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Lesson 3 The Sun and the Climate

Site: MoodleHUB.ca 🍁
Course: Science 10 [5 cr] - AB Ed copy 1
Book: Lesson 3 The Sun and the Climate
Printed by: Guest user
Date: Sunday, 7 September 2025, 6:46 PM

Table of contents

  Introduction

The sun is the root cause of all the different climates on Earth.


D3.1 Sunny day over a canola field
Each region or biome on Earth will absorb or reflect different amounts of the sun’s energy depending on many different factors. In this lesson, we will look at what these factors are and we will look at each biome to determine how those factors create the specific conditions of that biome.

Understanding how climates and biomes are created and maintained will help you understand how changing these factors effects Earth.

  Targets

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to

  • describe the relationships between solar energy reaching Earth’s surface and the time of year, angle of inclination, length of daylight, cloud cover, albedo effect, and aerosol or particulate distribution
  • explain how thermal energy transfer through the atmosphere and hydrosphere affects climate
  • relate the characteristics of two major biomes to solar radiation and climatic factors

  Watch This

Seasons and the Sun: Crash Course Kids 11.1 © YouTube Crash Course Kids 


Watch this video for an overview of how the sun creates the seasons and ultimately the climate. This video goes through a great explanation on how the Earth is tilted and how it rotates around the sun. 

  How Climates Are Created

The amount of energy from the sun that is absorbed or reflected plays a huge role in the creation of Earth’s different climates and biomes.


D3.2 Location of the equator
Generally speaking, as you move away from the equator, the climatebecomes colder, with the equator being the hottest place on Earth. This is because the equator has more thermal energy from the sun than other parts of Earth. Why is this? What makes the equator so warm while other parts of Earth are so cold? The amount of thermal energyeach region of Earth receives is called insolation, and there are many different factors that affect insolation. We will look at each one of these factors in turn.

D3.3 Angle of inclination
The Earth is actually tilted compared to the plane of its orbit. This means that the North Pole does not sit at the top of Earth but rather off to one side. The angle of this tilt is known as the angle of inclination and is 23.5˚. The angle of inclination causes one part of the Earth to be tilted toward the sun, causing that part to receive more direct sunlight than other parts at different times of the year.

The equator always receives the same amount of sun, no matter the time of year. This is because the equator marks the middle between the North and South Poles, so it is not affected by the angle of inclination. The farther away you get from the equator, the more the angle of inclination will affect the climate, with the North and South Poles being the most affected.

The Earth is split into two hemispheres: the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. The Northern Hemisphere is the area north of the equator, and the Southern Hemisphere is the area south of the equator. The angle of inclination causes each hemisphere to have opposite seasons. When the Northern Hemisphere (e.g., in Canada) is experiencing winter, the Southern Hemisphere (e.g., in Australia) is experiencing summer. At the start of Canada’s summer, June 21, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, so it receives more insolation than the Southern Hemisphere. At this time, the Southern Hemisphere is experiencing winter. At the start of Canada’s winter, December 21, the Northern Hemisphere is pointed away from the sun, so it receives less insolation than the Southern Hemisphere. At this time, the Southern Hemisphere is experiencing summer. During Canada’s spring, the Northern Hemisphere is still pointing away from the sun, but not as much as it is during winter. During Canada’s fall, the Northern Hemisphere is pointing toward the sun, but not as much as it is during summer.
© By Rhcastilhos, via Wikimedia Commons
D3.4 Winter in the Norther Hemisphere

  Interactive Activity


Summer and Winter © Explore Learning


Background Information:

This simulation will help you visualize how the position of Earth creates the seasons. It looks specifically at the seasons of summer and winter and the temperature, sunlight, and length of day during each season.

Procedure:

  1. Click on the play icon to open the Gizmo. The Gizmo can also be accessed in the Online Resources for Print Students section of your online course.
  2. Using your mouse, grab the little red figure and move it to 50˚ N. This is approximately where central Alberta sits. To do this, you will need to grab the figure and drag it toward the North Pole until the current latitude found at the bottom of the simulation says 50˚ N.
  3. Click the box to show sun rays.
  4. Observe how the Earth is tilted and how that effects how the sun’s rays are hitting the figure. You can see the time of year represented by each Earth at the top of the simulation. 
  1. Click on the “Earth” tab.
  2. Observe the angle of the sun’s rays. How does this angle affect the temperature?

    The larger the angle, the colder the temperature, as the sun’s rays are less intense.
D3.5 Tabs from the simulation

  1. Note the length of daylight for each date. This is found at the bottom of the simulation screen. Why do you think the length of day varies so much?

    The length of day varies so much because our figure is quite far north on Earth. Since the north is tilted away from the sun, it will rotate into darkness faster than an area closer to the equator. Try moving your figure closer to the equator to test this.
  2. Go back to the “Space” tab. Grab one end of the earth and change the tilt. Observe how that affects how the sun’s rays hit the earth.
  3. Change to the “Earth” tab. Observe how this new tilt changes the temperature and length of daylight during the summer and winter. What is a general pattern that you see?

    The greater the tilt, the more extreme the temperatures in summer and winter. It also increases the difference in the length of daylight in each season. When the earth has no tilt, there is no difference in temperature or amount of daylight during the seasons. In fact, there are no seasons if there is no tilt.

  Read This

Please read pages 357 and 358 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the cause of the seasons, what the angle of inclination is, and how these affect climate. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!
The angle of inclination also causes a variation in the amount of daylight different regions get. Again, the farther away from the equator you travel, the more variation there is in the length of daylight depending on the season. For example, Canada has more hours of daylight in the summer and fewer in the winter than the United States. This is because Canada is farther north than the United States. The equator has the same amount of sunlight each day, no matter the time of year.

The length of day also affects the temperature of that region. The longer the day, the more sunlight that region receives and the warmer it will be. The shorter the day, the less sunlight that region receives and the colder it will be.
D3.6 Day vs. night

A solstice occurs when there is the least or most amount of sunlight. The December 21 to 22 solstice is when the Northern Hemisphere has the least amount of sunlight (the longest night of the year) and the Southern Hemisphere has the most. The June 21 to 22 solstice is when the Northern Hemisphere has the most amount of sunlight (the longest day of the year) and the Southern Hemisphere has the least.

An equinox occurs when the number of daylight hours equals the number of night hours, and this happens twice a year. The equinoxes happen in the spring (March 19 to 21) and fall (September 22 to 24).

The solstices and equinoxes are tied to the changing of the seasons. The December solstice is the start of winter for the Northern Hemisphere and summer for the Southern Hemisphere, while the June solstice is the opposite. Similarly, the March equinox is the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and fall in the Southern Hemisphere, while the September equinox is the opposite.

  Did You Know?

D3.7 Summer solstice

Places in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, or Nunavut have times in the summer when the sun does not set and times in the winter when the sun does not rise. If we look at image D3.7, the North Pole will not see night and the South Pole will not see day until the Earth moves farther along its annual orbit.


  Read This

Please read the top paragraph on page 359 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the cause of variation between daylight and nighttime hours and the effect it has on climate. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!
D3.8 Angle of incidence
Earth has a sphere shape, and this causes the strength of the solar radiation reaching the surface of Earth to differ depending on where on Earth you are. At the equator, the sunlight hits Earth straight on; this is where the sunlight is perpendicular to Earth’s surface. This causes the solar radiationto be the strongest at the equator. As you travel away from the equator, the sunlight starts to hit Earth’s surface at more and more of an angle. The angle of incidence is the angle that the sunlight is hitting Earth with. As you travel farther away from the equator, the angle of incidence increases, decreasing the power of the sun’s energy. Since the sun’s energy is not directly hitting the surface, but rather hitting the surface at an angle, the amount of energy received is spread out over a larger area, reducing the strength of the solar radiation. As the angle of incidence increases, the area covered by the same amount of sunlight increases, decreasing the power of the solar energy. This causes the warmest temperatures on Earth to be at the equator, with the temperature progressively dropping as you get closer toward the North and South Poles.

  Read This

Please read pages 359 to 361 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on what the angle of incidence is and how it affects climate. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!
As you learned in the first lesson of this section, the atmosphere plays an important role in absorbing or reflecting solar energy. Different gases in the atmosphere absorb or reflect different parts of solar radiation, with ozone absorbing most of the ultraviolet radiation and carbon dioxide and water vapour absorbing most of the infrared radiation. This infrared radiation is where the majority of the thermal energy comes from. Visible light reaches Earth’s surface with little absorption or reflection by the atmosphere.

D3.9 Effects of cloud cover and atmospheric dust
Clouds and atmospheric dust both affect the amount of absorption or reflection done in the atmosphere. They both tend to reflect the incoming solar radiation back into space, and the thermal energy re-emitted by Earth back down to the surface. Because of this dual role, cloud cover can make a day colder, due to the lack of solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface, or a night warmer, if the surface of Earth is emitting lots of thermal energy. For example, a winter’s night will be colder with clear skies than with cloud cover.
Atmospheric dust can be created naturally or through human activity. Either way, it can be hard to predict the effect it will have. Large forest fires or volcanic eruptions tend to have a significant impact on the weather in that area due to the amount of atmospheric dust released into the atmosphere.

  Read This

Please read page 362 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on how atmospheric dust and cloud cover affect climate. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!
The solar radiation that is not absorbed or reflected by the atmosphere reaches Earth’s surface, where it is either reflected or absorbed. The amount of solar radiation that is reflected or absorbed by Earth depends on the type of surface that it reaches. The amount of solar radiation that is reflected by a specific surface is called that surface’s albedo. Surfaces that are light-coloured or shiny have a high albedo because they reflect most of the solar radiation, while dark, dull surfaces have a low albedo as they absorb most of the solar radiation.

© By eskp.de (Wissensplattform "Erde und Umwelt", eskp.de, via Wikimedia Commons
Caption: D3.10 Albedos of different parts of Earth

  Digging Deeper

D3.11 Cities have a low albedo

Did you know that cities can affect the albedo of a region? A large city will have a lower albedo, absorbing more thermal energy than surrounding areas. This is known as the urban heat island effect. Go to the following link for more information about this effect (scroll down to “Albedo and the Urban Heat Island Effect”). https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/the-albedo-effect-urban-heat-islands-and-cooling-down-your-playground/

Learn More


The average albedo for Earth is 30%. This means that 30% of the solar radiation that reaches the surface is reflected back. This is the overall average; each region on Earth has a different specific albedo. For example, a region that is covered in snow and ice (light-coloured and shiny) will have a higher albedo, as more of the solar radiation will be reflected, causing colder temperatures. Regions covered in forests (dark-coloured) will have a lower albedo, as they will absorb more of the solar radiation, causing warmer temperatures.

Albedo can vary depending on the season and can be part of the reason for extreme temperatures in each season. For example, in Alberta, the ground tends to be covered by snow and ice for most of the winter, increasing the albedo. This means that much of the solar radiation that reaches the surface is reflected, keeping the surface cooler. In the summer, Alberta is covered in dark soil or forests, decreasing the albedo. Most of the solar radiation that reaches the surface during this season is absorbed, leading to higher temperatures.

  Read This

Please read page 363 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on what an albedo is and how it affects climate. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!
D3.12 Hot drink outside
Thermal energy is transferred or moves from one region to another on Earth through the atmosphere and the hydrosphere. Thermal energy transfer moves from an area of high temperature to an area of low temperature (this is similar to the concentration gradients that you learned about in Unit A). For example, if you take a cup of hot chocolate outside on a cold day, the temperature of the hot chocolate will fall until it is the same as the temperature of the air. The thermal energy is transferred from the hot drink to the cold air. Thermal energy transfer can occur through convection, conduction, or radiation.


  • Convection: As a substance warms, the particles spread out, causing the substance to become less dense. As a substance becomes less dense, it becomes lighter and so moves to the top, while the colder, denser part of the substance will move to the bottom. This movement creates a current and is called convection. This takes place in liquids or gases and is the cause of winds and ocean currents.
D3.13 Winds caused by convection

  • Conduction: Conduction is the transfer of thermal energy through direct contact. A hot substance comes in direct contact with a cold substance, allowing the thermal energy to move from the hot substance to the cold substance. This takes place in solids.
D3.14 Warming hands through conduction

  • Radiation: Radiation occurs when thermal energy is released as invisible waves. These waves can be reflected or absorbed by particles that the waves run into. If they are absorbed, they cause the particles to increase in energy and movement, which causes the temperature of that substance to increase.
D3.15 Warming hands through radiation


Thermal energy transfer in the atmosphere occurs mostly through global wind patterns. These global wind patterns help to move warm air to areas of cooler air and, as such, affect the climates of the regions within these patterns. We will study these patterns and their effects in more detail in the next section of this unit.

Similarly, thermal energy transfer occurs in the hydrosphere, moving water with higher temperatures to areas of lower temperature. The movement of thermal energy in the hydrosphere is mostly driven by ocean currents, which are caused by convection and wind. These currents play a huge role in the climate of coastal regions, as an area, such as British Columbia, that is constantly receiving warm waters through ocean currents will have a milder climate than an area, such as Labrador, which is constantly receiving cold waters. We will look at ocean currents and their patterns in more detail in Section 3 of this unit.

  Read This

Please read pages 370 and 371 and 376 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on thermal energy transfer and how it affects a regions climate. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!
All of these factors work together to create the climate of a region. The variation in seasons, length of daylight, angle of incidence, and albedo all affect the amount of solar radiation a region receives. This creates the average temperatures seen in the region depending on the time of year. It also affects thermal energy transfer by creating higher and lower temperatures for thermal energy to move between. Cloud cover and atmospheric dust play a role in the average temperatures and precipitation seen in each region. The transfer of thermal energy through the atmosphere and hydrosphere can create a milder or more extreme climate, depending on the pattern of global winds and ocean currents. When looking at the climates of different regions and classifying those regions into biomes, scientists have to take all of these factors into account.

  Practice Questions

Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses (where necessary) to study from.

  1. Complete the following chart.

    Factor Definition Effect on the Amount of Solar Radiation Reaching Earth How It Affects Climate
    angle of inclination
    angle of incidence
    length of daylight
    cloud cover and atmospheric dust
    albedo
    thermal energy transfer


    Factor Definition Effect on the Amount of Solar Radiation Reaching Earth How It Affects Climate
    angle of inclination
    		This is the angle Earth is tilted at: 23.5˚. As you travel away from the equator, the solar radiation reaching Earth decreases depending on the time of year. The tilt of Earth affects which hemisphere is facing the sun and receiving more solar radiation. As you travel away from the equator, you get more defined and extreme seasons.
    angle of incidence
    		This is the angle the solar radiation hits Earth at. As you travel away from the equator, this angle increases, decreasing the strength and amount of solar radiation an area receives. As the angle of incidence increases, the average temperature of the area decreases.
    length of daylight
    		The amount of sunlight received each day by a region. As you travel away from the equator, the amount of daylight and solar radiation received varies greatly depending on the season.
    		As you travel away from the equator, the average temperature drops during winter months due to less solar radiation.
    cloud cover and atmospheric dust These are clouds and particles created through natural means and human activity. Both reflect incoming solar radiation. They also reflect thermal energy radiated from Earth back to the surface.
    		They can create more precipitation and cooler or warmer temperatures depending on other factors.
    albedo This is the amount of solar radiation reflected back.
    		The higher the albedo, the more solar radiation is reflected and the less that reaches Earth’s surface. Dark colours cause a lower albedo and warmer temperatures, while light colours cause a higher albedo and cooler temperatures. The higher the albedo, the cooler the temperatures. The albedo can vary depending on the season.
    thermal energy transfer
    		This is the movement of thermal energy from an area of higher temperature to an area of lower temperature. It does not affect incoming solar radiation but rather the movement of thermal energy once it reaches Earth.
    		This transfer can help even out temperatures around Earth. It can also cause colder or warmer climates depending on global wind patterns and ocean currents.

  Interactive Activity

Seasons in 3D © Explore learning


Background Information:

This interactive activity will help you put a few of the factors we have looked at together so that you can better understand how they affect the climate of a region.

Please note: if you scroll down while in the Gizmo you will see a list of questions. You DO NOT need to complete these questions. You are able to complete them for extra practice if you would like.


  1. Click on the play icon to open the Gizmo. Print students can access the Gizmo in the Online Resources for Print Students.
  2. Move the simulation speed slider all the way to the right and press play.
© Explore learning
D3.16 Simulation speed slider

  1. Observe how the earth moves over the course of one year when looking down on the North Pole in the larger screen. Make sure you note how the light from the sun changes its path on the globe as it moves around the sun. 
  2. During what months would the North Pole not see the sun? During what months would the North Pole constantly see the sun?

    The North Pole will be in continuous darkness from October to March, and in continuous sunlight from April to September.
© Explore learning
D3.17 The large screen

  1. Click the reset button and press play again. This time observe in the smaller screen how the earth moves when looking at the equator over the course of one year.
  2. Click the reset button and change the latitude to 50˚N. This is the approximate latitude of central Alberta
© Explore learning
D3.18 The small screen

  1. Drag the date slider to June 21 at the bottom of the simulation.
© Explore learning
D3.19 The date slider

  1. Observe how the earth is tilted. Which hemisphere would be experiencing winter at this time?

    The Southern Hemisphere would be experiencing winter, because it is tilted away from the sun.
  2. Now drag the date slider to December 21.
  3. Observe how the earth is tilted. Which hemisphere would be experiencing winter at this time?

    The Northern Hemisphere would be experiencing winter, because it is tilted away from the sun.
© Explore learning
D3.20 The date and time
  1. Go to the “GRAPH” tab and complete the following table. To do this, you will need to drag the date slider to each date and then press play to gather data. You will need to move the simulation speed slider all the way to the left. Once you have gathered data for one date, click reset and drag the date slider to the next date.
© Explore learning
D3.21 Graph tab
Date Noon Solar Intensity (w/m2h)
Sunrise Sunset Hours of Daylight
March 21
June 21
September 23
December 21

  1. Click reset and change the graph to “Year graph.” Move the simulation speed slider all the way to the right and click play. Take a screenshot of, or draw, the graphs after one year has passed.
  2. Pick a different place on Earth than Alberta and look up the latitude for that location. Go back to the “DESCRIPTION” tab and change the latitude for that location. Please note that if your location is in the Southern Hemisphere, you will need to enter the latitude as a negative number. Complete step 11 at your new location.
  3. Click reset and change the graph to “Year graph.” Move the simulation speed slider all the way to the right and click play. Take a screenshot of, or draw, the graphs after one year has passed.
  4. Please return to the top of this page and click on analysis to complete the analysis questions.
Here is an example observation chart for Alberta:


Date		 Noon Solar Intensity (w/m2h)
Sunrise Sunset Hours of Daylight
March 21
35.16 6 am
6 pm
12
June 21
49.76 4 am
8 pm
16
September 23
35.21 6 am
6 pm
12
December 21
15.68 8 am
4 pm
8
  1. Which dates are the spring equinox, fall equinox, winter solstice, and summer solstice in Alberta? How do you know based on the data you gathered?

    The spring equinox is March 21, because this date is the start of spring in Alberta and has an equal number of day and night hours. September 23 is the fall equinox, because it is the start of fall in Alberta and has an equal number of day and night hours. June 21 is the summer solstice, because it is the start of summer in Alberta and has the most amount of daylight hours. December 21 is the winter solstice, because it is the start of winter in Alberta and has the least amount of daylight hours.
  2. What are these dates for your second location? How does your data vary between the two locations? Why does your data vary?

    Your answer should be a variation of the following: My second location was Lima, Peru. Lima’s spring equinox is September 23, as it is spring in Lima and has an equal number of day and night hours. Lima’s fall equinox is March 21, because it is fall in Lima and has equal number of day and night hours. The summer solstice is December 21, as it is summer in Lima and has the most number of daylight hours, while the winter solstice is June 21, as it is winter in Lima and has the least number of daylight hours. My data for Lima shows a much smaller variation in daylight hours throughout the year, as it is much closer to the equator. Lima’s seasons are also opposite to Alberta’s seasons, since it is in the Southern Hemisphere.
  3. How do the year graphs compare between your two locations? Are they different? Why are they different or not different?

    Your answer should be a variation of the following: My second location was Lima, Peru, and the year graphs for Lima and Alberta were very different. Alberta has a much larger variation between solar energy and hours of daylight throughout the year. This is because Lima is much closer to the equator than Alberta.
  1. The graph below represents the solar intensity measured over one day at Fort Chipewyan, located in northern Alberta. What is the most likely date?

    1. March 21
    2. June 21
    3. September 23
    4. December 21

      The answer is B. Since Fort Chipewyan is in the Northern Hemisphere, it will see summer in June. We can tell this is a summer month because of the high amount of solar intensity and the long daylight hours (from 4 am to 9 pm).
© Explore learning
D3.22 Fort Chipewyan solar intensity graph

  Earth's Biomes

Scientists have divided Earth into six main biomes.


D2.16 The different biomes of the world


In the previous lesson, you learned that biomes are large areas on Earth that have a common climate and contain the organisms adapted to that climate. Remember, biomes are open systems, meaning that they exchange material and energy with their surroundings. There are not strict boundaries for each biome; instead, biomes slowly change into the next biome. Because of this, there are often transition areas between two biomes, where the characteristics of each biome are mixed. Some scientists label these transition areas as separate biomes. In this course, we will focus on the following six biomes. Let’s look at each biome in detail.

D3.23 Tundra in the summer
Location:
  • found in the northern regions of North America, Europe, and Asia
  • mostly located in the Arctic Circle
  • distinguished by a lack of large vegetation and a hard permanently frozen ground
Climate:
  • few hours of daylight in the winter months; no daylight during the December 21–22 solstice
  • cold temperatures: –15 ˚C to 5 ˚C
  • small amounts of precipitation (less than 20 cm per year)
  • very short summers (about 20 to 30 days on average)
  • low insolation and high albedo
Plants:
  • lichens, mosses sedges, and a few woody shrubs
Animals:
  • birds: ptarmigan and birds that migrate during the summer
  • small mammals: arctic foxes, snowshoe hares, and lemmings
  • herbivores: caribou, reindeer, and musk oxen
  • large predators: wolves and polar bears
D3.24 Brown bear in taiga
Location:
  • found just south of the tundra biome
  • found in North America, Europe, and Asia
  • distinguished by large amounts of Evergreen trees
Climate:
  • large variation in length of daylight depending on the seasons
  • cool summers and cold winters
  • average temperature of –4 ˚C to 14 ˚C
  • 40 to 100 cm of precipitation per year, mostly as snow
  • longer growing season than the tundra
  • more insolation and a lower albedo than the tundra
Plants:
  • evergreens
  • lichens and mosses
Animals:
  • birds: woodpeckers, chickadees, grosbeaks, hawks, and eagles
  • small mammals: rodents, rabbits, and squirrels
  • herbivores: moose
  • large predators: bears, lynxes, foxes, and wolves
D3.25 Deciduous Forest in Fall
Location:
  • found in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Japan, and Australia
  • distinguished by trees that lose their leaves in the fall
Climate:
  • well-defined winter and summer seasons
  • large variation in daylight depending on the season
  • average annual temperature of 14 ˚C to 24 ˚C
  • 75 to 150 cm of precipitation per year
  • longer growing season than the taiga
  • more insolation than the taiga
Plants:
  • deciduous trees
  • mosses, lichens, and ferns
Animals:
  • insects and birds: ground dwelling birds such as turkey and pheasant
  • small mammals: squirrels, rabbits, skunks, and chipmunks
  • herbivores: white-tailed deer
  • large predators: black bears, timber wolves, and red foxes
D3.26 Bison on the prairie in winter
Location:
  • found on all continents
  • often called prairies (colder) or savannas (warmer)
  • distinguished by lots of grasses with a lack of large vegetation
Climate:
  • Prairies have winter and summer months, while savannas have wet and dry seasons.
  • Prairies have an average annual temperature of 4 ˚C to 18 ˚C, and savannas have an average annual temperature of 18 ˚C to 30 ˚C.
  • Both have an annual precipitation of 25 to 57 cm.
  • Prairies are mostly used for agriculture and have a longer growing season than colder biomes.
Plants:
  • grasses
  • some drought resistant trees in savannas
  • some flowering plants in prairies
Animals:
  • birds and insects: hawks, snakes, and reptiles (savannas)
  • small mammals: mice, gophers, and rabbits (prairies)
  • herbivores: bison, deer, elk, and antelopes (prairies); elephants, giraffes, antelopes, zebras, wildebeests, and rhinoceros (savannas)
  • large predators: coyotes, badgers, and kit foxes (prairies); cheetahs, lions, and hyenas (savannas)
D3.27 Savanna during the dry season
D3.28 Toucan in the rain forest
Location:
  • found closer to the equator
  • found in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia
  • distinguished by large forests and a large diversity of life
Climate:
  • little difference in seasons
  • little difference in length of daylight
  • average annual temperature of 25 ˚C to 30 ˚C
  • more than 200 cm of precipitation per year
  • large amount of insolation and low albedo
Plants:
  • largest diversity of plants of all the biomes
  • broad-leafed plants
  • vines and shrubs
  • air plants
Animals:
  • largest diversity of animals of all the biomes
  • birds: hummingbirds, parakeets, parrots, and toucans
  • small animals: lizards, snakes, and frogs
  • herbivores: pacas, agoutis, peccaries, armadillos, and coatimundis
  • predators: monkeys, gorillas, jaguars, and tigers
D3.29 Desert in Arizona
Location:
  • found in North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia
  • distinguished by a lack of vegetation
Climate:
  • little variation in seasons
  • little difference in daylight
  • average annual temperature of 12 ˚C to 27 ˚C, with hot days and cool nights
  • less than 25 cm of precipitation per year
  • very large amount of insolation and very low albedo
Plants:
  • cacti and drought-tolerant plants
Animals:
  • insects and lizards
  • running birds
  • small mammals: bats, rodents, and rabbits
  • herbivores: antelopes, goats, sheep, and camels
  • predators: coyotes, kit foxes, and dingo dogs
Canada contains four of the six biomes: tundra, taiga, deciduous forest, and grassland, with the majority of the country falling into the taiga biome. Alberta, on the other hand, is about half taiga and half grassland. The taiga biome is often used for logging and forest products, while the grasslands and deciduous forest biomes are used for agriculture.

  Read This

Please read pages 394 to 400 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the descriptions of each biome as well as the adaptations seen in plants and animals. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!

  Practice Questions

Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses (where necessary) to study from.

  1. Divide this map (download) into the six biomes.

    Your answer should be a variation of the following. The boundaries of each biome may differ slightly, depending on your source.


    D2.16 The different biomes of the world



  1. For each biome, list one reason it would be hard to survive and one adaptation that allows for survival.

    Your answer should be a variation of the following:
    • tundra: hard to survive: very cold; adaptation: insulating fur coat
    • taiga: hard to survive: long cold winters; adaptation: animals hibernate
    • deciduous forest: hard to survive: cooler winters with less precipitation; adaptation: trees go dormant by losing their leaves
    • grassland: hard to survive: periods of drought; adaptation: plants go dormant during the drought (either winter or the dry season)
    • rain forest: hard to survive: lots of plants, so plants that are shorter do not receive as much sunlight; adaptation: plants have very large leaves to catch as much sunlight as possible
    • desert: hard to survive: hot, dry days; adaptation: most animals are only active at night when it is cooler and do not need as much water

  2. Which biome has the greatest insolation? Which has the least? Why?

    The rain forest tends to have the greatest insolation, because that biome is found closest to the equator and so receives the most direct sunlight. An argument could also be made for the desert or savanna, as these biomes are also often found close the equator and have a lower albedo, meaning they absorb more sunlight.

    The tundra has the least amount of insolation, as it is located the farthest from the equator and as such has the largest angle of incidence. The tundra also does not get sun during the winter solstice, reducing the amount of insolation. The tundra has a high albedo, reducing the amount of the sun’s energy that is absorbed.

  The Sun and Climate

The amount of solar radiation received by each biome on Earth plays a huge role in the climate and characteristics of that biome.


DS1.6 Comparing biomes
There are many different factors that affect the amount of sunlight, or insolation, each biome on Earth receives. All of these factors have significant impacts on that biome’s climate, as they affect temperature, length of seasons, and precipitation. These factors include the angle of inclination, time of year, length of daylight, angle of incidence, cloud cover and atmospheric dust, albedo, and thermal energy transfer.

When we look at all of these factors together, we can see the reasons behind the different climates. Each biome has a specific climate based on these factors and their effects. The different biomes include tundra, taiga, deciduous forest, grassland, rain forest, and desert. Each of these biomes is found in a specific location on Earth and has a specific climate and specific plants and animals living in it. Canada contains four of these biomes: tundra, taiga, deciduous forest, and grasslands. Alberta has two of these biomes: taiga and grassland.

Now that we have seen how climate is created, we will look in detail at how thermal energy is transferred around Earth and how that movement of energy affects climates.

  Problem-Solving Activity

Comparing Biomes


Background Information:

This activity will help to put all the pieces of this lesson together. You will be asked to explain the differences between two biomes based on the factors that cause climate.

  1. Select two of the biomes that you studied in this lesson.
  2. Compare the climates of each biome and note how they are different.
  3. Make a list of the factors that cause climate and think about how each factor causes the differences between your biomes.
    1. angle of inclination
    2. length of daylight
    3. angle of incidence
    4. albedo
    5. insolation
    6. cloud cover or atmospheric dust
  4. Click on the analysis tab to complete the analysis questions.
  1. Using the information from this lesson and the procedure, explain two differences between your biomes using at least four of the factors that cause climate.

    You will use this answer in Assignment D1.


4.2 Assignment

Unit 4 Assignment Lessons 2-3


It is now time to complete the Lesson 3 portion of 4.2 Assignment. Click on the button below to go to the assignment page.

4.2 Assignment