Lat. – Warm Ocean Current… Wet Regions
• West Coasts, 40-60o Lat. – Westerly Winds… Dry Regions
• 20-30o Lat. West Side of Land Mass – Subtropical High… Dry Regions
• Rainshadow Areas Dry Regions
• Polar Areas… Environments Learn the: • Climate Characteristics • Climate Causes • General Locations – Latitudes… • Specific Places • Vegetation Tropical Rainforest • Humid & Rainy all year • Day = 85F • Night = 75F Tropical Rainforest (Af) • 0-10o Lat. – Eq. Low… – Amazon Basin Tropical Rainforest Congo Basin (Central Africa) Indonesia Tropical Rainforest • 10-25o Lat. East Coasts – Trade Winds from Warm Ocean – Central America – Brazil Tropical Rainforest
E Coast of Madagascar Tropical Rainforest
• 6% of World’s Land – 50% of world’s species • Trees are Evergreen (Not Deciduous) • Broadleaf Trees (Not Needleleaf Conifers)
Tropical Rainforest • Ground Vegetation? • Lianas Tropical Rainforest • Epiphytes – “Air Plants”
Rainforest
• Primates Rainforest
• Reptiles Tropical Savanna Climate (Aw)
• “Tropical Wet-Dry” – Rainy Summer – Dry Winter • 10-25o Lat. – Cuba, S. Mexico – S. Brazil Tropical Savanna (Aw)
• So. Mexico, Cuba JULY • So. Brazil • Rainy Summer – Eq. Low/ITCZ nearby
JANUARY Tropical Savanna • Dry Winter – Eq. Low/ITCZ Shifts Away
JULY
JANUARY Tropical Savanna
• In Africa Surrounds the Rainforest Vegetation in Trop. Savanna • Two Types 1) Savanna Grassland 2) Tropical Deciduous Forest Savanna Grassland • Scattered Trees & Grasses
Savanna Grassland • Big Game Animals
Tropical Deciduous Forest
• Deciduous Trees – Due to Dry Winter Tropical Deciduous Forest • “Rain-green” – In Summer Tropical Deciduous Forest • Ground Veg? Hot Desert Climate (BWh) • Hot & Dry • 20-30o latitude On West Side of Land Masses – Sinking Air of Subtrop. High • Clear Skies, Little Rain – Low Latitude leads to… – Record Heat • 134F • 36o latitude Death Valley – Subtropical High in Summer • Rainshadow in Winter Hot Deserts
• Sahara • Saudi Arabia • Kalahari Hot Deserts • Australia Cool, Foggy Desert (BWn) • 20-30o lat, West Coast • Subtropical High Dry • Cold Ocean Current Cool, Heavy Air – Does not rise to form clouds • 2 Places
Cool, Foggy Deserts (pg. 296)
• Namib Desert Namib Desert • “Skeleton Coast”…
Cool, Foggy Deserts (pg. 290)
• Atacama Desert – Rain? Cold Desert Climate (BWk) • Dry, with Cold Winters • 35-55o latitude – Leeward Side of Mtns. (Rainshadow areas) Cold Deserts
• Great Basin, USA (pg. 288)
• Patagonia, Argentina (p. 289) Cold Deserts Aral Sea Area Mongolia & W. China Desert Vegetation (pg. 287) • Sometimes Entirely Absent Desert Vegetation
• Usually Shrubs • Adapted to Drought Some Plants Store Water • Saguaro Cactus Small Leaves
Spreading Roots
Small, Spaced Plants
Steppe Climate (BS) • Semi-Desert • Borders Desert • Very short rainy season • Short Grasses S. Dakota Steppe Marine West Coast Climate (Cfb,Cfc) • Cool, Rainy all year • 40-60o latitude, West Coasts • Oregon, Wash… • Westerly Winds Blow Storms from Ocean to Land Marine West Coast • W. Europe Ireland – “Emerald Isle” Marine West Coast
So. Chile So. Chile Marine West Coast
New Zealand Marine West Coast Vegetation • Pacific Northwest Rainforest (pg. 309) Marine West Coast Vegetation
• Pacific Northwest Forest, USA • Needleleaf Conifers • Redwoods… • Douglas Firs Douglas Firs, Washington European & New Zealand Mixed Forest (pp. 315 & 320)
Summer
Winter New Zealand Forest
Mediterranean Climate (Csa, Csb) • So. Calif. • Cool, Rainy Winter – Like Marine West Coast • Warm, Dry Summer – Like Desert • 30-40o latitude • West side of continents
Subtropical High Shifts • Summer • Winter – ST High Nearby – ST High Shrinks • Blocks Storms • Moves Towards Equator – Westerly Winds blow storms onshore
Med. Climate
Cen. Chile Mediterranean Climate • Med. Sea Coastline Mediterranean Climate • SW Australia Med. • Evergreen Shrubs Vegetation • “Chaparral” Chaparral Poison Oak
• Deciduous • Leaves of 3…
Mediterranean Woodland • Grasses & Scattered Trees • Oak Woodland in CA Mediterranean Vegetation • Plants w/ Leathery, Evergreen Leaves • Oils in leaves – Conserve water – Flammable • Plants are Adapted to Fire – Clears brush, trees Oak Woodland • Seasonal Changes Oak Woodland • Spring Wildflowers Louisiana Humid Humid Subtropical Continental (Cfa) (Dfa, Dfb, Dwa, Dwb) • SE USA (FL, LA) • New England • 25-40o latitude • Great Lakes Region East side of continents • 40-55o latitude – Warm Ocean Current East side of continents
Humid Humid Subtropical Continental • Hot, rainy summer • Warm, rainy summer Warm Ocean EZ Evaporation High Humidity
Convectional Precip. • Cold, snowy winter • Cool, rainy winter – Storms from Polar Front
Humid Humid Subtropical Continental • SE USA • New England, Great Lakes Humid Subtropical
• Uruguay & Environs Humid Continental • E. Europe Humid Humid Subtropical Continental
• So. China & So. Japan • No. China & No. Japan Humid Sub. & Humid Cont. Veg.
1. Mixed Forest (pg. 310) 2. Grasslands (pp. 336-37) (in drier parts of region) Tall-Grass Prairie (Midwest USA) Pampas (South America)
Japan - Evergreen Forest New England Deciduous Forest Subarctic Climate (Dfc, Dfd, Dwd) • Alaska, Canada, Siberia • 55-75 Lat – Weak Sunlight • Interior Location – No Oceanic Influence • X Large Annual Temp Range 60F in Summer -50F in Winter! Subarctic Climate • Alaska Canada Canada in April Subarctic Veg. • Boreal Forest (pp. 308 & 316) – Conifers Boreal Forest - Alaska Tundra Climate (ET)
• Arctic Coast of N. Amer, Russia, Green. • Cold Winters -20F Weak/No Sun Oceanic Influence • Between 32F & 50F for 2-3 months
Tundra Veg. (pp. 342 & 343)
• Veg. is Limited by: – Climate – Permafrost in Soil • Subsoil always frozen • Short-Rooted Plants Tundra Veg. – Grasses – Mosses – Lichens Subarctic/Tundra Transition
Ice Cap Climate (EF) • Antarctica • Interior of Greenland • All months < 32F Ice Cap Climate • Record Cold Temp – Little Sunlight – High Albedo of Ice – High Altitude on Ice Cap (Thin Air) • -129F! • No Vegetation ANTARCTICA