Table of Contents Ch. 7.3 Climate and Climate Regions Ms. De Los Rios

1. Climate Interactions Table of Contents Ch. 7.3 Climate and Climate Regions Ms. De Los Rios

2. Vocabulary 7.3 • Climate- The average annual conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area. • Rain Forests- A forest that receives at least 2 meters of rain, mostly occurring in the tropical wet climate zone. • Savanna- A grassland located close to the equator that may include shrubs and small trees and receives as much as 120 centimeters of rain per year. • Desert- A dry region that on average receives less than 25 centimeters of precipitation per year. • Steppe- A prairie or grassland found in semiarid regions. • Subarctic- A climate zone that lies north of the humid continental climates.

3. Vocabulary 7.3 • Humid Subtropical- A wet and warm climate found on the edges of the tropics. • Tundra- an extremely cold, dry biome climate region characterized by short, cool summers and bitterly cold winters. • Permafrost- Permanently frozen soil found in the tundra Biome climate region. • Ice ages- Times in Earth’s history during which glaciers covered large parts of the surface. • Aerosols- Solid particles or liquid droplets in the atmosphere. • Sunspots- Relatively dark, cool regions on the surface of the sun.

4. How Do Scientist Differentiate Between Weather and Climate? Pg. 245 • Climate refers to the average, year-after-year weather patterns in a given area. • temperature • Scientists classify climates by their • precipitation. • Climate areas have distinct: vegetation, or plant growth

5. Climate and Climate Regions Reading Climate Graphs A graph of temperature can be combined with a graph of precipitation to form a climate graph. The graphs below show climate data for Makindu, Kenya.

6. Climate Regions • There are 6 climate regions: • Tropical Rainy Climates • Dry Climates • Temperate Continental Climates • Temperate Marine Climates • Polar Climates • Highlands

7. Tropical Rainy Climates pg. 246 • In tropical rainy climates, rainy days and afternoon thunderstorms are common. Trade winds also bring moisture from the oceans to some tropical areas. • Rain forests are forests in which large amounts of rain fall year-round. (Can be found in some tropical rainy climates) • Savannas, or tropical grasslands are common in these areas. • __________is the only place in the United States with a tropical rainy climate.

8. Climate and Climate Regions Bangkok, Thailand A tropical, rainy climate.

9. Dry Climates pg. 246 • A desert is a very dry region with extreme temperatures. • Example; American Southwest • A climate is dry if the amount of precipitation that falls is less than the amount of water that could evaporate. • Only specialized plants can survive there. • Steppes are dry climates on the edge of deserts that are large and semiarid. These generally receive enough rainfall for short grasses and low bushes to grow. • Example: The Great Plains • .

10. Temperate Continental Climates pg. 247 • Temperate continental Climates are not influenced by the oceans and often have extreme temperatures. • Forests and grasslands grow well in these climates. • Example: Northeast & Midwest • Subarctic climates • Have short cool summers and long, bitterly cold winters. • These climates lie north of some continental climates. Firs and spruce forests often grow in these climates. • Example: Alaska

11. Temperate Marine Climates pg. 247 • Temperate marine climates are found on the coasts of continents in latitudes just outside the tropics. • Due to the oceans: They are humid • and have mild winters. • Humid subtropical climates are warm temperate marine climates, but they are not constantly hot as the tropics. • Most of Florida has this type of climate. • Hot summers • Climate Much rainfall occurs during the winter • Vegetation: Cypress trees, Sabal Palm, oak, pines, freshwater marshes

12. Climate and Climate Regions Orlando, Florida Nearly all of Florida lies within a temperate marine climate.

13. Polar Climates pg. 248 • Polar climates are the coldest climate with short, cool summers followed by bitterly cold winters. • Climate: Dry (cold air has little moisture) • Vegetation: cannot grow in these climate. • During the summer, grasses, wildflowers and • Shrubs grow. • Example: ALASKA • A tundra covers great areas and is a treeless • plain beneath which the ground may always • be frozen. • Permafrost is permanently frozen ground. • Ice caps have polar climate.

14. Climate and Climate Regions Godthåb, Greenland Polar climates are the coldest climates. In polar climates, short, cool summers follow bitterly cold winters.

15. Highlands pg. 248 • The climate on the lower slopes of a mountain range is like that of the surrounding countryside. • Example: Rocky Mountains Foothills- Semiarid climate such as the one of the Great Plains. But in the highlands, or higher slopes of mountains, the temperatures are lower and precipitation increases. • Climate is cool. • Trees such as a fir and spruce grow here.

16. Climate and Climate Regions Mexico City, Mexico The climate on the lower slopes of a mountain range is like that of the surrounding countryside. But in the highlands, or the higher slopes of mountains, temperatures are lower and precipitation increases.

17. What Natural Factors Can Cause Climate Change? • Possible explanations for major climate changes include: • the movement of the continents • variations in the position of Earth relative to the sun • major volcanic eruptions • changes in the sun’s energy output. • Movement of Continents • The movements of continents over time changed the locations of land and sea. These changes affected the global patterns of winds and ocean currents,and changed climates. • Movement of Continents land & sea  winds& ocean currents climates

18. Climate and Climate Regions Moving Continents How has continental movement affected climate?

19. Earth’s Position and Ice Ages • Over time, Earth’s climate has been affected by: • the angle of Earth’s axis • the shape of Earth’s elliptical orbit around the sun. • Over a period of 100,000 years, the shape of the ellipse of this orbit varies. When the orbit is more elliptical, less sunlight reaches Earth. • This change causes a cold ice age, a period of glacial advance. During each ice age, huge sheets of ice called glaciers covered large parts of Earth’s surface. • Scientists have concluded that there have been about 20 ice ages on Earth during the last two million years, the last ending about 10,000 years ago.

20. Climate and Climate Regions Glaciers in North America The map shows the parts of North America that were covered by glaciers 18,000 years ago.

21. Climate and Climate Regions Ice Ages and Temperature The estimated average worldwide temperature for the past 350,000 years was about 14°C. Cold glacial periods have alternated with warm interglacial periods.

22. Volcanic Activity • Major volcanic eruptions release huge quantities of ash and aerosols into the atmosphere. Aerosols are solid particles or liquid drops in gas. Scientists believe that the presence of these substances in the upper atmosphere reflect away some incoming solar radiation, lowering temperatures on Earth.

23. Solar Energy • Short-term changes in climate have been linked to changes in the amount of light given off by the sun. • Changes in the amount of the sun’s energy output happen during cycles of eleven years as well as cycles of hundreds of years. • Scientists use sunspots to measure solar output over the past 400 years. The number of sunspots, dark, cooler regions on the surface of the sun, increases when the sun gives off more light.