Lab #3

Name ______ _N/A _______________ Section # ____5_____ Introduction to Human-Environment Geography (GEOG 1050) Laboratory Lab #3: Biome Detective Introduction There are many features that come together to determine the biophysical environment, including soil characteristics, flora, fauna, water availability, and climate. Each of these features directly and indirectly shapes the others, but arguably, the climate of the particular region plays the largest role. Climate is typically shaped by the factors that control temperature and precipitation, which include: latitude, insolation of solar radiation, elevation, proximity to large bodies of water, ocean currents, and land use/land cover. We spent last lab observing the weather, and drawing comparisons to the local climate. Today, we will be using climate data and visualizations of the biophysical environment to further solidify our identification and understanding of major biomes. Recall, we have discussed 8 major global biomes: 1) Tropical Rainforest, 2) Savanna/Tropical Dry Forest, 3) Desert/Semi-Desert, 4) Mediterranean, 5) Temperate Grassland, 6) Temperate/Deciduous Forest, 7) Boreal Forest, 8) Tundra The primary objectives for today are to: 1) Analyze/comprehend climographs from various locations, to grasp the climate of the area 2) Use the climographs, plus visual cues, to determine the biome of a particular region 3) Gain a geographic perspective as to where specific biomes are located on the planet Background Information/Further Reading GEOGUESSR For this lab, we will be utilizing the online platform GEOGUESSR. This is a free platform that utilizes Google Maps – Street View. The platform works by effectively dropping you somewhere in the world, then you get to roam around on street view, looking at various visual clues to determine where you are. The game is generally considered fun, and potentially addicting. To use the specially-created maps for this lab, you will need to create an account on Geoguessr.com. It is no-cost, and relatively painless. You do NOT need a pro account. To save time in lab, please create your account prior to lab! There will be a specific link provided to you, which are for predefined locations that you will need to investigate. You are encouraged to practice using the platform the day(s) before lab . With a free account, you get 5 minutes of free play every 15 minutes. If you are in the middle of a game and your 5 minutes runs out, your game will be paused and you will have to wait for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes is up you will be able to continue your game where you left off for 5 more minutes before the process repeats. Consider practicing with “Omaha Metro, NE, USA”: https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/5cf6940b19e12f3474502621 Climographs Climographs are graphical representations of typical climatic conditions for a specific location. We’ve used some in lab 2 to compare with our meteorological observations. In this lab, two variables will be depicted on each climograph: temperature and precipitation. For both variables,

average monthly conditions are shown over the 1990-2020 period. Months are on the x-axis: 01 = Jan, 02 = Feb, etc., while temperatures and precipitation magnitudes are on the y-axes. Average temperatures (in °C) are shown as lines, while the bars show precipitation accumulation (in mm). With them, we can determine a number of critical insights, including temperature and precipitation range, warm/cool/dry/wet seasons, a likely tropical/temperate/polar distinction, and others. Below is an example of a climograph. We can see that the average daily temperature (red line) throughout the year is highly variable, ranging between 25°C in the summer to below freezing in the winter. Precipitation (blue bars) also is seasonally variable, with larger amounts of precipitation in the warm season (May-Sept), and lesser amounts in the cool season (Oct-Apr). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Climograph Precipitaton (mm) Month Temperature (°C) Because the temperature does vary with the seasons, with only a few months of the year below freezing, we can assume it is a middle-latitude location. The magnitude of temperature variation also indicates a likely in-land, or continental, location away from the influences of Oceans. There is a relatively-dry season during the winter. Putting the temperature and precipitation together, we might hypothesize this is a temperate grassland or temperate forest biome. Questions Part 1 – Climographs

-Precipitation is low throughout the year but is steady. ·-Highest: February – 15mm, Lowest: June – 5mm Climograph E: -The temperature is very consistent. -Highest: July – 25 degrees C, Lowest: December – 23 degrees C -Precipitation level is high most of the year. -Highest: November - 196mm, Lowest: June – 65 mm Climograph F: -Temperature varies throughout the year, with cold winters and mild summers. -Highest: July – 15 degrees C, Lowest: December - -23 degrees C -Precipitation varies throughout the year. Wetter summers, dryer winters -Highest: August - 43mm. Lowest: April - 9mm Climograph G: -Temperature varies thought the year. Cool summers, but colder winters -Highest: July – 10 degrees C, Lowest: February - -30 degrees C -Precipitation varies, wetter summers, dryer summers. -Highest: August – 35mm, Lowest: February – 3mm Part 2 – Geoguessr Instructions : You will be playing a game of Geoguessr for this part. You will be randomly given five locations in the United States that will match five of the seven locations of the climographs. Once you start the game, your first step will be to take a few notes about the first location. Pay specific attention to the biophysical environment, noting things such as: quantity and types of vegetation (evergreen vs. deciduous trees, shrubs, grasses, no vegetation, all the same type vs. mixture, etc.), and the color and texture of the soil (if possible). You should also take note of any other distinguishing features such as bodies of water, mountains, or man-made features.

Once you have described the location, go ahead and make a guess as to where your location is located, using the Geoguessr map, and write in the general location on this lab (nearest city, state OR lat/lon). You’ll also be recording the correct location and how far away you were. Keep in mind, all locations are in the U.S. for this activity. Many locations within the same biome across the US exist. Think logically and don’t panic if your answer seems REALLY far away. The link to the specific location is: https://www.geoguessr.com/maps/5cf6a503b741f87ce8ce3adf alternatively, you can search “GEOG1050 – Biome Detective, USA”. As noted in the name, only locations in the USA are options. 2. Fill out the table below, following the directions given above. Location Description My Location Guess Correct Location Distance away 1 It is dark brown, moist soil. It looks relatively flat. There are a bunch of snow piles and little pools of melted ice. Because of the ice, it has to be in a colder place such as Montana. Northwestern Montana Dalton Hwy Prudhoe Bay, Alaska 1,919 miles 2 Temperate grassland. Bright green grass, lush brush, and trees. Some wildflowers. Mostly flat land, no elevation. Probably moderate rainfall due to how green everything is. Northeastern Kansas Near Border 13650 215th Rd Erie, Kansas 157 miles 3 Mediterranean! I knew this was CA seconds in. Telltale signs are how dry everything is. There is greenery, but the soil is very dry and has some desert-like plants. There are also hills and trees. Southwest California By San Luis Obispo N Gate Rd Walnut Creek, California 162 Miles 4 It is a thick jungle; clearly heavy rainfall occurs here. There is a vast diversity of species of plants and trees. Every click forward reveals new ones! There are elevation changes, so we know it is not flat. The only place in the USA with tropics is Hawaii. Island of Hawai'i Near Volcanoes National Park. 747 HI-360 Hawaii Maui- near Haleakala National Park 79 Miles 5 Mountain ranges, large evergreens, cloudy sky. There is a lot of greenery, so it gets a fair amount of rain. I guessed Michigan because I didn’t think it was Alaska again! Nort Eastern Michigan Fairbanks, Alaska 7499 Richardson Hwy Salcha, Alaska 2,440 miles Game Summary, Total Points: 11,477 3. You have now studied all seven climographs and viewed five of the possible correct locations in Geoguessr. your task now is to determine which of the biomes correspond with the following climographs. Keep in mind, all of these locations are located within the U.S. and you will use each biome only once.