• Wet climates near equator: Brazilian, African, SE Asian Rainforests
• Deserts near 30 ^o N (Sahara & Arabian) and 30 ^o S (Australian & South African)

• Hot air rises at equator
• Air cools as it rises
• Cool air holds less moisture than warm air
• Rain falls at equator
• Convection moves the now dry air north & south where it falls back to surface and warms as it falls.
• Warm dry air at 30N and 30S causes deserts

• Rain shadow deserts: mountain ranges have rainfall on windward side and deserts on leeward side. Examples: Olympic rainforest in Washington State and desert in Eastern Washington on other side of Casdade Mountains. Wet climate in India and dry climate in southern China (Gobi Desert) on other side of Himalaya Mountains.
• Continental vs Oceanic Climates: land warms and cools faster than water because of the high specific heat of water. Moderate climates on coasts of continents (California, Oregon, Washington, Europe) and extreme climates in centers of continents: Kansas, Dakotas, Siberia. The Great Lakes in the US have same effect - extreme climate in Wisconsin/Minnesota, milder in Michigan.

• Glaciation several times in last 700,000 years.
• Several little ice ages in last 10,000 years.
• 900-1200AD warmer than now
• 1400-1700AD colder than now: "little ice age"
• Article on Death in Norse Greenland from Science, Feb 14, 1997.
• warming trend since 1700
• modern climate not particularly typical of past 1000 years

CO₂ trends since 1950's in Hawaii: 

Deviations from average temperature 1850 - present: 

Biophysical Ecology

Heat transport

• Solar radiation
• Convection
• Conduction
• Evaporation

• Behavioral thermoregulation in ectotherms - can regulate within 2 C, even in a habitat that varies as much as 40 C.
• Body temperature is related to running speed, competitive ability, etc in ectotherms.