NATR 320 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Westerlies, Axial Tilt, Intertropical Convergence Zone
6 Oct 2020
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Document Summary
Plant communities in similar climates all looked similar, even though they contained completely diff species. Idea that climate predicts not only the # of species likely to occur in a place, but also the physical appearance of those species. Climate patterns are shaped by uneven input of energy from sun (warmer near equator than poles) Equator rays of sunlight hit at a very direct angle. Higher latitudes (near poles) incoming rays are at indirect (oblique) angle. Amount of sunlight hitting equator = fairly constant throughout the year. @ higher latitudes: combo of earth"s axial tilt and orbit around sun causes seasonal changes in sunlight. @ peak of summer: planet is positioned so that northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun: important factor is the direct angle at which light rays penetrate the atmosphere and hit the surface in the northern hem. Northern hem summer north pole entirely in light. Northern hem winter n. p. entirely in shadow.
