2.4 Climate and Biomes

Question 1

weather

Answer 1

the short-term, daily state of the atmosphere at a specific location, encompassing conditions like temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation

Question 2

climate

Answer 2

the average weather pattern over a long period of time for a particular location on Earth

Question 3

biome

Answer 3

collections of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions that can be grouped into five major classes: aquatic, forest, grassland, desert and tundra

Question 4

insolation

Answer 4

the incoming solar radiation that reaches the Earth’s atmosphere or surface

Question 5

precipitation

Answer 5

water falling from the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail

Question 6

Coriolis Effect

Answer 6

circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere

Question 7

ocean currents

Answer 7

continuous, directional movements of seawater driven by factors like wind, the Coriolis effect, and density variations

Question 8

Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

Answer 8

an equatorial zone where trade winds converge

Question 9

Latitude

Answer 9

a geographical coordinate that defines a location’s north-south position on Earth, measured in degrees from the Equator (0 degrees)

Question 10

altitude

Answer 10

the height of something above a reference level, typically sea level or Earth’s surface

Question 11

rain shadow

Answer 11

a drier region on one side of a mountainous area, on the opposite side from the direction of the prevailing wind

Question 12

climatograph

Answer 12

a time-based graph that presents a location’s average temperature and precipitation

Question 13

tricellular model

Answer 13

describes the global pattern of atmospheric circulation, which influences climate and biome distribution
North to South: Polar Cell, Ferrel Cell, Hadley Cell, Hadley Cell, Ferrel Cell, Polar cell

Question 14

Hadley Cell

Answer 14

air circulation cells closest to the equator

Question 15

Ferrel Cell

Answer 15

air circulation cells between Hadley and Polar cells

Question 16

Polar Cell

Answer 16

air circulation cells closest to the poles

Question 17

Biome Shift

Answer 17

a change in the distribution of biomes, due to factors like climate change

Question 18

desert

Answer 18

cover 20-30 percent of the land surface, dry air, high temperatures, low precipitation, low rates of photosynthesis, low NPP rates, vegetation scarce, soil rich in nutrients and can support plant that can survive there

Question 19

temperate grassland

Answer 19

wet and hot season/dry and warm season, November – April: (hot and wet) , May – October: (dry and warm),
NPP lower than forest biome, long dry seasons result in no NPP, high diversity of animals, soils have higher nutrient levels

Question 20

arid

Answer 20

dry

Question 21

permafrost

Answer 21

ground that remains completely frozen for at least two years straight

Question 22

tropical rainforest

Answer 22

high temperatures, high rainfall, near the equator, high light levels throughout the year, all-year round growing season, high levels of photosynthesis, high rates of NPP throughout the year, high diversity of animals and plants, low levels of nutrients in the soil

Question 23

taiga (boreal)

Answer 23

biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches

Question 24

savanna

Answer 24

wet and hot season/dry and warm season, November – April: (hot and wet) , May – October: (dry and warm),
NPP lower than forest biome, long dry seasons result in no NPP, soils are poor and lacking in nutrients and organic matter because the high rainfall

Question 25

temperate forest

Answer 25

seasonal weather, 2 types of tree types in forests; Evergreen + deciduous could be in one forest or contain both trees, productivity lower than rainforest, mild climate, lower average temperature / lower rainfall

Question 26

arctic tundra

Answer 26

days are short, limit levels of sunlight, water may be locked up in ice, limiting water resources, photosynthesis and productivity rates are low, low temperatures, soil may be permanently frozen, nutrients in soil are limited

Question 27

productivity

Answer 27

the rate at which energy or biomass is generated in an ecosystem, usually measured per unit area or volume per unit time

Question 28

understory

Answer 28

the vegetation layer consisting of suppressed trees and shrubs beneath a dominant canopy

Question 29

scrub-lands

Answer 29

area of land covered with low trees and bushes

Question 30

grazing

Answer 30

the feeding behavior of herbivores that move from one plant to another, consuming parts of each without killing it outright

Question 31

gross productivity

Answer 31

the total amount of energy or biomass captured by an organism or community in a given time period

Question 32

canopy

Answer 32

the uppermost layer of vegetation, typically the crown of trees in a forest, which forms a continuous cover over the ground

Question 33

evergreen

Answer 33

a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year

Question 34

broad leaf

Answer 34

evergreen tree with large glossy leaves

Question 35

browsing

Answer 35

type of herbivory in which a herbivore feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growing, generally woody plants such as shrubs

Question 36

temperature

Answer 36

the measure of the average heat or thermal energy in a substance

Question 37

Great Ocean Conveyor Belt

Answer 37

a constantly moving system of deep-ocean circulation driven by temperature and salinity

Question 38

El Niño

Answer 38

A warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

Question 39

La Niña

Answer 39

a climate pattern that describes the cooling of surface-ocean waters in the central and eastern tropical pacific ocean, along the tropical west coast of south america

Question 40

Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE)

Answer 40

metric used to compare overall activity of tropical cyclones

Question 41

tropical cyclone

Answer 41

large, rotating storm system that forms over warm tropical or subtropical waters, characterized by low pressure and strong winds

Question 42

hurricanes

Answer 42

a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour (65 knots) or greater in the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the eastern North Pacific Ocean

Question 43

typhoons

Answer 43

a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least 74 mph

Question 44

thermohaline

Answer 44

relating to both the temperature and salinity of ocean water

Question 45

ENSO cycle

Answer 45

El Niño-Southern Oscillation Cycle - a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

Question 46

walker circulation

Answer 46

large-scale atmospheric circulation along the longitude-height plane over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, characterized by east-to-west low-level winds, rising motion over warm water in the western Pacific, and sinking motion over cold water in the eastern Pacific

Question 47

upwelling

Answer 47

a process in which currents bring deep, cold water to the surface of the ocean

Question 48

stratification

Answer 48

the layering or division of a system or habitat into distinct layers based on factors like temperature, density, or other environmental conditions