01:119:115 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Cool Air, Biome, Microclimate
31 Mar 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Introduction: climate: long-term prevailing weather conditions in a given area, most important influence on species distribution. Scale: macroclimate: global, regional, landscape level, microclimate: localized patterns, affects communities. Macroclimate: global climate patterns, driven by solar e and movement of earth in space temperature and wind. Solar energy: varies by latitude, tropics direct sunlight, most heat and light (23. 5 degrees s and n between, closer to the equator warmer climate, higher latitudes n and s: lower angle of light and less e (cooler) Importance of solar e: heat, global air circulation and precipitation patterns. Seasonality: earth is tilted ~23. 5o strong seasonal cycles in mid/high latitudes, day length, solar e, temp. Bodies of water: ocean currents influence climate along coasts, heat or cool air passes across land. Affects of water: high specific heat can moderate temp of nearby land. Mountains: influence air flow precipitation biodiversity, one side of a mountain range might be wetter/greener than the other.
