deserts at 30* N and S but most H20 at equator

aka horse latitudes b/c waters are dead there and early travelers would throw horses orverboard

desert, tropical climate

transfer of energy between poles and tropics

temperate zones

subsidence @ polar zone

humbolt current --> S.A. brings cold water from antarctica, cold dry

N. Pacific Drift --> seatlle, water from russia, cold

gulf Stream --> makes S.E. usa hot and steamy

prevailing wind parallel to coast, surface water pulled away, replaced with deep water from underneath

colder off coast than many miles out

giant global currents influence everything, keeps places liveable (day after tomorrow)

north pacific gyre

somewhere between size of 2USA or texas

can't see from space b/c its mostly plastic bottles and garbage

formed by currents from whole world into this dead zone, goes many layers

wildlife eats and feeds to babies

high levels of toxic metals and other harmful substances

one more off coast of florida - NYT article

characterized by relatively small seasonal temp change + high humidity

associated w/ center of large continents (Asia and N America) in the temperate zone; large seasonal changes in temperature

ex: inland vs sea cities in russia

fewer air molecules (lower density) --> lower capacity to absorb energy

radiational heating of air by surface is therefore less effective

high amount of exchange of air with surrounding (cooler) atmosphere

moutains intercept air masses and force them to rise and cool, higher precip on windward side and drier climate on leeward side --> rain shadow effect

ex: molokai

1. amount of sunlight reflected by earth (albedo) is determined by the color - snow, lightly colored soil, grasslands are good reflectors, high albedo

2. vegetation enhances water movement from soil to air (transpiration - evap of H2O from inside leaf to air and evapiration --> evapotranspiration) cooling process

3. vegetation influences how effectively heat is removed by wind (sensible heat loss) - surface roughness; smooth surface (e.g grassland) loses heat more effectively than a rough surface (mixed age forest)

in tropics associated with precipitation

in temperate and polar zones associated with temperature

ex: bear hibernation (8 heartbeats per minute, pee 2x during hibernation)

intertropical convergenze zone, inflluences storm formation and seasons

virose (SA)precip low in june-August vs tampica (mexico) precip high june-august

surface layer of a temperate/polar lake

in summer is uniformly warm

deeper,  dense layer of water in a temperate/polar lake

from summer to fall: polar winds blowing southward and diminishing sunlight allow more radiational heat lost than gained --> radiational and contact cooling --> surface waters cool. epilimion waters cool slowly but eventually become denser than waters below, shift into the thermocline --> summer stratification destroyed --> all water becomes temp of the hypolimnion and surface air mixes the entire body (upwelling, nutrient redistribution)

when water reaches 4*C most dense and sinks, water on top freezes and prevents wind mixing --> stratification

in spring the ice melts, the lake becomes uniform temp, and mixing occurs again. warming continues and stratification re-emerges.

concentration of dissolved salts in water

salinization of soils occurs in some desert soils naturally but may also occur in irrigated agricultural soils of arid regions

contributes to agricultural decline in california's central valley, asutralia, and destroyed mesopotamia

ability of a solution to behave as an acid or a base, respectively

compounds taht give up protons (H+) to the water they are dissolved in

low oxygen conditions

promote the formation of chemicals (e.g. hydrogen sulfide) that are toxic to many organisms

oxygen levels important for chemical reactions that determine availability of nutrients

excess nitrogen can lead to algae overproduction which can lead to ____ conditions in the water b/c the algae take up all the oxygen

where most organisms occur

thin veneer of earth's surface from the tops of trees to the surface soil layers, and within 200 meters of the surface of the oceans

large scale terrestrial biological communities shaped by the physical environment, particularly climatic variation and often natural disturbances such as fire and grazing

characterized by dominant growth forms of plants, which integrate the physical environment

actual distribution of biomes greatly influenced by human activities

especially agriculture, grazing, forestry, and urbanization - aproximately 60% of Earth surface has been altered by this

between 10*N and S

annual precipitation >200 cm

high biomass, high diversity - about 50% Earth's terrestrial species

Dominated by broadleaved evergreen and decituous trees

located between 10 to 23.5* S and N

wet and dry season s associated with movement of ITCZ

shorter trees, deciduous in dry seasons, more grasses and shrubs

influenced by fire and grazing