Troposphere- The layer of the atmosphere that is closest to the Earth and holds most of its nitrogen, oxygen and water vapor.
Stratosphere- The layer of the atmosphere that is located above the troposphere and is made up of ozone which absorbs most of the suns UV rays.
Hadley Cells- The convection currents between the equator and 30 degrees N and S
Coloilis Effect- The deflection of an object's path due to the rotation of the Earth.
Rain Shadow- Dry conditions on the leeward side of a mountain and wet conditions on the windward side as a result of humid winds from the ocean.
This article is about the El Nino phenomenon that occurs once every 3 to 7 years. Earlier in March, a meteorologist predicted this somewhat rare occurrence to happen this year. This weather pattern can actually benefit the east coast of the United States because with it comes a much milder hurricane season for them. El Nino is a warming of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean which causes changes in the jet stream where storms track. As the warming of the ocean happens, evaporation occurs, causing rainfall and heavy storms in different areas than what is normal. The writer of the article points out that California would also benefit from the El Nino. He states that California is in the mist of a drought season and the extra rain would be good for them. Although the east coast and California both benefit from this, other areas are greatly hurt by the weather pattern. Monsoons in India and droughts in Australia are likely to occur and Hawaii would be more prone to hurricanes. The El Nino weather pattern will greatly affect many parts of the world and will have instant and major effects on the climates of the affected areas.
Reflection;
Human Impact- The human impact for climate and biomes is fairly hefty. Humans affect the climate and biomes more than you would think. The human impact for weather is less than biomes but is still a factor. Humans can impact the weather by polluting the Earth causing smog to fill the air which can affect the layers of the atmosphere that help maintain the weather. Human impact for biomes is much more devastating than the weather impact. Humans can affect biomes by cutting down trees, polluting water and land areas, draining water sources for agricultural developments, using resources for commercial products and much more. Humans are one of the leading causes for animal endangered species too, due to taking away animal's habitats and hunting grounds. Although some humans are too ignorant to believe that they don't affect the world's biomes and weather, they have a negative impact and can cause a great deal of suffering to an area.
Environmental Impact- The environmental impact to climate and biomes is the most obvious impact because both are directly impacted by environmental factors. Climate is related to environmental impact because weather patterns can change the overall composure of an area. Rain patterns, droughts, sunlight, clouds, winds and snow are all variables that will have an environmental impact due to climate. Climate also helps define environments more accurately so any impact it may make on an environment will have an impact on the environment's overall characteristics too. The environmental impact on biomes is also very significant. Any impact will affect a biome because the environment and biomes go hand in hand with one another. If you affect a biome, you affect the environment as well and vice versa. An example of an environmental impact on a biome is if a fungus killed off a large number of a certain type of plant, the animals and organisms that live off that plant will start to die as well which leading to a death pattern of many animals which directly affects a biome.
Economic Impact- The economic impact for weather and biomes isn't major but still is noticeable and a decent amount of money is spent on these items. A large scale item that is economically related to weather is wind mills. This is a good example of an economic impact because a lot of money is spent to build the windmills in areas where the weather calls for windy patterns but you still receive a return of energy from the environment. An economic impact of biomes may not be as obvious but is still abundant in examples. Using trees that have been cut down for their wood will result in hefty economic gains, but will hurt a biome by taking away habitats and food sources.
Government Legislation- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the main government agency that is campaigning for better treatment of the nation's biomes. The Clean Air Act, passed by congress, gives the EPA power to regulate air pollutants and emissions from big factories. Congress has also passed the Clean Water Act which enable the EPA to regulate the discharge of pollutants into US waterways. These acts that are enforced by the EPA help revive biomes and make sure clean and safe ways of discharging methods are being followed to ensure that biomes aren't being mistreated and weather patterns are natural and aren't affected by human interactions.
