Climate and Vegetation

• Seasons occur because of the earth’s revolution and tilt.

• Weather is the condition of the atmosphere on a daily basis.
• Weather extremes disrupt normal patterns of living.

Weather is the condition of the atmosphere on one place during a short period of time.
EARTH’s TILT and ROTATION
--The Earth’s axis is a tilt at 23 ½ degrees.
--The tilt affects the temperature of places in the surface of the earth.
--The Earth rotates on its axis.
--It completes one rotation every 24 hours, which marks day and night.
Earth’s Revolution
The Earth revolves around the sun. It takes 1 year or 365 ¼ days to finish one trip.
This affects the changing seasons.

CLIMATE
• Climate is the atmospheric condition over a long period of time.
• Climate is affected by wind and ocean currents, latitude, elevation, and topography.
• Global climate changes include El Niño and the greenhouse effect.

Climate is the term used for weather patterns that an area typically
experiences.

GREENHOUSE EFFECT
- Keeps heat from escaping into space after it enters the earth’s atmosphere

FACTORS that AFFECT CLIMATE :

Low latitude – Area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
High and middle latitudes – latitudes between the North Pole and Arctic Circle and between the South Pole
and the Antarctic Circle are known as the high latitudes.
Polar Areas – When either the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, its
polar areas receives .
Elevation- The temperature of a place depends on its elevation. Also describes how high it is above sea level.
Wind and Ocean Currents- and combined with the effects of the sun to create the weather and climates of the
Earth.
Wind Patterns- Winds that blow in fairly constant directions
Ocean Currents- Cold and Warm “rivers” of sea water known as currents which flow in the ocean.
Landforms- Features on the Earth’s surface that can affect climates.
 Windward : Side facing toward the direction
from which the
wind is blowing.

MOUNTAINS Leeward : Side facing away from the direction the wind is blowing.

Rain Shadow : Dry area found on the leeward side of a mountain range.

WORLD CLIMATE REGIONS

There are ( 5 ) basic climate regions: tropical, dry, mid-latitude, high latitude, and highland.

• The two most significant factors in climate are temperature and precipitation.

TROPICAL CLIMATE - These regions are found in or near the low latitudes.
Tropical Rain Forest Climate - are low and wet and are found near the equator.
Tropical vegetation grows thick in layers formed at different heights.
Tropical Savanna Climate are areas with dry seasons in winter and wet in summer.

DRY CLIMATE
Desert Climates are dry areas with sparse plant life.
These areas get less than 10 inches of rainfall a year.
Desert climates cover about of the earth’s land surface.
Steppe Climate are dry areas, often bordering deserts.
The vegetation consists of bushes and patches of short grasses without many trees.

MID-LATITUDE CLIMATES
Marine West Coast Climate are areas generally found along the western coastlines.
This region covers much of the western Europe, Pacific coast of North America, South America, Africa and
Australia.
Mediterranean Climate are areas with weather patterns and vegetation like those near the Mediterranean
Sea. These regions are found generally in coastal lands between 30 and 40 degrees north and south latitude.
Humid Subtropical Climate are areas found at mid-latitudes in the southeastern parts of continents.
Vegetation includes both grasslands and forests.
Winds and high pressure related to nearby oceans cause high humidity.

Humid Continental Climate are influenced by landmass than by winds, precipitation, or

ocean temperatures. The regions are only found in the Northern Hemisphere.

HIGH LATITUDE CLIMATES

Subarctic Climate are regions in which the conditions limit the plant life.
 Vegetation consists of needle leaved evergreen trees.
These regions are found in Russia and Canada.
Tundra Climate are regions with bitter cold winters and reduced sunlight.
In the summer the sun ray brings constant light but little heat.
Ice Cap Climate are regions with no vegetation because the temperature averages
below freezing.

HIGHLAND CLIMATES
These are mountain areas in which climate varies with elevation.
Elevation influences vegetation.
Near the base of mountains deciduous and evergreen forests grow.

PEOPLE CLIMATE + ENVIRONMENT

Climate effects what people will wear, how they build their houses, and transportation.
Therefore people must adapt to the climate.
Climate changes :
Changes that people make in the environment affect the climate.
● Burning of fossil fuels, release of carbon dioxide, and water projects.
Climate is also affected by the variations in the sun’s output of energy and volcanic activities.

SOILS and VEGETATION

• Soil characteristics include texture, depth, and humus content.
• Soil and climate are major influences on vegetation regions.
• Vegetation patterns are based on ecosystems.
An interconnected community of plants & animals
An ecosystem of a region is referred to as a

4 SEASON on EARTH
Equinox – The day where the sun is directly over the equator and day and night are equal
Solstice – The northernmost or southernmost point the earth receives direct rays from the sun

Spring - Summer -Autumn -Winter

This is called the

Greenhouse