6 climate factors
LATITUDE (further a region is from the equator, the cooler the climate)
OCEAN CURRENTS (bring warm water to northern locations and warm the land nearby)
WIND AND AIR MASSES (air mass- large volume of air that has moisture, temperature and air pressure. Winds- bring cold or warm winds to land)
ELEVATION (the higher you are, the colder the climate gets.)
RELIEF (windward side of the mountain is wet, leeward side is dry.)
NEARNESS TO WATER (being near a large body of water will affect climate. near the ocean- maritime climate [wet, cool summers/winters]. away from ocean- continental climate [dry, warm summers and cold winters.
3 types of precipitation
relief precipitation- moist air rises up and cools. then it forms rain on the windward side but the leeward side stays dry.
convection precipitation- air heats up and rises. the air cools, and the water vapour forms clouds and rain.
cyclonic precipitation- warm front collides with a cold front, causing the warmer, lighter air to rise up, forming clouds.
weather and climate
weather is the day to day readings of temperature and precipitation. climate is the long term patterns of temperature and precipitation.
effects of climate change
permafrost is melting, sea ice is disappearing, animal migrations are being affected, Inuit cannot hunt, increase in natural disasters
climate regions
arctic (harsh, cold climate), Pacific maritime (mild winters, cool summers), cordilleran (average winter and summers), prairie (winters are cold and dry, summer is warm and dry), southeastern (continental and maritime characteristics), Atlantic maritime (winters not as cold, summers not as hot), taiga, and boreal
vegetation regions
west coast forest (large trees), deciduous forest (deciduous trees), cordilleran (coniferous trees grow on lower slopes), grassland (climate is too dry for most species of trees), mixed forest (transition zone between the boreal forest to the deciduous forest), boreal and taiga forest (largest vegetation region) , tundra (above tree line, frozen so trees don’t grow)
components of soil
Minerals
Organic material
Moisture
Air
(MOMA)
soil profile
humus, topsoil(often rich in humus and minerals), subsoil (poor in humus, rich in minerals), weathered rock fragments (little to no plant or animal life), bedrock
coniferous and deciduous trees
coniferous trees have cones or needlelike leaves (example- evergreen, pine tree)
deciduous trees sheds their leaves in the fall (example- maple and oak trees)
vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region (which depends on soil quality)
tree line
tree line is the line where trees do not grow north of it. (tundra area)
interpreting climate graphs
average annual temperature: add monthly temperatures and divide by 12. “winter”: oct- march. “summer”: April-sept.
types of soil
tundra, boreal and taiga forest, west coast forest, deciduous forest, grassland, montane forest.
soil processes
calcification- water in topsoil evaporates creating a thick layer of rich topsoil
leaching- when water moves downward and removes the necessary nutrients
permafrost
a layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year
