AN100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Goitre, Peristalsis, Northern Spotted Owl
Document Summary
The distribution of living organisms on earth is not uniform. Biosphere: northern- has more land, so more diversity of animals. Seasons: uneven solar radiation: tilt of earth"s axis. Sunlight is less intense at high latitudes: light rays pass through more atmosphere, compared to areas of the sphere at lower latitudes, more animals in northern hemisphere. Initial pattern of air circulation: hot air rises up and it cools in the atmosphere and it goes back to land, prevailing wind patterns. Ocean currents: water has a high heat capacity, water can store thermal energy, effects the temperature of the coasts of certain continents, northern- flows clockwise. Interactions of currents and geography influence climate: rain shadows- makes acid conditions, warm wet air comes from ocean and it causes a lot of rain. Terrestrial ecosystem: biomes: deserts, grassland, tundra- these are some examples, tundra- permanent layer of frozen ground and it goes 3 feet down, there are few trees bc their roots.
