THE GEOGRAPHER ONLINE

Climate & Ecosystems

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      • Option B: Oceans and coastal margins >
        • 1. Ocean–atmosphere interactions
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        • 3. Managing coastal margins
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      • Option D: Geophysical Hazards >
        • 1. Geophysical systems
        • 2. Geophysical hazard risks
        • 3. Hazard risk and vulnerability
        • 4. Future resilience and adaptation
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      • Unit 1: Changing Population >
        • 1. Population and economic development patterns
        • 2. Changing Populations and Places
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      • Unit 2: Global climate—vulnerability and resilience >
        • 1. Causes of global climate change
        • 2. Consequences of global climate change
        • 3. Responding to global climate change
      • Unit 3: Global resource consumption and security >
        • 1: Global trends in consumption
        • 2: Impacts of changing trends in resource consumption
        • 3: Resource stewardship
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        • 1. Global interactions and global power
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      • 2. Disparities in Wealth and Development
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      • 4. Patterns in Resource Consumption
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      • Oceans and their Coastal Margins
      • Hazards and disasters - risk assessment and response
      • Freshwater - issues and conflicts
      • Urban Environments
    • Global Interactions - HL >
      • Measuring Global Interactions
      • Changing Space - The Shrinking world
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      • Plate Tectonics
      • Coasts
      • Rivers
      • Weather and Climate
      • Climate and Ecosystems
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      • Development
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ecosystems.pdf
File Size: 139 kb
File Type: pdf
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Ecosystems and Biomes - Introduction

Ecosystems: A biological environment consisting of all the living organisms (biotic) within a particular area and the nonliving (abiotic) that interact with the organisms e.g. weather, soil, air and water.

Biome: Is a major ecological community with distinct climate, animals and plants. A biome is made of many similar ecosystems. 
We will be focusing on two Biomes.
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Hot Desert
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Equatorial Rainforest
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​Watch the following short explanation of Biomes and also explore the Biomes of the world on the following two links./

Biome Explanation
Explore World Biomes

Hot Deserts

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Deserts of the world
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Complete the Desert location worksheet using the map above.

Desert Location Worksheet
File Size: 217 kb
File Type: docx
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Why do Deserts Exist?

First REason - The Hadley Cell

The Hadley Cell

Drying Deserts with Air
Deserts cover around 20% of the Earth and are on every continent. They are mainly found around 30 to 50 degrees latitude, called the midlatitudes. These areas are about halfway between the equator and the north and south poles.
Remember that moist, hot air always rises from the equator. As this air climbs higher in the sky, it cools. Cool air can hold less water than warm air. This means that as the air cools, clouds form that release most of the water they hold. Because the cooling air is above the equator, the moisture rains back down on the tropics.

As warm air keeps rising from the equator, it pushes the cooler air away. The cool air moves north and south before falling back toward the ground at around 30 to 50 degrees north and south of the equator.  

With warm air rising above the equator and the cooled air falling to the north and south, two circular patterns of air movement are created around the equator. These patterns of air circulation are called Hadley cells.
​
When the cool air begins to fall back toward the ground, or descend, it starts to warm up again. This warm, dry air can hold a lot of water, so the air starts to suck up what little water is around. At 30 to 50 degrees north and south of the equator, this falling air makes dry air drier. It also turns the land below it into a desert. 
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The Hadley Cell
Second REason - The Rain Shadow effect

The Rain shadow Effect

As we have seen in the first reason sinking air is cooler and drier than rising air and therefore all areas of desert are under persistent High air pressure.

The driest deserts on our planet are found in these areas. For example the Atacama desert in South America is found in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountain Range. 

Water comes off the Pacific Ocean, it hits the Andes range, gets pushed up and empties all its water on the West side of the range. After it passes over the top it begins to sink and warm pulling in all moisture around it causing a desert to form.
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The Rain Shadow Effect

What is the Climate Like?

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​Using the Average Climate data for Alexandria below, complete the Climograph.

Climograph Template
File Size: 15 kb
File Type: docx
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Average Climate Data Alexandria, Egypt
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After watching the YouTube think about the following questions:
  1. What is the weather like in a desert during the day?
  2. How does it change at night-time?
  3. Why does this change occur

Plant and Animal Adaptations

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​The best way to examine how animals and plants adapt to the desert environment is to see them! We will be watching the BBC Documentary: Planet Earth - Deserts to do this. You will need to complete the attached table whilst watching this documentary.

Adaptations Table
File Size: 88 kb
File Type: docx
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Tropical Equatorial Rainforests

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Tropical Rainforest Distribution
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​Complete the Rainforest location worksheet using the map above.

Rainforest Location Worksheet
File Size: 217 kb
File Type: docx
Download File



What is the climate like?

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​Using the Average Climate data for Manaus below, complete the Climograph.

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Average climate data for Manaus, Brazil

What does a rainforest look like?

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Layers in a rainforest
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Layers in a rainforest (with height in meters)
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​Describe each layer in the rainforests and give examples of what types of vegetations you can find there.

Plant and Animal Adaptations

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​The best way to examine how animals and plants adapt to the desert environment is to see them! We will be watching the BBC Documentary: Planet Earth - Jungles to do this. You will need to complete the attached table whilst watching this documentary.

Plant and Animal Adaptations Worksheet
File Size: 88 kb
File Type: docx
Download File


Case Studies

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Case Study: Sahel (Africa) and Amazon (Brazil)
This case study will be created as a presentation. You will be working in groups to create a presentation in which you will answer the following questions.
  • Locate your area (where is it, region, major cities, rivers etc)
  • Why is this region?
    1. Desertification (Sahel)
    2. Tropical Rainforest (Amazon)
  • Give some specific examples of plants and animals that live here and how they have adapted.
  • What human activities are occurring in the area?
  • How are human activities harming the environment?
  • What are we doing to help protect these environments?
Remember that your information has to be SPECIFIC to the region!
BBC Bitesize Desertification
BBC Bitesize Rainforests
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  • Home
    • How to make a website: Tools and experiences
    • Maps and Regions
    • Travel Photographs and Videos
    • Live: Global Hazards and Disasters
    • Geography in the news
    • The Big Geography Challenge
  • New IB Geography 2017 onwards
    • IB Geography Introduction
    • Part 1: Geographical Themes >
      • Option B: Oceans and coastal margins >
        • 1. Ocean–atmosphere interactions
        • 2. Interactions between oceans and coastal places
        • 3. Managing coastal margins
        • 4. Ocean management futures
      • Option D: Geophysical Hazards >
        • 1. Geophysical systems
        • 2. Geophysical hazard risks
        • 3. Hazard risk and vulnerability
        • 4. Future resilience and adaptation
    • Part 2: Core Units (SL&HL) >
      • Unit 1: Changing Population >
        • 1. Population and economic development patterns
        • 2. Changing Populations and Places
        • 3. Challenges and opportunities
      • Unit 2: Global climate—vulnerability and resilience >
        • 1. Causes of global climate change
        • 2. Consequences of global climate change
        • 3. Responding to global climate change
      • Unit 3: Global resource consumption and security >
        • 1: Global trends in consumption
        • 2: Impacts of changing trends in resource consumption
        • 3: Resource stewardship
    • Part 3: HL Core Extensions >
      • Unit 4: Power, places and networks >
        • 1. Global interactions and global power
      • Unit 5: Human development and diversity
      • Unit 6: Global risks and resilience
    • Internal Assessment
    • Why should I study IB Geography?
  • IB Geography (Old Syllabus)
    • IB Core >
      • 1. Populations in Transition
      • 2. Disparities in Wealth and Development
      • 3. Patterns in Environmental Quality and Sustainability
      • 4. Patterns in Resource Consumption
    • Part 1: Geographical Themes >
      • Oceans and their Coastal Margins
      • Hazards and disasters - risk assessment and response
      • Freshwater - issues and conflicts
      • Urban Environments
    • Global Interactions - HL >
      • Measuring Global Interactions
      • Changing Space - The Shrinking world
      • Economic Interactions and Flows
      • Environmental Change
      • Sociocultural Exchanges
      • Political Outcomes
      • Global Interactions at the Local Level
    • IB Guidance >
      • Syllabus Guidance
      • IB Examination Guidance
    • Extended Essay
  • IGCSE Geography
    • Theme 1: Population and settlement >
      • Population Dynamics
      • Migration
      • Settlements
      • Urban Settlements
      • Urbanisation
    • Theme 2: The natural environment >
      • Plate Tectonics
      • Coasts
      • Rivers
      • Weather and Climate
      • Climate and Ecosystems
    • Theme 3: Economic development >
      • Development
      • Food Production
      • Industry
      • Energy
      • Tourism
      • Water
      • Environmental Risks of Economic development
    • GCSE Key Terms
    • GCSE Coursework
    • Alternative to Coursework
    • IGCSE Geography Examination Advice
    • IGCSE Revision Games
  • Key Stage 3
    • Year 6 >
      • My Place
      • Rivers
      • Brazil
    • Year 7 >
      • Maps and the world
      • Rocky Landscapes
      • Settlement
      • Weather & Climate
    • Year 8 >
      • Maps Introduction
      • Plate Tectonics
      • Economic Activity
      • Biomes
    • Year 9 >
      • Map Skills - review
      • Development
      • Coasts
      • Tourism
      • Paradise lost - Tourism in Thailand
  • AS Level Geography
    • World at Risk
    • Crowded Coasts
  • Geography Skills
  • Donations & Contact
  • YouTube Channel
  • Essential computer programs