Climatology & Biogeography — Class Notes
College Geography — Lecture Notes
These notes synthesize core concepts, definitions, and exam-ready examples. Use the checkboxes to
self■assess understanding and revisit flagged topics.
Page Guide
• p. 2: Climate System Overview
• p. 3: Atmospheric Moisture & Stability
• p. 4: Climate Classification & Change
• p. 5: Biogeography Patterns & Processes
• p. 6: Paleoclimates & Future Scenarios
• p. 7: Field & Lab Techniques
Climate System Overview
Components
– Atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, land surface, biosphere; coupled via fluxes & feedbacks.
– Forcing vs. variability: external (solar/volcanic) vs. internal (ENSO, AMO, PDO).
– Energy balance concepts and meridional heat transport.
Observations
– Instrumental records, proxies (tree rings, corals, ice cores, sediments).
– Reanalyses & satellite era; uncertainties and homogeneity adjustments.
– Baselines & anomalies; climatology vs. weather.
Self■check: ■ definition ■ example ■ application ■ common pitfalls
Atmospheric Moisture & Stability
Moisture
– Specific vs. relative humidity; dew point; Clausius–Clapeyron (qualitative).
– Cloud types and formation mechanisms; lifting condensation level (LCL).
– Precipitation processes: warm■rain vs. ice■phase; orographic, frontal, convective.
Stability & storms
– Lapse rates (dry, moist, environmental); CAPE/CIN (qualitative meaning).
– Thunderstorms, squall lines, derechos; severe weather ingredients.
– Tropical cyclones: structure, genesis factors, Saffir–Simpson concept.
Self■check: ■ definition ■ example ■ application ■ common pitfalls
Climate Classification & Change
Classification
– Köppen–Geiger overview; aridity indices; bioclimatic envelopes.
– Climographs: interpreting seasonal temperature/precipitation cycles.
– Microclimates: urban (UHI), coastal, topographic effects.
Change
– Greenhouse gas increases and radiative forcing (conceptual).
– Observed changes: temperature, precipitation extremes, cryosphere indicators (qualitative).
– Impacts, adaptation, and mitigation frameworks; co■benefits.
Self■check: ■ definition ■ example ■ application ■ common pitfalls
Biogeography Patterns & Processes
Species distributions
– Abiotic limits (climate, soils) and biotic interactions (competition, predation, mutualism).
– Island biogeography (area–isolation trade■off); extinction debt.
– Metapopulations and corridors; landscape connectivity.
Diversity & disturbance
– Latitudinal diversity gradient; productivity–diversity relationships (caveats).
– Disturbance regimes and intermediate disturbance hypothesis (debated).
– Invasion ecology basics; management and prevention.
Self■check: ■ definition ■ example ■ application ■ common pitfalls
Paleoclimates & Future Scenarios
Past climates
– Glacial–interglacial cycles; abrupt events (e.g., Younger Dryas) overview.
– Holocene variability and human land■use interactions.
– Attribution logic for recent changes (conceptual framing).
Scenarios
– Scenario families and pathways (qualitative, no dataset dependency).
– Implications for water, agriculture, ecosystems (examples).
– Risk framing: hazard × exposure × vulnerability; adaptation pathways.
Self■check: ■ definition ■ example ■ application ■ common pitfalls
Field & Lab Techniques
Measurements
– Radiation and flux measurements; precipitation gauges and radar (concepts).
– Dendrochronology basics; stable isotopes as tracers (qualitative).
– Data quality control; metadata and reproducibility.
Analysis
– Time■series smoothing vs. trend detection; anomalies and composites.
– Spatial interpolation cautions; cross■validation ideas.
– Communicating uncertainty effectively in maps and figures.
Self■check: ■ definition ■ example ■ application ■ common pitfalls
