Climate and Biodiversity What Factors Influence Climate? An

1
Climate and Biodiversity
2
What Factors Influence Climate?

• An areas climate is determined by
• solar radiation
• the earths rotation
• global patterns of air and water movement
• gases in the atmosphere
• the earths surface features.

3
Many Different Climates

• Weather- short term T, ppt, humidity, wind speed,
  cloud cover, etc.
• Climate- long term averages
• Temperature and precipitation determine climate
• Latitude and elevation determine average
  temperature and precipitation

4
Generalized Map of Earth's Climate
5
Global Air Circulation

• Three factors
• Uneven heating of earths surface
• Rotation of the earth
• Variations in properties of air, water, and land
• Six cyclical convection cells

6
Creation of prevailing winds the earths
rotation deflects the movement of the air over
different parts of the earth. This creates global
patterns of prevailing winds that help distribute
heat and moisture in the atmosphere
Cold deserts
Westerlies
Forests
Hot deserts
Northeast trades
Forests
Equator
Southeast trades
Hot deserts
Forests
Westerlies
Cold deserts
7
Transfer of energy by convection in the
atmosphere. Convection occurs when hot and wet
warm air rises, cools, and releases moisture as
precipitation and heat (right side). Then the
denser cool, dry air sinks, gets warmer, and
picks up moisture as it flows across the earths
surface to begin the cycle again.
HIGH PRESSURE
LOW PRESSURE
Heat released radiates to space
Condensation and precipitation
Cool, dry air
Rises, expands, cools
Falls, is compressed, warms
Hot, wet air
Warm, dry air
Flows toward low pressure, picks up moisture and
heat
HIGH PRESSURE
LOW PRESSURE
Moist surface warmed by sun
8
Moist air rises, cools, and releases moisture as
rain
Polar cap
Arctic tundra
Global air circulation and biomes heat and
moisture are distributed over the earths surface
by vertical currents, which form six giant
convection cells at different latitudes. The
resulting uneven distribution of heat and
moisture over the planets surface leads to the
forests, grasslands, and deserts that make up the
earths biomes.
Evergreen coniferous forest
Temperate deciduous forest and grassland
Desert
Tropical deciduous forest
Equator
Tropical rain forest
Tropical deciduous forest
Desert
Temperate deciduous forest and grassland
Polar cap
9
Global Ocean Currents

• Affects regional climates
• Warm and cold currents created by differences in
  water density
• Altered by earths rotation and continents
• Redistributes heat, mixes ocean waters, and
  distributes nutrients and oxygen

10
Global Currents

• Loop of deep and shallow ocean currents
• Moves energy around the globe
• Ocean and atmosphere closely linked

11
Earths Conveyer Belt
12
Patterns of global circulation

• Circulation patterns have changed with time in
  response to changing configurations of
  continents,
• Circulation patterns have changed in response to
  climate patterns
• Circulation patterns have changed in response to
  atmospheric circulation.

13
Greenhouse Gases

• Warm the lower atmosphere
• Global warming may cause changes in the climate
  in various places

14
Earths Surface Features and Climate

• Heat absorbed and released more slowly by water
  than by land
• Large bodies of water moderate climate
• Movement of moist ocean air across a mountain
• Rain and snow on windward side
• Rain shadow on leeward side e.g. Death Valley

15
On the leeward side of the mountain range, air
descends, warms, and releases little moisture.
On the windward side of a mountain range, air
rises,cools, and releases moisture.
Prevailing winds pick up moisture from an ocean.
16
How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Location
of Biomes?

• Differences in average annual precipitation and
  temperature lead to the formation of tropical,
  temperate, and cold deserts, grasslands, and
  forests, and largely determine their locations.

17
Climate Affects Biomes

• Major biomes related to climate
• Biomes consist of a mosaic of patches of
  communities
• Average temperature and precipitation determine
  the biome

18
Earths Major Biomes
19
Correlation Between Latitude and Elevation
20
Climate Determines the Biome
21
Three Major Types of Deserts

• Evaporation exceeds precipitation (lt25cm/yr),
  scattered unevenly throughout year
• Tropical deserts Sahara, Namib
• Temperate deserts Mojave
• Cold deserts Gobi
• Fragile, low plant growth, low species diversity,
  slow nutrient cycling

22
United Arab Emirates Desert
Arizona Desert
Gobi Desert
23
Three Major Types of Grasslands

• Occur in the interiors of continents, seasonal
  droughts, grazing by herbivores, frequent fires
  keep large numbers of trees and shrubs from
  growing
• Tropical grasslands savanna
• Temperate grasslands (Prairie, Pampas, Steppes)
• Short-grass vs. tall-grass
• tall-grass are humid and very wet
• short-grass are dry, with hotter summers and
  colder winters
• Cold grasslands tundra
• Permafrost soils

24
Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya, Africa
East Glacier Park in of Montana
Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
25
Loss of a Temperate Grassland
26
Temperate Grasslands
http//www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.htm
27
Permafrost
http//www.alaska-in-pictures.com/data/media/ 19/m
elting-permafrost_1962.jpg
http//www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/images/Pe
rmafrostUnderminesHouses.jpg
28
Three Major Types of Forests

• Lands dominated by trees, levels of precipitation
  and different average temperatures
• Tropical rain forests (near the equator, high
  humidity), heavily rainfall daily, diverse
  ecosystem
• Temperate deciduous forests
• The biggest ecological parameter in the temperate
  deciduous forest is the change wrought by the
  progression of the seasons
• Evergreen coniferous forests
• Coniferous Forests are the largest land Biome of
  the World

29
tropical rain forest in the western Congo Basin
of Gabon, Africa
Rhode Island during the fall
northern coniferous forest in the Malheur
National Forest and Strawberry Mountain
Wilderness in the U.S. state of Oregon
30
Tropical Rain Forest Ecosystem
31
Stratification of Tropical Rain Forest
32
Importance of Mountains

• Cover 1/4th Earth land surface
• Contain majority of the worlds forests
• 17 worlds people live in mountains on or their
  edges
• Regulate climate
• Contain glaciers which radiate radiation back to
  space
• Key in the hydrological cycle
• 4 billion people depend (60) on mountains for
  all or some of their water

33
How Have We Affected the Worlds Terrestrial
Ecosystems?

• In many areas, human activities are impairing
  ecological and economic services provided by the
  earths deserts, grasslands, forests, and
  mountains.

34
Humans Affect Worlds Terrestrial Ecosystems

• Disturbed most of the earths land
• 62 degraded or used unsustainably
• All biomes being degraded

35
Major Human Impacts on World Biomes
36
What Are the Major Types of Aquatic Systems?

• Saltwater and freshwater aquatic life zones cover
  almost three-fourths of the earths surface with
  oceans (71) dominating the planet
• Most aquatic organisms live in the surface,
  middle, or bottom layers of saltwater and
  freshwater systems

37
Aquatic Life Zones

• Two major types
• Marine (saltwater)
• Freshwater
• Oceans contain 97 of earths water

38
The Ocean Planet
PACIFIC OCEAN
ATLANTICOCEAN
39
Types of Aquatic Life

• Plankton phytoplankton, zooplankton (free
  floating)
• Nekton- (swimmers) Fish, Marine Mammals
• Benthos- bottom dwellers
• Sessile
• Vagile
• Decomposers (bacteria)

40
Distribution of Aquatic Organisms

• Occupy surface, middle, or bottom layers
• Factors determining types and numbers of
  organisms
• Temperature
• Access to sunlight (euphotic zone)
• Dissolved oxygen
• Nutrient availability
• CO2 (carbon dioxide)
• NO3- (nitrate)
• PO43- (phosphate)

41
The Oceans Natural Capital
Coral Reefs
Mangroves
42
What Are the Major Ocean Zones and How Have We
Affected Them?

• In many areas, human activities are impairing
  ecological and economic services provided by the
  earths saltwater systems, especially coastal
  wetlands, mangrove forests, and coral reefs.

43
Marine System Services
44
Major Life Zones of Oceans

• Coastal
• Warm, nutrient rich, shallow water, high tide
  mark to the continental shelf edge
• 10 of ocean contains 90 of all species high
  NPP
• Estuaries, wetlands, coral reefs
• Open sea
• Ocean bottom

45
High tide
Coastal Zone
Open Sea
Sun
Low tide
Sea level
Estuarine Zone
Euphotic Zone
Continental shelf
Bathyal Zone
Abyssal Zone
46
Estuary Photo Taken from Space
47
Food Web of a Salt Marsh
48
The Coastal Zone

• Coastal wetlands and estuaries among earths most
  productive zones
• Estuaries
• Provide ecosystem services
• Provide economic services
• Face increasing stress from human activities

49
Coastal Wetlands
National Geographic Before New York When Henry
Hudson first looked on Manhattan in 1609 The
Mannahatta Project
50
Tides Rocky and Sandy Shores

• Tides
• Intertidal zone
• Intertidal organisms adapt to stresses of
  changing environment
• Rocky shores
• Sandy shores

51
Rocky Shore Beach
52
Sandy Barrier Beach
53
Sand Dunes and Barrier Beaches
54
Coral Reefs

• Form in clear, warm coastal waters of the
  subtropics and tropics
• Polyps symbiotic relationship with
  zooxanthellae algae
• Very diverse habitat
• Face great threat of destruction

55
(No Transcript)
56
Coral Reefs

• One of earths most diverse ecosystems
• Home nursery to 0.5 million fish species
• Potential for biomedical resources
• Over 6,000 unique chemical compounds
• Skin-Care Products
• Bone graft material
• Anti-Cancer Drugs
• Didemnin B, diazonomide A, dolastatin 10
• Protection against storms

57
The Open Sea

• Separated from coastal areas by continental shelf
  edge
• Euphotic zone
• Bathyal zone
• Abyssal zone

58
Threats to Oceans from HumanActivity

• Coastal development
• Overfishing
• Point and nonpoint source pollution

59
Threats to Oceans from HumanActivity

• Habitat destruction
• Invasive species
• Climate change

60
Human Impacts on Marine Ecosystems
61
What Are the Major Types of Freshwater Systems
and How Have We Affected Them?

• Human activities are impairing ecological and
  economic services provided by many rivers and
  freshwater lakes and wetlands.

62
Freshwater Systems

• Standing water
• Flowing water

63
Natural Capital of Freshwater Systems
64
Four Lake Zones

• Littoral zone
• Limnetic zone
• Profundal zone
• Benthic zone

65
Zones of a Temperate Lake
66
Nutrient Content of Lakes

• Lakes classified by nutrient content and primary
  productivity
• Oligotrophic (Few nutrients)
• Eutrophic (lots of nutrients)
• Mesotrophic
• Lakes impacted by nutrients from human activity
• Cultural eutrophication
• Sewage discharges or nutrient loading

67
Nutrients and Lakes
68
Watersheds

• Surface water becomes runoff into streams
• Watersheds or drainage basins deliver runoff,
  sediment, and dissolved substances to streams
• Streams join to form rivers
• Rivers begin in mountains or at higher elevation

69
Three Zones in the Downhill Flow of Water

• Source zone
• Transition zone
• Floodplain zone

70
Three Zones of a Watershed
71
Freshwater Wetlands

• Inland wetlands
• Marshes
• Swamps
• Prairie potholes
• Floodplains
• Arctic tundra
• Ecological and economic services

72
Human Impacts on Freshwater Systems

• Dams and canals fragment 40 of worlds largest
  rivers
• Flood control levees alter rivers
• Cities and farmlands add pollutants
• Many wetlands drained or filled