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Reading to be done before Class:
CES pp. 20-31
Come to class with a basic familiarity with
the following concepts and ideas: Come to class with a basic
familiarity with the following concepts and ideas: Energy Flow through
Tundra ecosystem, earth sun relationships, equinox, solstice, solar
constant, Lambert's Sine Law, the first law of thermodynamics, the
second law of thermodynamics. Pay special attention to Figure 1.3
on pg. 24
Additional Assignment: Ecosystems and
Earth Sun Relationships Homework Assignment Started in class today
Characteristics
of the Tundra Biome
Why
does the Tundra team with life despite being cold and dry?
Earth
Sun Relationships
Why
are there seasons?
Equinox
Solstices
Lambert's Sin Law
Computing the Noon Altitude
of the Sun
Futher Resources
While Earth-Sun relationships are much less confusing than human
relationships, figuring it out can be a bit tricky at first. We
only have limited time in class so you need to do some studying
outside of class to fully understand and learn these concepts
(as is the case for everything you learn in college). Here are
some hints and resources that you can use to further your understanding!
1. First off, one of the reasons that you may find Earth-Sun
relationships tricky is that it involves visualizing spatial relationships.
To help yourself visualize what is going on, try the demonstration
we did with the globe and the flashlight on your own. It doesn't
have to be a globle. Any spherical object and lightsource will
work. Another resource you can check out is this nifty animated
diagram of Earth
Sun Geometry. Finally, draw some diagrams for yourself as
you work out the problems.
2. I have located some online textbooks for physical geography.
One in particular has a great explaination of Earth-Sun
relationships and shows you how to calculate the noon
sun angle.
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Environmental
Conservation 
