Effect of land
–
surface cover on climate
1.
We described the characteristics of different land surface covers in the lecture. We also discussed how each of the types of land surface covers may be modified by human activities. For each of the following land surface covers, discuss at least one type of human activity that can modify the extent of the cover, and how such modification might cause a change in the climate:
a)forest
b)grassland
c)glacier
The discussion of “how” should include the physical/chemical processes that finally lead to a change in the climate. Present your answers in a table form as follows:
Human activity How such activity could cause a change in the climate
forest
grassland
glacier
Temperature variations
2.
The website http://worldweather.wmo.int/ gives the daily forecasts of many cities in the world as well as the monthly climatology of these cities. Extract the monthly minimum and maximum temperatures of the following cities of China for the months of Januaryand July:
Beijing, Changchun, Hefei,
Jinan, Nanchang and Guangzhou.
Do the same for Hong Kong by selecting Hong Kong, China from the website.
3.For each of the stations, plot the variation of minimum temperature as a function of latitude, i.e. the x axis is the name of the stations (from north to south) and the y axis the temperature(see below).
You should have two lines, one for January and one for July.
If you don’t know where the stations are, look them up on a map.
4.Repeat 3using the maximum temperature.
5.Based on the graphs you have drawn in 3 and 4, discuss whether these temperature variations agree with those discussed in the lectures in terms of the variation of temperature with latitude in winter and summer. Make other comments you feel appropriate about the curves.
6.
In most projections of global warming, temperatures in the polar regions tend to have a larger increase than those in the lower latitudes. If this is the case, based on the graphs that you have drawn, what would happen to the north south temperature gradient?
