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Bio 126 Climate and Weather

Bio 126 Climate and Weather. Earth from the moon. Meteorology. Climate- over all combination of temperature and precipitation that a region experiences Mediterranean= winter precipitation followed by long hot, dry summers Weather- daily, weekly variations in these phenomena.

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Bio 126 Climate and Weather

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  1. Bio 126Climate and Weather

  2. Earth from the moon

  3. Meteorology • Climate- over all combination of temperature and precipitation that a region experiences • Mediterranean= winter precipitation followed by long hot, dry summers • Weather- daily, weekly variations in these phenomena

  4. Solar radiation

  5. Climate zones • Warm at equator, cooler towards poles. • Caused by intensity of sunlight at equator. • Poles receive less on a per area basis.

  6. Solar radiation around the Globe Solar radiation around the Globe

  7. Seasons • Caused by tilting of earth on its rotational axis. • Intensity of sunlight varies. • Most extreme at poles • Little change at equator.

  8. Causes of Seasons

  9. Precipitation • Varies by latitude. • Wet at equator 00, and 600 N / S • Dry at 300, and 900 poles • Poles are frozen deserts • Caused by formation of Hadley Cells

  10. Hadley Cells • Air currents in Hadley Cells caused by air density not just temperature. • Uneven heating in different regions on the earth cause winds.

  11. Hadley Cells • Air rises (0, 60) due to warming of surface. • Adiabatic Cooling as air rises • as rises the air becomes less dense and cooler • this cause water to condense and fall as rain, snow • Air falls (30, poles) • Adiabatic warming as air falls • air becomes compressed, and heats. • air absorbs moisture, falls as dry air and absorbs moisture from the environment.

  12. Global air circulation, precipitation, and winds: Hadley cells

  13. Global Air Circulation

  14. West Coast Latitudes • San Diego=32.5; LA= 34; Sta. Barbara= 34.5 ; Sta. Cruz=37, SF 37.75; Eureka= 40.75 • Approx. Portland= 45.5; Seattle= 47.5 ; Juneau= 58; Anchorage = 61 • CA large enough to span climate zones between Hadley cells. • South dry • North wet

  15. Seasons- • tilting of earth moves solar equator. • Effectively moves 300 dry zone north in summer • descending dry air belt is pushed farther north in our summer, • the wet belt moves farther south giving us wet winters

  16. Causes of Seasons

  17. Prevailing winds • These Hadley cell wind currents move North or South • The spinning of the earth makes it seem like they come at an angle. • In CA our winds, storms usually come from the south west. • Rains often bring warmer weather

  18. Ocean currents • Prevailing winds cause ocean waters to move in the prevailing direction. • huge gyres form due to earth’s spinning known as the Coriolus effect • In Northern Pacific clockwise general direction of flow from our coast. • Ca. Current, with its cold, nutrient rich water flows from Alaska southwards along our coast • At Sta. Barbara coastline moves east, current flows due south, allowing Southern Ca. water to warm

  19. Hadley cells

  20. Barometer measures air pressure • Low pressure (rising air) associated with storms. • High pressure (descending air) blocks storms. • High pressure off California in summer blocks most storms

  21. Global Trade Wind Patterns

  22. Ocean Currents

  23. Biomes • Major vegetation types that also determine the animal community present. • Determined mostly by climate • Soil also important factor

  24. Figure 50.3 A climograph for some major kinds of ecosystems (biomes) in North America

  25. Biomes

  26. Patterns of distribution in the biosphere

  27. Major Biomes

  28. Coniferous forest, Lady Bird Grove (top left), Sequoias (right), rain forest (bottom left)

  29. Temperate deciduous forest, Great Smokey Mountains National Park

  30. Tropical forests

  31. Savanna

  32. Desert. Organ Pipe State Park (top), Joshua Tree National Park (bottom left), Death Valley (bottom right)

  33. Temperate grassland- Prairie

  34. Tundra. Denali National Park (left), reindeer (right)

  35. Rain shadow • Precipitation increases as storms are pushed up over mountians. • accordingly rain becomes snow • As air moves up slope in the Sierras it cools 3-5 degrees per 1,000 ft. • This is the same effect as moving 300 miles farther north ! • Causes deserts in Nevada • Most islands with mountains have wet and dry sides

  36. Rainshadow

  37. Rainshadow

  38. Summer Fog • Inland air warms quickly. This rising air, pulls in coastal air. • Cold water off CA. cools incoming warm, moist ocean • Coast causes summer fog. • Essential for southern ranges of Coast Redwoods, and relic pines, cypress species

  39. Temperature Inversion layers • dense air flows downhill and collects in low spots, valleys. Great Central valley is an example. • This dense air may be blocked by hills etc. from warmer winds which blow over the top of dense air, leaving it alone. • Dense tule fog may form for days. • Inversion layer (cold air higher up) also traps pollutants. • Mexico City problems • Reno, Tahoe now ban fireplaces. • Often “burn off” in summer but leave the haze of phytochemical smog behind.

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