BIO 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Hadley Cell, Atmospheric Pressure, Trade Winds
27 Jun 2015
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Holds water less effectively: condensed air causes belts of rain, driest just above or below the tropical rain forests. Hot and wet: 30 above the equator, the air gets rained out, cool, dry air sinks down, atmospheric pressure condenses air. Hot and dry: climate and habitat are practically determined by amount of sunlight, hadley circulation: repeated cycles of wet and dry climates around the earth, hadley cell: each loop of rising and sinking air. Tertiary: temperate forests and polar deserts (cold and dry) Variation in local conditions: topography causes variations in land and water, inland regions get less rainfall than coastal regions, microclimates, coastal mountains cause rain shadows, coastal winds collect water from oceans, mountain forces air upward on windward side. Air is cooled and water vapor condenses. Lush vegetation: air descends on leeward side. Air is warmed and picks up moisture: steep slopes. Little vegetation: drier on the hills or mountains.
