Question

Chapter 7 1. What is a habitat and what are some examples? 2. What is a biome and what are some examples? 3. What are the factors that influence climate? 4. How do ocean currents affect climate? 5. How does weather differ from climate? 6. What is earth's energy budget? 7. What factors affect air circulation patterns? 8. In what direction do Prevailing Winds generally blow? 9. What is El Nino? 10. What are greenhouse gases and why do they disrupt climate? 11. How do mountains interrupt air currents and influence weather patterns 12 What is the rain shadow effect of mountains and the 'heat island effect" in cities? 13. What two factors effect ecosystems and biome formation? 14. Why is biodiversity to high in transition zones between biomes?

Answer 1

1.Habitat is an environment in which a particular species of a living organism live. In this environment species can fullfil all their physical & biological needs. examples marine habitat, deserts, forest, grassland etc.

2.Biome is the area characterize on the basis of a particular species of plant or animal exist. It mainly depend on the physical properties of the area like temperature, soil type, sunlight, amount of rainfall. examples Temperate deciduous forest, Temperate rain forest, Temperate grassland, Tropical grassland and savanna, Chaparral

3. Factors affecting the climate are distance from the sea, ocean currents, direction of blowing winds, Relief, Topography, distance from the equator, the El Nino phenomenon.

4. Ocean currents are the impotant factor to regulate the temperature variations for example The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current in the North Atlantic flowing from the Gulf of Mexico, northeast along the U.S coast.The Gulf of Mexico has higher air temperatures than Britain as it is closer to the equator. This means that the air coming from the Gulf of Mexico to Britain is also warm. Hence Ocean Current play an important role in climate change.

5. Weather is used for short term variations in the state of atmosphere may be for few days, months or few years but climate is used atleast for 25 year time period or more.

6. Earth's energy budget is defined as the difference of energy recieve by the earth surface and reflected back to space.

7. Atmospheric pressure mainly causes the air circulation patterns. Air moves from high pressure to low pressure.

8. Winds generally blow from high pressure to low pressure.

9. El Nino occurs in pacific ocean but it affects the weather of whole world. It is the reverse condition of walker circulation. In this condition surface warm water moves from Indonesia to South America. This causes disturbance in the ecological system of South America and marine species are died due to abrupt change in physical properties of ocean water.

10. Greenhouse Gases are those gases which are allow to pass incoming solar radiation but blocked to escape it from atmosphere. These gases absorb the radiation in Thermal Infrared Region. They causes increase in temperature and disrupt the climate.

11. Mountains work as a barrier to blow a wind. So, at Lee side there is adequate amount of rainfall and at stoss side there is drought conditions.