Earth

1
Chapter 14

• Earths Climate

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Lesson 1

• What is Climate?

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Think About It

• What is the climate like here in Winston Salem?

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Focus Question

• What factors determine the climate of an area?

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A. Climate Basics

• What is climatology?
• the study of Earths climate and the factors that
  affect it
• What is climate?
• long-term weather patterns of an area
• What are three main factors that climate
  describes about an area?
• Temperature
• Precipitation
• Wind

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Weather or Climate?

• 3. Weather or Climate?
• a. Its rainy and warm today.
• weather
• b. Winston Salem has 4 seasons with a moderate
  amount of rain and wind.
• climate

Weather Cloudy with a chance of meatballs!
http//www.allmoviephoto.com/takeoverAd.html?http
//www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2009_cloudy_with_a_c
hance_of_meatballs_013.html
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Factors That Affect Climate Latitude
http//www.brockmann-consult.de/iavisa-info-web/da
ta-set-generation.html
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Factors That Affect Climate Topographical Effects
http//www.sonoma.edu/users/f/freidel/global/figur
e2002-20.jpg
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Factors That Affect Climate Air Masses
A tropical island in the Atlantic Ocean has a
maritime tropical climate (warm and humid)
because its climate is controlled by the mT air
mass.
http//www.atmos.illinois.edu/earths_atmosphere/im
ages/airmasses_fronts/air_masses.gif
http//travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countr
ies/bahamas-guide/
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Ocean Currents Determine Climate Write notes on
Lesson!

• a. Currents affect climate
• East coasts have warm currents. (The Gulf Stream
  causes our climate to be humid subtropical.)
• West coasts have cold currents. (The California
  current from the Bering Sea causes California to
  have a Mediterranean climate that is cool and
  dry.)

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Proximity to Oceans
http//earth.usc.edu/stott/Catalina/images/Oceano
graphy/surface20currents.jpg
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Ocean Currents Determine Climate Write notes on
Lesson!

• b. Coastal climates are more temperate than
  continental (interior) climates
• Differential heating of water and land means that
  oceans take longer than continents to
• cool down after summer (Remember how long
  hurricane season lasts? Until November 30th!)
• warm up after winter
• Oceans act as air conditioning in summer and
  heaters in the winter.
• Our coastal communities such as the Outer Banks
  or Wilmington are cooler in the summer and warmer
  in the winter.

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Lesson 2

• Climate Classification and Biomes

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Focus Question

• How are Earths climates classified?

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Climate Classification

• The Koeppen Classification Scale

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Climate Classification
http//theweatherchannelkids.com/climate-code/be-e
co-friendly-for-the-animals/tropical-climate/

• Tropical
• Constant high temperatures
• Up to 600 cm of rain
• Dramatic vegetation and high biodiversity

http//accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID798501
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Climate Classification

• Dry (arid or semi-arid)
• cT air dominates
• Low precipitation
• Vegetation is scarce

http//accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID798501
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Climate Classification

• 3. Humid subtropical
• The North Atlantic (Gulf Stream)
• Marine West Coast
• Mediterranean

http//www.solcomhouse.com/gulfstream.htm
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Climate Classification

• 4. Northern
• Clashing tropical and polar air masses
• Rapid, violent changes in weather
• Summer and winter temps can be extreme

http//accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID798501
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Climate Classification

• Subarctic and Tundra
• Subarctic is a subclass of continental climates
• Tundra is a subclass of polar climates

http//accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID798501
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Climate Classification

• Greenland and Antarctica
• These are constantly cold
• Cold air holds less moisture than warm air so
  precipitation is generally low.

http//accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID798501
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Microclimates
http//www.squidoo.com/machupicchuruins?utm_source
googleutm_mediumimgresutm_campaignframebuster

• 1. What is a microclimate?
• A localized climate that differs from the main
  regional climate
• The microclimate of a very high mountain is
  classified as high elevation.
• These microclimates are called uplands and
  highlands.

A Llama in at Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains
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Heat Islands

• 2. What is a heat island?
• a place in which the climate is warmer than the
  area around it lots of buildings and little
  vegetation.
• Where would you expect to find heat islands in
  the Piedmont?
• Greensboro, Winston- Salem, Raleigh

http//www.weatherquestions.com/What_is_the_urban_
heat_island.htm
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Biomes

• Biomes are large geographic regions which have
  similar climate and plants and animals with
  similar adaptations.

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BiomesTundra (Polar Zone)
http//sasd.k12.pa.us/uploadedImages/ShalerAreaMS/
Staff/GuidishD/tundra.jpg
http//www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/images
/polar_bear_sm.jpg

• Climate
• Average temperature - constantly low
• low precipitation (cold air/ no convection)
• Very long winters!
• Vegetation
• grasses (shallow roots)
• Animals
• Polar bears (big and fat!)
• Air Masses cP and A
• Soil permanently frozen

The Tundra
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BiomesTaiga

• Climate
• Avg temperatures - low most of the year
• Avg precipitation - little mostly snow!
• long winters
• Vegetation
• evergreen trees (needle like leaves conserve
  water)
• Animals
• grizzly bears, elk, moose (hibernate/migrate)
• Air Masses cP and A
• Soil supports trees

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Biomes Deciduous Forests
US!

• Climate
• Average temperatures - warm, humid summers/ dry,
  cool winters
• Average precip moderate
• 4 seasons
• Vegetation
• seasonal forests drop leaves to conserve
  water
• Animals
• black bears, foxes, deer
• Air Masses maritime and continental
• Soil rich and thick

http//www.solcomhouse.com/gulfstream.htm
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Biomes Deserts

• Climate
• Average temps - usually high/ can be cold at
  night
• Average precipitation - extremely low
• Semi-arid have rainy seasons
• Vegetation
• cactus - stores water
• Animals
• coyote, javelina, mountain lions active at
  night
• Air Mass cT
• Soil light-colored, salty, thin due to lack of
  water

Monument Valley, Utah
http//www.formalaffair.us/static/.2011/gallery/de
sert_14.jpg
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BiomesGrasslands

• Climate
• Average temperatures - Summer and winter temps
  can be extreme!
• Average precipitationlow to moderate
• 4 seasons (temperate)
• Vegetation
• grasses dominate thrive on fire
• Animals bison, wolves, prairie dogs (grazers)
• Air Masses mT and cP
• Soil temperate grasslands can be very rich
  (grainbelts)

Tropical Grasslands - Savannahs
Temperate Grasslands - North Dakota in the winter!
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BiomesRainforests

• Climate
• Average temperatures - constantly high
• Average precipitation - high (600 cm/yr)
• Vegetation
• rain forest large leaves to capture sunlight
• Animals
• jaguar, tapirs, primates many live in trees
• Air Mass mT
• Soil intensely weathered

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Lesson 3

• Climate Changes

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Think About It

• What causes the seasons?

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Focus Question

• What factors can change Earths climate?

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Ice Ages

• What is an ice age?
• periods of extensive glacial coverage
• An interglacial interval is a warm period.
• We are currently in an interglacial period.
• Earths climate should warm up during an
  interglacial period!

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Ice Ages
Global temperatures were about 5 degrees Celsius
lower than normal.
http//www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/images/La
stIceAgeMap.gif
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Seasons

• What causes the seasons?
• the tilt of the Earth as it orbits the sun We
  are tilted towards the sun during our summer and
  away from the sun during our winter.

http//kennedy-outerspace.wikispaces.com/file/view
/seasons.gif/168395377/seasons.gif
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El Niño
http//www.galapagosonline.com/Galapagos_Natural_H
istory/Oceanography/Currents.html

• What is El Niño?
• the warming of a current that is usually cold
• occurs along the S. American coast every 2-7
  years
• During El Niño
• California and the Gulf Coast can experience
  severe weather due to a southern shift in the jet
  stream.
• There are fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic.

Recent Major El Niño Years 1982 and 1998
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El Niño Currents Affected
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Change Can Be Natural

• 1. What type of studies provide evidence of past
  climatic changes?
• (Before thermometers, that is!)
• tree rings
• ice-core samples
• fossils pollen samples
• radio-carbon samples

Dendrochronology is the study of tree rings.
http//titlemn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/tree
-rings1.jpg
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Natural Variations in Climate

• 2. Five natural variations that can lead to
  changes in Earths climate include
• Solar activity (sunspots)
• Change in Earths orbit (more elliptical)
• Change in Earths Axis Angle (nutation)
• Earths wobble (precession)
• Volcanic activity
• We will look at each one separately

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Solar Activity

• 2a. Fewer sunspots decrease Earths temperatures.

http//www.global-warming-and-the-climate.com/imag
es/sunspot-lenght--teperature.gif
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Earths Orbit

• 2b. When Earths orbit elongates to become more
  elliptical, it passes closer to the sun and
  temperatures rise!

http//grendelreport.posterous.com/ipcc-corruption
-included-ignoring-facts-and-s
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Earths Tilt
http//www.cgrer.uiowa.edu/people/carmichael/atmos
_course/ATMOS_PROJ_99/bilskemp/natural_variability
.html

• 2c. If the angle of the tilt of Earths axis
  increased (nutation) there would be more
  temperature contrast between summer and winter.

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Earths Wobble (precession)

• 2d. If Earth were to wobble towards the star
  Vega, winters will be colder in the N.
  hemisphere.

http//www.shiftoftheage.com/wp-content/uploads/20
09/10/precession-earth-spintop.jpg
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Volcanoes

• 2e. Large volcanic eruptions tend to
• cool the Earth.
• This cooling is due to volcanic ash and dust
  blocking out solar radiation.

Tambora, 1815
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Lesson 4

• Climate Change Manmade or Natural?
• You Decide!

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Think About It

• What causes climate change?

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Focus Question

• Are people causing climate change?

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One Major Issue

• The issue of climate change is probably one of
  the most important of our day.
• No scientist questions that we have experienced
  warming and cooling lately.
• The question is the cause of the warming is it
  caused by people releasing carbon dioxide into
  the atmosphere or by natural forces such as the
  sun and water vapor?
• There are two main groups of scientists those
  who believe that climate change is manmade and
  those who believe that climate change is natural.

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Manmade Climate Change Whos On This Side?

• 1. United Nations IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel
  on Climate Change)
• 2. Al Gore (Former Vice President)
• 3. James Hansen (NASA)

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Manmade Climate ChangeBasic Belief About Cause
of Climate Change

• People are causing climate change by burning
  fossil fuels and it will cause catastrophic
  changes on Earth An Inconvenient Truth?

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Manmade Climate Change The Role of Carbon
Dioxide

• Carbon dioxide (usually referred to as carbon
  emissions), released by burning fossil fuels,
  is warming the atmosphere.

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Manmade Climate ChangeEvidence to Support View?

• 1. Carbon dioxide studies showing that levels
  have gone up.
• 2. Climate studies represented by a discredited
  graph known as the hockey-stick graph
• 3. Computer models showing extreme warming

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Manmade Climate ChangeWhat to Do About Climate
Change?

• 1. Reduce our use of fossil fuels or buy carbon
  credits to offset usage
• 2. Use alternative sources of energy

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Natural Climate Change Whos On This Side?

• 1. William Gray (Hurricane Expert from Colorado
  State University)
• 2. Willie Soon (Astrophysicist from Harvard)
• 3. Joe Bastardi (Meteorologist formerly with
  Accuweather)

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Natural Climate ChangeBasic Belief About Cause
of Climate Change

• Climate has always changed, it is natural, and
  caused mostly by changes in the output of the
  suns radiation.

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Natural Climate Change The Role of Carbon
Dioxide

• Carbon dioxide is a trace greenhouse gas and is
  not the major cause of global warming.

vs.
A trace greenhouse gas or the Sun? Which is more
powerful? Hmmmm
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Natural Climate ChangeEvidence to Support View?

• 1. Climate studies showing the Medieval Warming
  and the Little Ice Age
• 2. Sunspot data showing that global temperatures
  go up and down with sun spot activity
• 3. Ice core data that shows that carbon dioxide
  levels go up AFTER temperatures go up.

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What to Do About Climate Change?

• Natural Climate Change
• 1. Adapt for future changes!
• 2. Stop scaring people with outlandish climate
  change scenarios! (Climatologist Timothy Balls
  words)

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Lesson 5

• Biodiversity

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Think About It

• What do you think is the biggest threat to the
  survival of species?

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Focus Question

• What factors threaten biodiversity and how can
  people reduce their impact on the biosphere?

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Biodiversity

• 1. The biosphere is
• all life on Earth!
• 2. Biodiversity refers to
• the number and variety of species on Earth
• Genetic biodiversity is the difference in genetic
  makeup within a species.

There are 1.6 million known species on
earth. Most of these known species are
insects! There are an estimated 11.4 million
species yet to be discovered!
www.istockphoto.com
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Biodiversity

• The biome with the most biodiversity is
• the rainforest b/c it has the most water
  available for living things
• The biomes with the least biodiversity are
• the desert b/c it has the least water available
  and the tundra b/c it is very cold and there is
  little liquid water available.

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B. Factors That Reduce Biodiversity

• 1. Human Population Growth
• People have the greatest impact on Earths
  natural resources because
• they have an unequaled capacity to modify
  their environment (See next slide)
• b. As our population grows the demand for
  natural resources
• increases as well

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A (Very) Modified Environment!

• Ski resort in the desert of Dubai

http//static2.businessinsider.com/image/4b10d98d0
000000000571a63-400-300/a-ski-resort-in-the-middle
-of-the-desert.jpg
http//mytko.org/random/ski.jpg
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Factors That Reduce Biodiversity

• c. 75 of all species become extinct due to
  habitat loss.
• (Why? If its habitat is destroyed, where will it
  live? What will it eat?)
• A growing population demands more natural
  resources!

tpeblog.wordpress.com
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2. Habitat Alteration

• Ecosystems with a high biodiversity are more
  stable b/c
• they are able to recover more quickly from
  harmful events such as disease and drought
• Habitat alteration
• is the changing of a natural habitat (in these
  examples, human-caused)
• includes monoculture, deforestation, and
  urbanization

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Habitat Alteration

• i. Monoculture can be defined as the planting
  of just one species in a field.
• Basically, one crop take the place of many
  species. This decreases biodiversity!
• A monoculture can lead to crop failure if a
  disease wipes out the single plant species.

http//www.bio.davidson.edu/people/kabernd/seminar
/2004/Grp4/monoculture.html
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Habitat Alteration
http//earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforest
ation/Images/slash_and_burn_children.jpg

• Deforestation is the removal of trees without
  adequate replanting.
• It reduces biodiversity b/c animals are left
  without homes and food (not to mention, people
  are also left homeless!)

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Habitat Alteration

• iii. Urban Development People moving to urban
  areas can reduce biodiversity when...
• natural habitats are lost as forests are
  cleared and wetlands are filled
• large volumes of solid waste and pollution are
  produced

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3. Invasive Species

• An invasive species is one that is not native to
  an area.
• Invasive species reduce biodiversity in one of
  two ways
• They have no natural enemies so they can take
  over an ecosystem. (Burmese python)
• Native species have no defenses against an exotic
  species.

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Invasive species take over!This is kudzua local
invasive species!
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Invasive Species of North Carolina

• https//www.defenders.org/sites/default/files/publ
  ications/north_carolina.pdf
• The Emerald Ash Beetle
• Its getting close to NC!
• http//stopthebeetle.info/

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4. Pollution

• The major source of near-shore pollution
• sewage water
• High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in human
  wastewater creates...
• blooms of cyanobacteria that die and use up the
  oxygen in the water as they decompose
• Pumping untreated sewage into the ocean creates
• large dead zones on the ocean floor where there
  are no living organisms

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5. Overharvesting

• Overharvesting is
• excessive fishing of aquatic animals
• excessive harvesting of a plant
• Examples of species that might be overharvested
  here in North Carolina are
• Ramps (wild leeks)
• http//www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/dining/20forage
  .html?pagewantedall_r0
• This leads to a reduction in biodiversity by
  reducing the population of harvested species.

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C. Global Impact

• The loss of biodiversity affects our survival
  needs on a global scale!
• Food
• Water
• Air
• Shelter
• Energy
• To prevent death, famine, exposure, find cures
  for diseases, and even prevent wars, we need to
  preserve biodiversity!

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BioRanger!
What are ways people can reduce their impact on
the biosphere?