Vegetation-Based Climate and Temperature Variations

1. TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS

2. TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS
The amount of solar energy received by any region
varies with time of day, with seasons, and with
latitude. These differences in solar energy create
temperature variations. Temperatures also vary
with differences in topographical surface and with
altitude. These temperature variations create
forces that drive the atmosphere in its endless
motions.

3. Some of the factors that affect temperature of a place are:
DISTANCE FROM THE SEA Places located on the coast have moderate
temperature as they are affected by land and sea breezes, hence, the
temperature is low. Places away from the coast have extremes of temperature.
ALTITUDE Temperature decreases with increasing altitude at the rate of 1°C
for every 165 m of ascent as the atmosphere gets heated by terrestrial
radiation. The lower layers of atmosphere are denser and have water vapor
and dust particles which absorb heat, which is not prevalent in the higher
altitude.
LATITUDE Temperature decreases as we go pole wards from the equator. The
rays of the sun fall vertically in the lower latitudes and slantingly in the higher
latitudes. Places located in the low latitude

4. Some of the factors that affect temperature of a place are:
PREVAILING WINDS Places which are affected by prevailing on-shore
winds have moderate temperature as compared to places which are
affected by off-shore (land) winds.
OCEAN CURRENTS Warm currents raise the temperature of the
places, and places affected by cold currents have lower temperature.
Winds blowing over the warm current also bring heavy rainfall in the
region. Whereas winds blowing over cold current absorb less
moisture hence the rainfall is less.
(Other factors affecting the temperature of a place are: slope of the
land, soil and vegetation)

5. VEGETATION-BASED CLIMATE

6. VEGETATION
Our lives depend upon plants and trees. They feed us and give us
clothes. They absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen we need to
breathe. Plants even provide many of our medicines and building
materials. So when the plants and trees around us change, these
changes can affect our health, our environment, and our economy.
For these reasons, and more, scientists monitor plant life around the
world. Today, scientists use NASA satellites to map the "greenness"
of all Earth's lands. These vegetation index maps show where and
how much green leaf vegetation was growing for the time period
shown.

7. Dark green areas show where there was a lot of green leaf growth; light greens show where there was some green leaf growth; and tan areas show little or no growth. Black means "no data."
Dark green areas show where there was a lot of green leaf growth; light greens show where there
was some green leaf growth; and tan areas show little or no growth.

9. Effects on Weather and Climate
• Since climate is basically an average of the weather over a long
period of time, vegetation is important to climate. In fact, the
process of photosynthesis is responsible for building up atmospheric
oxygen to the level we enjoy today (21% concentration). Plants also
help keep our climate stable over time by offsetting temperature and
moisture fluctuations through transpiration. Plants also use carbon
dioxide during photosynthesis, which slightly offsets the amount of
greenhouse gas being released in the atmosphere through the
burning of fossil fuels. Vegetation is necessary for normal weather
and climate.

10. Effects on Weather and Climate
• With vegetation covering about 20% of our planet, it’s no surprise
that plants affect climate. However, it is surprising how much plants
affect weather. Plants process and release water vapor (necessary
for cloud formation) and absorb and emit energy used to
drive weather. Plants also produce their own micro-weather by
controlling the humidity and temperature immediately surrounding
their leaves through transpiration. Most plants and forest soils have
a very low albedo, (about .03 to .20) and absorb a large amount of
energy. However, plants don’t contribute to overall warming because
the excess warmth is offset by evaporative cooling from
transpiration.