Chapter 17

high latitudes

The high latitudes near the poles have great differences in temperature and number of daylight hours. During summer in the northern hemisphere, the north pole is tilted toward the Sun. During summer at the north pole, the Sun doesn't set for nearly six months. During that same time, the sun never rises at the south pole.

la nina

The opposite of El Niño is La Niña. During La Niña, the winds blowing across the Pacific are stronger than normal, causing warm water to accumulate in the western Pacific. La Niña may cause droughts in the southern United States and excess rain fall in the northwestern United States.

other factors: large bodies of water

Water needs more heat than land to reach a given temp. As water cools, it also gives up more heat than land. Large bodies of water can affect the climate of coastal areas by absorbing or giving off heat. This causes many coastal regions to be warmer in winter and cooler in summer than inland areas at similar latitude.

mountains

At the same latitude, mountain climates are colder than sea level climates. Because Earth's atmosphere gets thinner at higher altitudes, the air in the mountains has fewer molecules to absorb heat.

carbon cycle

Carbon, primarily as carbon dioxide, is constantly recycled in nature among the atmosphere, Earth's oceans, and organisms that inhabit the land. When Earth's climate changes, the amount of carbon dioxide that cycles among atmosphere, ocean, and land also can change. Some people hypothesize that if the Earth's climate continues to warm, more carbon dioxide may be absorbed by oceans and land.

causes of climate change

Catastrophic events, including meteorite collisions and large volcanic eruptions, can affect climate over short periods of time, such as a year or several years. Another factor that can alter Earth's climate is short- or long-term changes in solar output, which is the amount of energy given off by the Sun. Changes in the Earth's movements in space affect climate over many thousands of years, and movement of Earth's crustal plates can change climate over millions of years.

Climate

Climate is the pattern of weather that occurs in an area over many years. It determines the types of plants or animals that can survive, and it influences how people live. Climate is determined by averaging the weather of a region over a long period of time, such as 30 years.

classifying climate

Climatologists—people who study climates—usually use a system developed in 1918 by Wladimir Köppen to classify climates. Köppen observed that the types of plants found in a region depended on the climate of the area. He classified world climates by using the annual and monthly averages of temperature and precipitation of different regions. The climate classification system separates climates into six groups—tropical, mild, dry, continental, polar, and high elevation.

deforestation

Destroying and cutting down trees, called deforestation, also affects the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As trees grow they take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When trees are cut down, the carbon dioxide they could have removed from the atmosphere remains in the atmosphere.

earth movements

Earth's axis currently is tilted 23.5° from perpendicular to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. In the past, this tilt has increased to 24.5° and has decreased to 21.5°. When this tilt is at its maximum, the change between summer and winter is probably greater.Two additional Earth movements also cause climatic change. Earth's axis wobbles in space just like the axis of a top wobbles when it begins to spin more slowly. This can affect the amount of solar energy received by different parts of Earth. Also, the shape of Earth's orbit changes.

el nino

El Niño (el NEEN yoh) is a climatic event that involves the tropical Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere. During normal years, strong trade winds that blow east to west along the equator push warm surface water toward the western Pacific Ocean. During El Niño years, these winds weaken and sometimes reverse. The change in winds allows warm, tropical water in the upper layers of the Pacific to flow back eastward to South America. Ocean temperatures increase by 1°C to 70°C off the coast of Peru. El Niño can affect weather patterns. It can alter the position and strength of one of the jet streams.

energy from the sun

If the output of radiation from the Sun varies, Earth's climate could change. Some changes in the amount of energy given off by the Sun seem to be related to the presence of sunspots. Sunspots are dark spots on the surface of the Sun. An extremely cold period in Europe occurred between 1645 and 1715. During this time, very few sunspots appeared on the Sun.

latitude and climate

Latitude: A measure of distance north or south of the equator, affects climate. The tropics: Region between latitudes 23.5°N and 23.5°S. Receive the most solar radiation because the Sun shines almost directly over these areas. Polar Zones: Extend from 66.5°N and 66.5°S latitude to the poles. Solar radiation hits at a low angle, spreading energy over a large area. Polar regions are never warm. Between the tropics and the polar zones are the temperate zones. Temperatures here are moderate. Most of the United States is in a temperate zone.

Ocean currents

Ocean currents affect coastal climates. Warm currents begin near the equator and flow toward higher latitudes, warming the land. Currents cool off and flow back toward the equator, cooling the air and nearby land. Winds blowing from the sea are more moist than from land. So, some coastal areas have wetter climates than places farther inland.

Rain shadows

On the windward side of a mountain range, air rises, cools, and drops its moisture. On the leeward side of a mountain range air descends, heats up, and dries the land.

climate change

Some warm-weather fossils found in polar regions indicate that at times in Earth's past, worldwide climate was much warmer than at present. At other times Earth's climate has been much colder than it is today. Sediments in many parts of the world show that several different times in the past 2 million years, glaciers covered large parts of Earth's surface. These times are called ice ages. During the past 2 million years, ice ages have alternated with warm periods called interglacial intervals. We are now in an interglacial interval that began about 11,500 years ago.

adaptations

Organisms are adapted to their environment. An adaptation is any structure or behavior that helps an organism survive in its environment. Structural adaptations are inherited. Once adapted to a particular climate, organisms may not be able to survive in other climates

global warming

Over the past 100 years, the average global surface temperature on Earth has increased by 0.6°C. This increase in temperature is known as global warming. Researchers hypothesize that the increase in global temperatures may be related to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. When natural gas, oil, and coal are burned for energy, the carbon in these fossil fuels combines with atmospheric oxygen to form carbon dioxide. This increases the amount of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere.

earths seasons

Seasons are short periods of climatic change caused by changes in the amount of solar radiation an area receives. Because Earth is tilted, different areas of Earth receive changing amounts of solar radiation throughout the year. Because of fairly constant solar radiation near the equator, the tropics do not have much seasonal temperature change. The middle latitudes, or temperate zones, have warm summers and cool winters. Spring and fall are usually mild.

atmospheric solids and liquids

Small solid and liquid particles always are present in Earth's atmosphere. Some ways that particles enter the atmosphere naturally include volcanic eruptions, soot from fires, and wind erosion of soil particles. Humans add particles to the atmosphere through automobile exhaust and smoke stack emissions. These small particles can affect climate.Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991. During the eruption, particles were spread high into the atmosphere and circled the globe. Over time, particles spread around the world, blocking some of the Sun's energy from reaching Earth.

behavioral adaptations

Some organisms display behavioral adaptations that help them survive in a particular climate. For example, rodents and certain other mammals undergo a period of greatly reduced activity in winter called hibernation. During hibernation, body temperature drops and body processes are reduced to a minimum. Other animals have adapted differently. On hot, sunny days, desert snakes hide under rocks. At night when it's cooler, they slither out in search of food.

structural adaptations

Some organisms have body structures that help them survive in certain climates. The fur of mammals is really hair that insulates them from cold temperatures. The waxy stem covering prevents water inside the cactus from evaporating.

cities

Streets, parking lots, and buildings heat up, in turn heating the air. Air (pollution & greenhouse gasses) traps this heat, creating what is known as the heat-island effect. Temperatures in a city can be 5°C higher than in surrounding rural areas.

climatic changes today

The greenhouse effect is a natural heating process that occurs when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat. Radiation from the Sun strikes Earth's surface and causes it to warm. Some of this heat then is radiated back toward space. Some gases in the atmosphere, known as greenhouse gases, absorb a portion of this heat and then radiate heat back towards Earth. This keeps Earth warmer than it would be otherwise. There are many natural greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane are some of the most important ones. Without these greenhouse gases, life would not be possible on Earth.

amount of solar energy

These movements of Earth cause the amount of solar energy reaching different parts of Earth to vary over time. These changes might have caused glaciers to grow and shrink over the last few million years.