1. Cold Polar
1.1. 70 degrees to the poles north and south of the Equator
2. Temperature & precipitation of a place
2.1. can be represented in the form of graph called a climograph
3. Question 4 : Explain how coniferous trees have adapted to the climate of the areas where they grow
3.1. Evergreen
3.1.1. Short growing season
3.1.1.1. may to oct
3.2. Needle shaped leaves
3.2.1. prevent water loss
4. Question 4 : Explain how coniuferous trees have adapted to the climate of the areas where they grow
4.1. Evergreen
4.1.1. short growing season
5. Tropical Equatorial
5.1. High annual rainfall / lots of precipitation
5.1.1. humid
5.1.2. extensive cloud cover
5.1.2.1. keeps the maximum temperature from reaching extremely high values
5.1.3. evenly distributed throughout the year
5.1.4. as temperature is high, the rate of evaporation from the surrounding water bodies is also high. This causes a lot of water vapour to be present in the air and thus resulting in high humidity
5.1.4.1. the water vapour in the air eventuallly cools and condenses to form cumulonimbus clouds resulting in convectional rain
5.1.4.1.1. water vapour also condenses at ground level to form dew
5.2. Low temperature range
5.3. High annual temperature
5.4. Tropical Forest
5.4.1. Bark of trees are thin as it is not subject to much temperature change
5.5. Near the equator
5.6. 0 to 27 degrees north and south of the Equator
5.6.1. angle of incidence is high or near the equator and thus the solar energy from the Sun's rays is concentrated on a small area, resulting in high annual temperature
5.7. uniformity of the monthly temperatures
5.7.1. all months have average monthly temperatures above 18 degrees celsius
5.7.2. very small annual temperature range
5.7.2.1. due to the tilting of the Earth on its own axis, the equatorial region always faces the sun, and receives the same amount of insolation throughout the year
5.8. Small diurnal temperature range
5.8.1. day temp : seldom exceeds 32 degrees celsius
5.8.2. night temp : seldon drops below 22 degrees celsius
5.8.3. daily range of temperature is 10 degrees celcius or less
5.9. tropical rainforests
5.9.1. climate
5.9.1.1. high and consistent temperature throughout the year (27 degrees celsius)
5.9.1.2. small annual range of temperature (3 degrees celsius)
5.9.1.3. high total rainfall, uniform throughout the year (about 2000mm)
5.9.2. structure
5.9.2.1. distinct layered arrangement consisting of 5 layers
5.9.2.1.1. topmost layer : emergent
5.9.2.1.2. canopy layer : forms a continuous canopy that prevents most of sunlight from reaching the forest floor
5.9.2.1.3. understorey layer : made up of smaller trees with narrow crowns
5.9.2.1.4. shrub layer : consists of shrubs, ferns and small young trees
5.9.2.1.5. ground layer : consists of sparse undergrowth because very little sunlight reaches the forest floor as it is blocked by the continuous layer (unless there is a break in the canopy layer)
5.9.2.2. not much leaf litter on the floor as the leaf decay occurs rapidly due to high decomposition rate in the hot and wet climate
5.9.3. density & diversity of plant species
5.9.3.1. dense : scattered emergents and continuous canopy later
5.9.3.2. high diversity/many different species of plants
5.9.3.3. sparse undergrowth
5.9.4. plants
5.9.4.1. leaves
5.9.4.1.1. evergreen due to all-year round growing season
5.9.4.1.2. broad, dark green, thick & leathery leaves : help in photosynthesis and withstands high temperature
5.9.4.1.3. waxy with drip-tipped leaves : allow rainfall to run off easily
5.9.4.2. bark & branches
5.9.4.2.1. straight, smooth & thin bark : no necessity to protect against extremely cold or dry weather
5.9.4.2.2. spreading branches at top 1/3 of tree
5.9.4.3. roots
5.9.4.3.1. shallow roots : tap on the nutrients and water at the top layer of the soil
5.9.4.3.2. buttress roots : help anchor the tall tree to the ground
5.9.4.4. flowers & fruits
5.9.4.4.1. vegetation depends on wind for pollination
5.9.4.4.2. flowers are colourful and fruits are sweet-smelling to attract insects and birds to help in pollination as air is generally still
6. Temperate : cool temperate
6.1. Four Seasons
6.1.1. high temperatures in summer
6.1.2. low temperature in winter
6.2. Coniferous Forest
6.2.1. climate
6.2.1.1. short cool summer & long cold winters
6.2.1.2. large annual range of temperature, usually more than 30 degrees celsius
6.2.1.3. low annual rainfall which falls mostly in summers
6.2.2. structure
6.2.2.1. no distinct layers
6.2.2.2. trees are of uniform height
6.2.2.3. undergrowth consists of mosses and linchen
6.2.2.4. little undergrowth due to poor soil and insufficient sunlight reaching the ground
6.2.3. density & diversity of plant species
6.2.3.1. trees grow close together and occur in pure stands : usually one or at most two species of trees found in 1 hectare
6.2.4. plants
6.2.4.1. leaves
6.2.4.1.1. an evergreen tree as growing season is short : this allows for photosynthesis once temperature reaches 6 degrees celcius
6.2.4.1.2. despite low rainfall, trees grow because of low rate of eveaporation
6.2.4.1.3. small, needle-shaped leaves and few stomata minimises loss of water through transpiration during summer and severe winter
6.2.4.2. bark & branches
6.2.4.2.1. tall straight trunk with thick bark protects against cold weather & frosts in the winter
6.2.4.2.2. cone-shaped trees with sloping branches enable snow to roll-off without breaking them
6.2.4.3. roots
6.2.4.3.1. shallow so that water can be easily absorbed when it melts
6.2.4.3.2. sugar cell sap increases during winter so that more water, if available, is absorbed by osmosis
6.2.4.4. seeds
6.2.4.4.1. protected by the cones
6.3. Large Temperature Range
6.3.1. warmest average monthly temperature exceeds 10 degrees celsius
6.4. found between latitudes 35 and 70 degrees north and south of the equator
6.4.1. as they extend over many degrees of latitude, they have a very large range of temperatures
6.4.2. amount of precipitaion also varies
6.5. the sea also exerts a strong influence on the temperature and precipitaion
6.5.1. places with inland locations experience less precipitaion than coastal locations
6.5.2. there are large differences in temperature between coastal and inland locations
6.5.3. places n