Chapter 3: Earth Climate and Biomes PDF

EARTH CLIMATE AND C HBIOMES APTER3: F U N D A M E N TA L S OF ENVIRONMEN TA L SCIENCE Climate (Page 99 -109) Earth biomes (Page 117 -132) 1 The Earth spheres 1. Atmos...

EARTH CLIMATE AND C HBIOMES APTER3: F U N D A M E N TA L S OF ENVIRONMEN TA L SCIENCE Climate (Page 99 -109) Earth biomes (Page 117 -132) 1 The Earth spheres 1. Atmospher The planet Earth e Consists of following (Air) spheres: 3. 2 Lithospher. e (land) H y d r 4. 5. Biosphere o Anthroposphe (wherever life s re exists) p Includes all 2 The atmosphere A thin spherical envelope of gases surrounding the earth’s surface.  Troposphere  The air in Troposphere contains: Oxyge Nitrog Minor en n gases 78% 21% 1% Source: coursehero.com/file/124306689/Science-C1W20pdf/ 3 The atmosphere  Troposphere  The air in the Troposphere contains:  The height of it is 10 -18 km from the surface of the earth.  the air temperature to decrease by 6.5° C for every 1000 meters of increase in altitude. This is called the standard (average) lapse rate.  Temperature decreases with an increase in altitude as it heats up from below to top Like a pot of water on a stove.  Weather occurs in the troposphere almost 80 percent of the atmosphere’s mass is located in this sphere.  Presence of turbulent air.  The top of the troposphere is known as Tropopause, it is a lid on most weather patterns. 4 The atmosphere  GHGs absorb and release energy that warms the lower atmosphere. Without these gases, the earth would be too cold for the existence  of life as we know it. Stratosphere  The stratosphere lies above the tropopause where temperature increases with altitude. The reason for the increase in temperature is the presence of ozone which absorbs solar energy.  Its lower portion holds enough ozone (O3) gas to filter out about 95% of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.  This global sunscreen (ozone) allows life to exist on land and in the surface layers of bodies of water.  The height of it is 50 km. The average temperature is 5 close to 0 degree C. The atmosphere  Almost 20 percent of the atmosphere’s mass is located in this sphere.  Stratopuse marks the top of the stratosphere.  Mesosphere  Directly above the stratosphere and extends from 50 to 80 km.  The temperature decreases with altitude and drops gradually to the lowest degree (-138 0C).  Menopause separates the mesosphere from the thermosphere.  Thermosphere  It extends from 80 to 480 km and it's very hot. 6  Atmospheric pressure (millibars) Thermosphe re Altitude (miles) Stratosphe re Pressure = 1,000 millibars at ground Source: weatheronline.co.uk/reports/wxfacts/Atmosphere---Diagram.htm level 7 The Hydrosphere A hydrosphere is the total amount of water on a planet. It includes all liquid and frozen surface waters, Source: encrypted tbn2.gstatic.com/images? groundwater held q=tbn:ANd9GcQdqVOkN06_gNLHcEe9GZFuqE4dQesLUH2JOdauXkdP70wl2TAb in soil and rock, 8 and atmospheric 9  The lithosphere  The lithosphere is the solid, outer part of Earth. The lithosphere includes the brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust, the outermost layers of Earth's structure.  Includes lands, mountains, beaches, oceans and rivers Source: geologybase.com/asthenosphere / bottoms 10  The Biosphere  The biosphere is made up of the parts of Earth where life exists.  The biosphere extends from the deepest root systems of trees to the dark environment of ocean trenches, to Source:dreamstime.com/biosphere-natural-habitat-division- lush rainforests and living-creatures-outline-diagram-biosphere-natural-habitat- division-living-image239288322 high mountaintops. 11 The Anthroposphere The anthroposphere encompasses the total human presence throughout the Earth system including our culture, technology, built environment, and associated activities. Source:encryptedtbn2.gstatic.com/images? q=tbn:ANd9GcSboPPvd8r2hMRsGeqqmXtWq_E_kfwSKSSOfAD03rD17BtygH_ 12 Weather and Climate on Earth Weath Climat er e Climate: is the average Weather is short-term weather conditions over a changes in atmospheric long period of time conditions over a period ranging from decades to of hours or days. thousands of years. 13 https://www.australianenvironmentaleducation.com.au/education- resources/climate-vs-weather/ 14  Weather Sometimes there is rain or snow. Sometimes it gets very hot or very cold. But the weather usually doesn’t keep people from going to work or school. It doesn’t usually cause changes or disruptions in a community. However, the weather can be extreme. They can lead to hazards such as; Thunderstorms Cause Lightning and Flash Flooding Tornadoes Produce Strong Wind Snow and Ice Are Winter Weather Hazards Hurricanes Cause Wind and Flooding Drought Causes Water and Food Shortages researchgate.net/publication/374046580_Extreme_weather_in_a_changing_climate 15  Climate How is the climate on Earth shaped? The most important factors influencing the Earth climate are: A- Difference in sun energy absorption by different parts on earth. B-Air circulation in atmosphere. https://www.thegeographeronline.net/1-causes- of-global-climate-change.html C-Ocean circulation 16  How climate on Earth is shaped? A-Difference in sun energy absorption by different parts on Earth Source: https://www.quora.com/Does-a-change-in-latitude-affect-the-amount-of-solar-radiation-received-by-an-area 17  How climate on Earth is shaped? B-Air circulation in atmosphere As the sun hits the Earth, the gases in the atmosphere catch the heat and cause them to circulate in a process called convection. Convection: is the movement of heat from one place to another through the air or what is called convection https://hogback.atmos.colostate.edu/cmmap/learn/climate/circ1.html cells. 18 How climate on Earth is shaped? B-Air circulation in atmosphere Near the equator, the air heated by the sun moves towards the poles. In the Tropics, if the moving air is still warm enough it will keep moving towards the poles and if it cools down, it will sink towards the equator. When the air reaches the poles, it will cool down and sink again towards the equator. 19  Energy transfer by convection in the atmosphere.  Convection occurs when warm, wet air rises, then cool and releases heat and moisture as precipitation (right side and top, center).  Then the cooler, denser, and drier air sinks, warms up and absorbs moisture as it flows https://socratic.org/questions/how-do-convection-currents-cause-wind across the earth’s surface (bottom) to begin the cycle 20  How climate on Earth is shaped? C-Ocean circulation pattern  Ocean currents: Prevailing winds blowing over the oceans produce mass movements of the surface water (horizontal movement). Water also moves vertically in the oceans as denser water sinks while less dense water rises. Source:oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/currents.html 21  How climate on Earth is shaped? C-Ocean circulation pattern Warm surface water moves towards the North Pole near Iceland and when it reaches there it will freeze or evaporate and leave the salts it was dissolved in it. This results in colder water with higher density due to more salt added to it  The colder and denser water will sink to the South Pole near Antarctica. https://www.ces.fau.edu/nasa/ module-3/why-does-temperature- vary/ocean-currents.php 22  How climate on Earth is shaped? C-Ocean circulation pattern Then the deep cold water will split into two ways: One towards the Indian Ocean and the other continuing along Antarctica to the Pacific Each Ocean. branch of the cold deep current will be warmed up in the Indian Ocean or the northern Pacific Ocean and become less dense than the surrounding cold 23 water and consequently move https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper1/ocean- currents-1/print_manually 24 Raven, P.H., Berg, L.R. and Hassenzahl, D.M. 2012. Environment (7th edition). John Wiley & Sons. 25  Biomes  What are biomes? A region on Earth with plant and animal communities that have adapted to specific conditions of temperature and moisture. Biomes from the combined influence of the sun’s energy, atmospheric circulation, and ocean circulation  Biomes are not restricted by geographical location 26 Terrestrial biomes 27 Terrestrial biomes Polar Tundr Ice a Tropical Savanna 28 forests Terrestrial biomes Boreal forest Chapar ral Temperate Temperate forests grassland 29 Terrestrial biome (Desert) Characteristics: Extreme heat Extreme drought Very little vegetation Plants can store moisture and adapted to reduce water loss Sandy soil with poor quality Very low annual precipitation 30 Aquatic biomes streams and Lakes and Wetlan river ponds ds 31  Aquatic biome (Wetland) Wetland biomes: Characterized by land surface that is saturated or submerged under water for at least part of the year. Wetlands can be divided into two types based on the plant life 1-Marshes with grass like 2-Swamps with trees like 32 reeds mangroves Examples of Wetlands in Oman Al-Ansab wetland, man-made by Haya 33 Examples of Wetlands in Oman Mangrove Nature Reserve at Al- Mangroves at Qurum Qurayyat 34 Main References: Miller, G.T. and Spoolman, S., 2011. Living in the environment: principles, connections, and solutions. Nelson Education. Spooner, A.M., 2012. Environmental Science for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. 35