3.1 All biogeographic patterns are ultimately influenced by the geographic template

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3.1 All biogeographic patterns are ultimately
influenced by the geographic template
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• Ch. 3 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
• (abiotic conditions Water, Heat and Rocks)
• SOLAR RADIATION and TEMPERATURE REGIMES Uneven
  Heating
• WINDS and RAINFALL (precipitation) Water!!!
• SOILS an artifact (rocks water life!!)
• AQUATIC HABITATS
• MICROCLIMATES

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Terminology of Geography latitude, longitude,
meridian, parallel, equator, tropics, Arctic
Antarctic Circles
Arctic Circle 66 33' 39? N Tropic of Cancer
23 26' 21? N Tropic of Capricorn 23 26' 21?
S Antarctic Circle 66 33' 39? S
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Northern Hemisphere from Above
Earth Circumference 24,902 miles Diameter at
equator 7.926 miles, polar diameter 7,900
mi Length of 1 at equator 69 miles
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3.2 Average input of solar radiation to the
Earths surface as a function of latitude
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Arctic winter the North Pole is always dark,
while the South Pole is illuminated.
Earth revolves around the Sun Year Earth axis
is tilted. At any given time during summer or
winter, one part of the planet is more directly
exposed to the rays of the Sun, regardless of the
time of day (i.e. the Earths rotation on its
axis), This produces seasons.
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• Earth revolves around the Sun One Year
• http//www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/
  content/visualizations/es0408/es0408page01.cfm?cha
  pter_no04

Sun is directly overhead on equator at spring and
fall equinoxes (March 23, Sept 22), day night
all over Earth Solstices June 22 (summer in N
hemi) sun is over Tropic of Cancer,
23.5N Solstices Dec 22 (winter in N hemi) sun
is over Tropic of Capricorn 23.5S
Day length is determined by the length of time
the Sun is above the horizon. Day length changes
through the year as the orientation of the Earth
to the Sun changes.
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3.3 Seasonal variation in day length with
latitude is due to the inclination of the Earth
on its axis (1)
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3.3 Seasonal variation in day length with
latitude is due to the inclination of the Earth
on its axis (2)
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3.4 Vertical circulation of the atmosphere and
wind patterns on the Earths surface
WATER and WIND

• Three CONVECTIVE CELLS (Hadley Cells) in each
  hemisphere
• Ascending moist air releases moisture (rain)
• Descending dry air

Air masses, deflected by Coriolis effect,
produce easterly trade winds of tropics and
westerlies of temperate latitudes These ZONAL
WINDS initiate major CURRENTS in the oceans
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3.5 Main patterns of circulation of the surface
currents of the oceans
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3.6 Factors causing rain shadow deserts (Part 1)
Climatic effects due to local geology RAIN
SHADOW across the mountains - WHY?
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3.6 Factors causing rain shadow deserts (Part 2)
RAIN SHADOW simple water physics!
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3.7 Major climatic regions of the world
CLIM ATES ZONALITY (and SEASONALITY)
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SOILS
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3.10 Schematic representations of the four major
pedogenic regimes (Part 1)
SOILS FOUR MAJOR REGIMES 1 2
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3.10 Schematic representations of the four major
pedogenic regimes (Part 2)
SOILS FOUR MAJOR REGIMES 3 4
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3.11 Schematic diagram depicting the
relationships between major soil types and climate
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3.12 World distribution of major soil types
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3.13 Local elevational distribution of soil
particle size and vegetation on a desert bajada
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Lake Zones
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3.14 Vertical temperature profiles of Lake
Mendota, Wisconsin
AQUATIC HABITATS
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3.15 Small-scale spatial and temporal
heterogeneity of surface waters in the North
Atlantic (Part 1)
AQUATIC HABITATS
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3.15 Small-scale spatial and temporal
heterogeneity of surface waters in the North
Atlantic (Part 2)
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3.15 Small-scale spatial and temporal
heterogeneity of surface waters in the North
Atlantic (Part 3)
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3.16 How centrifugal force and the gravitational
force of the moon cause the tides
AQUATIC HABITATS
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3.17 A tide calendar for the northern Gulf of
California (Sea of Cortez)
AQUATIC HABITATS
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• This image highlights major upwelling areas along
  the world's coasts in red. Upwelling occurs when
  winds blowing across the ocean surface push water
  away from an area and subsurface water rises up
  from beneath the surface to replace the diverging
  surface water. These subsurface waters are
  typically colder, rich in nutrients, and
  biologically productive. Therefore, good fishing
  grounds typically are found where upwelling is
  common. For example, the rich fishing grounds
  along the west coasts of Africa and South America
  are supported by year-round coastal upwelling.
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http//www.marbella.es/medioambiente/images/storie
s/clima/upwelling.gif
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What is El Niño? El Niño is the warming of
sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial
Pacific Ocean which influences atmospheric
circulation, and consequently rainfall and
temperature in specific areas around the world.
El Niño is translated from Spanish as "the boy
child". Peruvian anchovy fishermen traditionally
used the term - a reference to the Christ child -
to describe the appearance of a warm ocean
current off the South American coast around
Christmas. Over the years the term El Niño has
come to be reserved for the sequence of changes
in the circulation across the Pacific Ocean and
Indonesian archipelago when warming is
particularly strong. Approximately 14 El Niño
events affected the world between 1950 and 2003.
Amongst them was the 1997/98 event, by many
measures the strongest thus far this century,
although South Africa escaped the impact of it to
some extend. What is La Niña? La Niña is the
cooling of sea-surface temperatures in the
equatorial Pacific Ocean which influences
atmospheric circulation, and consequently
rainfall and temperature in specific areas around
the world. La Niña, Spanish for "the girl", is
the opposite of El Niño. SSTs in the equatorial
Pacific become cooler than normal, giving rise to
the term "cold event". This situation is
reflected by negative SST anomalies. The Walker
circulation intensifies and the SOI consequently
becomes positive during this event. What is
ENSO? The changes in the Pacific Ocean are
represented by the term "El Niño/La Niña", while
changes in the atmosphere are known as the
"Southern Oscillation". Because these two cannot
be separated, the term ENSO is often used. ENSO
refers to both El Niño and La Niña.
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During normal years (non-ENSO years) relatively
cold water occurs along the west coast of South
America , an effect increased by upwelling of
cold water along the Peruvian coast. The cold
water then flows westward along the equator to
Australia and is heated by the tropical sun.
These normal conditions make the western Pacific
about 3C to 8C warmer than the eastern Pacific.
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During El Niño years, the area of warm water
(usually over the western tropical Pacific near
Australia ) cools down and the warm water is
displaced eastward to the central Pacific. The
upwelling off the Peruvian coast is suppressed
and the SSTs in this region become warmer than
usual.
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3.18 Temperatures inside and outside the den of
a bushy-tailed woodrat
MICROCLIMATES