24.10.14 Land Biomes

Part one: Land biomes
Hawaii biomes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajpGScyuPiE
Download mod12-land_biomes.pdf (application/pdf, 6.2 MB)
Look:Here's what we learned so far:
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Now look at this map, and compare with your trusty globe:
6a22f.pngSee the pattern? Pay close attention to cause and effect:
onshore moist air from the Pacific ocean hits the mountains near Seattle=rainy there
onshore moist air from the lower Atlantic ocean hits the amazon basin=rainy there
dry air moving down from the Mediterranean moves over the Sahara Desert=dry there
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Screenshot 2024-10-14 at 2.14.54 PM.pngThere are about 9 Biomes, usually defined by precipitation (rain, fog, others) and temperature. 
The Big Island has 8 of the 9 biomes, or in the 12 biome model, we have 11/12, or 9 of 13, or 10 of 14 in another model.
Many models...https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/hawaii-has-10-worlds-14-climate-zones-explorers-guide-each-them
Traveling up a mountain is like crossing biomes. Check this out:
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Imagine driving from Hamakua or Hilo up to the summit of Mauna Kea: tropical rain forest to temperate (mild) rain forest to boreal (north) forest to tundra. 
There is even a glacier up on Mauna Kea. Cool.
This would be like starting in the upper right corner of the diagram and moving diagonally down and to the left.
Now check out the planet again:
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Notice the horizontal bands. If you've read "Guns Germs and Steel" you know that humans migrated horizontally, so their crops and livestock would thrive in similar biomes. See? Migrating north to south is tough.How is this changing?https://climate.nasa.gov/interactives/climate-time-machine=======================Climate change and biomesFind your home here:https://impactlab.org/map/#usmeas=absolute&usyear=1986-2005&gyear=1986-2005Then zoom ahead to when you are 100 years old in 2008 or so...https://fitzlab.shinyapps.io/cityapp/
Biomes and biodiversity:
Biomes provide the physical and climatic framework, while biodiversity fills that framework with living systems. Warmer and wetter biomes usually support greater biodiversity, while harsher biomes restrict it.
Biodiversity is complex (genes, species, ecosystems), ecologists usually talk in relative terms: how species richness compares across biomes. I’ll use the classic global biodiversity gradient (warm + wet = highest; cold + dry = lowest).
Relative Biodiversity by Biome
1 = very low diversity and 10 = very high diversity, based on species richness patterns.
Biome
Relative Biodiversity (1–10)
Rationale
Tundra
1
Harsh climate (cold, dry, short growing season) → very few species.
Boreal Forest (Taiga)
2
Cold, conifer-dominated, acidic soils → moderate productivity but low species richness.
Temperate Grassland
4
Fewer plant species (mostly grasses), but supports large herbivore and predator diversity.
Shrubland (Chaparral)
4
Moderate climate, seasonal drought → adapted plant/animal communities, but limited overall richness.
Desert
3
Very low precipitation → low species count, though high specialization.
Temperate Forest
6
Mixed tree communities, moderate climate → higher diversity than grasslands/taiga.
Temperate Seasonal Forest
6–7
Deciduous dominance, rich soils, clear seasons → supports more species than conifer forests.
Tropical Seasonal Forest
8
High productivity, seasonal rainfall → slightly less rich than rainforests but still very diverse.
Tropical Rainforest
10
Highest biodiversity on Earth: stable warm/wet climate, extremely high productivity.
Key Patterns
Latitude Gradient: Biodiversity increases from poles (tundra) → tropics (rainforest).
Precipitation Effect: Wetter biomes generally support more plant species → more niches for animals.
Seasonality vs. Stability: Seasonal environments (temperate/seasonal forests, savannas) have moderate-high diversity, but not as high as stable, year-round productive environments (rainforests).
Extremes Are Low: Very cold (tundra) and very dry (deserts) are biodiversity “deserts.”
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Decoding Climatograms:You will need to understand these when you create your green dream home:
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These diagrams are how climatologists describe biomes without a cool map. 
The blue line is the amount of rainfall, with units on the RIGHT side of the graph. 
The red line is the temperature, with units on the LEFT side of the graph. 
The shaded region in the months below (jfmamjjasond) is the growing season when temperatures are above freezing. 
When the precipitation line is above the temperature line, growth is limited by temperature (e.g. freezing). 
When the blue line is below the red line, growth is limited by precipitation (e.g. the desert).
Start with the north: Tundra is what you'd see in Alaska. 
Permafrost is soon to be in the news. 
It is made of permanently frozen ground a few feet below the surface. 
Even roots cannot penetrate it, so some trees grow in a stunted fashion. 
It is also composed of frozen organic matter, which when it melts will decompose, releasing CO2 and CH4 (methane), which is 20x as powerful as CO2 as a greenhouse gas.
Tundra: (like in Palmer, Alaska, away from the water)
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Note the cool temp, so growth is determined by temp, not rainfall. Lots of snow here, and little liquid water for plants, so yeah, mainly snow and glaciers.
Boreal (north) forest: (think of the aurora-lights, borealis-northern)
Contrast that with the boreal (north) forest:
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Note the short growing season. 
Any plants that survive usually have an oily sap (pine trees, evergreens) that does not freeze. 
Also note the serious cold in the winter-animals have to adapt to these (fur, hibernation, etc.)
Temperate (mild) forests: (maybe Skagway, AK, on the water)
Temperate (mild) forests are nicer, longer growing season, and rarely freeze. 
They are usually near the ocean, so they do not freeze (ocean is a huge heat sink). 
They often have lots of rain (think of Seattle). 
You may recall these are places where the surface parts of Ferrell and Polar cells converge, bringing in clouds and as these clouds rise into the atmosphere, they release their water as precipitation.
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Temperate (mild) seasonal forest:
Temperate (mild) seasonal forest actually has seasons
Deciduous trees can live here, like maple and oak. It gets close to freezing, but no real dry season.
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Woodland/shrubland 
Is like much of southern California, or the Mediterranean. 
Wine can grow here. It is also known as the mediterranean (medi=middle, terra=earth) biome. 
99264.pngNote it never really freezes, but growth is determined by precipitation (blue line is below the red line). This is also known as "chaparral" or the "fynbos" or "nice forest" in Afrikaans (South Africa). Look up the main wine regions of the world, they will fit this biome. Also consider how many Italians could start vineyards in northern California...
Temperate grassland/cold desert:
Is a dry, grassy area, like Oklahoma, although it does get very cold there, so think more of Texas, or the Gobi desert. 
Again, growth is rain limited: (you may recall these are near Hadley/Ferrel cell subsidence, so dry air from space falls here). 
These areas tend to be far from large bodies of water, so they have more extreme temperatures than similar latitudes near water (e.g. Italy, France, California)
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Tropical rainforest 
Is the rainiest of them all, and much of our island has this near the shore. 
Warm temperatures, and paradoxically poor soil nutrition (all of the nutrients are in the plants). 
On Mt. Waialeale on Kauai, the rainfall is 480 INCHES per year, 2.5 times as high as the high point on the chart below:
4d9c8.pngSavanna or tropical seasonal forest:
Africa and Brazil hold the next biome: Savanna or tropical seasonal forest. 
Think of Madagascar (the film): not many large trees, room for animals to roam, lots of grass, happy lions, maybe a bossy penguin or two...Growth dependent on rainfall: (blue line below red one)
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Subtropical desert biome
Finally, the subtropical desert biome, like what you'd see in the Sahara desert (another film), or most of Australia, the Atacama in Chile, the Mojave desert in California, and some of Mexico. 
Note the Gobi desert is not on this list-too cold. Again, note these areas are where dry air subsides (falls) from the Hadley and Ferrell cells.
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Major Human Impacts by Biome
Tundra: Oil & gas drilling, pipelines, mining scars; melting permafrost releases greenhouse gases.
Boreal Forest (Taiga): Logging, oil extraction, mining; climate change → fires & pest outbreaks.
Temperate Forest: Deforestation, urban expansion, pollution (acid rain), invasive species.
Seasonal Temperate Forest: Habitat fragmentation, overhunting, climate change alters cycles.
Woodland–Shrubland: Urbanization & wildfires, overgrazing, agriculture (vineyards/olive groves).
Temperate Grassland: Converted to cropland, overgrazing causes erosion, fire suppression alters
balance.
Tropical Rainforest: Deforestation for logging, cattle, palm oil; mining & roads reduce biodiversity.
Tropical Soils: Slash-and-burn, monocultures deplete nutrients, fertilizer runoff pollutes water.
Savanna: Poaching, overgrazing → desertification, fire suppression disrupts ecosystem.
Subtropical Desert: Off-road vehicle damage, urban sprawl, water depletion from irrigation.
Aquatic Biomes: Pollution (plastic, fertilizer), overfishing, dams alter rivers, ocean acidification.
Chesapeake Bay: Agricultural runoff → eutrophication, overfishing, sediment pollution, sea level rise.
Download Biomes_Study_Sheet_with_Human_Impacts.pdf (application/pdf, 4.5 KB)
Biome Game:Clues:
cffbb.pngFind these places in the first three climatographs: Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSan Diego, CaliforniaBelem, Brazil
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Download Find these biomes below:.pdf.pdf (application/pdf, 980.2 KB)Google this: aquatic biome game
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