Uneven solar energy at different parts of the Earth in a year
- due to 23.5 tilt of Earth and its spherical shape
- causes seasons, major air circulations and precipitation
What part of the earth has low air pressure
The equator, the poles have cold, dense air with high air pressure
Topographic Effects
large topography and water bodies also influence climate - at a smaller, regional scale
Terrestrial Biomes
Large terrestrial regions on our planet with a similar climate and vegetation
i.e tropical rain forests, deserts, temperate grasslands
What affects mean temperature and sum of annual precipitation?
Solar radiation and atmospheric cells
What affects predominant vegetation in a biome?
- temperature and precipitation
- vegetation is the food and habitat base for ecosystem
Climate (Walter-Lieth) diagrams
X values: Months
Left Y values: Mean monthly temp
Right Y values: Mean monthly precipitation
Canada terrestrial Biomes
Temperate Grassland
Temperate forest
Boreal forest
Tundra
Terrestrial Biomes not in Canada
Tropical Rainforest
Desert
Tropical Rainforest
- High mean annual temp
- High mean annual precipitation
- Low seasonality
- Biomass-rich, evergreen
Desert
- Low or high mean annual temp (cold & hot deserts)
- Very low mean annual precipitation
- strong-moderate seasonality in temp
- short-stature vegetation, mostly tree-less
Colours on climate diagram
red dots = temp
blue dots = precipitation
yellow area = drought (temp higher than precipitation)
Dark blue = excessively moist periods
Light blue = more moisture per degree of temp
Temperate Grassland
- Low mean annual temps
- Low mean sum annual precipitation
- strong seasonality in temp
- very fertile soils (a lot of land loss due to crop land)
- tree-less vegetation
Temperate Forest
- moderate mean annual temp
- high mean annual sum precipitation
- moderate seasonality in temp
- forest vegetation
Boreal Forest
- found only in north hemisphere
- very low mean annual temp
- moderate mean sum annual precipitation
- strong seasonality in temp
Tundra (desert kinda)
- very low mean annual temp
- moderate mean annual sum precipitation
- moderate seasonality
- tree-less
- permafrost
Whittaker Diagram
- displays major biomes as a function of Mean annual precipitation (MAP) and Mean Annual Temp (MAT)
How many Ecozones in Canada
15, which are even subdivided into ecoregions and ecodistricts
