4–1 The Role of Climate Section 4–1

1 FOCUS

I f you live in Michigan, you know you cannot grow banana

trees in your backyard. Bananas are tropical plants that need
plenty of water and heat. They won’t survive in freezing temper-
Objectives
4.1.1 Identify the causes of climate.
Key Concepts 4.1.2 Explain how Earth’s tempera-
atures. It may not be as obvious that cranberries won’t grow in • How does the greenhouse
the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Cranberries need plenty of effect maintain the biosphere’s
ture range is maintained.
water and a cold rest period. They cannot tolerate the months of temperature range? 4.1.3 Identify Earth’s three main cli-
very hot weather that often occur in the Rio Grande Valley. • What are Earth’s three main mate zones.
climate zones?
Bananas and cranberries, like other plants and animals,
vary in their adaptations to temperature, rainfall, and other Vocabulary
environmental conditions. Species also vary in their tolerances weather • climate
for conditions outside their normal ranges. That’s why climate is greenhouse effect • polar zone
temperate zone • tropical zone Vocabulary Preview
important in shaping ecosystems—and why understanding
climate is important in ecology. Review the term latitude by asking stu-
Reading Strategy:
Outlining Before you read, dents to describe what the term refers
use the headings in this section to. (The distance north and south of the
What Is Climate? to make an outline about equator) Display a large world map or
climate. As you read, fill in the
In the atmosphere, temperature, precipitation, and other envi- globe, and have a volunteer point out
subtopics and smaller topics.
ronmental factors combine to produce weather and climate. Then, add phrases or a sentence the latitude lines on it.
Weather is the day-to-day condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a after each subtopic to provide
particular time and place. The weather where you live may be key information.
Reading Strategy
clear and sunny one day but cloudy and cold the next. Climate,
on the other hand, refers to the average, year-after-year condi- Pair students who are not strong
tions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region. readers with proficient readers who
Climate is caused by the interplay of many factors, including
Figure 4 –1 Carbon can help them select main ideas,
dioxide, water vapor, and several
the trapping of heat by the atmosphere, the latitude, the trans- subtopics, and relevant details for the
other gases in the atmosphere
port of heat by winds and ocean currents, and the amount of allow solar radiation to enter the outline.
precipitation that results. The shape and elevation of land- biosphere but slow down the loss
masses also contribute to global climate patterns. of heat to space. These green-
The energy of incoming sunlight drives Earth’s weather and house gases cause the greenhouse 2 INSTRUCT
effect, which helps maintain Earth’s
helps determine climate. As you might expect, solar energy has
temperature range.
an important effect on the temperature of the atmosphere. At What Is Climate?
the same time, the presence of certain gases in the atmosphere
also has an effect on its temperature. Sunlight Use Community Resources
Encourage students to interview
Some heat
The Greenhouse Effect escapes older family members and friends to
into space find out what the climate was like in
Temperatures on Earth remain within a range suitable for life
their area 25, 50, or more years ago.
because the biosphere has a natural insulating blanket—the
atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, Instruct students to take notes during
Green- the interview. In class, let students
and a few other atmospheric gases trap heat energy and house
maintain Earth’s temperature range. These gases function gases trap compare notes to see whether the
like the glass windows of a greenhouse. Just as the glass keeps some heat people they interviewed agree about
the greenhouse plants warm, these gases trap the heat energy climate changes in their lifetimes.
of sunlight inside Earth’s atmosphere. The natural situation in Atmosphere
which heat is retained by this layer of greenhouse gases is
called the greenhouse effect, shown in Figure 4–1. Earth’s surface
The Greenhouse
Effect
SECTION RESOURCES Make Connections
Physics Ask: In what forms does
Earth receive solar energy? (As light
Print: Technology: and other forms of radiation) Besides
• Teaching Resources, Section Review 4–1 • iText, Section 4–1 radiation, how is heat transferred?
• Reading and Study Workbook A, • Transparencies Plus, Section 4–1 (By conduction [transfer from molecule
Section 4–1 Save • Virtual Labs CD-ROM, The Effect of to molecule within or between objects]
e
r
Tim

• Adapted Reading and Study Workbook B, Temperature on Dissolved Oxygen and by convection [transfer in currents of
Section 4–1 a fluid, such as air]) What causes the
• Biotechnology Manual, Concept 8 greenhouse effect? (Earth’s atmos-
• Lesson Plans, Section 4–1 phere traps much of the energy from the
sun, raising the temperature of the
atmosphere.)
Ecosystems and Communities 87
 Greenhouse gases allow solar energy to penetrate the atmos-
4–1 (continued) phere in the form of sunlight. Much of the sunlight that hits the
N S TA surface of our planet is converted into heat energy and then
For: Links on climate radiated back into the atmosphere. However, those same gases do
and the greenhouse effect not allow heat energy to pass out of the atmosphere as readily as
Visit: www.SciLinks.org
N S TA
light energy enters it. Instead, the gases trap heat inside Earth’s
Web Code: cbn-2041
atmosphere. If these gases were not present in the atmosphere,
Download a worksheet Earth would be 30 degrees Celsius cooler than it is today.
on climate and the greenhouse
effect for students to complete, and
find additional teacher support The Effect of Latitude on Climate
from NSTA SciLinks. Because Earth is a sphere that is tilted on its axis, solar radiation
strikes different parts of Earth’s surface at an angle that varies
throughout the year. At the equator, the sun is almost directly
The Effect of Latitude overhead at noon all year. At the North and South poles, however,
the sun is much lower in the sky for months at a time. Look at
on Climate Figure 4–2, and you will see that differences in the angle of sun-
Use Visuals light directed at different latitudes result in the delivery of more
heat to the equator than to the poles. The difference in heat distri-
Figure 4–2 After students have stud- bution with latitude has important effects on Earth’s climate zones.
ied the figure and read the caption, As a result of differences in latitude and thus
ask: Why does solar radiation strike the angle of heating, Earth has three main climate
different parts of Earth at an angle zones: polar, temperate, and tropical. The polar zones
that varies throughout the year? are cold areas where the sun’s rays strike Earth at a very low
(Earth is a sphere that is tilted on its angle. These zones are located in the areas around the North
axis.) What are the names given to and South poles, between 66.5° and 90° North and South
the latitude lines of 23.5ºN and latitudes. The temperate zones sit between the polar zones
23.5ºS? (The Tropic of Cancer and the and the tropics. Because temperate zones are more affected by
Tropic of Capricorn, respectively) What the changing angle of the sun over the course of a year, the
climate zone is between the Tropic climate in these zones ranges from hot to cold, depending on
of Cancer and the Tropic of the season. The tropical zone, or tropics, is near the equa-
Capricorn? (The tropical zone) Which tor, between 23.5° North and 23.5° South latitudes. The
tropics thus receive direct or nearly direct sunlight year-
climate zone contains the United
round, making the climate almost always warm. Figure 4–2
States? (The northern temperate zone)
shows Earth’s main climate zones.
Why does the climate of a region
in a temperate zone have a rela- What effect does latitude have on climate?
tively wide range of temperatures,
depending on the season? (The
temperate zones are more affected by
 Figure 4–2 Earth 90°N North Pole
has three main climate Sunlight Polar
the changing angle of the sun over the 66.5°N
zones. These climate zones Arctic Circle
course of a year.) are caused by the unequal Temperate
Sunlight
heating of Earth’s surface. Tropic of Cancer
Near the equator, energy 23.5°N
Heat Transport in the from the sun strikes Earth Equator
Most direct sunlight 0° Tropical
Biosphere almost directly. Near the
poles, the sun’s rays strike Tropic of Capricorn
Build Science Skills Earth’s surface at a lower 23.5°S
angle. The same amount of Sunlight Temperate
Using Models To reinforce stu- solar energy is spread out
dents’ understanding of how Earth’s over a larger area, heating Antarctic Circle
66.5°S
rotation affects currents and winds, the surface less than at the Sunlight Polar
equator. 90°S South Pole
give each pair of students a paper
plate. Have one student hold a fin-
ger on the center of the plate
while slowly turning the plate
with the other hand. The second
student should put the point of
Inclusion/Special Needs Advanced Learners
a pencil near the center of the
To help students who have difficulty grasping Point out to students who need an extra chal-
plate and draw a line straight to
the information in the subsection Heat Transport lenge that the word tropics derives from a Latin
the plate’s edge. Students will see
in the Biosphere, read aloud the sentence about word for “solstice.” Challenge these students to
that the line drawn on the plate is
why winds form—warm air tends to rise and determine the connection between the solstices
not straight but curved, due to the
cool air tends to sink. This concept is common and the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Have
plate’s rotation. Explain that Earth’s
sense for most students, and once they under- them make a presentation of their findings to
rotation has the same effect on
stand that this phenomenon causes winds and the class, complete with visual aids.
winds and currents.
ocean currents, they will be better able to
understand how heat moves throughout the
oceans and the atmosphere.
88 Chapter 4
 3 ASSESS
Heat Transport WINDS
Polar Easterlies
in the Biosphere 66.5°N
Evaluate Understanding
The unequal heating of Earth’s surface Westerlies Call on students at random to identi-
drives winds and ocean currents, which 23.5°N Northeast Trade Winds fy the major climate factors discussed
transport heat throughout the biosphere. in this section and explain how each
0° Equator
Winds form because warm air tends to rise factor helps determine climate.
and cool air tends to sink. Consequently, air 23.5°S Southeast Trade Winds
Westerlies
that is heated near the equator rises. At Reteach
the same time, cooler air over the poles
66.5°S Polar Easterlies Prevailing Start a simple diagram of the green-
sinks toward the ground. The upward winds
movement of warm air and the downward house effect by drawing a curving
movement of cool air create air currents, or section of Earth’s surface on the
winds, that move heat throughout the OCEAN CURRENTS board. Then, have different students
atmosphere, from regions of sinking air to 66.5°N
in turn add features and labels to the
regions of rising air. The prevailing winds, drawing to explain the greenhouse
shown in Figure 4 –3, bring warm or cold effect step by step.
air to a region, affecting its climate. 23.5°N

Similar patterns of heating and cooling

0° Equator
occur in Earth’s oceans. Cold water near the
poles sinks and then flows parallel to the 23.5°S
ocean bottom, eventually rising again in Demonstrate how to hold the
warmer regions through a process called Warm currents
globe in a way that models the
upwelling. Meanwhile, surface water is 66.5°S
Cold currents angle that Earth tilts on its axis,
moved by winds. In both cases, the water flow 23.5º. Have students note that if
creates ocean currents. Like air currents,
Figure 4 –3 Earth’s winds (top) the North Pole is tilted away from
ocean currents transport heat energy within the biosphere. Surface and ocean currents (bottom) the light, then the setup models
ocean currents warm or cool the air above them, thus affecting the interact to help produce Earth’s the positions of sun and Earth dur-
weather and climate of nearby landmasses. climates. The curved paths of some
ing winter in the United States. If
Continents and other landmasses can also affect winds and currents and winds are the result of
Earth’s rotation. Interpreting the North Pole is tilted toward the
ocean currents. Landmasses can interfere with the movement of sun, then the setup models the
Graphics In what direction do cold
air masses. For example, a mountain range causes a moist air
currents in Earth’s oceans generally positions during summer in the
mass to rise. As this happens, the air mass cools and moisture
move? United States. Make sure students
condenses, forming clouds that bring precipitation to the moun-
find these latitudes on the globe:
tains. Once the air mass reaches the far side of the mountains, it
has lost much of its moisture. The result is a rain shadow—an 66.5º North and South, 90º North
area with a dry climate—on the far side of the mountains. and South, 23.5º North and
South, and the equator. Have stu-
dents work in pairs or small
groups.
4–1 Section Assessment
Modeling
Earth rotates daily on its axis
1. Key Concept What is the 5. Critical Thinking Applying
and is tilted at an angle of
greenhouse effect? Concepts A biologist recorded
23.5° in relation to the sun.
2. Key Concept Describe the bird species in her region. If your class subscribes to the
Using a flashlight to represent
Earth’s three main climate zones. Then, she spotted a bird that was iText, use it to review the Key
the sun and a globe to
not supposed to live in the Concepts in Section 4–1.
3. What are the main factors that represent Earth, demonstrate
region. How might variations
determine Earth’s climate? different levels of light in
relate to this occurrence?
4. Describe two ways in which heat Earth’s three climate zones.
is transported in the biosphere.

4–1 Section Assessment

Answers to . . .
1. Gases trap heat inside Earth’s atmosphere. 3. Trapping of heat by the atmosphere, latitude,
Regions at higher lati-
2. Tropical zone: near equator; receives direct or transport of heat by winds and ocean cur-
tudes receive less heat energy per unit
nearly direct sunlight year-round, climate is rents, amount of precipitation
area than do regions near the equator.
almost always warm. Polar zones: near North 4. Winds and ocean currents
As a result, the temperate and polar
and South poles; receive the sun’s rays at a 5. Animal species show variations in their toler- zones have cooler climates than the
low angle, climate is cold. Temperate zones: ances for different climatic conditions. The tropical zone.
between the other two zones; receive sun- bird was probably just a bit beyond its usual
light at changing angles during the year, range. Because the species varies in its toler- Figure 4–3 Cold currents generally
climate ranges from hot to cold. ance, it could survive beyond its range. move in curving paths toward the
equator.

Ecosystems and Communities 89