Earth Labs Climatology Basics and Climate Patterns and Life

AP Environmental Science Earth Labs—Climatology Basics and Climate Patterns and Life

Lab 3: Climatology Basics

Directions: Save a copy of this document to your H-drive. Save as “Climatology and Biomes Your Name”

Objectives: After completing this investigation, you should be able to:  describe and identify the three levels of weather and climate drivers: global, regional, and local; and  compare and contrast the time scales of weather and climate.  compare climate patterns from a variety of regions of the globe and explain how climate is defined by precipitation and temperature; and  give examples of the relationship between climate and the living environment (the biome).

Procedure: Click on the link below. This will take you to the Lab 3: Climatology Basics. http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/weather/3.html Complete Part A and Part B.

Part A Global Circulation Patterns

Use the information given in the text, graphics, interactive, and videos in this section to answer the following questions. Give specific examples.

1. Describe the global motion of the atmosphere and ocean. 2. What do the atmosphere and ocean currents transport? 3. Explain how the ocean and atmosphere are interconnected. 4. How would Earth be different if these currents of air and water did not exist?

Part B Regional Climate Drivers

1. Now that you have worked through this list of regional weather drivers, try to answer the question: What are the predominate forces that are controlling your regional weather today? Make a list of the factors influencing your regional weather; number the list in order of size of influence. 2. After you have generated your list, go to the Climatography of the United States and use the pull down menu to locate the descriptive climatology for your state. What did you identify as the major climate influencing factors for your region?

When you have completed Parts A and B, go to Lab 4: Climate Basics and Life. Lab 4: Climate Patterns and Life

Part A: Introduction to Biomes

Rollover Climate Map: http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/weather/4a.html

Use the roll-over climate map to learn about the location of each biome.

Answer the questions below:

 Determine your home biome using the maps, graphics, and other resources listed here. List the name of the biome that you live in and then, using the Whittaker diagram, give the range of average annual temperature and precipitation that you would expect to find in your biome.  Given a temperature and rainfall can you predict which biome type will be found? Use the graphic above, which characterizes biomes by climate patterns. Here are several examples to try:

Average Annual Temperature: 15˚C / Average Annual Precipitation: 100 cm

Average Annual Temperature: -10˚C / Average Annual Precipitation: 50 cm

Skip “Become a Biome Expert”. Part B: Biomes and Climatology Comparison http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/weather/4b.html

Make a new folder in your H-drive to save the Google Earth files (kmz files).

For this part of the activity, make sure to open the Climate Graph Links!!

 Note the patterns that emerge between biome type and geography. Record any patterns that emerge.

 How do the biomes change as you go from west to east across the United States? Use your knowledge of regional climate forces to explain this pattern.  Look for two cities around the world that share a biome type and compare their climatographs. Do they have similar temperatures and receive similar patterns of precipitation?  Describe the animals and vegetation that you see in the images of the climate zones.

 How does climate and life vary around Earth's surface? Give specific examples from this project.