Essential Question: How are climate, cultures and oceans all connected?
Climate has been simply defined as the weather in a particular area, averaged over a long period of time. It includes the temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, and the amounts of specific particles in the atmosphere in a given region. Climate is affected by numerous variables and their interactions are very complex. In general, climate is affected by a location’s latitude, terrain, altitude, the presence of ice or snow, or bodies of water, such as lakes and oceans, and their currents.
The ocean has amazing properties that influence climate. Ocean currents move continuously around the world, circulating surface water to the bottom of the ocean and back up again. Wind, temperature, and salinity of the water all control this movement. The currents spread heat from the sun throughout the world. The ocean also reduces the effects of global warming by taking up huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The partnership between the ocean and the atmosphere is the driving force behind Earth’s climate.
When looking at groups of people living in specific regions of the world, we begin to see patterns of behavior and practices that are connected to the climate of the area. These patterns of behavior, shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices make up the region’s culture.
A great example of climate shaping cultures is the Anasazi people of the American Southwest. Researchers studied stalagmites in New Mexican caves, upward-growing columns of minerals that are deposited by dripping water. The mineral bands making up stalagmites were used to track wetter and drier periods over the past 4,000 years. The researchers found that the climate changes correlated closely with major cultural changes in the Anasazi people. Agricultural advances, such as the appearance of corn and cotton, the use of ceramics, changes in how they built their dwellings, and the eventual abandonment of the famous pueblo cliff dwellings, all corresponded to changes in climate marked by the mineral bands in stalagmites.
Climate has been simply defined as the weather in a particular area, averaged over a long period of time. It includes the temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, and the amounts of specific particles in the atmosphere in a given region. Climate is affected by numerous variables and their interactions are very complex. In general, climate is affected by a location’s latitude, terrain, altitude, the presence of ice or snow, or bodies of water, such as lakes and oceans, and their currents.
The ocean has amazing properties that influence climate. Ocean currents move continuously around the world, circulating surface water to the bottom of the ocean and back up again. Wind, temperature, and salinity of the water all control this movement. The currents spread heat from the sun throughout the world. The ocean also reduces the effects of global warming by taking up huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The partnership between the ocean and the atmosphere is the driving force behind Earth’s climate.
When looking at groups of people living in specific regions of the world, we begin to see patterns of behavior and practices that are connected to the climate of the area. These patterns of behavior, shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices make up the region’s culture.
A great example of climate shaping cultures is the Anasazi people of the American Southwest. Researchers studied stalagmites in New Mexican caves, upward-growing columns of minerals that are deposited by dripping water. The mineral bands making up stalagmites were used to track wetter and drier periods over the past 4,000 years. The researchers found that the climate changes correlated closely with major cultural changes in the Anasazi people. Agricultural advances, such as the appearance of corn and cotton, the use of ceramics, changes in how they built their dwellings, and the eventual abandonment of the famous pueblo cliff dwellings, all corresponded to changes in climate marked by the mineral bands in stalagmites.
A great example of an ocean culture shaped by climate is the Inupiaq people in Alaska prior to European contact. The Inupiaq people live in the frigid arctic region of the state. There is very little vegetation, and what vegetation there is, is covered up most of the year by snow and ice. A traditional Inupiaq diet consisted of mostly fish and large sea mammals, and they clothed themselves with the skins and furs of the animals they ate. Their homes were partially built underground to conserve heat. Inupiaq’s travelled by umiaks (large canoe like boats that could hold multiple passengers), kayaks, dog sled, or by foot. The Inupiaq were and still are shaped by the frigid climate in which they live. It drives the foods they have available to them, their behavior, where and how they live, what they wear, and their relationships with each other.
The Inupiaq Eskimos made their clothing from available animal furs, parts, and skins.Collection Name: Alaska Historical Library, Lomen Brothers Collection.Identifier: PCA 66-54-817
Climate, ocean, and cultures are intricately woven together. Resources such as Google Earth can orient students to a particular area, as well as illustrate ocean currents and sea surface temperatures. YouTube and Teachers’ Domain are additionally valuable in illustrating the climate-ocean-culture interaction. Examples that are specific to a particular region, such as the Inupiaq people of Alaska, or the Anasazi in New Mexico, become immediately available and essential in creating a deeper understanding of climate in our classrooms.
